The MoFo Top 100 Sci-Fi Films: Countdown

I always say I didn't really like Independence Day that much when I first saw it in the theater. At the time I think I called it a mediocre, CGI-laden retelling of War of the Worlds (until I saw the 2005 mediocre, CGI-laden remake of War of the Worlds!), but over time it grew on me.

So I got a two-fer today!

3. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
4. War of the Worlds (1953)
7. The Time Machine (1960)
11. Logan's Run
23. Starship Troopers
22. Independence Day
25. District 9

Seen: 35 out of 61.

By the end, Randy Quaid was one of my favorite parts!
I feel bad for him.
So many fun memories from the Vacation movies where he played Cousin Eddie!
And he was in some classics like The Last Picture Show, The Last Detail, What's Up Doc?, Paper Moon, Midnight Express and The Long Riders (with brother Dennis)!
Poor Randy.

I liked ID4 when it came out and watched it a few times on VHS, but when I made the switch to DVD it wasn't something I bothered to replace. It didn't get my vote.

Haven't seen the other movie.

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I put Randy Quaid in the same camp as Gary Busey. Both all right for a while, fine in several good movies but at a certain point they went off the rails in an unappealing way. Quaid's worse than Busey, though

Damn! Several times I've correctly predicted what would come next on the countdown (District 9, Minority Report, Men in Black) but I've not posted it. My guesses for today were going to be Independence Day and Fifth Element.

Anyway, woohoo for Independence Day!!! I was actually beginning to worry about it a little in terms of showing up. I had been 100% confident on it making the list but at the same time I didn't see it making the top 25/30 so we were beginning to run out of slots. I've loved ID4 since the first time I saw it as a 10 year old and still do to this day. It's a film that embodies the spirit of all those 1950s flying saucer movies but could really do it justice. So often those films had phenomenal posters that made promises they just couldn't live up to, but by the time Independence Day came around the filmmakers had the technology and budget to actually make those promises a reality. And it's a film that is holding up very well actually with the CGI still able to impress

As has been my justification for several films that made my list, ID4 is just a tremendous amount of fun. It's a simple story simply told, and all the better for it. It's a completely unpretentious thrill ride of special effects and a host of fun performances. In terms of big, dumb blockbusters it's actually got one of my favourite efforts from the cast in terms of an ensemble.This was Will Smith at his movie star best before 'Will Smith fatigue' started to affect audiences; largely down to the fact that these days the only performances he seems to give are phoned-in, 'the same as every other time' turns in blockbusters and award-seeking performances in dreadful, pompous dramas. Alongside him you've got the always wonderful Jeff Goldblum leading a rather eccentric cast (as far as blockbuster films go) including Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch and Randy Quaid.

As for The Day the Earth Stood Still, I know a lot of people won't agree with this (at least 9 people seeing as that's how many lists it made) but am I the only one who doesn't think it's really that good? I admire some of the production values it was able to pull off given the rudimentary material and effects available at the time but beyond that I found it rather dull and uninvolving. From what I remember there were also several plot holes, or perhaps 'logic gaps', that were just absolutely ridiculous. Like the fact that a spaceship has landed in the middle of Washington and a giant robot is standing guard over it, and yet the only security left to monitor it are two soldiers! Two!!! Or my absolute favourite bit when Gort came back to life and rescued Klaatu from prison. Now Gort may well have many abilities in his locker; however I wouldn't say 'stealth' was amongst them. He's an 8 foot tall metallic being and yet he is able to wander the streets of Washington, smash through the prison and return Klaatu to the ship; all apparently without alerting a single person. If a modern film, the Day the Earth Stood Still remake for example, featured a scene like that it would rightly get torn to shreds.

In my mind it's a film where the message has almost blinded people to the actual quality of the film. It seems to happen with films that have positive, powerful messages that they get conflated with the actual films themselves. So TDTESS's societal message about us destroying ourselves if we continue to give in to our basest instincts covers up the shortcomings of the film as a whole. I think that Silent Running is another example; it's environmental message obscuring what is a rather bland film. To be honest I fail to see how The Day the Earth Stood Still is all that different from so many other 50s B-movies, beyond its anti-war denouncement of course. And yet while most of them are written off as cheap, pulpy crap this is seen as a classic and a masterpiece. I just don't see it.


Seen - 52 / 62

My List
2. The Truman Show (#94)
10. Back to the Future Part II (#42)
12. Men in Black (#61)
14. Demolition Man (#68)
15. Independence Day (#40)
16. They Live (#45)
17. Guardians of the Galaxy (#77)
20. Galaxy Quest (#88)
22. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (#58)
25. Gattaca (#51)

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Independence Day is not a good film, it is fun though so who cares. The Day The Earth Stood Still is flawed as well but i love it. Will find what i posted about it tomorrow as i'm really tired. I had it at #18 anyway.

My List:

13.Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
14.Videodrome
16.Wreck-It Ralph
18.The Day The Earth Stood Still
24.La Jetee

Interesting, @JayDee.

Even though I put The Day the Earth Stood Still on my list (for several of the reasons you mentioned and for its regard as a seriously treated sci-fi classic that stands out among a sea of "B" monster movies from the era), I kind of agree with you.

In subsequent attempts to rewatch it, I found it painfully slow at parts and approaching dullness when one already knows the outcome (unlike a movie like ID4 where one can still get caught up & excited by the action and special effects despite having seen it before).

