77 réponses à ce sujet

[MrFob]

After seeing Elysium the other day, I wanted to start a topic about science fiction movies.

Feel free to post anything SciFi movie related here, e.g.
- What do you think of recent releases?
- what are your favourites?
- what is important to you in a good SciFi movie?
- What would you like to see in the future (is there an established story/saga you'd like to see adapted or maybe you have ideas of your own)?

Just go wild. To start things of, I am going to post some of may recent thoughts on the matter. I am trying to keep this as spoiler free as possible but there may be some minor ones so just tread carefully.


I got to say, I feel deprived of good science fiction movies of late. While the special effects keep getting better and better, all the movies I have seen in the last couple of years severely lack in plot, believable scenarios and relatable characters.
Elysium being one example. I think the entire scenario is very contrived and it is never explained how exactly this high society people could actually pull of the massive undertaking of building Elysium while the rest of the population was suppressed in such a manner and earth's resources were already stretched to the limit. Not to mention the end of the movie which bears further questions about what exactly they achieved here and what the plan for the future is supposed to be (to me it looks like the writers didn't really think this through beyond the constraints of the movie itself). Therefore, it lacks a feeling of scope. Further than that, I thought the characters were not relatable at all. Are they really expecting me to believe that every single person in the future is going to be a selfish ******, not just at the time of the movie but apparently for generations? Because that is what everyone in this movie acts like and that is also what it would take to maintain this kind of society.

Anyway, I haven't seen Oblivion but from what I hear it wasn't much better. Pacific Rim was just a throw away action flick anyway. And don't get me started on Prometheus last year. I went into that one with really high hopes and was utterly disappointed. The ridiculous stupidity of plot contrivances as well as some character actions is beyond measure, IMO.

JJ Abram's new Star Trek movie (the first one, didn't see Into Darkness yet) wasn't too bad actually. Certainly it's got barely anything to do with   what I identify as Star Trek (well, neither had Nemesis to be honest) but as a SciFi adventure moviie in it's own right, it was fairly decent.

I think the last really good SciFi movie I saw was Cloud Atlas and that isn't even my kind of SciFi usually.

Still I wonder what happened to really great plots in SciFi? What happened to the likes of Blade Runner or 12 Monkeys, etc. What happened to great plots, interesting questions to ask critical extrapolation and over exaggeration of the trends of today's society? What happened to intelligent SciFI? Is it all gone for the sake of special effects and action?

You know what I'd love to see? I'd love to see a modern re-interpretation of Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy in movie form. Spice up the outdated science extrapolations a little (use some quantum mechanics instead of atomics or whatever) but keep the general plot line and characters true to the original. Wow us with great special effects for the ships and planets and make a SciFi movie trilogy out of it that will be an equivalent to what the Lord of the Rings movies were in the realm of fantasy.

[Isichar]

Blade Runner, Inception and the original Matrix are my favorites. Altered States deserves an honorable mention as well.

Enders game looks like it could be pretty cool, I have not read the books but I understand it has a following. I heard Blade Runner 2 is in the works as well so the will either be incredibly good or incredibly terrible, too early to say.

A good sci-fi should keep you thinking after the movie, and should be as consistent within its own universe as much as possible. Special effects are great in sci-fis but it cannot act as a substitute for a sub-par script. Although most sci-fis nowadays seem to get by with decent, although not amazing, scripts and great special effects.

Modifié par Isichar, 10 septembre 2013 - 03:48 .

[spirosz]

The Abyss.

[HiddenInWar]

Inception ftw

[Neoleviathan]

Well if you want a recent scifi flick that is more minimalist when it comes to special effects & action I would suggest "Moon". They tried to use as little as they could possibly get away with. I feel it was one of the better science fiction films of the past few years. The same director went on to film "Source Code" which I also thought was ok.

Other than that really enjoyed Cloud Atlas as well. Loved John Carter of Mars even though I think most people hated it. Attack the Block. Hunter Prey. Halo: Forward Unto Dawn, really surprised how much I liked this film. Prometheus was amazing & disappointing & cool & for being some kind of Alien related film I thought it was startling how often that film was going into Blade Runner even some of the scenes could be mirrors for eachother. Dredd was a really fun & satisfying film. For films that are not as recent, 2001 & 2010, Outland, Event Horizon, Stargate, Blade Runner, & the Alien films with Alien 3 being my favorite. I think many recent films have been just as good & even better than allot of my older favorites. I cannot say what a good scifi film really is though, I've been suprised too many times & I really can't get enough of them.

