My Ten Favorite Movies by Genre (Volume 4): Science Fiction
Charles Rayburn
United States
Cleveland
Tennessee
-
Born in 1972, I lived through the Star Wars years and was a huge fan, but the sci-fi genre as a whole has never been my favorite. After Star Wars, I did watch quite a few bad or forgettable sci-fi films, (Yor: Hunter of the Future? Ice Pirates? Anyone? Anyone?) but I just never really warmed up to sci-fi the way I did to horror. Part of this came from an obsession with Stephen King books throughout high school. While most of my friends were reading sci-fi and fantasy (Michael Moorcock in particular) I was reading The Shining and Christine. One last note of irony, and then I will actually get to the list, my favorite King book is The Stand, more sci-fi than horror. Go figure.
For the record, the competition was fairly stiff for the top ten, so I once again included a Honorable Mention category. I also list a few notable sci-fi films that I have yet to see.
For inquiring minds, you can check out the first three volumes of this extensive, yet trivial project.
Westerns
Crime/Gangster
Mystery/Film Noir
For a detailed analysis of Sci-Fi monster films, check out woundwart's recent geeklist. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/31089
-
Charles Rayburn
United States
Cleveland
Tennessee
-
Honorable Mention: Movies that didn't quite make the cut.
The Thing (1982)
The Thing from Another World (1951)
Return of the Jedi (1983)
Road Warrior (1981)
Brazil (1985)
Donnie Darko (2001)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Back to the Future (1985)
Contact (1997)
The Time Machine (1960)
The Terminator and Terminator 2 (1984 & 1991)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
E.T. (1982)
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Them (1954)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Minority Report (2002)
The Matrix (1999)
Supposedly good sci-fi that I haven't seen.
Silent Running
The Abyss
Stargate
Soylent Green
Logan's Run
Andromeda Strain
I, Robot
X-Files
Time Bandits (watched it as a kid but can't remember it)
Dark City
Gattaca
All the Star Trek movies (watched Wrath of Khan as a kid but details are vague)
Omega Man
Escape from New York
-
-
Charles Rayburn
United States
Cleveland
Tennessee
-
#10: Planet of the Apes (1968): This one impressed me and I already knew how it ended. Heston spends a lot of time getting harassed by apes and feeling superior, but he learns a hard lesson, "The truth hurts." As with most most of the movies on this list, and sci-fi in general, this one has something to say about Man and society.. Innovative and the father of many sequels, don't be fooled by imposters or clones. This is the real deal.
-
-
3.
Board Game: Monkeys!
[Average Rating:4.78 Unranked]
Charles Rayburn
United States
Cleveland
Tennessee
-
#9: 12 Monkeys (1995): While talking it over with woundwart the other day, he made a statement about 12 Monkeys that impressed me. He said that it was one of the few movies to deal with time travel in an intelligent fashion. After thinking about it for a while, I began to think he was right. On top of that, it's bleak version of the future is so carefully realized that you feel grungy after watching it. If you get a chance, watch Chris Marker's short film La Jetee. It's composed almost entirely of still photos edited together. It is the direct inspiration for 12 Monkeys. As far as other time travel movies that handle the suject intelligently, how about Back to the Future?
-
-
Charles Rayburn
United States
Cleveland
Tennessee
-
#8: Artificial Intelligence: A.I (2001): Pinocchio for the sci-fi crowd, A.I. is a deeply moving and well acted piece of film making. Based on a script that Stanley Kubrick had been kicking around for a few years, Stephen Spielberg directs and gives us a heart breaking story of a robot boy who has real emotions. I will never forget the image of Haley Joel Osment sitting on the ocean floor. In my humble opinion, this is better than E.T.(which I do like) because it has heart without being too syrupy sweet.
-
-
Charles Rayburn
United States
Cleveland
Tennessee
-
#7: Forbidden Planet (1941): Combine incredible special effects and a loose adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest and what do you get? This incredible 1941 classic that absolutely floored me with its effects when I first saw it. Unlike the original War of the Worlds, also with great effects, this story also appealed to me. The characters seemed more believable. I feel that War of the Worlds is responsible for Independence Day (not a good thing), while Forbidden planet is responsible for Star Wars, Alien, and to some degree Blade Runner. Impressive.
