Wrath of Khan, best sci-fi film of all time?
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For the fantasy-ish type of Sci-Fi movie, Star Wars (no bloody IV, I mean the original movie, 1977).
For more serious Sci-Fi for entertainment, "The Martian". Of course, the book grabbed me like no other fictional space book, so I was primed to see the movie (saw it more times in theaters than any other movie, at least 5, maybe 6)
I know that "2001: a Space Odyssey" is the ultimate of really serious Sci-Fi movies, and I first saw it when it came out. But as an entertainment experience.... not so much. I have seen the sequel 2010 many more times, as it's a more relatable movie.
And do not get me wrong I'm not dissing Star Trek, at all. It and Babylon-5 are my two favorite Sci-Fi TV shows (Doctor Who a close 3rd, in part since I can't get into the earlier ones that much and the last few seasons with the 12th Doctor (Capaldi, yawn) went downhill (even the background music was "meh", it's been a key part of the revived show). I look forward to the 13th Doctor (female) this year, hopefully the new showrunners are also up to the task).
Anyway....I like time-travel stories so that's one big reason why I put ST-IV (The Voyage Home) ahead of ST-II (TWOK). Also why the 2-part finale of TNG was so great..... Picard traveling into three main time periods (past, present, future), then way WAY back (beginning of life on Earth). Plus TNG's "Yesterday's Enterprise" is one of my favorite Trek episodes.
For more serious Sci-Fi for entertainment, "The Martian". Of course, the book grabbed me like no other fictional space book, so I was primed to see the movie (saw it more times in theaters than any other movie, at least 5, maybe 6)
I know that "2001: a Space Odyssey" is the ultimate of really serious Sci-Fi movies, and I first saw it when it came out. But as an entertainment experience.... not so much. I have seen the sequel 2010 many more times, as it's a more relatable movie.
And do not get me wrong I'm not dissing Star Trek, at all. It and Babylon-5 are my two favorite Sci-Fi TV shows (Doctor Who a close 3rd, in part since I can't get into the earlier ones that much and the last few seasons with the 12th Doctor (Capaldi, yawn) went downhill (even the background music was "meh", it's been a key part of the revived show). I look forward to the 13th Doctor (female) this year, hopefully the new showrunners are also up to the task).
Anyway....I like time-travel stories so that's one big reason why I put ST-IV (The Voyage Home) ahead of ST-II (TWOK). Also why the 2-part finale of TNG was so great..... Picard traveling into three main time periods (past, present, future), then way WAY back (beginning of life on Earth). Plus TNG's "Yesterday's Enterprise" is one of my favorite Trek episodes.
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I saw ST4 for the fourth or fifth time after living near Salt Lake City for 6 years at Hill AFB. Literally fell out of my chair when I heard this one again. Context changed a little after being stationed in a Utah.
[video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pgHxFNFWlZc[/video]
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I put the first two Alien/Aliens movies out there.
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For Sci Fi series, stumbled on “Fringe” when it was on NetFlix. Was a real treat, had best of everything.
jlabrasca
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ST: WoK is a very good movie, and -- for soft science fiction -- the Star Trek universe actually does a pretty good job portraying science. At least, when the writers are having a good day, they bother to paste over the magic with sciencey words; for instance, inertial dampeners and Heisenberg compensators. That said, Wrath of Khan doesn't even make my top 10 science fiction films. It might not even crack the top 25.
Possibly because I saw the original broadcast on PBS, the 1980 made-for-TV version of Lathe of Heaven is near the top of my list. It was unavailable for a very long time, and was kind of legendary among Ursula LeGuin fans. After decades of being asked for a rebroadcast, the folks at PBS finally got the rights back, located a pretty good print, and offered it (on VHS) as a pledge premium. Watching it again for the first time in 20 years, it held up surprisingly well. It involves ideas that are explored (in very different ways) in movies like Tron, The Matrix, Paprika, and (the execrable) Inception. It works very well as science fiction, the central idea is well presented and there are no holes too large to bridge with a willing suspension of disbelief. The hero is sympathetic and solidly heroic. The villain is terrifyingly believable.
(Paprika is also a very good movie that is better science fiction than Wrath of Khan)
Gojira, the original version of Godzilla w/o the inserted scenes with Raymond Burr, is also way up in the rankings. Its good-enough science fiction and Serizawa Daisuke is an amazing character. I can't think of any portrayal of a scientist with a doomsday device that is as sympathetic and moving. In fact, all of the principal characters are well written and well acted.
Them is the best magnified animal menace movie ever made. The science content is pretty slight, but the story is so good and the performances so much fun, that it is impossible to care.
The Martian is a very good piece of hard science fiction, and very satisfying drama.
Also ahead of Wrath of Khan on my list (off the top of my head, and in no particular order):
Some cut of Blade Runner (I like the ones with the voice-over narration), Village of the Damned, Quatermass and the Pit (5 Million Years to Earth), Day of the Triffids, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 and 1978), When Worlds Collide, Rollerball (1975), Arrival, Andromeda Stain (1971), Ghost in the Shell (1995 anime), The Thing (1984), Logan's Run, The Fly (1958 and 1986), Scanners, The Omega Man, The Incredible Shrinking Man , Deep Impact, Marooned, ... okay, I am a huge nerd.
Possibly because I saw the original broadcast on PBS, the 1980 made-for-TV version of Lathe of Heaven is near the top of my list. It was unavailable for a very long time, and was kind of legendary among Ursula LeGuin fans. After decades of being asked for a rebroadcast, the folks at PBS finally got the rights back, located a pretty good print, and offered it (on VHS) as a pledge premium. Watching it again for the first time in 20 years, it held up surprisingly well. It involves ideas that are explored (in very different ways) in movies like Tron, The Matrix, Paprika, and (the execrable) Inception. It works very well as science fiction, the central idea is well presented and there are no holes too large to bridge with a willing suspension of disbelief. The hero is sympathetic and solidly heroic. The villain is terrifyingly believable.
(Paprika is also a very good movie that is better science fiction than Wrath of Khan)
Gojira, the original version of Godzilla w/o the inserted scenes with Raymond Burr, is also way up in the rankings. Its good-enough science fiction and Serizawa Daisuke is an amazing character. I can't think of any portrayal of a scientist with a doomsday device that is as sympathetic and moving. In fact, all of the principal characters are well written and well acted.
Them is the best magnified animal menace movie ever made. The science content is pretty slight, but the story is so good and the performances so much fun, that it is impossible to care.
The Martian is a very good piece of hard science fiction, and very satisfying drama.
Also ahead of Wrath of Khan on my list (off the top of my head, and in no particular order):
Some cut of Blade Runner (I like the ones with the voice-over narration), Village of the Damned, Quatermass and the Pit (5 Million Years to Earth), Day of the Triffids, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 and 1978), When Worlds Collide, Rollerball (1975), Arrival, Andromeda Stain (1971), Ghost in the Shell (1995 anime), The Thing (1984), Logan's Run, The Fly (1958 and 1986), Scanners, The Omega Man, The Incredible Shrinking Man , Deep Impact, Marooned, ... okay, I am a huge nerd.
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