As for the future. I look forward to faithful adaptions of the Forever War, Wool, Jericho, Rendezvous with Rama, Jurassic Park: The Lost World, & Revelation Space. I also kindof hope there will be an ironic & more faithful adaption to Carnosaur. Ironic because after reading the book it just feels like it would do better as a dark comedy like Shaun of the Dead, plus it takes place in Great Britain so that would probably be the best fit really.

[NeonFlux117]

Blade Runner is my favorite. The Matrix. is right up there too.

Also, speaking of Elysium and it's director Bloomkamp. I think District 9 is awesome scifi and about 10 times better than Elysium. Alien and Aliens come to mind also. Children of Men was exceptional as was Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Terminator 2 and Predator are highly fun and atmospheric. If we are including Star War's, then apart from Blade Runner and maybe The Matrix, Empire Strikes Back might be the best.

What makes good scifi?

Well for one it has to be entertaing. Many scifi films fail to do this. It has to be fun and envoke a sense of wonder and awe. Great scifi films also make Discovery a very key role and theme. Also, it has to make one question what is out there? Or why am I here. Or what is the point? Or what is beyond the void?

Great scifi leaves the audience in wonder but yet fulfilled and wanting more. It truly is a feat and awesome when it happens.

Also, I think that some science is needed. Maybe not hardcore, but at least some or have it implied.

Modifié par NeonFlux117, 10 septembre 2013 - 05:23 .

[Eurypterid]

Off the top of my head, some sci-fi films I liked:

Moon (already mentioned)
Serenity (but I was a Firefly fan)
Outland (I loved this movie!)
War of the Worlds (yeah, the one with Tom Cruise, even though I'm not a fan. Sue me).
2001:A Space Odyssey
Solaris (already mentioned)
The Matrix (again, mentioned)
The Fifth Element (love this movie)
Dark City (not typical sci-fi, but an interesting movie)
Altered States (mentioned as well, but one I saw way back when it was in the theater and I loved it then)
Prometheus (yes, I'm well aware of the plot holes and I was let down from my admittedly lofty expectations, but despite that I still like it)
Elysium (saw with my daughter last weekend and although it's not a great movie, we both enjoyed it)
District 9 (I guess you either love or hate it. I love it, despite the issues with it)
John Carter was one I liked as well (was a huge fan of the books when I was a young lad and really enjoyed seeing the movie. Especially seeing Tars Tarkas on screen)

Of course, the usual suspects as well: Blade Runner, Star Wars (original trilogy), Terminator, etc.

I have reserved hopes for Ender's Game. I plan on seeing it, having read the book a couple times and from what I've read about production, it looks like they're trying to remain true to the book. Here's hoping.

I'd love to see a series of movies based on C.J. Cherryh's Chanur books. If they could keep from changing it too much.

Modifié par Eurypterid, 10 septembre 2013 - 05:26 .

[MrFob]

Wow, some nice suggestions for films i have to check so far already.
Definitely have to keep an eye on Ender's Game. I hadn't heard of it before. From what I quickly looked up it sounds a bit Starship Trooper-ish.
Also, I am just reading Dune (never got around to it before). Does anyone know if the 80's film is any good?

And damn, totally forgot about Inception. Great movie and probably one of the most interesting and well executed premises in recent years. For some reason I don't really tend to classify it as scifi though, despite the fact that it obviously is. Not sure why.
The first Matrix is a clssic as well of course.

@Neofelis Nebulosa: I can definitely see your point about the new Star Trek movie. That's kind of why I wrote it does not have anything to do with Star Trek anymore but rather stands alone as a generic SciFi Adventure movie. In my opinion, sometimes one or two ridiculous plot points can be overlooked (it's not like the neuroscience in Inception makes much sense either) if the scenario around it is believable enough.

Modifié par MrFob, 10 septembre 2013 - 05:53 .

[MrFob]

Neofelis Nebulosa wrote...

The 80s movie is decent enough, but nothing really gives the series its due. They all slip up here and there and my opinion is that the books are vastly superiour to the movies/miniseries that were created.

Thanks. Actually, just reading the book I can see how it would be difficult to adapt really well. There are a lot of nuances in the book that are difficult to visualize. Still, probably going to give the movie a go after finishing the book, just to see how the went about it.
It's one reason I'd like to see an adaptation of the Foundation trilogy. I can totally see that story visualised. Actually, I am surprised no one has done it yet.
Oh by the way, another good scifi book that would make an excellent movie adaptation would be The Swarm by Frank Schaetzing.

Modifié par MrFob, 10 septembre 2013 - 06:31 .

