Movie recommendations · 5:11am Jun 8th, 2020
Any and all science fiction movie fans, got a query for you!
As I mentioned on the Lunaverse thread, I'm trying to take advantage of the quarantine times to watch some classic films that I haven't seen before, so I can better appreciate modern works which make allusions to or draw from them. That plan worked pretty well when I was doing genres like musicals, westerns, and crime movies; I looked up lists of 'the 20 most influential movies in ___ genre' and watched the ones that sounded interesting to me.
The problem is, now I'm moving into the sci fi genre, and a lot of these movies aren't just movies--they're franchises, often with multiple reboots. And from what I've heard, some of the franchises have some really bad and unimportant movies in them that I don't need to see in order to get the cultural impact of the franchise. E.g., I know the Terminator franchise is important, but I'm told there's 6 movies and that movies 3-6 suck and aren't really influential in the grand scheme of things; all the memetic and influential bits (the concept of the Terminator and the 'Terminator twosome'*, liquid metal Terminator, 'I'll be back', 'Hasta la vista baby,' 'I cannot self-terminate', etc.,) were apparently in the first 2 films.
So what I'm asking is, for the various science fiction franchises... which movies should I be seeing? I'm looking for films that are either good in their own right, or--if not good--are at least important in some way. (For instance, I've been told that Matrix 3 isn't very good, but I also heard it has a really famous scene involving Smith copying himself through the whole Matrix which has been repeated elsewhere in the culture, and that watching the movie is worth it just to see that scene in context.)
The franchises I'm looking at right now are:
Alien (including Prometheus)
Bill & Ted
Blade Runner (including Soldier)
Chronicles of Riddick
Evil Dead
Ghostbusters
Jurassic Park
Mad Max
Matrix
Monsterverse (the new series of Godzilla/King Kong/etc. movies that they've been making since 2014)
Planet of the Apes
Predator
Robocop
Starship Troopers
Terminator
War of the Worlds
So basically, if you're familiar with any of those franchises, it'd be a big help to me and drop a comment indicating which (if any) films in the franchise are worth seeing. Or if you know of other important science fiction movies. (The only ones I've really seen at this point are the Star Wars series, the Back to the Future series, the DC Expanded Universe, Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel X-Men films, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.) Thank you!
* This is what tvtropes calls the plot of 'two characters go back in time, one to change the past in some way and the other to make sure the past stays the same'. E.g., 'one Terminator goes back to kill John Connor, and another goes back to stop the first and ensure that John Connor lives.)
Here's a movie that is Sci-Fi and very good, it is an older one. Enemy Mine.
5280335
Seconded!
Evil Dead is more supernatural than scifi but the first is terrifying and the second is absolutely hilarious so well worth the watch.
Alien (1) is horror, Aliens (2) is action-horror but amazing. Predator is a good series as well.
I'd also add "A Boy And His Dog" if you can find it, that shit codified like every post apoc trope you can care to name.
Also the 1987 animated Transformers belongs on this list, Leonard Nimoy and Orson Welles voice the BBEGs.
Everything on this list is great and worth the watch.
* Alien, Aliens are almost required watching in some cirtcles. Some say to skip Alien 3 but I liked it but I'm weird. It's also David Fincher's debut work. Alien Resurrection it's it own thing. Some say it's a comedy. I find it enjoyable. It's also, Joss Whedon's third film writing credit. Prometheus is it's own thing. Not bad.
* Bill & Ted - Yes.
* Blade Runner. Also a Yes.
* The first Ghostbusters is iconic and unique. What followed was the writers and produces trying to recreate. I liked 2 and Answer The Call (think: alt-universe). There's an official continuation to the original but I haven't seen much.
* Jurassic Park I & II. Yes. Three is skippable.
* Jurassic World. I only saw the first one and had fun.
* Matrix. is yet another classic one. I say that Reloaded and Revolutions are better enjoyed back-to-back.
* The original Planet of the Apes from 1968 is a masterpiece of writing. Highly recommended. Based on a French SciFi book.
* Predator: I've only seen the 1987 and original sequel. Do watch them.
War of the Worlds: There are many versions of this classic SciFi book. The one with Tom Cruise, some say, it's the most accurate.
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Aditional recommendations:
* Mars Attacks! Tim Burton's take on the Alien invasion idea.
