The Watch's Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies

It's taken me longer than I expected to compile this list, it was meant to be up about 2 weeks earlier but university and so on has gotten in the way. Anyway, it's here now and I'll be updating it every week or so...basically this will go on for 10 days. It's just so all of you have a chance to discuss my choices, praise me for them or simply state that I know nothing about sci-fi movies haha. Either way, I want to incite a discussion on one of my favourite film genres. So here we go:

(Edit: Forgot to add this last time but I won't be including any animated movies or 2001: Space Odyssey as I'm actually doing separate features on both)


Why I like it so much:
This is the movie that launched Will Smith as a global superstar, someone who crosses barriers of race and language, a bit like Jackie Chan or Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the decade that followed, Will Smith became one of the kings of the American and international box office but this is where it all started. Add to that a terrific turn from Jeff Goldblum as frazzled scientist David Levinson and Bill Pullman...yes Bill Pullman as the President of the United States.

This isn't really a story about redemption, technological frailties and environmental damage, Roland Emmerich tackled that with The Day After Tomorrow...this isn't a quiet, introspective science fiction in the vain of 2001 or 12 Monkeys and it doesn't want to be either. This is loud, in your face, balls to walls, white knuckle, adrenaline inducing science fiction with a big budget and bigger explosions...oh and the destruction of several world wide landmarks and cities.

Many effects heavy blockbusters from the '90s fail to look and feel like a modern day flick, the CGI is often dated but this, along with T2: Judgement Day and The Matrix is one of the few that do manage to stand the test of time. Emmerich does a great job of portraying the scale of the alien invasion and the sheer power of their weaponry. He also, for the first and probably last time in his career, manages to craft characters that we care for. The stakes are high, the battles are enormous and the conclusion sweetly satisfying. Big budget sci-fi done right.

Why it's on the list:
A lot of great science fiction movies are pretentious messages about saving the environment or the dangers of technology disguised as cinema, this isn't. This is an all out action affair with charming characters and some of the best one-liners out there. It is what it is and never apologises for it. Science fiction by the mid-90s, after the success of Star Wars in the 80s had hit a low point. It didn't seem to be a 100 million dollar entity anymore but this movie came along and changed all that, paving the way for all future alien invasion flicks.

Modern day movies such as Battlefield Los Angeles and Spielberg's War of the Worlds must all be compared to this.

Movie Highlight:
A scene from the movie:
Captain Steven Hiller: [walking toward crashed alien plane] THAT'S RIGHT! THAT'S RIGHT! That's what you get! Look at you, ship all *banged* up! Who's the man? Huh? Who's the man? Wait till I get another plane! I'm-a line all your friends up right beside you!
Captain Steven Hiller: [climbs on top of alien plane] Where you at, huh? Huh? Where you at?
Captain Steven Hiller: [Hiller opens the spaceship. An alien pops up, and Hiller punches it in the head, knocking it back into the ship]
Captain Steven Hiller: Welcome to earth!
Captain Steven Hiller: [sits on alien plane and puts cigar in mouth] Now that's what *I* call a close encounter.

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Classic popcorn flick! Turn off the brain and enjoy!

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exactly! I hope Will Smith can make another one of these at some point, his recent output has been mediocre at best :/

Why I like it so much:
This is that rarest of things, a perfect marriage of writer and director. Philip K. Dick has not had the best run in Hollywood, a bit like Stephen King but here his terrific imagination and pioneering science fiction is done justice. Admittedly there are some rather large difference between the original short story and Spielberg's sci-fi actioner, especially with regards to the motivations of the main character, played by an ever reliable Tom Cruise. Even the conclusion varies, creating a very different experience but the overall themes of justice, sanity, loyalty and morality are kept intact. In my opinion that's what makes a great adaptation, keeping the soul of the original story alive.

As I mentioned, this is a sci-fi actioner dressed up as a deeper, more thoughtful, drama but don't let Spielberg and Cruise fool you, Minority report is all about the crazy chases and awesome weapons. Yes there's a terrific story lurking underneath the surface and some stand out performances, especially Max von Sydow as Director Burgess and Colin Farrell in a small but pivotal role as a special agent who tries to catch Cruise's John Anderton. Then again, some of the best action movies have great stories and awesome performances, Minority Report has them both.

