Top 5 Science Fiction Movies for Beginners
Friday night's tweet-up proved to be every bit as fun as I expected it to be. I had a great time meeting my readers, getting re-acquainted with my fellow RedEye bloggers, and bugging the s**t outta
Stephen Markley.
Now, since the spirits were flowing liberally that evening, many of my memories of the event are kinda fuzzy. I've seen some
photos taken by other bloggers, but I have this sneaking suspicion that there are some - ahem -
memorable shots out there that have yet to surface on 'teh interwebs'.
There are two things that occurred, though, that I will never forget:
- Kyra Kyles said I was 'adorable.' Wow! And...
- Tracy Swartz told me that she has NEVER SEEN Star Wars! Or The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Or any of the Indiana Jones films. Or just about ANY SCI-FI MOVIE I COULD NAME! Gasp!
After giving her a hard time about it, Tracy asked for a list of the
Top 5 Science Fiction Movies for Beginners. After much debate with some of my colleagues and consulting my tweeps in the
Twittterverse, here's what I came up with:
In this gallery
This Ridley Scott flick, based on the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" was initially a box-office flop, but is now considered one of the all-time great science fiction films. Harrison Ford stars as Rick Deckard, a 'Blade Runner' whose job is to hunt down a group of android 'replicants' that have made it from the Outer Colonies to Earth. A grim meditation on what it means to be 'human', the studio initially forced Ridley Scott to change the narrative flow of the film and Harrison Ford recorded an uninspired voice-over, like Humphrey Bogart on vicodine. The film would later be re-released in a 'Director's Cut' which was closer to Ridley Scott's vision of the film. Blade Runner fans are divided over which cut they like best, but they all agree that the film is a classic in sci-fi cinema.
After 'Jaws' made him a name at the box-office, Steven Spielberg would direct this ground-breaking film about first contact with alien life. Re-uniting with Richard Dreyfuss, the duo would turn their attention from the mysteries of the deep to the wonders of outer space. With a script that was both smart and fun, and special effects that were ahead of their time, CE3K would show aliens as benevolent visitors and not the conquering invaders movie-goers were accustomed to. The score by John Williams would also give them the most recognizable 5-note combination ever.
A sci-fi flick disguised as a Kung-Fu chop-socky fest, "The Matrix" explored philosophical questions like 'what is reality' and 'why do certain things taste like chicken.' Borrowing liberally from asian cinema, including 'anime', The Matrix would go on to best The Phantom Menace in the Academy Awards for Best Special Effects, a coup for the Wachowski Brothers who both produced and directed the films. Too bad the sequels sucked.
Okay, I'll admit that I wasn't the biggest Trek fan until I saw this film. It's predecessor, "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" bored me to tears, but "Wrath of Khan" was a perfect balance between action, plot and character development. The original crew of The USS Enterprise have gone on to careers that have taken them away from the bridge of the legendary starship, but are brought back together when the villanous Khan Noonien Singh (played by Ricardo Montalban) returns to seek revenge against his enemy, Captain Kirk. 'Admiral' Kirk (William Shatner) is then forced to lead a crew of cadets against Khan who has stolen an experimental device capable of terraforming entire planets in an instant. Shakespeare and spaceships come together in this flick that director Nicholas Meyer called "Horatio Hornblower in space." It also has two of the most quotable lines in the Trek canon: "He's dead, Jim" and "KHAAAAAAAAAAN!"
When an alien mothership takes residence over a South African city, a race of creatures simply known as 'prawns' become a part of everyday life. Exploring issues like racism, apartheid and exploitation of the lower class, the movie starred a cast of relative unknowns. This relatively low budget film would show that you don't need a big budget to create compelling science fiction.
Blade Runner
This Ridley Scott flick, based on the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" was initially a box-office flop, but is now considered one of the all-time great science fiction films. Harrison Ford stars as Rick Deckard, a 'Blade Runner' whose job is to hunt down a group of android 'replicants' that have made it from the Outer Colonies to Earth. A grim meditation on what it means to be 'human', the studio initially forced Ridley Scott to change the narrative flow of the film and Harrison Ford recorded an uninspired voice-over, like Humphrey Bogart on vicodine. The film would later be re-released in a 'Director's Cut' which was closer to Ridley Scott's vision of the film. Blade Runner fans are divided over which cut they like best, but they all agree that the film is a classic in sci-fi cinema.
Okay, on to the obvious question:
"WTF, Elliott! Where's THE GREATEST SCIENCE-FICTION MOVIE OF ALL TIME!? WHERE IS STAR WARS!?"
Good question. And considering that the whole deal started when Tracy said she hadn't seen Star Wars, you'd think I would have put it on the list.