-
-
Charles Rayburn
United States
Cleveland
Tennessee
-
#6: The Invisible Man (1933): Directed by James Whale of Frankenstein fame, this is classy science fiction done correctly. My personal favorite of all the old Universal "horror" films, Invisible Man has heart, imagination, and good performances packed into a sparse 71 minutes. Not many sci-fi movies have really made me sad; this one did.
-
-
Charles Rayburn
United States
Cleveland
Tennessee
-
#5: Blade Runner (1982): Basically a Film Noir set in space, Blade Runner changed the way people looked at Science Fiction. It was dark, dirty, sordid, and not just for kids anymore. There's not even a cool monster. Along with atmosphere so thick you could cut it with a knife, it presents some interesting philosophical questions about Man and machine. This is the first of two Ridley Scott films to make this list.
-
-
8.
Board Game: Alien
[Average Rating:5.01 Unranked]
Charles Rayburn
United States
Cleveland
Tennessee
-
#4: Alien (1979): Who cares if this is really just a horror movie dressed up as a sci-fi film? This one is still the ultimate sci-fi shocker. I know that some people like the action packed chaos of Aliens, but I'll take the suspense and quiet dread of this film any day. I like the second one, but the first one is on a different level. It's hard to appreciate now, but the chest bursting and overall violence of Alien really paved the way for more and more on-screen gore over the next decade, an important, if somewhat questionable, legacy. This is the second of the two Ridley Scott films mentioned earlier. For one man to direct two of the most influential sci-fi films of all time is quite impressive.
-
-
Charles Rayburn
United States
Cleveland
Tennessee
-
#3: Star Wars (1977): If you haven't seen this little sleeper, you should check it out. Just kidding. What else is there to say that hasn't already been said. I was five when it came out, and shortly thereafter, it and the two sequels had taken over my mind. Why do I still love it as an adult? I think it is the grand over arching story line that plays like great mythology(as woundwart is fond of saying, it's a Space Opera). It is the sweeping epic nature that let's you immerse yourself in another universe. It's the breath taking adventure/western film wrapped up in shiny metal and space ships. What's not to like? This may well be the most influential movie of all time in two ways. It finally gave the sci-fi film respectability but as a by product, the big studios started churning out inferior ripoffs. Secondly, it created the summer blockbuster formula that began with Jaws and multiplied it by 100. In some ways, you can say it had as much negative impact as positive.
-
-
Charles Rayburn
United States
Cleveland
Tennessee
-
#2: The Empire Strikes Back (1980): No big shocker here. This is normally regarded as the best of the three original Star Wars movies, and I can't disagree. A darker atmosphere, Boba Fett, and Yoda make this one incredible. In hindsight, my view unobstructed by the nostalgia of youth, this is the one that actually seems like a great "film" and not just ass-kicking fun. A nice cliff hanger ending wets the appetite for the rousing finale.
-
-
Charles Rayburn
United States
Cleveland
Tennessee
-
#1: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): My predictable #1 is this Stanley Kubrick masterpiece (Kubrick is my overall favorite director). I know that people either love or hate this one, but it blew me away the first time I watched it (No, I wasn't stoned) and it still does. First of all, its special effects were ground breaking, but if that's all it had, it would just be a nice piece of eye candy. Instead it takes thes effects and combines them into a story that deals with the evolution of Man, the dangers of technology, and the limits of the human mind. A fairly audacious undertaking. Kubrick get's bonus points for so fully realizing his vision even at the risk of completely alienating a large segment of the film going public. My best friend and I have very similar movie tastes, but we just can't see eye to eye on this one. He can never stay awake through the whole thing. I think it is one of the greates films ever made period.
"Open the pod bay doors, Hal"
-
-
|
|
Posted Tue May 6, 2008 7:08 pm