* The Fly (1986) If you're into body horror.
* The Man from Earth (2007). Dialog heavy. Some call it a "Thinker's" Sci-Fi. It reminds me about how Frankenstein was supposedly written.
* 1984 with John Hurt, Fahrenheit 451 from 1966 are both classic books and their films are great.
* Children of Men. I liked it.
* Gattaca, 1997. Genetic discrimination. It's good.
* The Abyss, 1987, by James Cameron. If you liked Aliens and Terminator you'll love this one.
* Bicentennial Man, 1999, and A.I. from 2001. Both deal with artifical inteligence and the nature of humanity.
* I would also throw in The Sphere (1998), Timeline (2003), and The Andromeda Strain (1971) [Eerily relevant], but that's just me being I'm a Michael Crichton junkie :)
I would certainly third Enemy Mine
If you're looking for influential films I'd try to find some version of the Fitz Lang film Metropolis from the 30s, the sets are astounding and the effects were ground breaking for the time. There are lots of different cuts ranging from about 90 minutes to near to 4 hours. I'd recommend one of the longer closer the original versions although I also have a week spot for the 80's music video like version which has a lot of the soundtrack done by Queen. Although there isn't to much it creates there are quite a few things it codifies for Sci-Fi robot duplicates, mad scientists, etc.
I'd recommend the Martian for being some of the hardest Sci-fi you can make without being a documentary.
Some Sci-fi films guilty pleasures which can't in any way claim to be influential are Real Steel and Battleship.
Seconding some suggestions made already:
* The two Bill and Ted movies: both quite different in tone, both great. I wonder if that Ted guy went on to do anything else.
* Gattaca: I don't remember much about it but I recall enjoying it and finding it quite inspiring.
* Bicentennial Man: I loved this movie as a kid! People don't talk about it much any more. Based on an Asimov story. The soundtrack is lovely. Prepare for feels.
* Galaxy Quest: While it does lampoon Star Trek's foibles, it's a thoroughly good movie in itself. I've heard that some Trekkies even consider it an honorary Trek movie.
* Robocop: Well, that's my childhood traumatized.
* Starship Troopers: Well, that's my childhood traumatized again.
* The Matrix: I'm an apparently rare person who didn't really care much for the original, but it's a watchable movie and worth it for the experience. Also please don't hurt me but I actually rather enjoyed Reloaded for being just a relentless onslaught of ridiculous set pieces. It's like they took all the pacing out of Revolutions and put it in here instead
Some of my recommends:
* Spaceballs: More comedy than sci-fi, but really fun. I watched this dozens of times as a kid, even before I knew what Star Wars was.
* Titan AE: This was a weird experimental-ish early 2000s sci-fi animated movie I think? One of the first animated movies I can recall that went all in on combining animation with CGI.
* TRON: It's such a unique movie. The visuals and soundtrack are very dreamlike and the weird pacing makes it feel even more so.
* Groundhog Day: It's sci-fi, right?
* Cube: Psychological/mathematical horror which amazed me when I learned how it was filmed. Avoid the sequels.
* The Butterfly Effect: Extremely unsettling existential time travel horror.
* Primer: Notoriously complicated indie time travel movie.
* The Fifth Element: "Hey, what if we just gave Luc Besson 90 million dollars?"
* Demolition Man: A fun collision between a Stallone action movie and 90s sci-fi.
* The Truman Show: One of my dad's favorite movies of all time. The soundtrack is incredible.
* In Time: Modernish allegory about societal inequality. A lot of people compared it to Gattaca. Everyone has a ticking clock on their arm that says how long they have to live, and lifespan is a currency and commodity. To be honest, I'm just hypnotized by glowing numbers.
* Dredd (2012): Really unsettling but such a well crafted movie. I never read the comics but I heard this is about as faithful to them as we'll ever get.
* Passengers: More modern than most stuff on this list but I really liked it. A computer glitch accidentally wakens a single passenger on a sleeper starship and he faces the prospect of having to face the rest of his life alone. There's a ponified fic adaptation of this that I really liked too.
* Watchmen: Probably the most faithful adaptation we'll get of the book? Visually, it's stunning. Might be better to read the book first.