But here's the thing: Tracy asked for the Top 5 Sci-Fi movies to introduce noobs to and let's face it...
Star Wars IS NOT science fiction, it's science fantasy.
It's a fantasy just like the Rings Trilogy, like Excalibur, and even The Natural. So that's why I decided to not include it on the list.
Was I wrong? And what movie would YOU show to someone who has NEVER seen a sci-fi film?
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23 Comments
Angél said:
I still haven't seen any of those. I am completely sci-fi clueless!
PhysicistLisa said:
first, i really like that you found an excuse to put that Kara Kyles called you adorable, that took some skillz.
second, i haven't seen a lot of these either. it's because i'm a movie wuss. i read most of my science fiction because i'm too much of a big suspense wussy. I'll try to watch one of these soon and let you know what i think. In the daylight. with all the lights on. and maybe clutching my teddy bear... which one of blade runner, close encounters, and district 9 is the least scary? :P
GeekToMe said:
None of these films are all that scary, really. For the most part they are suspenseful. And any chance I get a chance to share a compliment, I'll do it. ;)
Steph Yiu said:
I'm going to watch Bladerunner this week. Yes!
richqb said:
This begs the question -- where do you draw the line between sci-fi and sci-fan?
GeekToMe said:
Lightsabers.
That's pretty much where I draw the line. ;)
Matt Middleton said:
I'd swap The Matrix with 2001: A Space Odyssey.
GeekToMe said:
Forgive me Matt, but while I know 2001 is revered by so many sci-fi nerds, it's methodical pace bores me to tears. I'm just ADD that way.
Dave Lee said:
I would include "The Abyss" and J.J.'s "Star Trek." And hey, how about the top 5 science fiction TV shows for newbies?
GeekToMe said:
Hmmmm...good one! Suggestions? I'd start with the NEW BSG and Doctor Who...
richqb said:
Both are really good, but BSG and The Doctor are pretty hardcore for intro classes. What about something a little goofy/campy? Maybe Chuck? Start 'em off light and then try for full on geek conversion?
Doug Meyer said:
What about Ghostbusters?
GeekToMe said:
Hmmmmmm.... good one. But is Ghostbusters sci-fi or comedy disgused as sci-fi? Isn't it really pseudo-science? I mean, really, where was the science in GhostBusters outside of the 'proton packs' whose functions are never really explained?
Anyone?
PhysicistLisa said:
I mean it depends on who you ask really... i'm pretty sure Asimov once said something to the effect of science fiction is concerned with how scientific advances impact society. Under that definition you could certainly make a case for ghostbusters. But it's also pretty commonly held that true science fiction has to have some base as an extension of modern day technology and Ghostbusters would also fall on its face under that definition.
Fandemonium said:
All of those are great movies!
Blake D. Dvorak said:
I agree that SW is more fantasy than sci-fi, but couldn't it be considered a "gateway" to true sci-fi? A beginner's sci-fi, so to speak? Just a thought.
Also, what about the Alien/Aliens flicks? (Just the first two -- I still want to believe that Hicks and Ripley and Newt found post-alien familial bliss.) Sci-fi or sci-horror?
GeekToMe said:
A 'gateway' flick? Nice. Especially when it comes to sci-fi, I can get it. I've always been of two minds about the Alien flicks, myself. Like the Terminator films, they are a genre films couched in sci-fi trappings. I love 1 and 2, don;t get me wrong, but yeah I consider them more sci-horror.
Thanks for commenting!
Tresix said:
I'm sure I'm not the only person in Chicago that feels that THE MATRIX is one of the most overrated movies of all-time. When I saw it, I called it "the longest, most expensive Gap commercial ever produced".
GeekToMe said:
LOL! The wardrobe department did seem to borrow liberally from the Gap catalog in the first film. I was also amazed at the number of J. Crew sweaters they wore in the second film!
Thanks for commenting!
Tresix said:
I called it a Gap commercial not because of the wardrobe, but because they were using that technology that they used to use in the Gap's TV spots. Where they would freeze the image then swing the camera around and resume movement. When I saw the movie, that was all I thought about instead of the "deep" story.
Tresix said:
I'm still trying to figure out why everyone is wearing dark glasses when there is no sunlight anywhere. I haven't seen the last film, do they explain this?
GeekToMe said:
The glasses are an homage/replacement of superhero masks, kinda like when Clayton Moore wore glasses after he was told he couldn't wear the mask.
the7dials said:
I would replace the original "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (Michael Rennie/Patricia Neal) over Wrath of Khan. I love ST, but I consider it more of a TV series than great SF movies. Perhaps there's an opportunity to create a new topic... Top 5 Science Fiction TV Series/Episodes for the SF newbie?
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