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Post by thomasallencummins on Jun 28, 2007 14:57:27 GMT -5
Compiled from what I can find and one really helpful web site I am listing below the best sci fi film released each year from 1950 to 2007. IMHO of course.
1950 - Rocketship X-M 1951 - The Day The Earth Stood Still 1952 - Red Planet Mars 1953 - The War of the Worlds 1954 - 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea 1955 - Tarantula! 1956 - Forbidden Planet 1957 - 20 Million Miles to Earth 1958 - The Fly 1959 - The Angry Red Planet 1960 - The Time Machine 1961 - Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea 1962 - The Day of the Triffids 1963 - The Nutty Professor 1964 - Dr. Strangelove 1965 - Gamera 1966 - Fahrenheit 451 1967 - Escape from Planet Earth 1968 - 2001: A Space Odessy / Planet of the Apes 1969 - Journey to the Far Side of the Sun 1970 - THX1138 1971 - The Omega Man/Clockwork Orange 1972 - Silent Running 1973 - Soylent Green 1974 - Young Frankenstein 1975 - The Stepford Wives 1976 - Logan's Run 1977 - Star Wars/Close Encounters of the The Third Kind 1978 - Superman 1979 - Alien 1980 - The Empire Strikes Back 1981 - Escape From New York 1982 - Blade Runner / The Wrath of Khan 1983 - Return of the Jedi 1984 - Terminator 1985 - Back to the Future 1986 - ALIENS/Star Trek IV 1987 - Predator 1988 - Alien Nation 1989 - The Abyss 1990 - Total Recall 1991 - Terminator 2 1992 - Alien 3 1993 - Jurassic Park 1994 - The Puppet Masters 1995 - Species 1996 - Star Trek: First Contact/Independence Day 1997 - Men In Black 1998 - Deep Impact 1999 - Galaxy Quest/Matrix 2000 - X-Men/Pitch Black 2001 - Jurassic Park 3 2002 - Spiderman 2003 - X-Men 2 2004 - Spiderman 2 2005 - War of the Worlds 2006 - Superman Returns
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ram
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Post by ram on Jun 29, 2007 18:10:44 GMT -5
Neat list, Atomic!
Except for a handful of films, I'm clueless about most scifi movies made before the 70's. Speaking of Clu, I heard he was causing trouble for the MCP again. Go, Clu, go!
I noticed by its absence that 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea wasn't one of your picks for the 1950's. (I had to look it up - movie was made in '54.) It's funny cuz this is the one scifi film from that era or decade that I know best. Loved it as a kid. That gorgeous Technicolor. Amazing visual effects for its time (and they still are). And of course, it had the awesome Nautilus. To me, that ship was so cool it was off the charts - the Millenium Falcon of the seas. And who could forget that scary giant squid?
1968 - 2001: A Space Odyssey / Planet of the Apes
Arthur C. Clarke famously joked that 2001 was robbed of the Oscar for Best Make-Up (which went to Planet of the Apes instead) because the Academy thought Kubrick had used real apes in his film, so convincing were the actors in the apesuits! (Stuart Freeborn was the man in charge of the man-apes for 2001; he would go on to create the look of Chewbacca for Star Wars).
1977 - Star Wars 1978 - Superman
Somewhere between those two I'd stick Close Encounters of the Third Kind. One of Spielberg's best movies ever, and one of my Top 20 or so all-time favorites.
1982 - Blade Runner / The Wrath of Khan
Was '82 a vintage year or what? There were those two classics, and also Tron and Firefox. Likely some other good ones I've forgotten.
1986 - ALIENS
Won't argue with Aliens, but I'm more fond of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the last great Trek feature film starring the original crew.
1992 - The Lawnmower Man
No offense, but yikes! Was it such a crappy year for sci fi that the best film you could pick was The Lawnmower Man? I saw this movie and considered it average at best. Mind you, I really can't think of any other sci films I might've seen in '92...except Blade Runner: The Director's Cut, which I guess really doesn't count.
1996 - Star Trek: First Contact
I'd pick Independence Day, if only cuz I can't think of any other film that I saw as many times that year. ID4 was just crazy fun. Couldn't say the same for ST: First Contact. Sorry, but it just didn't work for me.
1997 - Men In Black
MIB was also crazy fun...but Contact would be my pick. I loved it more and in a deeper way.
1998 - Deep Impact
Yes! Superior to that "other" killer asteroid movie starring some guys named Willis and Affleck.