My main suggested addition to your list is Galaxy Quest, particularly if you have any familiarity with Star Trek or its fandom. It's a very well-done and influential Star Trek parody, generally agreed to be one of the better Star Trek movies despite the stumbling block where it's not officially part of the franchise at all.
(If you don't have any familiarity with Star Trek or its fandom, others are probably better-qualified than I am to provide specific recommendations for Star Trek movies; it's probably worth watching some, but it's been a very long time since I've seen any and if I were to try recommending them I'd probably end up relying more on hearsay about which ones are popular than on my actual memories.)
5280404
I'd say the depiction of Dredd himself is spot on although to me Mega City One is far to down to earth compared to how it is in the comics.
For Evil Dead, most of them are more horror than anything except Army of Darkness, which is a feels like a fun high-fantasy/comedy.
Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters and the Matrix are all series where you should probably only watch the first two.
Planet of the Apes, having watched some of the old and new ones, I think the whole series is pretty awful.
*Alien (including Prometheus)
Personally enjoyed the first, second and third films in that franchise, but Prometheus is frankly more 'so bad it's ALMOST good.'
The first is a great horror movie, the second a great action movie, found the third a pretty decent mix of horror & action but without the first two's excellence in either, and the fourth is just pure action schlock but fun.
*Bill & Ted.
Great all-time comedies. A new sequel is coming soon, so pretty good timing too.
*Blade Runner (including Soldier)
Never actually seen this one, the mass of editions just broke my brain... BUT I can recommend the spin-off video game. Recently got added to GOG, and it's one of the all-time classic adventure games, if that's your thing.
*Chronicles of Riddick
Another in the pile of 'not seen yet, but the game is surprisingly great.' Highly recommended if you're into gaming.
*Evil Dead
Heavy gore warning. Great movies, but man, I was NOT ready for the fountains at times. So highly recommended there too, as long as you aren't squeamish.
That being said, #2 is basically a kinda, sorta remake of the first movie with better production and effects, so might want to skip the first one unless you're feeling completionist about it.
*Ghostbusters
Yes~ These movies hold up SO well. They're a prime examples of horror-comedies for a reason.
A lot of people don't like the second movie, and even less the new-ish all-girl reboot, but I really liked both personally. The first movie is the all-time classic, though, so giving that a whirl if it's your thing is a sure bet at least.
*Jurassic Park
Personally, found that the first movie is a bit overrated nowadays. It's still fine, and pretty dang good, but that crazy eye-candy factor has faded a bit.
I'd personally skip the rest with the power of hindsight. They all have their moments, but they never reached the bar the first movie set.
*Mad Max
Might get crucified for this in some circles, but I've only seen Beyond Thunderdome, and only as a kid at that.
They're pretty much one of THE post-apocalypse series, though. Just getting that moment of 'oh~, that's why so many post-apocalypse things have a leather jacket with one sleeve' is worth it.
*Matrix
I'd say the whole series is worth it, just for what a pop-culture juggernaut it is. There's just so many references and in-jokes that suddenly make sense if you've got that 'Matrix' lense to view things through.
And hey, even the third movie had some great action. Gotta give it that.
Be sure to give Animatrix a whirl, too. It's a shorts compilation, and they're a bit hit or miss... but the ones that are hits stick with you for years.
*Monsterverse (the new series of Godzilla/King Kong/etc. movies that they've been making since 2014)
Heard good things but haven't watched them.
The original Godzilla still holds up shockingly well, though. If you're not scared by the mono sound and black & white, I'd definitely make room for that one.
*Planet of the Apes.
First one's haven't aged well, but it still has some cool ideas. That one is still worth watching.
The rest? Honestly, I'd personally skip them.
*Predator
First one is pretty dang great action, second is also worth it if the first cought your interest.
Avoid the reboot like it's covered in puss and liquid failure. I have heard NOTHING but bad about that one.
*Robocop
First one is superb. No other words for it. That one is a must see. Tons of symbolism and layered meanings. It's not just a great sci-fi movie, but a great story period, and everybody should see it at least once.
Liked the second, but its a bit more on the action side. Cool & creepy villain, though.
Third is bat-shit and throw a lot of stuff on the wall to see what stuck, but personally thought it was entertaining. A lot of people don't like this one, though.
