Had a lovely night out with Kim last night, where we filled up on steak and ribs, and digested it all while we saw a showing of District 9. In short, without trying to do a full review here, this movie is incredible. Completely original, wonderfully realized, and fantastically executed. Movies like this give me faith in the idea that great ideas and innovative direction and writing are still alive in the movie business.
But that’s not what this post is about. I just wanna talk about my favorite sci-fi movies of all time, and here is my short list. Hoping you’ll share yours as well. My list after the jump.
In no particular order:
- Enemy Mine
- Sunshine
- Serenity
- The Empire Strikes Back
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
- Logan’s Run
- Blade Runner
- Alien
- District 9 (very high on my list)
- 12 Monkeys
- The Matrix (first one)
- Gatica
I know I am missing a few. Will add em if I think about it. I’m pretty sure, from what I have heard from close friends, that Moon will be on that list, but I haven’t seen it yet.
So, here is your chance! What Scifi films make your top list and why? Let the comments fly!
Star Wars Trilogy (IV – VI, I-III do not exist)
The Matrix
Alien and Aliens
Titan A.E.
Star Trek Generations (My personal favorite of the bunch)
That’s all I can think of right off the top of my head.
I saw District 9 too, and thought it was amazing. Probably my favorite Si-Fi movie
Can you please explain to me what the hell you liked about District 9? I saw it, All of my friends liked it. Personally i thought it was a pile of monkey shit. I think all the other movies (that ive seen which is most of them) that people are listing are awesome, District 9 Is not.
Because it was so real. Human beings are despicable on the whole. You see all these Sci-Fi movies that show humanity as some bastion of civility, but in reality we like to abuse and take advantage of those less fortunate than us. If aliens really were trapped on Earth, I’d like to think that we’d treat them well and help them get home. In reality, District 9 would happen. District 9 is a great story about the reality of humanity and It was told in a really good way.
Classic Star Wars Trilogy (All 1 movie IMHO)
Aliens
Predator
Enemy Mine
Star Trek II
First Contact
Close Encounters
Fifth Element
Equilibrium (Pre-Batman Bale kicking arse, Neo style)
Serenity
I LOVE the 5th element, but I always struggle putting it on my top list because of a few weird plot things.
I love the fact that it doesn’t take itself too seriously without compromising it’s dark overtones.
Among those weird plot things being Chris Tucker’s “amazing” performance?
“I love the fact that it doesn’t take itself too seriously”
I kinda have the same feeling with Evolution
District 9 was amazing to me! Definitely on my list now. However, the following all apply:
Firefly (definitely my #1 pick)
The Matrix (only the first movie)
Heroes – Season 1
Star Trek: TNG
Earth 2
Dune! (1984 & SciFi channel version)
The SciFi Channel miniseries was awesome, but the 1984 movie is a piece of crap… I really don’t think it’s a story you can tell in less than 4hrs…
Star Wars
First Contact
Matrix
Starship Troopers
Alien
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
The Butterfly Effect
Dune
Back to the Future 2 (sorry Scott thats my favourite of the trilogy)
Terminator 2
And I haven´t seen District 9 yet…
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is great there are some cool animation SciFi movies 2 did not think about those *whispers* Altough I think Scot hates anime XD
Ah yeah there are many more I like. And if I remember correctly Scott even liked Akira
I don’t hate amine. I just hate formulaic amine.
aaaa Ok cool did u ever see the animatrix? I realy like the one with the distortion in the matrix (Beyond). I think that is a better adition to the first movie then part 2 and 3 di not like those very much.
I did! I loved it. Really into the batman one too that came out a year or two ago.
I like all the before mentioned, some I like that where missing:
The Thing (not the old one with the plant guy no the one with Curt XD)
The Space Odyssey movies
Dune
THX 1138
Pitch Black and the Chronicles of riddick
Moon
Sunshine
Alien
Solaris
Blade Runner
The Matrix
Vexille
Equlibrium
28 Days Later
The Prestige
Forgot these 2
Contact
The Thing
Nobody forgot Contact… It just sucked… Hard.
O the stargate movie
Empire Strikes Back
T2
The Matrix 1
Equilibrium
definitely District 9
and this one never gets any love – The Chronicles of Riddick (interesting anit-hero w/ great action) you just have to get past Vin D.
serenity
blade runner
ghost in the shell
pitch black
star wars 4, 5, 6
star trek 4
5th element
night watch
akira
red dwarf
Blade Runner
Brazil
Fifth Element
Farenheit 451
2001 SO
Star Trek (the new movie) is definitely on my list! Awesome film
Also, dunno if they count, but Dark Knight and Iron Man too!
#1: Sunshine. “…We’re flying into the Sun.” Great line. Greater movie.
#2: Red Planet. Carrie Ann Moss: “Hook me up Lucille”
#3 Bladerunner (original) “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe, attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion….All of these moments will be lost in time..like tears in rain”
#4: Congo (OK,cheesy and maybe not SF, but loved it! and Laura Linney!)
No particular order…
Matrix
Firefly (in particular, the “Out of Gas” episode) / Serenity
Logan’s Run
Titan AE
Equilibrium
Fifth Element
Lost
Pitch Black
Cowboy Bebop
FLCL
I’m sure there are more, but those are some of my favorites that I never can ignore if they’re on.
2010 !
This may be nit picky but Star Wars is very fanstasy with no real Sci in the Fi.
Blade Runner
Contact
2001 (I even like 2010)
Tron (not my fave but surprised it didn’t make the list)
Dune (favourite sci fi book, still waiting for the movie that truly captures the book. Sci-Fi Children of Dune came close)
Lost
BSG
there must be more but I’m at a loss.
“This may be nit picky but Star Wars is very fanstasy with no real Sci in the Fi.”
