Your top 5 sci-fi movies (and why)

[Autumnal]

I think of Silent Running as the last big af deal before Star Wars, but then I’m not fond of Logan’s Run. Like a lot of others, it’s no worse than ones o do, it just didn’t click for me.

 

[The Firebird]

Is Mad Max scifi? No spaceships. If so, then both Fury Road and Furiosa top my list. I'm tempted to make it 5 mad Max movies and call it a day.

If not, I'll put Revenge of the Sith, which manages the unique task of being an ending and tying together two separate acts in a satisfying way. It works more effectively as a social commentary than any of the other films. While the OT does a great job of timeless characterization, it is mostly backward looking in terms of what it's commenting on socially. Revenge, in contrast, is nothing if not prescient. "So this is how liberty dies..."

Next, I'll place Jurassic Park. It's executed so well, it's entertaining, and it has an important, and still very relevant, message. I don't know what you want out of a movie if you don't like this film.

Then, Snowpiercer. It's surprisingly poorly known in my experience, even after Bong Joon Ho won the Oscar. It's one of the few movies I've seen addressing climate change that actually something interesting to say (Don't Look Up) ain't it. But it's not just about climate; it presents an entire society in microcosm, combining sharp critique with a delightful sense of whimsy. The shot of Ed Harris grilling a steak will live forever in my mind.

Next I'll put Gattaca. I'll say less about this because I think most people are familiar with it. It becomes more and more relevant with every passing year and has a human core that I find deeply appealing.

I'll round out the list with Wall-E. I've never seen a movie balance accessibility with depth of theme in this way. It's not just climate, or development or sustainability--it poses spiritual and existential questions, giving us the best cinematic depiction of Nietzsche's Last Man. At the moment of existential awakening, we hear Nietzsche disciple Richard Strauss's Thus Spake Zarathustra; our survivors then return to a life of pain and self-actualization. It's referencing 2001 but shows technological progress as spiritual death.

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Ones that don't do it for me, and why:
Blade Runner: It has a lot to say but is slow to say them and has aged rather poorly, with certain scenes.
Blade Runner 2049: On the verge of greatness but muddled in terms of its commentary. Are we worried about nuclear weapons or climate change or evil billionaires or the commodification of people? It feels like it is playing the post apocalyptic hits rather than saying anything original about these topics.
2001: The visuals and the use of music are incredible, and it is ambitious thematically, but, dare I say, it ultimately says too little and too weakly.
The Matrix: It is a fun action movie, but at least to me comes off as trite. Maybe it landed differently earlier on.
Terminator: I like these movies, but the fears they're addressing seem less relevant today.

 

[Deset Gled]

So I asked myself, "given that SW is a purely fantasy story, would it work as a purely fantasy film?" In other words, had they shot it but swapped all the sci-fi visuals and sounds for fantasy equivalents, does it still work? Is it still the history-altering behemoth it became? And I think the answer has to be that it doesn't and isn't.

If my grandmother had wheels would she be a bicycle?

I appreciate that sophistry lead you to the conclusion that it did, but this is still pure sophistry.

Is Mad Max scifi? No spaceships. If so, then both Fury Road and Furiosa top my list. I'm tempted to make it 5 mad Max movies and call it a day.

It's been a while, but I'm pretty sure the first Mad Max film isn't, and everything after is.

 

[Autumnal]

The original Mad Max is a story of near-future society in the midst of collapse, an unusual moment to capture on screen and very much science-fictional.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Adding Guardians to the mix (yeah, pun intended ) I'd rank them 2, 3, & 1. 1 was fun, but 2 and 3 are stronger in their themes and thematic/character exploration. Rocket's arc especially really kicks into high gear in 2 (the ending, so perfect) and comes to fruition in 3.

Didn't think much of 2. Dull, shmaltzy, and has the superhero genre's obsession with daddy issues.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

No spaceships.

I'm pretty sure that was a joke.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I find it interesting how many people (myself included) all seem to say Empire Strikes Back is their favorite, but agree that Star Wars is a "best'.

ESB can only work as part of a series. It might have the best writing and acting, but it's a middle without a beginning or an end. ANH stands on it's own.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

the commodification of people

It needed to be this, as the other themes are not specific to this franchise.

It's a bit sad that Alien Earth is a better Blade Runner sequel than this.

 

[Deset Gled]

The original Mad Max is a story of near-future society in the midst of collapse, an unusual moment to capture on screen and very much science-fictional.

Is it? It's definitely a society in the midst of collapse, but that by itself doesn't make it sci-fi.

Road Warrior starts introducing a bunch of funky vehicles, and tech definitely gets weirder from there. But the cars, motorcycles, and everything else is real-world stuff in the first one. I can't remember any sci fi elements. Even the dystopia isn't fully developed yet. The police force still exists, after all. And IIRC the off-screen war happens between 1 and 2.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I thought about watching Logan's Run the other day to see if it held up. Haven't yet.

Whist the movie looks very dated (especially the evil robot), it's actually a lot more topical now than it was in it's day, with the threat of AI making work obsolete looking far more plausible. And hence humans having no purpose apart from breading more humans, after which they become a burden society chooses not to support. I'm not usually a fan of remakes, but this could do with one.