2001 - Jurassic Park 3
JP3 was better than JP2, but I'm going with Spielberg's AI: Artificial Intelligence. It has its problems, but I guess I admire what Spielberg was striving for.
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Post by thomasallencummins on Jun 29, 2007 21:09:57 GMT -5
Neat list, Atomic! I noticed by its absence that 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea wasn't one of your picks for the 1950's. (I had to look it up - movie was made in '54.) It's funny cuz this is the one scifi film from that era or decade that I know best. Loved it as a kid. That gorgeous Technicolor. Amazing visual effects for its time (and they still are). And of course, it had the awesome Nautilus. To me, that ship was so cool it was off the charts - the Millenium Falcon of the seas. And who could forget that scary giant squid? 1977 - Star Wars 1978 - Superman Somewhere between those two I'd stick Close Encounters of the Third Kind. One of Spielberg's best movies ever, and one of my Top 20 or so all-time favorites. 1982 - Blade Runner / The Wrath of Khan Was '82 a vintage year or what? There were those two classics, and also Tron and Firefox. Likely some other good ones I've forgotten. 1986 - ALIENS Won't argue with Aliens, but I'm more fond of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the last great Trek feature film starring the original crew. 1992 - The Lawnmower Man No offense, but yikes! Was it such a crappy year for sci fi that the best film you could pick was The Lawnmower Man? I saw this movie and considered it average at best. Mind you, I really can't think of any other sci films I might've seen in '92...except Blade Runner: The Director's Cut, which I guess really doesn't count. 1996 - Star Trek: First Contact I'd pick Independence Day, if only cuz I can't think of any other film that I saw as many times that year. ID4 was just crazy fun. Couldn't say the same for ST: First Contact. Sorry, but it just didn't work for me. 1997 - Men In Black MIB was also crazy fun...but Contact would be my pick. I loved it more and in a deeper way. 1998 - Deep Impact Yes! Superior to that "other" killer asteroid movie starring some guys named Willis and Affleck. 2001 - Jurassic Park 3 JP3 was better than JP2, but I'm going with Spielberg's AI: Artificial Intelligence. It has its problems, but I guess I admire what Spielberg was striving for. Ooops. Missed 20k leagues. One of my all time favorites. Have changed my list. Thanks for that. :-) Close Encounters would have certainly been my top pick for 1977 had it not been for Star Wars. I believe it deserves a co mention though. Star Trek IV is one of my favorties and I am of course a huge Star Trek fan. I loved the film. However I have to say I was completely cooked after having watched Aliens. The impact was unquestionable. Another co mention. Loved Independence day but it was a toss up for me. I'm also a huge Next Gen fan and to me First Contact was by far the best Next Gen film. Independence Day was very cool and very fun but it was also a mess plot wize and had moments of sheer stupidity but overall it made up for its shortcomings by being a bona fide spectacle. Loved CONTACT for the most part but didn't much love the ending but what cha gonna do? I really wanted to like AI but even to this day my wife and I make fun of the last act. We kid that we actually felt like a millenia had passed before the bloody film was over. Very interesting film but you take a sledge hammer hit to the head in order to finish watching it.
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danlo
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Post by danlo on Jul 14, 2007 19:41:15 GMT -5
I would place Screamers well over Species (couldn't get into it at all) for 1995. Fascinating how one actor, Peter Weller (good to see him pop out of RoboCop stereotype) can totally carry a film. Based on a Philip K. Dick short story---karma to the first person who can name that story.
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Post by thomasallencummins on Jul 16, 2007 7:13:24 GMT -5
I would place Screamers well over Species (couldn't get into it at all) for 1995. Fascinating how one actor, Peter Weller (good to see him pop out of RoboCop stereotype) can totally carry a film. Based on a Philip K. Dick short story---karma to the first person who can name that story. I've watched both (but of course it's been a while since I've seen Screamers. Species seems to pop up on cable every other day. My only real complaint about Screamers is that it looks cheap. The film grossed a little over 5mil while Species pulled in 60mil. I suspect Screamers was made on a shoe string budget and audiences felt they were watching a "B" movie while Species was slick and had more than just Peter Weller holding it together. I suspect Screamers was a more interesting story to me but it just didn't translate well enough to be what I'd call a success. Not Dick's fault, not Weller's fault. Christian Duguay probably could have done more with more money. That's how it goes sometimes. It helps when you have a half naked girl running around. Screamers couldn't compete with that. IMHO.
