The MoFo Top 100 Sci-Fi Films: Countdown

Women will be your undoing, P�p�

04-05-17

Glad to see The Thing rank SO HIGH. Didn't make my list for the simple technicality of it always being a horror movie in my eyes. Being based off a H P Lovecraft story and while it IS a VERY thin line between its standing as sci-fi or horror, since it IS aliens that come and cause the horror but in the end for me I had to go with how I feel when watching it.
Still, a very worthy #3 all the same.

My List: 22/25
#1 Should be in the top 3, if not the top spot
#2 Alien
#3 Serenity (#59)
#4 Gattaca (#51)
#5 Planet of the Apes (#17)
#6 Dark City (#48)
#7 Strange Days (#81)
#8 Matrix (#11)
#9 They Live (#45)
#10 Predestination (#56)
#11 Silent Running (#76)
#12 Ghost in the Machine (#64)
#13 12 Monkeys (#14)
#14 Wall-E (#16)
#15 Akira (#55)
#16 Her (#25)
#17 Brazil (#32)
#18 Time Machine (#69)
#19 A little surprised this did not make the list
#20 Minority Report (#63)
#21 Moon (#29)
#22 Ex Machina (#30)
#23 Logan's Run (#71)
#24 Not too surprised it didn't make it, a little disappointed, only a little
#25 The Fifth Element (#34)

Watched:73/98

__________________
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes

~Mr Minio

Steve Freeling

You mean me? Kei's cousin?

04-05-17

Wasn't The Thing based on Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell?

The Rodent

Rodent's Reviews: Delivering The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly In Film

Rodent's Reviews: PART DEUX!

Rodent's 1950-Present Sci-Fi And Futuristic Fantasy Movies

I Am Rick Cottontree

04-06-17

Originally Posted by Steve Freeling

Wasn't The Thing based on Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell?

Yep...

__________________

Originally Posted by Iroquois

Resident Evil: Retribution was my one-pointer

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

04-06-17

Originally Posted by Steve Freeling

What do you think it is?

Something with lots of smoke and rain

The Rodent

I Am Rick Cottontree

04-06-17

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

Something with lots of smoke and rain

Se7en isn't a sci-fi

Steve Freeling

You mean me? Kei's cousin?

04-06-17

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

Something with lots of smoke and rain

Yeah, that's about right...

__________________
Look, Dr. Lesh, we don't care about the disturbances, the pounding and the flashing, the screaming, the music. We just want you to find our little girl.

Nope1172

Woody Allen is a pedophille

04-06-17

In case anyone's wondering about my list here it is:

1. The Road Warrior (#31)
2. A Clockwork Orange (#7)
3. La Jet�e (#75)
4. (One of the Top 2)
5. The Thing (#3)
6. Ghostbusters (#57)
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (#27)
8. Back to the Future II (#42)
9. Back to the Future (#5)
10. The Invisible Man (DNP)
11. Jurassic Park (#13)
12. Donnie Darko (#83)
13. The Truman Show (#94)
14. Arrival (#33)
15. The Day the Earth Stood Still (#39)
16. Forbidden Planet (#38)
17. The Terminator (#10)
18. Repo Man (DNP)
19. Her (#25)
20. Mad Max: Fury Road (#37)
21. The Worlds End (DNP)
22. Wall-E (#16)
23. Star Wars (#6)
24. Ex-Machina (#30)
25. Space Cope (One Pointer)

Chypmunk

Registered User

04-06-17

The Thing is another I adore and this time it was on my list, interestingly had I not brain-farted over Alien and included it on my ballot those two would have swopped positions.

gbgoodies

You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.

04-06-17

None of the last four movies made my list. I consider both Alien and The Thing to be horror movies, so neither had a chance to make my list, and while it's not unexpected, I'm kind of disappointed that they both placed so high on a Sci-Fi Countdown.

Of the top two movies, I like both of them, but while I considered Blade Runner for my list, but it just didn't make the cut, 2001 isn't a favorite movie for me, so it didn't have much of a chance to make my list. But at least the top two movies are both sci-fi movies.

Seen: 83-1/2 out of 100
My list: 13 out of 25 made the countdown.
(The movies listed in RED didn't make the countdown.)

1) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
2) WALL�E (2008)
3) Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
4) The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
5) Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

6) Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
7) The Last Starfighter (1984)
8) Back to the Future (1985)
9) Superman (1978)
10) Real Steel (2011)

11) Frequency (2000)
12) The Final Countdown (1980)
13) The Avengers (2012)
14) Lilo & Stitch (2002)
15) WarGames (1983)

16) Source Code (2011)
17) The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
18) The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
19) The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
20) Time After Time (1979)

21) Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
22) Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
23) Galaxy Quest (1999)
24) Jurassic Park (1993)
25) Starman (1984)

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

gandalf26

We've gone on holiday by mistake

04-06-17

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

This is an excerpt from my review on The Thing

Review: I first watched The Thing in 1982 when it was released at the theater. On the big screen, The Thing blew me away. The story was creepy and suspenseful and the setting in a remote Antarctic research station made the movie forbiddingly desperate. Kurt Russel is really cool in this one. Without him I'm not sure if the movie would have worked as well as it did. I always considered this one of the greatest sci fi films made.

