The greatest sci- fi movies of the 1. Off screen and on, the 1. In literature, Ray Bradbury kicked off the decade with his masterpiece, The Martian Chronicles, while digest magazines like Galaxy were publishing the works of such sci- fi luminaries as Arthur C. 12:01 1993, TV sci-fi rom-com, IMDb:6.9/10, 4:3, 480p, average office worker becomes attracted to Lisa in same company. 10 Underrated Horror Films That Are Actually Great. It combines both horror and sci-fi elements. Top 10 Underrated Science Fiction Movies. The top 50 underrated films of the 90s. Kevin Spacey. Home The 42 Best Sci-Fi Movies 1950 - 1965 in 67 Posters The modern age of movie science fiction began in 1950 with the release of Destination Moon, George Pal's. Now Streaming . The 1997 sci-fi horror film. The original Predator movie is a classic of both sci-fi and action cinema and looks as good today as ever. The alien hunter is merely glimpsed throughout most of the. Clarke, Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein. In the cinema, every year brought forth a fresh wave of genre pictures, some brilliant in their awfulness (Plan 9 From Outer Space, Robot Monster), others simply brilliant. This article is devoted to the movies in the latter category. Here, then, is my rundown of my ten favourite science fiction movies of the 5. Destination Moon (1. The 5. 0s era equivalent of 2. A Space Odyssey, Destination Moon was the brave attempt of producer George Pal to bring a convincing account of a maiden voyage to the moon, 1. There are many aspects of Destination Moon that are now peculiarly quaint - the V2- like rocket, the stilted dialogue, and flag- waving jingoism - but the movie is notable for its concentration on scientific fact rather than bug- eyed monsters, and its attempt to imagine what a lunar mission might look like is, in places, surprisingly accurate. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1. I owe my enduring devotion to sci- fi to BBC2. In the 1. 98. 0s, the channel aired a series of 5. I remember rushing home from school one winter's evening to watch The Day The Earth Stood Still, and sitting wide- eyed before the television as the rail- thin figure of Michael Rennie emerged from his sleek flying saucer. I was absolutely spellbound. Rennie may have been a mere man in a silver suit, but his performance, as an extraterrestrial with a grave message to deliver, is utterly convincing. Along with Jeff Bridges in Starman and David Bowie in The Man Who Fell To Earth, Rennie makes for one of the screen's most engaging humanoid aliens, bringing an ethereal, detached grace to the role. Then there's Gort, the robot of few words, whose deadly eye can melt tanks, and who can only be pacified with the now immortal phrase, . And while this lack of cash becomes painfully obvious in the final reel, with the running time padded out with endless flashbacks and extensive use of stock footage, Invaders From Mars is nevertheless a chilling, effective sci- fi gem. It Came From Outer Space (1. As a youth, the ultimate revelation that It Came From Outer Space's aliens were, in fact, harmless travellers with engine trouble rather than merciless invaders came as a terrible disappointment. Viewed as an adult, the film's premise, the work of the incomparable Ray Bradbury, is an unusual one, particularly for sci- fi of the time. As was the case in The Day The Earth Stood Still, it's the ignorant humans who are the real menace. There's still a hint of Bradbury's gentle poetry in certain patches of Harry Essex's screenplay, while director Jack Arnold punctuates the film with some occasionally startling images. There's a great moment near the opening, where law enforcers open fire on a speeding pickup truck, and the view cuts to inside the cabin as it catches fire. Then there's the alien craft itself, an eerie polyhedron of light that convinces, despite the film's tiny budget. 10 More Underrated Sci-Fi Films You. 1o Underrated Sci-Fi Films You. Here are the tasty details of another ten movies science fiction fans should really. This week sees the release of . And while in all likelihood The War Of The Worlds (1. HG Wells' classic alien invasion novel got its first big screen adaptation in Byron Haskin's colourful, brisk updating, which shifts location from the UK's home counties to the sunnier climes of Southern California, while leaving its story of mass destruction largely intact. The tripods imagined by Wells now have invisible legs (too tricky for the effects team of the time to animate), but are slickly designed and as havoc inducing as ever, obliterating soldiers and entire towns with their deadly heat rays. The movie also dispenses with Wells' anti- imperialist subtext, replacing it instead with some ill- advised religious mumbo- jumbo about divine providence, an inclusion that would have, no doubt, infuriated its staunchly scientific author. Some cool creature designs and model effects more than compensate. Them! 1. 95. 4's Them! Its early scenes, where the ants are seen rather than heard, are filled with suspense, and Gwenn is great value as the scientist with all the best lines, including: . We've only had a close view of the beginning of what may be the end of us! Its special effects shots, which include a neat flight through an asteroid field and lingering, expansive views of a battered, stricken extraterrestrial world, are filled with style and colour, while Jeff Morrow makes for an engagingly pompous alien, and delivers his goofy dialogue with an admirably straight face. Forbidden Planet (1. No list of great 5. Forbidden Planet, one of the decade's most lavish and ambitious genre entries. A rescue team headed up by Commander John Adams (a young, dashing Leslie Nielsen) arrives on the planet Altair to discover a sinister Doctor (Walter Pidgeon), his nubile daughter (Anne Francis) and their robot butler are the only inhabitants on an otherwise deserted planet. It's not long, however, before Adams' crew is set upon by a huge, invisible monster of unexpected origin. Forbidden Planet's sumptuous cinematography and beautiful matte paintings, which suggest an expansive, alien subterranean world, are still impressive even today, and its id monster, animated by Disney's Joshua Meador, is a beast of palpable menace. