Your top 5 sci-fi movies (and why)

[...m...]

...the baby boom encompassed a loooooong generation; that they got twenty years when all the others got fifteen has more to do with their parents' shared post-war economy, lifestyle, and media landscape than any common cultural identity shared between kids who came-of-age in the fifties and kids who came-of-age in the seventies...

...regardless, i like the decades spanning 45-54 et al as a cultural marker; that seems to work pretty well right through the present, good suggestion...

 

[Cadence]

It does, but cultural experiences trump demographic generalizations.

Using cultural things seems more useful to me too.

I'm 1/3rd of the way through Gen-X (1970), but my end-of-X sister a decade later was too young to really be hit by the Atari 2600, Star Wars figures, B/X, 1e, Commodore 64, episodes iv-vi, and Ghostbusters that hit me squarely in middle childhood through early adolescence.

 

[Parmandur]

It does, but cultural experiences trump demographic generalizations.

I have no memory of the Challenger disaster (I was alive, but bust being a nursing infant at the time), but I vividly remember 9/11.

 

[The Soloist]

'63 here and seems like that just barely makes me a Boomer.

Tail end of Boomers are sometimes called the Generation Jones, or Jonesers: Generation Jones - Wikipedia

 

[Ahzad]

In no particular order.
Blade Runner - my first introduction to the cyberpunk genre that I can remember. I'm one of the strange ones that really loved the narration that was taken out of the later cuts.
Star Wars - while Trek on the small screen came first, SW in the cinema forever changed my 8 year old self, and it would be decades before Trek would once again take the top spot.
Alien - Horror sci-fi again changed how I looked at things.
Logans Run - for reasons listed up thread
And finally a newer one
From 2007 The Man From Earth a movie that I just can't keep myself from thinking about ever since a saw it for the first time 10 years or so ago. No crazy effects just a group of folks sitting in a cabin and somehow it ends up being one of the sci-fi movies I've ever seen.

 

[payn]

Blade Runner - my first introduction to the cyberpunk genre that I can remember. I'm one of the strange ones that really loved the narration that was taken out of the later cuts.

I had issues out of the gate with it. Mai9nly it broke the ambiance like an unwelcome visitor. Later, I learned that folks felt the movie was too hard to understand so they went back and added the voice over narration. That annoyed me even more. However, folks have explained a bit why they liked the voice over and it seems like it makes BR feel like a film noir cycberpunk edition and I can kinda see that. So, my stinkface about the voice over has softened over the years.

 

[Ryujin]

Tail end of Boomers are sometimes called the Generation Jones, or Jonesers: Generation Jones - Wikipedia

That would explain... a lot.

 

[Ahzad]

I had issues out of the gate with it. Mai9nly it broke the ambiance like an unwelcome visitor. Later, I learned that folks felt the movie was too hard to understand so they went back and added the voice over narration. That annoyed me even more. However, folks have explained a bit why they liked the voice over and it seems like it makes BR feel like a film noir cycberpunk edition and I can kinda see that. So, my stinkface about the voice over has softened over the years.

Being a big fan of film noir, that was the reason I liked it. Most of my friends who aren't into film noir prefer it without, and I can watch either, but something about that narration tickles that part of my brain.

 

[Parmandur]

Being a big fan of film noir, that was the reason I liked it. Most of my friends who aren't into film noir prefer it without, and I can watch either, but something about that narration tickles that part of my brain.

It is generically appropriate, so as far as studio meddling goes it actually works well as it's own artistic take. It is clear after watching ot without that the film was designed to be more eerie and subtle by Scott, but agreed that I can watch either version.

 

[TheMercile]

I've read through page 13 so far... love every movie listed that I saw. Below are a few of my takes, and yeah, too hard to pick only 5:

Top 5 or 10 or something:

Star Wars - awesome. Shaped half my childhood.

Godzilla/Gojira - Shaped the other half of my childhood. the original is dark and deep. Loved all the 60s and 70s ones as a kid. Still have a soft spot for all the ones since.

Alien - scary good.

Aliens - action good.

Predator - action fun.

Blade Runner - interesting, unique, started something. Yep, Hauser was just too good in this. The zoom in on a picture trope bothered me so much the first couple of times I watched it... funny that (usually BS) trope has been done so many times. You can almost imagine some digital photo where the data is there to zoom in nowadays, though.

Vampire Hunter D -> is it scifi, it has robot horses and cyber-fantasy type stuff? Probably more fantasy/horror. The Original movie was so unique for a hand drawn movie. The 2nd one looks incredible. Oh, I see the 2nd one Bloodlust is on someone's list, nice.

The Matrix - mind blown from the original trailer, the movie was so awesome back then.

======
Honorable and/or had to comment on other folks lists:

Dune - 1984, was so cool as a kid. The worms, the fighting. I hadn't read the book(s) at that point.
Dune - the newer one, I really enjoyed it. Read the first book or two (first book is incredible and so incredibly influential) around that time, also.
Moon - great concept, love Sam Rockwell, that crazy guy makes every movie fun. Ah ha, I see it made another list!
Sunshine - was just great scifi, great cast.
Ghost in the Shell - thought provoking and wild.
Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi
Mad Max (all of them through Fury Road) - so unique, a million copycats never could do it as well.
Terminator 1/2 - incredible.
Black Hole - definitely hit hard as a kid
Trek movies - several of them are great
Planet of the Apes (Heston version) - yep, that hit hard as a kid, too.
Back to the Future - the first one especially was just so much fun.
Primer - truly an incredible concept
Jurassic Park - how could I forget. The only thing wrong with it was I wish I could have seen it before puberty for even more of an effect.
Under the Skin - oh yeah, Older Beholder's comments are spot on. Original, disturbing, astonishing. I listen to the soundtrack every now and then... it gives me the same feeling as that movie every time.
Dark City - oh yeah, that one has influenced so many things after it (Inception, anyone?). Phenominal movie.



Love the B-list by The Soloist around page 9 or so, nice choices.