The Science Fiction Films thread

This thread is devoted to analyze & dissect the science fiction on cinema. While it is common knowledge that scifi on film is no match for its literal origin in terms of premises, narrative, execution and scope (with filmdom's greatest sin being the sacrifice of what makes books great: an intelligent plot), Hollywood has still managed to deliver quite some gems that compensate for its many offenses.

In general most scifi films fall into one of these four categories:

1. The 'Isn't-it-terrible-what's-happening-to-mankind'
2. The Bug-Eyed Monsters (BEMs) & Robots
3. The swashbuckling ray-gun adventures
4. The existential, Mind-bending, philosophical psychodramas

Examples of the first category are 'When Worlds Collide', "2012", "The Omega Man", "Planet of the Apes", 'Logan's Run", "War of the Worlds" and practically every post-apocalypse/Mad Max-like film ever made.

Examples of the second category are "The Thing", "Godzilla", "The Fly", "Splice", "This Island Earth", "The Creature From the Black Lagoon", "Alien", "Predator", "Men in Black" and practically every monster and extraterrestrial movie ever made.

In the third category we have, obviously, 'Star Wars', "Star Trek", "The Black Hole", "Guardians of the Galaxy", "Flash Gordon", "Starship Troopers", "The Fifth Element" and superhero films.

And examples of the last category we have '2001: a Space Odyssey', "Blade Runner", "the Matrix", "THX 1138", "Silent Running", "The Day The Earth Stood Still", "The Abyss", "Contact", "Ex-Machina", "Slaughter House Five", "the Lathe of Heaven", "Soylent Green", "Solaris", "Gattaca", "Metropolis" etc.

Which one of these categories you want to see more in the big screen (or on tv like HBO, Netflix)?

 

I love sci-fi but there’s no way I’m reading that entire opening post Panch. What do you think this is, online community college?

 

I like the fourth category the most when it's done right.

I already discussed Arrival yesterday. That falls into the fouth category and I think will one day go down as a sci-fi classic. Snowpiercer is also a great recent example of the fouth category.

 

Gattaca is a really good movie.

 

Event horizon is fourth category, no?

 

I stopped reading after 'This thread is devoted to analyze and dissect'...

 

Yes.

 

Good analysis and breakdown panchy. Not sure how we're supposed to respond though

 

I love sci fi by the way. Can't get enough. Category 4 is my favourite

 

Category 4 is my favorite as well, but I lose interest in them if they're toooooooooooooo fucking complex and weird.

In my mind, a movie can be complex and cerebral WITHOUT confusing the shit outta the audience.

I should make it a point to watch Brazil.... never seen it, and I know it's considered one of the sci-fi movies ever. But it appears VERY weird.

Who's seen it?

 

Gee, it isn't that long nor hard to read. Read it in sections within a 7 days timeframe...?

 

I tried to watch it a few times and I was never able to finish it or to go to the next room to do something else. Same happened to me with 'The Fountain'.

 

Ohhh, this is tough picking one category over the others. I'm not in to categories 3 and 4 as much as I am in to categories 1 and 2. If i had to choose one, I'd go with 2.

 

So which films from those two categories have impressed you more? From the 'End of the World' subdivision of the #1 category, the original 'When Worlds Collide' is the one that has stayed with me longer even though it had dated badly and the special effects were laughable at the time I watched it. Yet it did made an impression on me (I wish a great director like Spielberg or Cameron would remake this film. I know that '2012' was originally going to be that remake, even retaining the Ark vessel concept, but then rewrites turned it into the mess that was released).

 

I agree that 4th is my favourite when done right, obvious example being 2001: A Space Odyssey. Beautiful film.

I think 2 probably delivers more consistently and more of the sci-fi films I like would fall under that category.

 

From category 1:

The Terminator 1 & 2 are obviously big hits and a very popular choice, but I love the Planet of the Apes films and of all the POTA films, the original 1968 version is, IMO, still the best. Shout out to 28 Days Later which was excellent.

From category 2:

Close Encounters of the third kind is my favourite of the genre. Just years ahead of its time and an absolute classic in every way. The greatest Sci-fi film ever made. Massive shout outs to E.T. Independence Day, Starman, Predator, Alien, The Thing, Cocoon.

I do love a good Superhero film, so from Category 3 I'd go for the following:

Superman 1&2 (no other Superman film comes close to these two and I would say 2 is better than 1)
Spiderman 2
Batman (1989)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Category 4:

Rosemary's Baby
Black Swan
Raging Bull
American Psycho
Donnie Darko

There are some I've mentioned where you can place them in another category.

 

Okay now I've devoted time to reading it, this is a very concise and thorough thread starter Panchy....I'm impressed.

I'm going to devote equal time to answering in kind being as I'm a sci-fI conosseur...

 

Raging Bull? American Psycho? Lol wtf.

 

One is about an emotionally self-destructive boxer and his journey through life and the second is about a wealthy banking exec who hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends. Two psychodramas, no?

 

LOL dude you went back to drink, right?

 

Lol, no.

 

Hahaha. I must have been a lot more tired than I realised. Ignore my category 4 picks above .

 

Donnie Darko and Event Horizon stand out for me.

 

Predator vs Alien is great.

 

I forgot about Donnie Darko. That's a great movie.

Haven't seen Event Horizon in a long time, but I don't recall it being memorable.

 

Rosemary's Baby, American Psycho, and Raging Bull belong nowhere near science fiction. Especially not Raging Bull, WTF?

 

I read the opening post (chapter 4 section) and saw psychodramas, but made my list forgetting it was a science fiction thread .

 

Raging Bull in the scifi category?

Hahahaha

 

Ohhhhh .

Yeah, Rosemary's Baby would be the perfect example of a psychological thriller.

 

Oblivion has a little of all 4 categories. I love that movie.