Ok maybe return of the Jedi with all those mupets running around.. I’ll give u that one but but Light sabers, FTL space ships traveling between planets, robots, aliens and so on that is prety Sci to me XD
Contact sucked buttermilk… What the hell were you thinking?
That movie kind of reminds me of the ‘Alien Nation’-series & movies …
Except of course this has ‘real’ aliens and the setting appears even more paranoid/racist about aliens.
In a way ‘Alien Nation’ may very well be what happens once to movie is done (if things change for the better that is).
// —
= Event Horizon
= 1984
= Red Dwarf (British comedy at its best in a SF-setting)
= Doctor Who (definitely worth watching, the movie does not exist though
)
= Alien Nation (if you like ‘district 9′ then this is a bit soft and optimistic)
= Torchwood (mature Doctor Who-spinoff, especially the creepy ‘children of earth’-miniseries that ended the show)
I’m just surprised you digested the steak ok while watching all that blood and guts.
Alien
Serenity
Blade Runner
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Trek II: Wrath of Kahn
2001
Aliens
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
I agree with almost every one on the list, but let’s not take ourselves TOO seriously…
Did we forget Predator?
Total Recall?
We’re not talking high art here, but I bet 9 out of 10 geeks wouldn’t change the channel if either on came on.
Did you meant Gattaca?
Did you mean Gattaca?
My favorites:
Blade Runner- Just tried to get my nephew to watch it. He wasn’t getting into it. I’m going to sit with him next time and guide him through it.
Galaxy Quest – I know it’s a comedy, but it’s a darn good comedy-sci fi movie.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension – Cheesy but I love it.
I also add Total Recall, Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back, the new Star Trek and a whole bunch more.
Weird but cool: Videodrome
Too many to list but I absolutely love District 9, and saw it twice in one day. Some of my favs are Howard the Duck, Buckaroo Banzai, Big Trouble in Little China, and many many more.
Surprised to see Enemy Mine on the list. It’s on my list too. Reminds me of what could have easily been a Star Trek episode (or movie).
District 9 was ok, but the commercial made it look better then it was. if it wasnt so original and creative it would have been severely disapointing
There. Is. No. Sanct-u-ary…
Nice list there. I might add for myself the following movie…
- eXisTenZ
not sure if I got the caps right, but it´s definitely a movie for gamers imho. And its wonderfully weird and beautiful.
Indeed … a truly remarkable movie.
Especially considering the weird biotech they’re using … *yuck*
And if I recall the end suggests they’re not in the real world yet … (in a way it is what the Matrix-sequels should have been like)
Also consider 13th floor … similar theme to both the Matrix & existenz
District 9. Certainly a different sci-fi movie, in story in method of telling it. I think the documentary style ‘works’ because of the way people assimilate sound bytes so regularly today (over the web in short vid clips).
and I know a lot of people like The Matrix (the first one) , and Neo discovering he is ‘the One’ makes for a great story, philosophical journey and science-fiction story. However, in my science-fiction computerized digital-reality, there are Programs, Conscripts and Users. TRON exists as my all-time favorite science fiction. it inspired me to know more about computers as a kid and ulitimately Programming. thanks Greenskar for putting it on your list too.
That is the perfect list. Don’t touch it! (Except maybe to add Tron.)
In no perticular order:
Star Trek : First Contact
The Matrix Trilogy (Yes, I liked the the others too, including the Animatrix shorts)
Back to the Future Trilogy.
The first 2 Terminator films.
Minority Report
2001 A Space oddysee.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (as long as any material involving Jar Jar is not included, or any material with Anakin)
I really enjoyed “District 9″ too, but as far as the ideas it presents as being truly original, I would have to disagree there. There are many sources where this type of idea has been played out before. Episodes of: “The Twilight Zone, “The Outer Limits”, “Star Trek”, “Alien Nation”, movies like “Enemy Mine” and so on. Not to mention the obvious allegories it represents. Now, I’m not knocking the movie at all and did like it, I just wanted to point out that the ideas it shows us are not really new (well, unless you haven’t seen much of what I pointed out).
Matrix
Alien
Outland
Dune
Blade Runner
Sunshine
District 9
Fantastic Voyage
The Black Hole
Close Encounters
Krull
Tron
Teh Abyss
Funny thing is if you look what is classified as sci-fi you see ones you would never expect. Got in a long heated argument with someone i know who claimed Frankenstein was the first sci-fi novel (mostly he claimed because a teacher told him so), it’s probably the most flexible and inflexible genre at the same time. The fans seem to make it worse too, with the “hard” hating the “space opera” and such.
I can’t believe you liked Sunshine though, it started out sooo good, then seemed to get lost and confused and then i felt it just got stupid. (i even went along with a bomb being able to restart the sun, ugh)
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure?
way to be a douche nozzle hierba, where’s your list for everyone else to crap on?
A couple of good movies I haven’t seen pop up yet:
Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy
Time Bandits
The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982)
Probably one of the most on-the-edge-of-your-seat movies for me; the cramped, claustrophobic quarters, the feeling of being stranded in the middle of nowhere, and the feeling of paranoia and mistrust. It was a simple idea, executed wonderfully, that didn’t need 300 special effects per minute to be entertaining.
That and pretty much any old Godzilla movie. Giant rubber monsters destroying cities and pummeling each other with flying elbows and drop-kicks is just all-around awesome.
Most of the movies here rank high on my list but one that keeps getting overlooked, a personal favorite of mine, is “Dark City”
Okay, we’re forgetting, folks…
The Last Starfighter
Gattaca
12 Monkeys
Brazil
Baron Munchausen
The Fountain
Blade Runner
Dark City
Children of Men
Tron
Sunshine
A Scanner Darkly
Hellboy
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Minority Report