Also, there's a pretty good mini-series called Robocop: Prime Directives. It has some cool stuff in it you don't see very often in sci-fi, like the obsoletion of old cyborgs, and what I thought a pretty cool plot.
So plenty to sink your teeth into, but again, best to start with the first one, and see if the universe grabs you.
*Starship Troopers
The first movie is great satire and great action. It ramped up the fascism boner of the book to an absurd degree, and it's honestly chilling at times the lessons you can draw from this movie. The CGI of the bug swarms still hold up shockingly well, too, so that's a treat.
Heard nothing but bad things about the sequels, so haven't watched them.
*Terminator
First & Second are all-time greats. Try to go in semi-blind if you have that rare luxury, it saves some of the cooler surprises. HIGHLY recommended, both of these.
Third movie had its moments, but I'd honestly skip the rest of the series unless you're an instant fan. This is one of those series that's been chewed down to the bone by Hollywood, alas, and for every great idea you get four bad ones via studio meddling.
*War of the Worlds
I'd personally skip this one. There's been several great movies based on that book... but the big twist is so well-known, it's hard to stay excited.
Some recommendations:
*Blame!
On Netflix, so pretty low bar for entry. Personally had some pushback on recommending this one since its suchs a slow burn (my mom outright fell asleep trying to watch it), but if you enjoyed 2001 you might enjoy this one.
Still, never seen a movie with this sense of pure scale. Like, you can almost feel the same sucking sensation you get when looking down into a deep ravine or something, just from some of the backgrounds in this movie.
*Akira.
Another one of those 'worth it just to get all the references' ones. Landmark in animation too, that still holds up, so personally consider that a plus.
*The Martian.
One of the hardest sci-fi movies out there. (At the time, at least.) It even has stuff like light lag, and how shockingly, terrifyingly VAST space is... plus just a great tale of ingenuity and survivability.
Book is excellent too, if that's your thing... but the author himself praised this movie, so it's definitely not a bad version to watch.
*The Fifth Element.
More of a space opera, but MAN, this movie's still a looker. For some reason people are starting to semi-forget this one, but it's a great palate cleanser if you want something grand and pretty without too many horror elements or heavy themes.
*TRON.
Adore this movie. And it still has such a unique look and feel to it. Saw it called out up above, but thought I'd just reinforce that it's still worth watching.
Think it says something that it got disqualified for the best effects Oscar, because they 'cheated' and used computers. Ha! Different times...
Haven't actually seen the movie sequel yet, but again, if games are your thing, I can recommend Tron 2.0. Really great FPS (tis' on Steam) that continues the story of the movie in a whole other direction that the other, actual sequel took.
*Flash Gordon.
You'll either hate or love this movie, but the cheese alone is so grand and terrible I felt it needed a shout-out.
Queen soundtrack too. Not many of those, and they gave it their all, so definitely a bonus there.
*Dark City.
Old favorite of mine. Some really intriguing questions about identity and memory, if there even is a soul, when the mind is so easily toyed with... Strong stuff. Big questions. And another one of those movies that's such a looker you can basically identify it from just a screenshot or two.
Be sure to get the director's cut if you can, though. The studio forced the director to dum the theater version down so far, that it outright spoils one of the big twist right there at the start in narration.
*Forbidden Planet.
Haven't personally seen this one, yet, but it's where Robbie The Robot came from. And it's the movie that inspired ALL of Star Trek. Roddenberry outright wanted to make a Forbidden Planet tv-show, but couldn't get/afford the rights, and the rest is history.
Really great and haunting early electronic score, too.
*Voyage Dans La Lune (A Trip to the Moon.)
Another for the 'just to get the references' pile, but personally deeply enjoyed this one.
Know that shorts, silent movies or black and white stuff isn't everybody's wheelhouse... but think everybody should see this one. It's just crazy how far the medium of film has come in a century and change, and this one holds up a lot better then, say, Man Sneezing.
Public domain too, so can just link this one directly, even.
Same movie by the way. One is just the black & white that got more famous because it was cheaper to copy, while the other is 'colorized.' An early way make color films where you, get this, basically drew color right on the celluloid!
If you have any interest in history (gonna take a stab on yes given the subject) it's definitely a trip and a half to see just how many limitations early movies had to wrestle with.
Sorry about the half a novel, but hope any of that was of help!