Favourite Sci-Fi Films

[Sevej]

Well, I have no comprehensive list... but these days I really want to watch Ghost of Mars. I know a lot of people hate it, but I just love it.

I also like Skyline (because of the 'few people viewpoint' instead of the usual world epic stuff) and Starship Trooper (for pure fun).

[capthugeca]

I was born in 1958 so perhaps I can help as the go between. 

[wargamesbob]

Oh well here's my shortlist, there are probably others but these are the first to spring to mind...
Fifth element
Silent Running
Tron (original version - I have't seen the remake)
Starship Trooper
Day the Earth Stood Still (the remake)

[Leon]

... these days I really want to watch Ghost of Mars. I know a lot of people hate it, but I just love it.

I kinda like this, if it's on I'll sit and watch it.

[hamsterking]

Tremors 1, 3 and 4.
Them (the original)
Starship Troopers (the first one)
The Story of Mankind (if only for the cast- it has a really cheesey plot*)
The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Monster from the Black Lagoon (which is actually a much better movie than you might have been led to believe)
The 1943 version of "I walked with a Zombie" (not really Sci-fi but a great piece of cinema)
The Bela Lugosi version of "White Zombie" (Ok we're really stretching the Sci-fi thing here)

I also have a weakness for cheaply made 40s, 50s and 60s Sci-fi with the words Amazon , or Woman/Women or Queen in the title

Dave Turner

* Not as cheesey as "The 27th Day" but few movies exceed that little gem for cheese rating.**
** OK there's "The Boy with the Green Hair" but that's not really Sci-fi

[Paint it Pink]

I like a lot of SF movies and I can't say I have any one favourite. However, a lot of my favourites have appeared in this thread. Like Stargate; (led to the TV franchise of course) is just so lush that I've lost count of the number of times I have watched it. Also, The Matrix; ground breaking in oh so many ways that everything made since has to measure itself against this standard. Not forgetting Aliens; the best SF war film we have in spite of the ropey (by todays standards) special effects. Or for that matter The Thing; John Carpenter version with Kurt again, which was another ground breaking movie that set a very high bar for what is horror and frightening.

However, there are other films that I think stand repeated watching...

Soldier: slagged at the time, but Kurt Russell and  the referral to Blade Runner makes it worthwhile.

Deep Rising: Not really SF, rather a modern day Lovecraftian tale of tentacles and dismemberment with SF weapons (rotary barrel assault rifles).

Wing Commander: killed the franchise, but it has awesome music and a stellar supporting cast of Warner, Suchet and Prochnow.

Galaxy Quest, whats not to like?

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Tremors - GREAT film, forgotten about that one! 

[Luddite]

Tremors - GREAT film, forgotten about that one! 

Yeah, great fun little film.  Shame the sequals are such 24-carat fail.

[Hertsblue]

Galaxy Quest, whats not to like?

Nothing at all. Great send-up of Star Trek. 

[nikharwood]

Soldier: slagged at the time, but Kurt Russell and  the referral to Blade Runner makes it worthwhile.

Deep Rising: Not really SF, rather a modern day Lovecraftian tale of tentacles and dismemberment with SF weapons (rotary barrel assault rifles).

Yep - totally with you on Soldier; not seen Deep Rising but I want to watch it now 

[angel barracks]

In no particular order:


Bladerunner
Aliens
Ghosts of Mars
Pitch Black
Chronicles of Riddick
Dune
Soldier
Equilibrium
Ghost in Shell
Resident Evil
Moon*


There are many others such as District 9, Battle LA, Cloverfield, I Am Legend, Predator etc but they are too close to modern day for me to be hard core sci-fi.
Maybe they are alternate reality in my mind.
Dunno.


*very good film.

[Dunnadd]

I am Legend was ****, shitty, ****. Even if you hadn't read the book, it was still ****, because Will Smith can act precisely one role well - the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. He really can't act except for light hearted comedy. He managed Men in Black ok because it was just that (though it was also sh*t, but at least it didn't have pretensions of granduer).

I am Legend wasn't a light hearted comedy and so Smith was the wrong person to be the main character. The songs played in the film were bizarre and completely destroyed the atmosphere.

If you've read the book, the story was about the last human, with the roles of vampires and humans reversed. Now the last human, who hunted vampires by day, became a mythical and feared, un-natural creature, as vampires were to humans.

In the film Will Smith is not the last human, the plot makes no sense, the atmosphere is bizarre, the acting terrible, the music inappropriate to the content.

[goat major]

oh thank you Dunadd - i've been preaching exactly the same to anyone who will listen but so few people have read the book and dont get it.

I can heartily recommend the book - it is a fantastic story, that keeps you gripped and makes you think