It's fun to see Spielberg move away from his late 90s, early 00s stint as a "serious" film maker and create something fun and engaging on multiple levels. If you want a top notch sci-fi story with psychics or "precogs", futuristic chase scenes, cool 21st century weapons and clever use of special effects then your in the right place. This is Spielberg at his block busting best.

Why it's here:
Independence Day is the perfect movie for a boring Sunday afternoon, it's fun, it's loud and it's silly. Minority Report can be explosive and fun but it also contains something for the intellectual in us all, asking us questions about fate, destiny and what determines who we are. With all that sci-fi, philosophical mumbo jumbo, Spielberg never loses track of what he ultimately wants to do: entertain the audience.

So it's that rarity, a smart summer blockbuster.

Best Lines:

John Anderton: [about Witwer's father] What does he think about your chosen line of work?
Danny Witwer: I don't know. He was shot and killed when I was 15 on the steps of our church in Dublin. I know what it's like to lose someone close, John. 'Course, nothing is like the loss of a child. I don't have any children of my own, so I can only imagine what that must've been like. To lose your son - in such a public place like that. At least now you and I have the chance to make sure that kind of thing doesn't happen to anyone...
John Anderton: Why don't you cut the cute act, Danny boy, and tell me exactly what it is you're looking for?
Danny Witwer: Flaws.
John Anderton: There hasn't been a murder in 6 years. There's nothing wrong with the system, it is perfect.
Danny Witwer: [simultaneously]
perfect. I agree. But if there's a flaw, it's human. It always is.


Check out a scene with jetpacks!

Minority Report is probably the best direct adaptation of a Philip K Dick novel to date, though, as always, I found Colin Farrell irritating.

PS. paste the URL of the video you want to post between youtube tags, click the youtube button to get the tags in your post.

I loved Minority Report, terrific sci-fi.

Independence Day is awesome. I haven't yet seen The Minority Report though.

I have only seen this movie once is probably something I will be saying a lot to a top ten sci-fi list. It applies to both of these. I remember thinking Independence Day wad a lot of fun and that Minority Report was rather dull. I should probably rewatch Blade Runner before you get to the end of the list so my comment doesn't get me banned from the site. Looking forward to the rest.

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Letterboxd

awesome thanks, completely missed the youtube tab!

Rewatch Blade Runner just for the heck of it....does it make it onto my list? And if it does how high will it be? I'm taking bets now

Great start for your list.
Independence Day is one of my childhood favourites and though I'm quite sure I would find it stupid, if I would watch it today for the first time, I still have those infantine excitement about big-ass alien-spaceships. And the speech is terrific, still can give me chills.
Minority Report is one of the better Spielbergs. Never found it superb, but it's good.

It's always great to see another WIll Smith fan! This guy has the uncanny ability to turn a generic action movie into a multi-million dollar blockbuster. Independence was a lot of fun, I watch it whenever it shows up on TV (usually around Independence Day ).

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But it's still a generic mutli-million dollar bllockbuster with Will Smith.
Don't get me wrong, I'm also a Will Smith fan since blissful fresh-prince days, but he needs to make better movies. I mean a guy who rejects to take part in a Quentin Tarantino movie side by side with Leonardo DiCaprio and Christoph Waltz just because his role wouldn't be the only main character.
I hope his upcoming stuff gets better (and isn't just counting on the Will-Smith-effect which already didn't worked for After Earth, because it was just a plain bad movie).

I agree with you man. He went on a pretty good streak when he did Pursuit of Happyness, then 7 Pounds. Much more serious movies.

I really wish he took the Django role, I think he would have been great in that kind of movie (though I love the performance that Foxx did).

Seven Pounds was ********

I haven't seen it yet, but I didn't mean it was good by any stretch haha. I just meant that he was leaning towards more serious movies at that time, which is the right idea. It's always gonna be hit or miss with dramas.