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ram
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Post by ram on Jul 20, 2007 10:38:35 GMT -5
I really wanted to like AI but even to this day my wife and I make fun of the last act. We kid that we actually felt like a millenia had passed before the bloody film was over. Very interesting film but you take a sledge hammer hit to the head in order to finish watching it. Last week I watched a program called "Spielberg on Spielberg" in which the filmmaker talked about his movies and the creative impulses behind them. It was an hour and a half, and really fascinating and informative (but dang it, I missed the first half hour). Anyway, on the subject of AI, Spielberg acknowledged the problematic issue of the seemingly "tacked on" ending 2000 years in the future. But I was surprised by this revelation: Spielberg says that, contrary to popular belief, the ending wasn't his idea. In fact, it was in the original treatment given to him by Stanley Kubrick. Spielberg was, in his words, simply honoring the intentions of Kubrick, regardless of his own feelings about that ending. It was still Spielberg who made the movie, of course, so he must bear both the credit and criticism for it, but now at least, you can't solely blame Spielberg if you didn't like the end.
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cail
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Post by cail on Aug 10, 2007 21:14:57 GMT -5
Screamers came from "Second Variety", and is probably the most faithful Dick adaptation to date.
Honorable mentions:
1977-Invasion of the Body Snatchers. A better film all around than Close Encounters, and certainly better sci-fi than Star Wars.
1982-John Carpenter's The Thing. The film holds up extremely well, and it still kicks major ass.
1984....2010 was a great film that was totally overshadowed by The Terminator.
1986-Starman. Great allegorical film. A must-see.
1997-The Postman owns Men in Black.
2004-Primer owns Spiderman 2
2005-Uh, hello? Serenity over WotW any day of the week
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Post by dANdeLION on Aug 13, 2007 7:46:46 GMT -5
I agree with your comments about 1984, 1986 and 2005; but vehemently disagree with the other years!
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cail
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Post by cail on Aug 13, 2007 8:18:20 GMT -5
Hey, don't get me wrong, I love Star Wars as much as the next geek, but IotBS is a far more substantive film.
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Post by thomasallencummins on Aug 13, 2007 8:55:58 GMT -5
Screamers came from "Second Variety", and is probably the most faithful Dick adaptation to date. Honorable mentions: 1977-Invasion of the Body Snatchers. A better film all around than Close Encounters, and certainly better sci-fi than Star Wars. 1982-John Carpenter's The Thing. The film holds up extremely well, and it still kicks major ass. 1984....2010 was a great film that was totally overshadowed by The Terminator. 1986-Starman. Great allegorical film. A must-see. 1997-The Postman owns Men in Black. 2004-Primer owns Spiderman 2 2005-Uh, hello? Serenity over WotW any day of the week I see by your comments that you seem to have a affinity for seeing past the flaws in a film and focusing on the thought provoking aspects of the story. I'm not nearly sophisticated enough for that. I'm not complex or thoughtful. If a film takes me out of my world and also manages to raise my heartrate then the film is doing it's job. I guess I'm influenced by my natural, emotional response to these films. I didn't read Screamers so I have nothing but the film to form an opinion. Though I'm a Peter Weller fan I found the film to be lacking in a talented supporting cast and the production values suggested a very low budget. I wasn't very happy with it. I base my impressions of Star Wars & Close Encounters on the reaction I had when I first viewed the films. No film has ever had the impact on me they way Star Wars did. Close Encounters was a fine film but was a very different kind of film, more intellectual and therefore somewhat less exciting. Frankly I found the original Body Snatchers film to have the most emotional impact on me. The Thing is great. No arguments there. Loved 2010 but it presented a story that was somewhat familiar. Terminator seemed fresh (at the time) and certainly much more brutal and memorable. Starman is great. But is more charming than awe inspiring. MIB is one of my favorite films. Very original and entertaining on levels that have nothing to do with sci fi. The Postman seemed like a thought provoking idea that didn't quite materialize on screen. I have no idea what Primer is but I am a Superhero geek that appreciated seeing the classic Doc Ock - Spidey battles realized on film. An interpretation of those battles to be sure but it was a geek out moment for me. Love Serenity, one of my favorite films. War of the Worlds just shook me and slapped me around in such a way that I simply don't think of the those films in the same way. IMHO of course.