[Eurypterid]

MrFob wrote...

Definitely
have to keep an eye on Ender's Game. I hadn't heard of it before. From
what I quickly looked up it sounds a bit Starship Trooper-ish.

Not really, although there are similarities in the story. Hopefully they stay truer to the intent and tone of Ender's Game than they did with Starship Troopers.

MrFob wrote...
Also, I am just reading Dune (never got around to it before). Does anyone know if the 80's film is any good?

It has its merits. The sets and costumes are excellent, IMO. Some of the other things... not so much. Patrick Stewart plays the character of Gurney Halleck though and he's, of course, awesome.

MrFob wrote...

Thanks. Actually, just reading the book I can see how it would be difficult to adapt really well. There are a lot of nuances in the book that are difficult to visualize. Still, probably going to give the movie a go after finishing the book, just to see how the went about it.
It's one reason I'd like to see an adaptation of the Foundation trilogy. I can totally see that story visualised. Actually, I am surprised no one has done it yet.

The miniseries is far better as a straight-up adaptation of the book(s), but still falls short. Worth watching though.

As for the Foundation series, I imagine the Asimov estate is probably the biggest stumbling block to something like that (and I have my doubts that it would be well done anyway. But who knows? I wouldn't mind seeing it if they did it well). More of Arthur C. Clarke's books should be made into movies as well, IMO (Childhood's End, The City and the Stars, Rendezvous With Rama, Imperial Earth, for example).

Oh, some others I'd love to see as well done movie adaptations are some of Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's books (The Mote in God's Eye, Lucifer's Hammer, Footfall). Ye gods, you've got me started, now there's no end in sight!

[mybudgee]

My top 3 off the top of my head: Blade Runner, Solaris, & 2001- A space odyssey

Modifié par mybudgee, 10 septembre 2013 - 10:00 .

[Rusty Sandusky]

I found The Fifth Element to be pretty boron.

[Kaiser Arian XVII]

Star Gate was interesting. I'm not sure which seasons there were, but they weren't new series.
The Matrix was amusing.

My memory is shaken! I'll recall and post later.

[Ren Roche]

Some of my favorites:

Blade Runner, Looper, Terminator 2, Dredd remake, District 9, The Matrix (only the original), Total Recal (original, not the sh*tty remake), Elysium (because Kruger).

[OdanUrr]

Sci-fi movies? Oh, god, what to choose?

Let's see, this year:

- Oblivion was a refreshing film. Yes, the plot could've been more elaborate, they could've done away with the whole resistance movement and have a more focused movie centered around Jack, Julia and Victoria; but, on the other hand, you have a soundtrack that is second to none, amazing vistas, interesting tech, some great moments between characters and at least one nod to 80s sci-fi. Is it Oscar-worthy? Probably not since they don't really care about sci-fi, but as far as sci-fi movies go it's pretty good.

- Elysium on the other hand felt incredibly rushed. It just went through the motions of showing us the oppressed and giving one of them the tools to turn against his oppressors. Nothing on this world was explored as thoroughly as I would've liked and not even close to the point of believability. Truly, it was a squandered opportunity.

- Pacific Rim is one of those movies you go to see to have a good time. I only expected giant robots beating the crap out of giant monsters and it delivered. Beyond that I didn't spend my energies dissecting the plot. It also had some good (sometimes great) exchanges between characters (Idris Elba telling the main lead he chose him because he could pilot a Jaeger single-handedly? Wow, that's cold.) as well as some awful ones (a few around the main lead, I'm afraid). By the way, Mako rules.

- Superhero films should be a separate genre but I'll adress a few just the same. Iron Man 3 did not live up to my expectations and not because of Kingsley's role. I expected Tony Stark to go on a journey of self-discovery but I didn't feel like that happened here. I think they introduced too many characters when they could've done with one. Also, it's never a good idea to have Guy Pearce in your movie because you know what role he's playing beforehand. I'm not so certain about Man of Steel. I liked the Krpyton intro somewhat, mostly because of how badass Jor-el appears but I would've liked if Lara had been more active. Zod's depiction seemed more sensible right up to the point he decides to terraform the Earth. Surely he could've found another planet? I find it ridiculous that Lois was able to track down Superman and uncover his identity just like that. She pulled it off but the government can't? Give me a break. After that it's too much mayhem and destruction (the laser sight was cool) and not much else. We'll see how the next one goes (Ben Affleck as Batman?!?!).

