How do you see the state of SF on TV and in Movies? (1 Viewer)

[Carl David]

Out of curiosity I went to Wikipedia and their listing of Science Fiction movies across the decades. Here's my list of SF movies from 1970 to 2020 that I somewhat regularly rewatch (at least once every 1-2 years). There are many others I enjoyed and rewatch on occasion (every 3-4 years). In spite of scanning those lists I'm sure I've missed a few. I've not included any of the Star Trek movies (those get regular viewings) or any comic book movies (a few get regular viewings) as those are almost their own genres - at least sub-genres.

Are all of these "classics?" No, not really but these get *regular* viewings:

A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Eolomea (1972)
Silent Running (1972)
Solaris (1972)
A Boy and His Dog (1975)
Star Wars (1977)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Alien (1979)
Mad Max (1979)
Escape from New York (1981)
Mad Max 2 (1981)
Time Bandits (1981)
Blade Runner (1982)
The Thing (1982)
The Brother from Another Planet (1984)
Ghostbusters (1984)
The Terminator (1984)
Back to the Future (1985)
Brazil (1985)
Re-Animator (1985)
The Fly (1986)
Predator (1987)
RoboCop (1987)
The Running Man (1987)
Total Recall (1990)
The Puppet Masters (1994)
12 Monkeys (1995)
Waterworld (1995)
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
Gattaca (1997)
Men in Black (1997)
Galaxy Quest (1999)
Pitch Black (2000)
Minority Report (2002)
The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
Enthiran (2010)

A few of those films I think you have missed in my opinion (I can see this thread going to infinity and beyond):

Starship Troopers
The Hidden
Rollerball (1975)
Outland
Dark City
Frequency
Repo Man
They Live
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Trancers (very low budget but a fine achievement in my opinion)

 

[Carl David]

Amazon US has Brother from Another Planet available for streaming and/or digital purchase. I don't know if it's the MGM print or one of those PD things but for the price ($4/stream, $20/purchase) I'd hope it is.

So... here's a short list of 50s SF movies that are absolutely worth your time:

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)*
The Thing from Another World (1951)*
When Worlds Collide (1951)
The War of the Worlds (1953)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
Gojira (1954)
Them! (1954)
The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)
This Island Earth (1955)
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)*
X the Unknown (1956)
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
Quatermass 2 (1957)
Attack of the Puppet People (1958)
The Fly (1958)
From the Earth to the Moon (1958)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
Return of the Fly (1959)

A few may have effects that could be considered "cheesy" but were actually state-of-the-art when the movie was produced. The stories are good - and that's what truly counts. I think you'd be quite surprised at just how good some of these are. A few of them (marked with *) are from a group of movies I loaned a late 20ish coworker who used to avoid BW movies ("I don't like BW movies.") to convince her BW movies are good too. They changed her mind - completely.

Gojira is my 16yo grandson's all-time favorite movie and has been since I first showed it to him ~4 years ago. Yes - the Japanese original with English subtitles. He'll watch it no other way.

FWIW I grew up in the 60s and first saw many of those 50s movies on late night "horror host" programs.

Can you cram that list to 5?

Don't fancy going through all those silly 50s Sci-Fi movies and can't imagine there was that many good films in that decade

 

[jcroy]

A few of those films I think you have missed in my opinion (I can see this thread going to infinity and beyond):
...


Trancers (very low budget but a fine achievement in my opinion)

Trancers was one of the few films I wanted to buy on laserdisc back in the day. Unfortunately I was never able to find it on laserdisc.

At best, I was only able to rent out the laserdisc from a local mom-and-pop video store.

If Trancers was rebooted today, I think it would probably work better as a tv show and not as a series of films.

 

[jcroy]

So far I have not been able to figure out what exactly makes a particular show/film to have a high rewatch value for me.

Reducing it down to particular tropes is simply not good enough.

 

[Carl David]

So far I have not been able to figure out what exactly makes a particular show/film to have a high rewatch value for me.

Reducing it down to particular tropes is simply not good enough.

I am not sure, neither.

Obviously, it has to be entertaining to want to watch it again.

But what makes it entertaining?

It's extremely difficult to conclude.

Is it a combination of story, acting & music combined?

It is certainly not related to budget and production values or special effects.

Maybe a process of elimination can get closer to the answer.

I am not even sure it comes down to personal taste.

I am embarrassed to admit I like a few very silly movies.

Road House being one. The plot is silly and the dialogue comical but I can watch it again no problem.

I do like Patrick Swayze and I think he gives a big presence to a movie.
I can pretty much watch any of his films even Steel Dawn which I liked.

A shame he did not do more movies.

My opinion is an actors presence is a major contribution to what helps a film become entertainment.