I think Jamie Foxx in Django turned out better for everyone, not sure if the Fresh Prince could have done a better job.

Pursuit of Happyness and 7 Pounds was definitely a mature period of Smith and I enjoyed that he was branching out, neither were great films but better than the turds he's had recently with MIB3 and After Earth. I hope he gets back on track ASAP.

Why I like it so much:
This one was a total surprise for me, considering I'm not really a Clive Owen fan and up until I watched this, I was unfamiliar with Cuaron's work (I didn't even know he directed the Prisoner of Azkaban). But since 'Men, I've made it my business to know all things Cuaron and to delve deeper into his filmography, that's how good this sci-fi adventure was.

We'll get to the story and themes in a bit but what made this stand out for me was the smoothness of the direction, with a number of scenes shot in a single, tracking motion. That not only takes a skilled director but a brave one too. It gives 'Men a slick flavour which is at odds with the dark, totalitarian setting and bleak story, it shouldn't work but it does.

In terms of story, it's a real scorcher, mankind is infertile and at the very beginning of the story, the youngest boy on the planet dies. The world is in shock and Britain is in a terrible crisis, population problem, immigration concern and from the scenes of this future London, there obviously aren't any more dustbins either. It's a heavy story told in a very specific, serious tone but still amanged to entertain. The action set pieces are spot on and shot with the usual Cuaron flair. Then there's the acting.

Clive Owen is terrific as the protagonist Theo Faron, Julian Moore puts in one of her best efforts and newcomer Claire Hope-Ashitey is vulnerable yet strong as he first pregnant woman in years. But it is Michael Caine who seems to steal every scene he's in, playing a hippy drug dealer who would be more acceptable in the 1960s than this dystopian future. It's terrific casting from a director and team who are clued into exactly what they want.

Why it's here:
From the story telling through to the brilliant direction by way of a stellar cast with terrific characters, this is not just a great sci-fi film but a great film in general. You don't have to be a science fiction nerd to enjoy this. It's a story of loss, despair, failure and redemption that is, at times more Shakespeare than sci-fi, but it works because everyone involved is dedicated to perfecting the product.

I enjoy big, ballsy sci-f- nonsense like ID4 as much as anyone but in 'Men we have science fiction that makes you think.

Just look at this!


Jasper (Caine's character) tells a joke:

Jasper: So, the Human Project is havin' this dinner and all the wisest men in the world are there...
Theodore Faron: [scoffing] Human Project, why do people believe this crap? You know even if these people existed with these facilities in these secret locations, **** me, that's strong! Even if they discovered the cure for infertility, doesn't matter! Too late. World went to ****. Know what? It was too late before the infertility thing happened, for ****'s sake.
Jasper: [taking a puff off the joint] I was just tryin' to tell a joke, man.
Theodore Faron: Oh, I'm sorry, go on.
Jasper: No, I'm not tellin' it now!
Theodore Faron: No, c'mon Jasper, go on!
Jasper: No, **** it! I'm not tellin' it to you!
Theodore Faron: C'mon, I'm sorry!
Jasper: Ok, the Human Project gives this great, big dinner for all the scientists and sages in the world. They're tossing around theories about the ultimate mystery: why are all the women infertile? Why can't we make babies anymore? So, some say it's genetic experiments, gamma rays, pollution, same ol', same ol'. So, anyway, in the corner, this Englishman's sitting, he hasn't said a word, he's just tuckin' in his dinner. So, they decide to ask him, they say, "Well, why do you think we can't make babies anymore?" And he looks up at 'em, he's chewin' on this great big wing and he says "I haven't the faintest idea," he said, "but this stork is quite tasty isn't he?"

Independence Day is something that I've always thought was really fun. It had a good cast, great special effects and an exciting plot. The White House blowing up is the most memorable moment of the entire film by far, although the aliens "possessing" the doctor Area 51 is up there too.

Minority Report is another great choice: exciting, well-cast, visually impressive. Tom Cruise eating from the fridge after surgery / chasing his own eyeball down the hallway was comedic gold. It is also one of he most thoughtful treatments of the wibbly-wobbly-ness of time travel / precognition that I've seen.

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