I've never seen the remake (of TDTESS), but have heard that it is so awful (and even more boring than the original) that I've avoided it.

ID was #2 on my......obviously Jay Dee it was getting on.

My List: 10/60

2. Independence Day (40)
3. Looper (100)
4. Starship Troopers (54)
6. The Prestige (72)
8. Signs (76)
13. Avatar (80)
14. 28 Days Later (85)
18. The Martian (60)
20. District 9 (65)
21. Edge of Tomorrow (66)
24. Source Code (92)
25. Cloverfield (Unranked)

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You know, they just don't make movies like Independence Day anymore, case in point, the sequel.

The film had it all, great mixture of practical and CGI for special effects, a charismatic lead in Will Smith, great chemistry between ALL the characters, Goldblum doing his best Goldblum, memorable speeches, iconic imagery. This movie is a bonafide blockbuster. The sense of dread for the world to be fighting these aliens is spot-on, something that failed miserably with the sequel and many other imitators since.

Call it a bad movie all you want, I think it's a great one.


Also, not on my list.

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Suspect's Reviews

I didn't vote for them but they have great trailers.


My List
3. The Incredibles (#98)
12. The Iron Giant (#50)
13. Altered States (#95)
14. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (#79)
16. Return of the Jedi (#47)
18. Gravity (#41)

Seen: 62/62
OFCS's Top 100 Sci-Fi Films (2010 edition): 24/62

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Finally another film from my list shows up! I had The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) at #15. It's a solid film that still makes me think. And I liked the remake too


Independence Day, not on my list but a fun popcorn action adventure movie. So it's cool that it made the grade. I don't care to watch the remake/reboot of it.

Ugh, not Independence Day. I never liked it even when I was a kid and trying to revisit it last year felt like a serious waste of time. Obviously, I never bothered with the second one and probably never will.

The Day the Earth Stood Still is comparatively better, but like I said when I was talking about the 1956 Body Snatchers, most '50s sci-fi doesn't really work for me in the first place.

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

Well, I would have to rewatch it again to see if I feel the same way.... but I wasn't impressed with it the first time.... and in my opinion, I think a movie with that kind of subject (floating helplessly in space, trying to get home, trying to get safe).... doesn't need to deal with someone's past and their depression issues. Perhaps that kind of thing hits home with certain people.... but it seems like such a trivial, current events kind of issue. Dealing with the issue of depression. You know, like, instead of depression, it's .... realizing you're transgender! Space is the dark void where you don't know what your gender is, but when you get to Earth, you do. Like, she could have been a transgender astronaut instead of a depressed astronaut. You know, the way you're describing it, it could be substituted for something like that.

Like, I don't care if Titanic deals with a love story and all that, but this kind of outer space disaster movie .... seems like a different territory to me. Also, I don't really like the idea that just because she made it home, back to Earth, now she's good to go with her depression. She can get over it. If she can face that, she can handle anything. While that may be true..... this just isn't a movie that should focus on DEPRESSION. Lots of people have depression, they're not gonna get the chance to try to survive outer space to beat it. And, what if this really doesn't even get her out of depression? What if she becomes MORE depressed after her whole ordeal? Maybe the harrowing experience of being lost in space only makes her perspective about life WORSE, not better. I mean, I dunno.... I imagine such an experience would give someone severe PTSD, you know?

So, I just don't buy what I'm hearing about how this is a lovely story about beating depression. Maybe it works for some people, but it didn't work on me at the time.

As much as Will Smith can grate on you... he was much better than his on-screen son Will.I.Ain't in Resurgence.

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Oh, you saw Resurgence? I don't think I've seen your thoughts/review. I'm guessing you didn't like it.

Meh, I liked it to an extent... it just felt bland compared to the grand adventure that was the original.

It's a bad movie in theaters. A bad, bad, bad movie. Especially when you're hoping to recapture the feeling of the first movie.

It works at home, where you can pretend it's a cheap, direct-to-video sequel to the original film. The first movie is absolutely epic and I'm ashamed I forgot to include it on my list, but the sequel is a true crapfest. Go in with the LOWEST expectations and you'll sort of like it.

People would have probably liked Independence Day: Resurgence more if it had been released as a TV movie.

Then they'd be saying, "WHY DIDN'T THEY RELEASE THIS AT THE MOVIES?!?!?!" In the theaters.

Independence Day is a fun movie, and I considered it for my list, but it didn't make it through the final round of cuts.

The Day the Earth Stood Still is one of the few 1950's sci-fi movies that I love. It was #4 on my list.


Seen: 51-1/2 out of 62
My list: 5 so far

4) The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
13) The Avengers (2012)
16) Source Code (2011)
21) Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
23) Galaxy Quest (1999)

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If I answer a game thread correctly, just skip my turn and continue with the game.
OPEN FLOOR.

I thought Independence Day was on my list, but I must have cut it at the last minute.

As a lot of people have already said, it's not a great movie, but it is a really fun one. I don't think I could count how many times I've seen it. I only saw The Day the Earth Stood Still for the first time about 8 years ago, and I think if I had seen it much earlier than that I would've liked it more. I didn't vote for it.

Seen: 51/62
My List: 8

01. Dredd (2012) - #96
02. Edge of Tomorrow (2014) - #66
04. The Martian (2015) - #60
...
09. Galaxy Quest (1999) - #88
11. Dark City (1998)
16. Videodrome (1983) - #53
...
22. Strange Days (1995) - #81
25. Primer (2004) - #44

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