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Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies
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November 15, 2000 - Brad "Photon Torpedo" Smoley (Columnist)
Hey, first things first, I AM NOT A GEEK. Just because I love science fiction and think it's a great vehicle for telling great stories, it doesn't mean I'm a lame-o. Okay, I'm a dork. I admit it. But at least I DO admit it. I think it's funny that even though sci-fi is only for nerds and geeks that some of the highest grossing, and most highly anticipated movies are in the sci-fi genre. There are more closet fanboys out there than are willing to fess up to it. So, for them, I'm writing this list: The Top 10 Sci-Fi movies of all time....
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10. Dark City
Alex Proyas, the guy that brought us The Crow, wrote and directed Dark City, a bizarre tale that confuses as it entertains. A man awakens one day to find he doesn't remember a thing about who he is, where he is or why there's a dead prostitute in his room. As he wanders trying to figure out who he is, he sees the city change around him while everyone sleeps. It only gets weirder from there. Fabulous direction, great effects and a really good story place this virtually unknown movie at the #10 spot.
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9. Terminator 1 & 2
I'm cheating a bit here by putting two movies in one spot, but it's my damn list and I'll do what I want. Jim Cameron's original Terminator was a great example of what a young filmmaker could do with little money and a great vision. He made an instant hit and made Arnie an instant star. The only big complaint I have with the original is the god awful sound (cheesy sound effects and even cheesier soundtrack). Of course everything that needed to be upgraded in the first was taken care of in the second and Cameron also managed to take the story to the next level making Terminator 2 one of everyone's favorite sci-fi movies.
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8. Planet of the Apes
"You blew it up! Damn you! Damn you all to hell!" Wow, the things you could get away with in a G rated movie back then. Who could forget that classic scene at the end when Chuck Heston realizes that the earth had been destroyed and the Apes had risen in our place. The movie is a classic for it's stunning make-up and intriguing story. Like any good science fiction, Planet of the Apes makes you think. Are we as a race indestructible, or will we, in our pride end up leading ourselves to our own downfall? That remains to be seen. Apes was one of the first sci-fi movies to spawn multiple, low-budget sequels. Most of which were actually good, for a change.
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7. Forbidden Planet
One of my all time personal favorites, Forbidden Planet was way far ahead of it's time. In an era when sci-fi films were more or less campy westerns in space, this film was a brilliantly filmed and intelligently written thriller in space. Leslie Nielsen in his pre-fart humor days, as the captain of a ship looking for a lost expedition, sets down on a plant where strange things are happening. Only a scientist, his daughter and a robot remain on the planet where unseen forces endanger the lives of Nielsen's crew. Some terrific effects and dazzling matte paintings create a unique look for this sci-fi classic.
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6. The Matrix
What is The Matrix? A really good freaking movie, that's what. Everyone by now knows the story, Neo becomes The One and discovers he has the power to control a giant virtual world created for humans by machines. One of the coolest damn sci-fi movies out there, The Matrix combines great effects, great story, great performances and killer kung-fu. It proved that you didn't have to skimp on story or overdo the effects to get people to come to the theater. Hell I saw it 4 times at the local megaplex and watch it all the time on DVD. Displays the appropriate use of CGI effects within the context of the movie. Computer world = computer effects. Don't go nuts with it Hollywood.
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5. Alien
One of the damn creepiest and most frightening movies I've ever seen. Ridley Scott does "subtle" better than anyone I've seen maybe next to Kubric. Alien is gritty and real, from the sets to the sound to the creature, everything was constructed with terrifying reality. The movie so well combines the genres of sci-fi and horror that it was responsible for dozens of cheesy knock offs and some that were not so cheesy. H.R. Giger's alien is immediately recognizable wherever you see it, which is a testament to this movies originality and greatness.
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4. The Empire Strikes Back
Now, all 3 of the originals should be on this list (and Episode 1 should be on it's own, separate list) but for the sake of fairness, I limited the Star Wars movies to one. ESB is one of my favorite movies ever because it's got it all. Drama, romance, action, adventure, surprises, you name it. It's dark, it's moody, it's beautifully shot and directed. John William's music was perfect in this film, everything about it made it the best of the trilogy. The only reason that it isn't higher on this list is that it falls more into the fantasy realm than the sci-fi realm for me. Yeah, it happens in space, big deal. Sci-fi for the most part deals with people from earth, as soon as you create someplace long ago and far away, it becomes fantasy. Still, one of the best and worthy of the #4 spot.
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3. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Mashed potato mountains and 5 note phrases. Richard Dreyfus and a few others are touched by something they cannot explain, something not of this earth. It draws them to a mountain to be witness to our first contact with beings from another world. Steven Spielberg's tale of other worldly visitors is mesmerizing visually and challenges us to ask the question: "Are we alone?" Another one of my all time favorites, "Close Encounters" was another one of those sci-fi movies that didn't rely on laserblasts and monsters to pull in the audience. It simply answered the question that everyone wonders about. It showed us that we are not alone.
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2. Blade Runner
Ridley Scott does it again with one of the most analyzed movies ever, Blade Runner. The complexities and parallels in this movie are so deep, you could spend a life time piecing them together and never get any closer to knowing the full story. Beloved or hated by sci-fi fans, Blade Runner is one of the most visual movies in it's category, leaving much up to the imagination of the audience. Two versions are available, the original containing narration and the director's cut including a few moments of added footage and NO narration. The latter of the two is so intriguing that every scene, every shot, every moment demands our closest attention. The characters are rich, full of mysteries and tear at the soul of humanity. Blade Runner is as close to sci-fi perfection as it gets. Well, that is except for...
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1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrik is possibly one of the greatest directors ever to live. A perfectionist in every sense of the word, he developed the story simultaneously with Arthur C. Clarke to produce the greatest science fiction movie ever. "2001" not only asks if we are alone, it not only asks where we came from, it asks about our place in this universe. What causes man to evolve? Are we any different than the machines we create? What is the next step we will take as a human race? Kubrik manages to ask all these questions with very little dialogue. As with Blade Runner, "2001" is a visual movie that must be taken in, more so than watched. The classical score helps to create mood but does not direct the action like most modern scores do. "2001" is not only one of sci-fi's best, it is one of the best films of all time.
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Opinions, we all have them. Our's is not the same as yours. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. The point is, if you don't agree fine. If you do agree, even better. Just realize this: everything said on these pages, is an opinion, and should be taken as such. If you are offended by what is said, just don't come back. Please do not resort to childish flaming or spamming of our message board or monk.e.mail address below, but do feel free to drop us a line with any intelligent comments you may have.
Thanks,
Brad & Tim. |
DMLives@gmail.com
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