Favorite top 5 Classic Sci-Fi movies

[berk]

You could make that argument about Dune, I agree. You could say that the story of an empire changing hands from one dynasty to another and all the convoluted political machinations could be transferred to historical fiction or to fantasy with minimal changes. But I think its science fiction elements are more important to the story and its themes than is the case with Star Wars - Herbert's anthropological musings about religion, for example, or the evolution of the human race, even the political aspect is more an extrapolation of human politics to a galactic scale rather than a transposition of politics to a never-never land that could just as well have been a fantasy setting as a futuristic SF one.

Star Wars, OTOH, I don't think is concerned with much beyond the basic adventure story, or if you prefer, the hero's journey narrative, a la Joseph Campbell. IOW, while the SF setting provides a certain feel or an atmosphere different from fantasy, I don't see that it does much else.

As I said before, I don't see the division as a hard and fast one. But take something like, say, a Green Lantern comic: takes place in outer space, has extraterrestrial characters, etc - but despite those SF trappings, I'd still call it a super hero story, first and foremost.

[Artycool8or]

Let us know when you hit your teens. I bet you'll be a real little pistol.

Just shows how little you pick up from life. Even my kids have past their teen years, so let me give you an advice, little punk.
When your parents let you watch some grown up HORROR movies you can come back and state your opinion, otherwise zipp it when adults are talking.

[Chris N]

You can make almost the exact same argument that is made about Star Wars not being SF about Dune. But I don't see very many people doing it.

Dune is bursting with sci/fi ideas, from an entire culture where water plays a special role to spice-making aliens and their effect on interplanetary economics. It's also got plenty of adventure, intrigue, and coming of age.

The things that make Star Wars seem like sci/fi are robots and spaceships, neither either original or extrapolated upon. The prsence of robots and space ships in a fantasy adventure story sounds like almost the definition of space opera to me.

[Chris N]

In honor of this thread I have watched Planet of the Apes and Andromeda Strain these past couple nights.

Both excellent science fiction.

[Chris N]

Anybody wishing to recommend sci/fi movies available through netlfix instant or amazon prime will be listened to.

[Rob Allen]

On a tenuously related note, the Crosby, Stills & Nash song "Wooden Ships" is based on a short sci-fi story that Paul Kantner (of Jefferson Airplane fame) and David Crosby came up with.

There was a good comics adaptation of the song in an early issue of Star*Reach.

[MDG]

Anybody wishing to recommend sci/fi movies available through netlfix instant or amazon prime will be listened to.

Try this. Definitely science fiction, but I don't think there are any special effects.

http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Ti...?trkid=2361637

[Chris N]

Try this. Definitely science fiction, but I don't think there are any special effects.

http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Ti...?trkid=2361637

That would be an excellent recommendation except for one proviso I neglected to add: movies that I haven't seen.

On the subject of low budget time travel movies with interesting ideas, I highly recommend Primer.

[shaxper]

In honor of this thread I have watched Planet of the Apes and Andromeda Strain these past couple nights.

Both excellent science fiction.

May I suggest continuing with the Planet of the Apes series? It has it's low points, but the characters in the later films are so thoroughly rich, as are the concepts and political subtexts. The Fourth and Fifth films are my personal favorites.

[Chris N]

May I suggest continuing with the Planet of the Apes series? It has it's low points, but the characters in the later films are so thoroughly rich, as are the concepts and political subtexts. The Fourth and Fifth films are my personal favorites.

I will happily do so. The movies coming to netflix will increase the likelihood of it happening soon.

[Artycool8or]

Anybody wishing to recommend sci/fi movies available through netlfix instant or amazon prime will be listened to.

If you like time travel, I can recommend the one I recently enjoyed; Timecrimes (2007),
but I watched it on DVD so I'm not sure if it's available on netflix or amazon, though.

[Slam_Bradley]

Dune is bursting with sci/fi ideas, from an entire culture where water plays a special role to spice-making aliens and their effect on interplanetary economics. It's also got plenty of adventure, intrigue, and coming of age.

The things that make Star Wars seem like sci/fi are robots and spaceships, neither either original or extrapolated upon. The prsence of robots and space ships in a fantasy adventure story sounds like almost the definition of space opera to me.

Using Confessor's criteria...Dune is not tied to Earth in any way. Computers and artificial intelligence is prohibited. So everything from computations to faster than light travel is done through "mind powers.". Not just non-scientific, but easily as hokey as "the force.". Paul becomes the emodiment of the Fremen by drinking worm juice and seeing visions...no fantasy there. There is a ton of clearly non-scientific metaphysical bunkum going throughout the novel.

[Polar Bear]

That would be an excellent recommendation except for one proviso I neglected to add: movies that I haven't seen.

On the subject of low budget time travel movies with interesting ideas, I highly recommend Primer.

One long weekend, we got on a time travel kick and watched Primer (twice, the second time with director commentary), The Lake House, Groundhog Day, and Frequency. We then soaked our aching, overworked brains in a nutrient bath overnight and got them back safely. (Well. mostly safely--we dropped mine on the floor, but we traded it with one from the dimension next door, so I'm perfectly fine, see??)

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

Let's see some suggestions for offbeat or obscure movies along a science fiction theme...

Alphaville from 1965 directed by Jean Luc Godard is a science fiction film noir. It stars Eddy Constantine and Anna Karina. There's no actual special effects. One has to imagine that Constantine's character, Lemmy Caution, is travelling through outer space. And because it's Godard, it takes a lot of patience to watch the movie.

Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (aka Doppelganger) from 1969. I saw this on TV in the early 70s, so my memory is a bit foggy, but some astronauts are sent to a twin planet of Earth on the other side of the sun. They land on the planet, thinking they have returned to Earth, but in fact they are on the twin planet where everything seems the same but is actually different.

On the parallel planet front, there's Julia and Julia from the 80s starring Kathleen Turner, where she's a woman who lives two double lives in alternate realities.

12:01 is a 1993 movie starring Jonathan Silverman with a Groundhog Day kind of plot, where an accident causes him to live the same day over and over.

And on the time travel front there's the movie Time After Time from 1979, starring Malcolm McDowell as H.G. Wells and David Warner as Jack the Ripper. Also starring Mary Steenburgen--friend to time travellers everywhere.

[Artycool8or]

To Chris N.
Sorry, to recommend the same movie as MDG did few posts before me. In his link I can only see "Ti"... the first 2 letters of the title, didn't know we were recommending you the same movie in a very short time frame. Now that is a freak accident.

If animations interest you as well, I recommend: Technotise: Edit & I (2009)
done by the same guy who draw the Scourge of the Gods that was published by Marvel in their short collaboration with Soleil.
The DVD has English sub.