It had been 15 years since I last seen it. Last night I revisited The Thing and I seen a different movie. Perhaps the 32 year old special horror effects just didn't stand up. Yes, I know it's not fair to judge an old movie by today's CG standards. But the close up horror/creature scenes were a distraction to me and got in the way of the real story, which is one of suspect, paranoia and suspense. The scenes in the Norwegian camp and in the dog kennel were effective and added to the suspense, but some of the other scenes were over the top. As the camera zoomed in for a close up of the creature, I couldn't help but see the props as fake. There's an adage in film making 'show horror elements in brief, dark scenes'. I wish that had been done here.

John Carpenter has style and a knack for flair, but he doesn't pay close attention to details. Had he been more detailed orientated, he could have made a tighter film. It's the small details that could have been changed that would have made this into a 5 star film. With scenes like the crawling crab head or the chest that opens up biting off the doctors hands, the film took on a cheesy-fun feel during those few scenes. I wanted the film to be more serious. But over all the film is solid.

Some of the dialogue needed fine tuning. Especially after they find a space ship, and then find a dead mutant alien...they see a dog transform into a hellish looking creature...then we get the scene where Childs is playing the antagonist by calling BS on the idea that the Thing is from another world. Hell! he just seen a dog mutate into a monster, how much more convincing does he need?

Is it a master piece? no...A fun flick? yes!

I think you are COMPLETELY wrong in the bolded assessment! All you have to do is watched the recent "the Thing" prequel where they actually used CGI to see how terrible it is. I think a big part of the success of the 1982 Thing is the fantastic effects. So saying that the 32 year old effects don't stand up is completely backward, they are far superior to the pathetic CGI seen in the recent film, just how I genuinely think that the 1983 space battle of Endor is still the best space battle in over 30 years. This is not a CGI hating rant because sometimes CGI is fantastic and necessary, the example the recent rise and dawn of the planet of the Apes or Gollum in LOTR, but the slimey scary props of the Thing 1982 are magnificent.

The Thing was my number 1, and a film I only discovered maybe 6-7 years ago and since then it is probably a film I have watched more than any other, filled with fantastic scenes and great moments of tension, who is the Thing?? You cant help but imagine yourself in such a situation, must be similar to being a spy

, who around me is "the mole".

__________________

Originally Posted by ScarletLion

You are vile.

Chypmunk

Registered User

04-06-17

Off topic I know but I spent several years thinking Wind In The Willows was a spy movie until I finally got round to seeing it

honeykid

MoFo Whisperer

04-06-17

The Thing was the last from my list to make the list (unless there's the mother of all surprises in the top two) and I had it at #6. Arguably the best example of combining atmosphere, paranoia, horror and thrills on celluloid, it's a film which appears on quite a few 100's around here and was always going to be top 5 at worst on this list.

I won't post my list now just in case you guys are even cooler than I think you are.

__________________
5-time MoFo Award winner.

CosmicRunaway

Winner by Default

04-06-17

The Thing was on my list at #5. I'm a little surprised that it made it this high on the Countdown, but I am not complaining at all. A number of people have already said a lot about The Thing, so instead of repeating what has already been said, I'm just going to quickly run through the films on my list that obviously didn't make the Countdown.

Seen: 86/98
My List: 20

01. Dredd (2012) - #96
02. Edge of Tomorrow (2014) - #66
03. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) - #35
04. The Martian (2015) - #60
05. The Thing (1982) - #3
06. Alien (1979)
07. The Fly (1986) - #15
08. Metropolis (1927) - #36
09. Galaxy Quest (1999) - #88
10. Brazil (1985) - #32
11. Dark City (1998) - #48
12. Twelve Monkeys (1995)- #14
13. Re-Animator (1985) (DNP)
14. Robocop (1987) - #28
15. I think this will be #1
16. Videodrome (1983) - #53
17. Flash Gordon (1980) (DNP)
18. Forbidden Planet (1956) - #38
19. Arrival (2016) - #33
20. I think this will be #2
21. The Road Warrior (1981) - #31
22. Strange Days (1995) - #81
23. Ex Machina (2015) - #30
24. Equilibrium (2002) (DNP)
25. Primer (2004) - #44

I love Re-Animator, and the first sequel. I thought it might have a chance of making the bottom of the Countdown, but it didn't. I'll pretend I'm not disappointed, but it's hard to contain.

I'm a little surprised that Flash Gordon didn't make the list. This Countdown needed more campy 80s fun. Love that theme song. Every now and then my room mate with hum it, or randomly just sing "FLASH! Oh-ooh-oh!" Always puts a smile on my face.

Honestly, I keep asking myself why I bothered to put Equilibrium on this list. I haven't watched the film in years, so I might not even like it as much now, but I like the fight scenes, and the premise of the story. It's also one of the few Christian Bale performances I recall liking (the other being The Machinist).