Other interesting, entertaining or must-see sci-fi movies:

- A for Andromeda: I saw this (direct-to-TV probably) British film a while back. It was mostly dreadful to be honest but the premise was interesting. Imagine if you got a message from the stars with instructions on how to build a super-computer that could potentially give you all the knowledge you've ever desired? The film wrongly introduces a romance sub-plot that is detrimental to the movie and most of the performances are... well, they're not good.

- Contact: Of course I had to mention this one after that premise. Based on the novel by Carl Sagan, this film is simply great. Again, the story goes along the lines of "we receive a message from space" and depicts how we would react to such a scenario. The catch is that since it was Sagan who imagined this it's a lot more grounded, that is until we fiddle with alien technology, then he lets his imagination go wild (in a good sense).

- Starcrossed: This is another direct-to-TV movie I saw a while back featuring James Spader as the lucky (or unlucky) human who stumbles across the beautiful and mysterious Belinda Bauer, who just happens to be an alien on the run from her despotic government. The score, composed by Gil Melle, is simply wonderful and it's a tragedy it never got (and never will be) released. The movie didn't even merit a DVD release. The strongest point of this movie is the great interactions between its main leads and the relationship they forge as a result. Unfortunately, it lacked budget and it shows in the special effects department (those of you who've seen it know what I mean). Personally, I'd very much like a remake of this film. It's low-budget, but it has such an intriguing premise and likable leads that you can forgive pretty much anything.

- Flight of the Navigator: This movie is getting a remake. A 12 year-old kid goes missing in 1978 only to turn up 8 years later, in 1986. The catch? He's still twelve years old and believes it's still 1978! This mystery is pretty much all this movie has going for it, that and how it will all turn out. Personally, I think they could've drawn out the mystery a bit longer but it was a Disney's 80s' film.

- The Philadelphia Experiment: During the Second World War, the United States toys with the idea of cloaking a vessel using electromagnetic fields. The result? A Navy destroyer vanishes out of thin air and two of its sailors are transported to 1984. In 1984, the government decides to retake the cloaking project with similar results. The mystery is pretty much all there is to it and watching the lead react to his new environment. There's a whole mythos around the Philadelphia Experiment with some people claiming it actually happened (though naturally not as seen on the film). You can dismiss the sequels altogether, they're terrible.

- Minority Report: Based on a story from Philip K. Dick, this is another film with a very interesting premise, a much larger budget and better performances all around. What if you could predict who was going to commit a crime as well as when and where? Well, apparently, a special police force would be created to arrest the would-be perpetrator led by Tom Cruise. That is until his name comes up and all hell breaks loose. Self-fulfilling prophecies? Checked. This is the film that inspired people to try and build those wave-gloves Tom uses to study his targets. Not spectacular but certainly worth your while.

- I, Robot: Probably the closest we'll ever get to Asimov, the film features Will Smith as Detective Spooner and Bridget Moynahan () as Doctor Susan Calvin (a warmer version of Susan Calvin despite Moynahan's best intentions). Basically, you get to explore the Three Laws of Robotics in a futuristic version of Chicago, Spooner teams up with a robot named Sonny (nod to Bayley and Olivaw), we get to see the supercomputer Powell and Donovan often referred to, and some early workings of the Zeroth Law. Like I said, if you're an Asimov fan, this is about the only thing we'll ever get (where's my Foundation series?!).

- Stargate: Kurt Russell and James Spader fight big, bad, aliens on an alien world you can only get to by traveling through a giant ring that was buried in Egypt. Oh, and the aliens built the pyramids. What can I say? This is the movie that spawned SG-1, SGA and that other show. Worth it for the premise and also because, despite the aliens being human (what is perfectly explained on the film), none of the aliens speak English. Top marks just for that last bit.

- Outlander: Yet another movie with a good premise but still short of being great. The film stars Jim Caviezel (or Mr. Reese) as Kaidan, an alien soldier who crash-lands on Beowulf-era Norway while transporting a rather deadly monster. Far too soon, he's easily stripped of his high tech (NO!!!!) and has to join forces with Norsemen to hunt the creature down. It has plenty of loose ends but it's still a good, could-have-been, movie with some poignant scenes and great music (in those scenes, mind you) to boot.

- The Fifth Element: Bruce Willis saves the world with Chris Tucker and Milla Jovovich. Gary Oldman plays the slightly deranged, yet incredibly likable, bad guy. Emma Shapplin sings opera (<3). A hilarious time is ensured!

