What Is the Best Science Fiction Movie Ever?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers around opinions on the best science fiction movies, with participants sharing their favorites and debating various films. Key mentions include "Contact," "Jurassic Park," "Back to the Future," "The Day the Earth Stood Still," and "Dune," highlighting their impact and storytelling. There is a recurring theme of nostalgia for classic films like "Blade Runner," "Alien," and "2001: A Space Odyssey," which are praised for their artistry and influence on the genre. The conversation also touches on the evolution of sci-fi films, with some expressing disappointment in modern offerings compared to past classics. Participants discuss plot elements and character motivations, particularly in "Contact," questioning the feasibility of sending another person through the machine. Overall, the thread reflects a deep appreciation for the creativity and cultural significance of science fiction cinema.
Maxwells Demon
Hey PF..

What do you think is the best Science Fiction movie(s) ever?

Thanks :)
 
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Contact and Jurassic Park
 
what's Contact about?
 
The Day the Earth Stood Still - Klaatu barada nikto :approve:
 
Speaking of Contact, why couldn't they just send another guy through the machine again?
 
I like star wars.
 
Thrice said:
Speaking of Contact, why couldn't they just send another guy through the machine again?

That would be too easy, but ever heard of 'Sequels'?

Garth
 
Back to the Future, because it actually had a plot.

Most movies today are crap.
 
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anyone seen Doctor Strangelove
 
  • #10
Maxwells Demon said:
anyone seen Doctor Strangelove

Great movie, though it's more political/comedic than scientific.
 
  • #11
Dune was very good, considering the huge volume of information they had to try to convey in one sitting. The original Star Wars was ground-breaking in special effects. Contact was very good - one of the more cerebral efforts.
 
  • #12
all right.. I once saw a really cool sci-fi movie.. Think it was called Red Dust or Red Planet.. This astronaut ends up at a beautiful beach on some foreign planet, after going through a wormhole, I think.
 
  • #13
Total Recall wasn't bad as a sci-fi action movie. I second back to the future and might throw in star trek 4.
 
  • #14
Probably ET.
 
  • #15
Kurdt said:
Total Recall wasn't bad as a sci-fi action movie. I second back to the future and might throw in star trek 4.

I saw some of the star trek movie and it was good.
 
  • #16
There's a comprehensive list of Sci Fi films at wikipedia.org:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_science_fiction_films

My favorites from the list:

1956 -- Forbidden Planet (it used to play almost non-stop on the cable channels)

1960 -- The Time Machine

1968 -- 2001 A Space Odyssey

1971 -- The Andromeda Strain

1977 -- Close Encounters of the Third Kind

1980 -- Altered States

1983 -- Brainstorm

1985 -- Real Genius (hey, it's on the wiki list -- not much SciFi, though. Pretty accurate account of my undergrad.)

1996 -- Mars Attacks! ("It's not unusual...")

2000 -- Red Planet

2004 -- Alien Versus Predator (sequel is due out later this year!)
 
  • #17
berkeman said:
There's a comprehensive list of Sci Fi films at wikipedia.org:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_science_fiction_films

My favorites from the list:

1956 -- Forbidden Planet (it used to play almost non-stop on the cable channels)

1960 -- The Time Machine

1968 -- 2001 A Space Odyssey

1971 -- The Andromeda Strain

1977 -- Close Encounters of the Third Kind

1980 -- Altered States

1983 -- Brainstorm

1985 -- Real Genius (hey, it's on the wiki list -- not much SciFi, though. Pretty accurate account of my undergrad.)

1996 -- Mars Attacks! ("It's not unusual...")

2000 -- Red Planet

2004 -- Alien Versus Predator (sequel is due out later this year!)

About the same as my list... I'd lose Alien vs Predator and add Metropolis.
 
  • #18
Iin their day The Omega Man and the first Planet of the Apes film were excellent. From the later genre I liked Independence Day.
 
  • #19
Maxwells Demon said:
all right.. I once saw a really cool sci-fi movie.. Think it was called Red Dust or Red Planet.. This astronaut ends up at a beautiful beach on some foreign planet, after going through a wormhole, I think.
Oh I saw that one! Every living animal on the planet disappeared except for those who were momentarily dead when the ...whatever... happened.

I still think "Outland" holds up well after 20 years.
 
  • #20
Does Urotsukidoji count as sci-fi?
 
  • #21
- eternal sunshine of a spotless mind
- star-wars sixtilogy? (what's the word for 6?)
- the matrix
- total recall
- the original planet of the apes
- a scanner darkly
- jurassic park (the 1st and the 3rd ones; 2nd one sucked)
- minority report
- final cut
- brazil

I couldn't possibly choose.
 
  • #22
Thrice said:
Speaking of Contact, why couldn't they just send another guy through the machine again?

The aliens stated that they would not allow the tunnel to be used again for some time. At least that was in the book, if not the movie.

On a more practical level, nobody wanted to rebuild the thing. It was extraordinarily expensive and didn't appear to work.
 