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cail
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Post by cail on Aug 13, 2007 21:22:19 GMT -5
I see by your comments that you seem to have a affinity for seeing past the flaws in a film and focusing on the thought provoking aspects of the story. I try. There are some films that are simply a great visceral experience that are otherwise hollow. I'm completely cool with that (I liked Armageddon), but I also feel that a film with substance is more rewarding and remains good with multiple viewings (I'll watch Deep Impact over and over). I'm not nearly sophisticated enough for that. I'm not complex or thoughtful. If a film takes me out of my world and also manages to raise my heartrate then the film is doing it's job. I guess I'm influenced by my natural, emotional response to these films. Don't sell yourself short. You like what you like, and that's cool too. I didn't read Screamers so I have nothing but the film to form an opinion. Though I'm a Peter Weller fan I found the film to be lacking in a talented supporting cast and the production values suggested a very low budget. I wasn't very happy with it. I hadn't read the book when I saw the movie. I left the movie frustrated for exactly the reasons you describe. So I watched it again. The story is great, but the superficial flaws in the film still bugged me. Then I read the book. God as my witness, Screamers is the best film adaptation of a book I've ever seen. Yeah, the supporting actors are weak. Yeah it was obviously shot on a budget. But the film perfectly captured the tone of Dick's story. I base my impressions of Star Wars & Close Encounters on the reaction I had when I first viewed the films. No film has ever had the impact on me they way Star Wars did. Close Encounters was a fine film but was a very different kind of film, more intellectual and therefore somewhat less exciting. I agree wholeheartedly about both films. I will never forget the feeling I had in 1977 watching that HUGE Star Destroyer come across the screen for the first time. Ditto the reveal of the ship in CE. But (to me) Star Wars is a fantasy film with sci-fi elements. And the last time I watched it, I was barely able to stifle my laughter at the dialog. CE....I dunno, I just don't care for the film any more. Frankly I found the original Body Snatchers film to have the most emotional impact on me. The original is great, no argument. Kaufman's version is as relevant to the '70s as the original was to the '50s, and I just love the ending (they really knew how to end movies in the '70s). Loved 2010 but it presented a story that was somewhat familiar. Terminator seemed fresh (at the time) and certainly much more brutal and memorable. Familiar, but a good story nonetheless. I agree, Terminator is the better film, but 2010 is no slouch. Starman is great. But is more charming than awe inspiring. I'll agree with that, but Starman has a special place in my heart. I saw it on my first date with Lisa Bowman. She let me touch her boobies. They were nice. MIB is one of my favorite films. Very original and entertaining on levels that have nothing to do with sci fi. The Postman seemed like a thought provoking idea that didn't quite materialize on screen. I never understood the appeal of MiB. I thought it was awful in every sense of the word. The Postman is a deeply flawed movie, but I love the story and the cinematography. In fact, I think the story is far better than Brinn's book. I have no idea what Primer is but I am a Superhero geek that appreciated seeing the classic Doc Ock - Spidey battles realized on film. An interpretation of those battles to be sure but it was a geek out moment for me. Understandable, as I've never been a superhero geek. Primer is an absolute mindhump. Great story, but it's a complex mess that I still don't think I completely get. Love Serenity, one of my favorite films. War of the Worlds just shook me and slapped me around in such a way that I simply don't think of the those films in the same way. WotW was a visceral shock when I saw it. I was absolutely stunned when I saw it. Couldn't sit through it the second time.
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Post by thomasallencummins on Aug 14, 2007 11:25:39 GMT -5
Cail, Good comment about Starman. I'd be a rabid fan if I had such memories attached to the film. By the way...bravo! :-)
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ram
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Post by ram on Aug 17, 2007 14:41:03 GMT -5
Cail's reason for liking Starman kinda knocks everything else off the table! I didn't like the movie's ending, with Karen Allen's character being stranded on her own like that, at the mercy of the approaching authorities.
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Post by thomasallencummins on Sept 5, 2007 6:33:49 GMT -5
Cail's reason for liking Starman kinda knocks everything else off the table! I didn't like the movie's ending, with Karen Allen's character being stranded on her own like that, at the mercy of the approaching authorities. Good point, Ram. I wonder if a sequel would reveal how the character was arrested, interrogated for years and ended up roaming the streets throwing cats at people and ranting incoherently.
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cail
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Post by cail on Sept 11, 2007 18:37:08 GMT -5
I thought it was clear....She moved to Nepal, drank with archaeologists, and foiled the Nazis.
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