Watching the original Alien in a theatre with a group of friends, almost none of whom had any idea what was coming, is one of those indelible experiences of my youth.
So is lining up to see the original Star Wars (The Last Hope) after having been impressed by the trailer that was shown before ‘Robin and Marion’ the previous November. I never would have imagined after seeing it that the franchise would eventually evolve to be dystopian.
One great 70s science fiction movie that I only got to see later on television was Silent Running. It deserves more attention.
This is my pick. I wish the rest of the movies had the same feel. The set design was the best and told it's own story. Aliens was a disappointment for me. I wanted them to explore the lore more.
Oh fuck. Hard question. I’m gonna answer with a couple because I can’t really rank them. That being said, they’re all in my top 10. Special shoutout to the last one.
Event Horizon: Just a good ol’ science fiction horror movie. I buy into the fan theory that it actually takes place in the early years of Warhammer 40k Universe.
Galaxy Quest: This is almost cheating. It’s not Star Trek but it has been called ‘The Best Star Trek movie’ so take that as you will.
Rocky Horror Picture Show: Could technically be classified as a science fiction movie. Just saying.
Moon: Sam Rockwell is a fantastic actor. Kevin Spacey is in it as a voice only role so that does ding the movie but it’s well worth it. I didn’t even recognize it was Kevin first time watching it. Performance from Sam Rockwell is incredible.
Hitchhikers Guide (2005): It gets a bad wrap because it’s not the greatest adaptation but it’s still a fun movie nonetheless.
Sunshine: Highly recommend not watching any trailers going into the movie and just enjoying the ride. If you don’t consider anything else on this list, consider this movie. Exceptionally well done. Stars Chris Evans, Cillian Murphy and even got good ol’ Michelle Yeoh in a considerably less evil role than Mirror Georgiou. The only thing you need to know about the movie is that its set not that far in the future. The Sun is dying and there’s a plan to restart the sun by flying a nuke into it the size of manhattan. Not a word of a lie, that is literally the plan. Don’t look up anything about the movie, just enjoy it. Trust me.
Also yeah Rocky Horror has a strange storyline so it could technically be classified as a sci-fi. It’s… odd. I love it. Best seen with strangers in a theater during Halloween though. There might be a showing near you. There’s usually at least one going on for it. Encouraged to throw shit at the screen and yell at the cast. It’s fantastic. Also tell me this song isn’t a fucking banger. Imagine the whole theater singing along to that. It’s a trip and I highly recommend trying to see it that way for your first time. If you tell anyone at one of those viewings you’re a RHPS Virgin you’ll get treated really well and they’ll be gung ho to get you in on the fun.
If you don’t enjoy it then I will be truly and genuinely surprised. Especially in that fashion. It’s not a ‘good’ movie by any means but it’s a great movie. It’s a disaster and I wouldn’t change a thing.
The Thing (1982) is another favorite film of mine. It’s a lot more faithful to John W. Campbell’s novella, “Who Goes There?” than the 1951 film, but I enjoy both takes.
All of my favorites have been mentioned already (Yay!) but I want to mention The Signal - it surprised us with how much we enjoyed it, and it’s one we revisit from time to time. I don’t know if there’s much lore developed around it by now, but it’s a nice imagination prompt!
Ooh, and Pandorum. Another comfort spooky
Personal favorite is David Lynch’s Dune. All the good, all the bad, all the ridiculous production problems. I won’t go on, though, I’ll be here proselytizing all day on Herbert, Lynch, Dune, and making sure you always get final cut for filmmaking, or nothing (ya know, everyday problems).
Oh that’s definitely a hard question. My answer might vary a lot depending on whether I’m in a spooky atmospheric mood, an adventurous mood, or a deep thoughtful mood. Right now, I think my answer is going to be Arrival (2016). It touches on the fun topic of intelligent life landing on earth and trying to communicate with us.
Under the Skin - with Scarlett Johansson. There’s almost no dialogue. No exposition about anything, or names - just the short lifespan of an alien. Disguised as a woman, they’re part of what seems to be a hidden alien colony living amongst humans.
The soundtrack is haunting, hypnotizing and beautiful.
It’s on Max! I watched it for the first time there a month ago. Try and watch it where you can hear the audio. The music is so well done in that film and adds to experience if it’s heard well.
Ghostbusters I & II (I know it’s a comedy with horror elements, but the proton packs are definitely sci-fi, and so is the whole city of NY coming together in harmony during the 2nd movie)
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