  • #23
Helloooo! Alien should be on everyone's list. That movie is even listed in the US Film Registry's list of movies with cultural significance (there are only 450 films on the list too). others:
aliens
equilibrium
the cube
blade runner
the terminator 1&2
 
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  • #24
Stingray said:
The aliens stated that they would not allow the tunnel to be used again for some time. At least that was in the book, if not the movie.

On a more practical level, nobody wanted to rebuild the thing. It was extraordinarily expensive and didn't appear to work.
They'd have had to rebuild it?

I suppose I wasn't paying too much attention. Talk in movies bores me because it's always quite shallow. If I was to make a list I'd probably only have the matrix series because of its special effects.
 
  • #25
Thrice said:
They'd have had to rebuild it?

Yeah. The big spinning sphere dropped into the water from what I remember. And since nobody knew how anything worked, things might have gone wrong if the directions weren't followed precisely.
 
  • #26
gravenewworld said:
the terminator 1&2

dear god how could I forget! ... I would actually add the 3rd one too, I thought it was fantastic, and the chase scene is one of the most ridiculously insane chase scenes I have ever seen :eek:
 
  • #27
The matrix seems more like a technology gone bad thing but for some reason it just doesn't seem like a sci fi to me
 
  • #28
Tommy knockers? was good.
 
  • #29
Looking at the others' list, I think my choices are closer to being science movies than sci-fi. :biggrin: Of course, not having watched most of the others listed (may be all of them!), I can't really comment. :rolleyes:

Maxwell's Demon, your description of the movie sounds a lot like Contact.
 
  • #30
Contact (possibly my all time favourite movie), starwars, original planet of the apes, Matrix, BTTF, and I kinda liked Deep Impact...for some reason :P
 
  • #31
My favorite is:

1999 The Bicentennial Man
 
  • #32
2001
Alien
Blade Runner
 
  • #33
I've got to give props to the Matrix trilogy. It seems now a days I tend to like something more for its originality than anything else.
 
  • #34
I don't like the mainstream movies, like Matrix.. First time I saw The Matrix it wasn't "famous" I liked it better then..
 
  • #35
did someone mention "Batteries not included" yet?
 
  • #36
My personal favorite: T2

Honorable mention to Forbidden Planet, a spectacular piece for 1956.
 
  • #37
Terminator 2, Aliens are the best for my money.

Minority Report was an excellent movie, despite Tom Cruise.
 
  • #38
moe darklight said:
- star-wars sixtilogy? (what's the word for 6?)
Latin prefixes suggest it's sexlogy.
 
  • #39
Actually, it would be hexalogy, analogous to hexagon..

Sexology is what Dr. Ruth does. Or did. I'm old, but not as old as her. Fortunately.
 
  • #40
arildno said:
Sexology is what Dr. Ruth does. Or did. I'm old, but not as old as her. Fortunately.

dr who? did it come in technicolor? :smile:

here in Canada we have sue johanson, she has a show called the sunday night sex show... she's like 60 now. I used to watch it more-- they would show it in school too sometimes in sex ed or she would do speeches at schools.

I tune in from time to time; it's educational, but mostly it's pretty funny when people call with the weirdest sex questions, I remember a call involving tomatoes and other vegetables ... and the funniest call I can remember I don't think i'd be allowed to post on this forum. The great thing is she doesn't even blink when people ask her the most outlandish questions, which is why she's so popular I think.
 
  • #41
I enjoyed The Matrix. I am not a huge scifi fan. My preferred movie is either drama or documentry.
 
  • #42
Mallignamius said:
Latin prefixes suggest it's sexlogy.

After three, I think you just say "saga."
 
  • #43
Sagaology.
 
  • #44
  • #45
let's just settle on sexy sagalogy.
 
  • #46
Blade Runner has emotion, action, artistry and a plot with dark, intrinsic beauty.

A. I. was melancholy - the ending still leaves me hanging.

2001, considering when it was made, was an excellent film technically (knowledge and modeling), and no doubt inspired many physicists. Which Oscars did it garner? Be sure to watch it on your deathbed.
 
  • #47
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  • #48
sas3 said:
I think "COLOSSUS: The Forbin Project - 1969" was great.

Tron was good also.
However Tron Is A 'security threat' See the link below (WOW!)
http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2007/3/28/132751/380

Neither FBI nor DHS officials would comment on the matter, citing that they do not comment on ongoing investigations or alleged breaches of national security. However, they were willing to discuss general questions concerning security surrounding nuclear research. "We are carefully reviewing disclosure procedures and criteria concerning any nuclear information that could be misused by terrorists," said FBI agent Lirpa Sloof, official bureau spokesperson in Los Angeles. "We are mindful of the current global terror situation, and are working to ensure the continued safety of American interests and lives all over the world."
Lirpa Sloof...

Uh huh.
 
  • #49
Lots of really great movies listed here. My favorites already posted are Blade Runner, Aliens 1 & 2, and Bicentennial Man. My favorite over-all would have to be John Carpenter's "The Thing."

Soylent Green is PEOPLE!
 
  • #50
Is the new Dr Who series being shown in the US?
 
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