There does not seem to be a formula however as the studios would make money on every film if there was.

It's a mystery!!!

 

[jcroy]

I really wanted to like Starship Troopers back when it was in its theatrical run. I went to see it three times in the theater in those days.

(I read the book when I was really young).

Unfortunately it resembled too much like a long two-hour episode of "Beverly Hills 90210" in outer space. When I picked up the Starship Troopers trilogy bluray set, it further confirmed to me how lackluster it was.

 

[BobO'Link]

A few of those films I think you have missed in my opinion (I can see this thread going to infinity and beyond):

Starship Troopers
The Hidden
Rollerball (1975)
Outland
Dark City
Frequency
Repo Man
They Live
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Trancers (very low budget but a fine achievement in my opinion)

Nope... I've seen most of those but none made my "must see" list.

While I generally like movies from Carpenter I've not seen They Live. It sounds interesting.

I somewhat "need" to watch Dark City again as the first viewing was interesting but nothing really jumped out.
I absolutely didn't like Rollerball when I saw it in 1975. I hope to never see it again - even clips.
Starship Troopers ruins the ideas of the book (which, admittedly, is practically unfilmable as its written). In spite of that I own copies of all the movies in the series. They're all fun little throw away things.
I liked Trancers but it's just not high on my list of rewatches. It reminds me a lot of Blade Runner and The Terminator, two movies I'd rather watch instead.
I was somewhat disappointed in Repo Man. I'd heard lots of positive buzz about it so purchased a copy a few years back. It was OK but nothing I was in a hurry to rewatch.
Outland was OK - something different for Connery.
I enjoyed Buckaroo Banzai for John Lithgow (he does good "crazies") but otherwise it didn't hit for me.

I have huge issues with most time travel movies. Few writers take into account the paradoxes involved and deal with them in a logical, believable manner. I often don't bother with a movie if it has a time travel theme because of that. Frequency is one I've avoided due to the theme.

I'm also not much of a fan of "cop" movies and have avoided The Hidden because that's what it appears to be at the core.

 

[BobO'Link]

Can you cram that list to 5?

Don't fancy going through all those silly 50s Sci-Fi movies and can't imagine there was that many good films in that decade

5, eh? How about 8 (and the ones I cut are worth viewings). These are all true, time tested, classics:

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
The Thing from Another World (1951)
The War of the Worlds (1953)
Gojira (1954)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
The Fly (1958)

You must watch Gojira in the original Japanese with subtitles. Do *not* watch the US recut Godzilla, King of the Monsters! before seeing the original. The original is a much darker film.

 

[BobO'Link]

I really wanted to like Starship Troopers back when it was in its theatrical run. I went to see it three times in the theater in those days.

(I read the book when I was really young).

Unfortunately it resembled too much like a long two-hour episode of "Beverly Hills 90210" in outer space. When I picked up the Starship Troopers trilogy bluray set, it further confirmed to me how lackluster it was.

I really wanted to like Starship Troopers. After watching it I immediately reread the book because I didn't remember much of the movie being in it - it wasn't. The book is a considerably different story.

 

[TJPC]

I am surprised you have not seen A.I. being very much fascinated by Sci-Fi. Although I have not seen it myself I do think this might be up there as one of the best in this century so far especially considering Stanley Kubrick devoted a lot of his time to develop it with the intention of directing it himself. Would have been very interesting to see what he would have done with it if he did not pass it on to mr Spielberg.

However, we would probably not have Eyes Wide Shut which would be a a shame as I personally think that was one of the best films from the 1990s.

I plan on watching A.I. by the end of the year.

Personally, I would put Robocop up there as one of the best Sci-Fi films ever made. In my opinion, a film that becomes/is part of pop culture and yet still remains very interesting and original along with being very entertaining as well is vey difficult to achieve.
I have not seen this film for a while but am looking forward to re-watching it again.

Although AI is a special effects wonder, I found it really boring, and to have one of the stupidest and unsatisfying endings I have ever seen. We were left completely cold in the theatre, and I have not been able to force myself to watch the disc version I picked up from a Walmart dump bin several years ago.

 

[TJPC]

5, eh? How about 8 (and the ones I cut are worth viewings). These are all true, time tested, classics:

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
The Thing from Another World (1951)
The War of the Worlds (1953)
Gojira (1954)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
The Fly (1958)

You must watch Gojira in the original Japanese with subtitles. Do *not* watch the US recut Godzilla, King of the Monsters! before seeing the original. The original is a much darker film.

What about “Earth Vs The Flying Saucers” ?

 

[BobO'Link]

What about “Earth Vs The Flying Saucers” ?