__________________

A Strange Variety of Film Reviews | The New Flesh: A David Cronenberg Club
Letterboxd

TheUsualSuspect

28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds

04-06-17

I had The Thing placed just behind Alien at #14. Both of very similar, but Carpenter's classic has something a little extra. The classic who is who scenario. I placed it behind due to legacy being important, but The Thing is so damn fun to watch.

Unfortunately my wife wasn't having it and made me turn it off half way through one night.

The prequel/remake whatever you want to call it doesn't hold up in regards to effects. There is something generic and 'seen it all before' with CGI. The use of practical effects with Carpenter, give it a tangible feeling. Seeing the legs grow out of a decapitated head....unnerving.

Classic Sci/Fi - Horror.

As for the top 2. I find BOTH to be extremely overrated. Yet I found myself voting for one of them. The one that I found to be more influential from a more consistent director. I'll need to revisit both at some point, but if I had to choose one over the other, I choose the one with a longer lasting legacy.

1. Dark City
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
4. The Matrix
5. Inception
6. Children of Men
7. Minority Report
8. Wall-E
9. District 9
10. Star Wars: A New Hope
11. Jurassic Park
12. E.T.
13. Alien
14. The Thing
15. The 5th Element
16. Ghostbusters
17. Avatar
18. Moon
19. Serenity
20. Interstellar
21. Donnie Darko
22. Back to the Future
23. 12 Monkeys
24.
25. Edge of Tomorrow

__________________
"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

TheUsualSuspect

28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds

04-06-17

@CosmicRunaway, I consider myself one of the few people who really like Equilibrium but did not find myself putting it on my list. Had I been able to stretch it to 30, maybe it would have slid into that final spot?

CosmicRunaway

Winner by Default

04-06-17

Originally Posted by TheUsualSuspect

I consider myself one of the few people who really like Equilibrium but did not find myself putting it on my list. Had I been able to stretch it to 30, maybe it would have slid into that final spot?

I think it was just you and I who had Equilibrium on our lists for Omni's Action Movie Countdown, so I knew if it wasn't at the very bottom of this Countdown, it wouldn't be here at all. If we were able to include an extra 10 films on our lists, I think we'd see a few other films make the Countdown well ahead of Equilibrium, since we seem to be in the minority haha.

Iroquois

Welcome to the human race...

04-06-17

The Thing was my #4. I'll agree with the assessment that it's Carpenter's true masterpiece, but screw it, I still put EFNY at #1 for the hell of it.

I guess if we're doing full ballots now then...

1. Escape From New York
2. Akira
3. Blade Runner
4. The Thing
5. The Terminator
6. 2001
7. Alien
8. Videodrome
9. Stalker
10. Children of Men
11. Mad Max: Fury Road
12. Total Recall
13. RoboCop
14. The Matrix
15. Aliens
16. Predator
17. The Empire Strikes Back
18. They Live
19. A Clockwork Orange
20. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
21. The World's End
22. Battle Royale
23. Star Wars
24. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
25. Mad Max 2

__________________

Originally Posted by Yoda

I really just want you all angry and confused the whole time.

Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

04-06-17

Sci-Fi is not a genre I'm as strong on as I want to be. I love a lot of sci-fi films, but I need to watch plenty more...

Anyways, seeing The Thing rank at #3 is the biggest surprise yet. How it got so high is crazy, but obviously I'm only glad for that. I had it at #13 but it could even have been higher.

1. Her #25
2. Children of Men #20
3. Terminator 2: Judgment Day #9
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind #27
5. A Clockwork Orange #7
6. You already know which one...
7. The Fly #15
8. Minority Report #63
9. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial #21
10. The Iron Giant #50
11. Alien #4
12. Aliens #12
13. The Thing #3
14. Robocop #28
15. WALL�E #16
16. Planet of the Apes #17
17. Jurassic Park #13
18. Prometheus
19. The World's End
20. Ex Machina #30
21. Face/Off
22. Inception #24
23. The Martian #60
24. Westworld
25. Coherence

I'm glad to see more people had The World's End on their list. A very underrated movie. I should have bumped Coherence up instead of counting on a one-pointer placement, though I doubt it would have made the final list even so. Prometheus is a movie that has grown on me and I've really begun to appreciate it lately. Westworld was one of the only sci-fi films I watched in preperation for the countdown, but I thought it was really good and thought that it deserved a place somewhere towards the bottom. Face/Off was probably more action than sci-fi in the minds of most mofos, but since it counted I had to include it because it's awesome.

__________________
/watching movies for mark f/
MovieMeditation's Cinema Reviews // Film Diary 2015 // Letterboxd Profile // MovieMeditation's Top 50 Horror

Harry Lime

BANNED FROM VIENNA

04-06-17

I had the Thing at #24. Fun times.

I'm surprised of some of the films people included on their lists, didn't even think of adding them myself, and then there's those on my list that others might not have thought of adding as well, even though they liked the film a lot but didn't consider it for a sci-fi list. That's what makes this countdown a keeper. We have a very interesting and unique list here.

Now bring on 2001 at #1!!!

__________________
"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

Citizen Rules