- Moon: Sam Rockwell is about to finish his 3-year contract on the Moon and cannot wait to get back to Earth. For a while now he's been unable to contact the outside world since the satellite's down and his only companion is a robot voiced by Kevin Spacey. So when he has an accident at work he's more than a bit surprised to meet his replacement. A very intriguing premise, a most beautiful soundtrack, and just believable and captivating interactions across the board. Again proving that sci-fi is not about the special effects (or the budget) but about the characters and the story.

Oh, but I could go on, and on, and on, and on... and probably will later. I didn't mention some of the more obvious (and thus clearly recommended) choices, like Star Wars, or Blade Runner, or even 2001 if you're up to it. I know I'm missing some great films here, some have already been mentioned before such as Serenity (yup, Firefly fan). Like I said, I'll come back to this later but, for now, it should be enough to get you started.

Modifié par OdanUrr, 10 septembre 2013 - 01:09 .

[TheRealJayDee]

Most of my favourite, close-to-favourite and otherwise well liked movies have already been mentioned here, except for Back to the Future. ^^ Some upcoming sci-fi movies I have some kind of interest in would be:

Gravity by Alfonso Cuarón, who made the amazing Children of Men. I'm still not completely sold on Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in the lead (and only) roles, but why not?! Coming this October.

Transcendence, the first movie directed by Wally Pfister, who was the cinematographer of all of Christopher Nolan's movies. Starring the likes of Johnny Depp, Kate Mara, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, Paul Bettany and Cillian Murphy. Coming April 2014.

Interstellar, Christopher Nolan's new movie. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, as well as the inevitable Michael Caine. ^^ Coming November 2014.

I'm not really sure how I feel about any of these, but I'll likely watch them all.

Modifié par TheRealJayDee, 10 septembre 2013 - 01:13 .

[OdanUrr]

TheRealJayDee wrote...

Most of my favourite, close-to-favourite and otherwise well liked movies have already been mentioned here, except for Back to the Future. ^^

I forgot!

How could I forget? A Delorean time machine!

Modifié par OdanUrr, 10 septembre 2013 - 01:08 .

[RainyDayLover]

Gattaca, Blade Runner, Moon, Alien, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Wall-E, and Inception are some of my favorites.

Looking forward to Gravity.

Modifié par RainyDayLover, 10 septembre 2013 - 01:17 .

[OdanUrr]

I suppose this one also qualifies:

The Man From Earth: Professor John Oldman is retiring after ten years on the job. His friends and colleagues corner him with an unexpected goodbye party in order to find out why he's leaving only for John to reveal that every ten years, when people start to notice he doesn't age, he moves on. It just so happens John's 14,000 years old! A stunning journey that will have you eagerly joining John's colleagues as they try to prove his story true or false. The entire movie takes place in a single room with the protagonists discussing history, philosophy, religion, etc. Definitely a must-see.

And this one:

The Fountain: Three stories spanning over a thousand years, with Hugh Jackman as a Conquistador, medical researcher, and space traveler, exploring the themes of loyalty, love, death, spirituality, etc. An odd film for sure but worth watching a couple of times if only for you to try your hand at solving this jigsaw puzzle. Clint Mansell composes this movie's beautiful soundtrack.

EDIT: ^ Gattaca is also a great one.

Modifié par OdanUrr, 10 septembre 2013 - 02:00 .

[milena87]

Serenity is one of my favourite movies ever (I'm a big fan of the 'verse), as it has everything I long for in a movie: adventure, mystery, action, wit and heart.

Recently I watched Dark City (it was a pain to find a proper version in Blu Ray) and I loved it: it's dark, full of imagination and the Strangers creeped me out. I really liked the visuals and the noir feel.

Prometheus is interesting for me: it has incredible visuals and it's just beautiful to watch and hear, but the Alien references feel kinda forced (there are also some irregularities). Maybe it could have been better if all ties to the Alien franchise were severed and if the movie didn't try to be both its own thing and a semi-prequel to Alien.
Overall I liked it and I'm interested to see what they'll do with the sequel.

[MrFob]

Yea, Gattaca was really brilliant. I also liked Moon, especially the soundtrack which IMO made the movie.

Interstellar also sounds like it could become interesting. The title sounds up my ally and Christopher Nolan hasn't disappointed with any of his films so far.

It's really cool that there are lot's of titles in this thread which I haven't heard of yet. Seems like I ahve some catching up to do.

[Beerfish]

Silent Running was pretty good for the time it was made.
Aliens series is always worth a mention.
2010 a Space Odyssey (although this makes me a total heretic I liked it better than the original)

I liked Contact as well for the most part.  (a few big problems with it but overall it was interesting.)

Modifié par Beerfish, 10 septembre 2013 - 03:45 .