I had to cut something - I really didn't want to cut that one but did... It really needs to be there with the other 8. Every time I'd try to cut one of the others I'd think about the movie, its effects, and overall impact on SF films. Yeah... It needs to be there too. IMHO all of those I originally recommended need to be seen at least once. They're absolutely the cream of the crop of 50s SF with effects that stand the test of time. Some hold up quite well against current CGI work. Earth vs. the Flying Saucers is one of those that really hold up - and the visual effects are stop motion. IMHO some of Harryhausen's best work.

Out of curiosity... if you were to cut one of those 8 in favor of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, which would it be?

 

[Jeffrey D]

A few of those films I think you have missed in my opinion (I can see this thread going to infinity and beyond):

Starship Troopers
The Hidden
Rollerball (1975)
Outland
Dark City
Frequency
Repo Man
They Live
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Trancers (very low budget but a fine achievement in my opinion)

Good mention of The Hidden- a fabulous SF/
horror film.

 

[Keith Cobby]

As a huge science fiction fan i also think the best films seem to be in the distant past. However there are loads of books which might make good films. I suggest Heinlein's Future History series, Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat, and Asimov's Foundation, for starters.

 

[BobO'Link]

Foundation could be very difficult to turn into a movie. It's been some time since I read it but my recollection is of something that could, and likely would, be royally messed up.

I've always felt Heinlein's work was under represented on screen.

I've never read any of Harrison's "Stainless Steel Rat" stories. In fact, after looking up his works I don't think I've read anything he's written... very odd...

 

[jcroy]

Foundation could be very difficult to turn into a movie. It's been some time since I read it but my recollection is of something that could, and likely would, be royally messed up.

Unfortunately I would also have to agree with this.

Foundation is a decent read. Though I don't see any easy way of turning it into a tv series without becoming too boring.

What I mean by "too boring", is if you find semi-autobiographical movies like "A Brief History of Time" about Stephen Hawking not exactly exciting stuff.

 

[BobO'Link]

Unfortunately I would also have to agree with this.

Foundation is a decent read. Though I don't see any easy way of turning it into a tv series without becoming too boring.

What I mean by "too boring", is if you find semi-autobiographical movies like "A Brief History of Time" about Stephen Hawking not exactly exciting stuff.

I know exactly what you mean. It'd likely be a very "talky" movie with not a lot of "action" sequences and absolutely fall flat with today's ADD audiences.

 

[TJPC]

I had to cut something - I really didn't want to cut that one but did... It really needs to be there with the other 8. Every time I'd try to cut one of the others I'd think about the movie, its effects, and overall impact on SF films. Yeah... It needs to be there too. IMHO all of those I originally recommended need to be seen at least once. They're absolutely the cream of the crop of 50s SF with effects that stand the test of time. Some hold up quite well against current CGI work. Earth vs. the Flying Saucers is one of those that really hold up - and the visual effects are stop motion. IMHO some of Harryhausen's best work.

Out of curiosity... if you were to cut one of those 8 in favor of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, which would it be?

I would cut all Japanese monster flicks. When I was in my middle teens a group of us would watch “Creature Features” every week end. We found the Godzilla type movies hilarious and did a sort of Mystery Science Theatre for ourselves as we watched. We thought that they were so phoney and cheaply made that they were only good for a laugh. They are the kind of movies that give Sci/Fi a bad name. I am afraid my attitude has not really changed.

 

[jcroy]

I know exactly what you mean. It'd likely be a very "talky" movie with not a lot of "action" sequences and absolutely fall flat with today's ADD audiences.

For the most part, depending on how far back they go to do such a show.

A Foundation series starting from the "prelude" and "forward" books, would probably end up resembling the Genius series' first season about the life of Albert Einstein (on the National Geographic channel back in 2017).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genius_(American_TV_series)#Season_1:_Einstein_(2017)

Such a tv series would be somewhat boring if you're not familiar with the details about the lives of Albert Einstein or Hari Seldon.

 

[BobO'Link]

I would cut all Japanese monster flicks. When I was in my middle teens a group of us would watch “Creature Features” every week end. We found the Godzilla type movies hilarious and did a sort of Mystery Science Theatre for ourselves as we watched. We thought that they were so phoney and cheaply made that they were only good for a laugh. They are the kind of movies that give Sci/Fi a bad name. I am afraid my attitude has not really changed.

I absolutely agree but also argue that Gojira is a completely different type of film than what the franchise devolved into in the 60s. The original Japanese cut is a very dark movie that does not have that cartoony/camp stuff that crept into the series following the Americanization of Gojira by taking out some of the darker elements and injecting scenes with Raymond Burr. You still have the "guy in a rubber suit" for the monster and the standard Japanese miniature work but it's by no means campy. If you've not seen the original, uncut, in Japanese with English subtitles, then I highly recommend you give it a try.