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1. Unquestionably the greatest film to emerge from the 5. Almost imperceptibly at first, Carey begins to dwindle in stature. While Arnold explores the more sensational possibilities of this premise with relish (there are great fight sequences between Carey and a cat, then a spider), it's the psychological aspects of the protagonist's change that give the film its real punch. Carey's relationship with his wife decays along with his height, and he's forced to reconcile himself with his increasing vulnerability and, ultimately, his own mortality. Carey's closing monologue, as he gradually shrinks out of existence, is both poetic and moving, the film unforgettable. Honourable mentions: The Thing From Another World, Earth Vs The Flying Saucer, 2. Leagues Under The Sea, It! The Terror From Beyond Space. The 2. 5 Best Sci- Fi Films Of The 2. Century So Far. As kids, we looked ahead to the imminent 2. The robot butler and trips to the drug store in hovercars version hasn’t yet arrived, but the first 1. Sci- fi is almost as old as cinema itself —1. Georges M. Many so- called sci- fi blockbusters were really action movies with some fantastical trappings, rather than thoughtful, provocative examinations of the world we live in through speculation about worlds we might live in. That’s still true to an extent, but the last decade- and- a- half have seen a flourishing of smaller- scale, ingenious sci- fi pictures, as well as some dazzling bigger- scale examples with more ideas per se than explosions and laser fire. And with “Ex Machina” proving to be surprise hit this spring, the sci- fi idiom is the next in our Best Films Of The 2. Century So Far series (read Horror, Animated Films, and Music Documentaries). We set a few rules —no superhero movies (which is a genre unto itself these days), no films with sci- fi segments without the whole film being in the genre (see “Cloud Atlas” and “The Fountain”) and a few films that don’t quite feel like they are true science fiction. Otherwise, anything went, and the 2. Take a look below and let us know your favorites in the comments. The film was the best use of Cruise’s star persona in aeons (serving almost as a metaphor for the redemption of his own stardom), but the secret weapon, aside from a cunning evocation of video game tropes, the best alien warfare since “Starship Troopers,” and crystal clear direction from a back- on- form Liman, was Emily Blunt as the “full metal bitch,” making a strong case that she deserves to be the biggest star in the world. The film didn’t find the theatrical audience it deserved at home, but more and more people are catching on over time. Melding John Hughews David Lynch, and Albert Einstein into an ’8. Jake Gyllenhaal, in a star- making role) who receives visits from a sinister rabbit who may be trying to convince him to travel through time, it’s rich, funny, swooningly romantic stuff with a very fine cast (Patrick Swayze and Katharine Ross got well- deserved comeback roles, there’s a great cameo from producer Drew Barrymore, and keep an eye out for a young Seth Rogen as a bully), and a surprisingly melancholy tone. Kelly, just 2. 6 when the film was released, handles things with real flair (and a great ear for song selection), and while the Director’s Cut only makes the mythology more impenetrable, it’s a fascinating sci- fi puzzle- box on top of everything else. Lean, bloody, and with terrific action sequences (Quentin Tarantino called it his favorite film of the previous two decades), it’s also more than a mere genre piece: the students, and even their teacher (a smartly- cast Takeshi Kitano) are sensitively and three- dimensionally drawn, and its power as metaphor, both examining the power of violence and the demonization of youth, elevates it far above the tales of Katniss & co. Indeed, it cut a little too close to the bone for many, and landing in the aftermath of Columbine, it wasn’t released in the U. S. Some claimed the picture his worst (our review wasn’t very charitable), some thought it was a vision from the heavens, and as usual, when the dust has settled, more mannered judgments have taken root (more of a consensus Playlist opinion forms here). So yes, Nolan shoots for the fences in “Interstellar” and arguably does not connect in the same home run fashion he has for so many pictures in a row now. The dialogue can be really on the nose, while the ending some see as jumping the shark. None of us will make too strong of a case against any of those points. That said, Nolan’s film is still a dazzling, ambitious vision of love, time, space, and some deeper, perhaps fuzzier elements of the universe. It’s the place where the heart and quantum physics meet. While that might admittedly be a bit of an awkward intersection, its love- letter sincerity to humanity inspired by Nolan’s own children is at least visually awe- inspiring and occasionally breathtaking. Admittedly clunky in spots, it’s a film that will very likely only grow in estimation over time. But the film was a quiet, unexpectedly moving triumph, and was then exceeded on every front by Matt Reeves’ follow- up, one of the few sequels that trumps the original. Picking up after the ape- pocalypse, as Caesar (Andy Serkis) is forced to confront humanity again, as well as a new threat closer to home, the movie, even more than its predecessor, takes full advantage of the stunning performance- capture technology, which reaches something of an apex here. Beyond that, it’s also simply a remarkably well- told story: a rare summer blockbuster in which you actively root against violence taking place, with a borderline Shakespearean arc for its non- human hero, and Reeves’ stylish- but- unshowy filmmaking chops steering things beautifully.
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