CHUD.com Community › Forums › THE MAIN SEWER › Movie Miscellany › Best Recent Sci-fi?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Best Recent Sci-fi?

post #1 of 39
8/15/08 at 3:17am
Thread Starter 
So I got into an argument with a friend where he complained that the sci-fi genre's well has been bone-dry for the past decade or so. After throwing out Primer and a few other movies, I realized I had shit to argue with. So does anybody have any suggestions, so I could pretend I know what I'm talking about?

The guy's a dick.

(Also I'll probably rent them from Blockbuster).
Reply
post #2 of 39
8/15/08 at 3:23am
Um last decade, huh?

I liked Serenity, most of Sunshine, Solaris didn't win me over but others liked it.

Because the last decade has been dominated by Superhero stuff and sequels, there hasn't been too many other sci-fi films I can think of.

Also, fuck the Prequels and Riddick sucked too.
Reply
post #3 of 39
8/15/08 at 3:28am
Solaris. A.I. To varying degrees, War of the Worlds. Children of Men (yes, it counts as sci fi, in the best variation of the genre). A Scanner Darkly. Pitch Black, and Riddick if you feel like counting it (and if you like it, I dig it.)
Reply
post #4 of 39
8/15/08 at 5:05am
Battlestar Galactica, Firefly/Serenity, Battlestar Galactica, Children of Men, Battlestar Galactica, Lost (yes, it is), and Battlestar Galactica. Off the top of my head.
Reply
post #5 of 39
8/15/08 at 5:09am
If we're talking about feature films: The Fountain if it counts (although I can see how it wouldn't) or Children of Men if it doesn't.

But even though I'm only at the end of the first season I'm with Overlord. Galactica all the fucking/fracking way.
Reply
post #6 of 39
8/15/08 at 5:21am
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The Fountain. Children of Men. Solaris. A Scanner Darkly.

I haven't seen Primer.
Reply
post #7 of 39
8/15/08 at 5:29am
Cypher was fun. Primer should be mentioned again because it's awesome. Fuck you, both Riddick movies are good, Pitch Black being better. Minority Report was damn fine, minus some ending bullshit. Gattica misses "decade" by one year, but that doesn't mean it's not still good. Dark City. Equillibrium, but that's thought of as more action than sci-fi. The Matrix...
Reply
post #8 of 39
8/15/08 at 6:04am
Those are some damn excellent choices, fellas. Reminds me that I need to see Children of Men again. Also, I'd throw The Mist in there. Eureka is also a fun little TV show, but if you want serious sci-fi on TV, BSG all the way.
Also, why stick with movies? Sci-Fi thrives in comics - Y - The Last Man being a wonderful example, but by no means the only.

ETA:
Pi, The Incredibles, V for Vendetta (not exactly typical sci-fi fare) and Donnie Darko (just not the Director's Cut).
Reply
post #9 of 39
8/15/08 at 10:04am
Battlestar Galactica is so cinematic in quality that it makes up for the dearth of good sci-fi movies recently.
Reply
post #10 of 39
8/15/08 at 10:07am
Sunshine's reach exceeds its grasp, and the ending is a little muddled, but I'd add it to the list.

That's just plain Sunshine, not an abbreviation of Eternal Sunshine.
Reply
post #11 of 39
8/15/08 at 10:19am
Existenz is alright, if you like your sci fi dipped in my Cronenberg.

If you're going for the low key Abel Ferrara version of sci fi, New Rose Hotel is functioning cyberpunk, just not on the Matrix end of things. Thank god.

Is there even an argument somewhere that Children of Men is not sci fi?
Reply
post #12 of 39
8/15/08 at 10:22am
SOLARIS update, CHILDREN OF MEN, & EXTERNAL SUNSHINE get my vote
Reply
post #13 of 39
8/15/08 at 10:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Elvis View Post
SOLARIS update, CHILDREN OF MEN, & EXTERNAL SUNSHINE get my vote
Children of Men is not only a great sci-fi movie but it is hands down one of the greatest movies of this decade.

But was is "external Sunshine"?
Reply
post #14 of 39
8/15/08 at 10:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jan View Post
Children of Men is not only a great sci-fi movie but it is hands down one of the greatest movies of this decade.

But was is "external Sunshine"?
Ha! Meant ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND.

Also, still think the original MATRIX is worthy.
Reply
post #15 of 39
8/15/08 at 10:51am
Doom (Sci-Fi/Horror). AVP movies (Sci-Fi/Horror). Though these, such they are still sci-fi.

As far as the best...

Battlestar Tv Series
Matrix (series)
The Fountain
Eureka Tv Series
Star Trek Enterprise
A Scanner Darkly
Primer
Galaxy Quest
V For Vendetta
Vanilla Sky
Minority Report
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
The Forgotten
Impostor
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind


Existenz is good though it's last decade.
Haven't Seen Children of Men or Sunshine yet


So, yeah your friend is a dick. There's tons of good Sci-Fi out there even post 1999.
Reply
post #16 of 39
8/15/08 at 10:54am
How do you miss out on CHILDREN OF MEN?!!!!

Get on that. You won't be disappointed.
Reply
post #17 of 39
8/15/08 at 11:01am
I know, I'm a lazy sack of a representative for Sci-Fi.
Reply
post #18 of 39
8/15/08 at 11:57am
Primer, too. I Am Legend's first forty minutes are actually pretty decent, and Sunshine starts well, too. Both are failures, although Sunshine wins for having that wonderful John Murphy score.
Reply
post #19 of 39
8/15/08 at 12:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Minsky View Post
... and Sunshine starts well, too. Both are failures, although Sunshine wins for having that wonderful John Murphy score.
Yeah but Sunshine is so ambitious that it almost makes up for the wrong turns that it makes in the last act. Its not perfect but I just can't bring myself to call it a failure.

Oh, while we're on the subject of this decade's best sci-fi and Danny Boyle movies, has anyone mentioned 28 Days Later yet? that's definitely a new sci-fi classic.
Reply
post #20 of 39
8/15/08 at 12:27pm
Third acts should reveal (or at least nicely encapsulate) the meaning of the film. Sunshine is entertaining, but that last act turns a potentially meaningful story into a run-of-the-mill horror movie.
Reply
post #21 of 39
8/15/08 at 3:29pm
Wall*E.

Serenity(I enjoyed it more than I ever did Star Wars)

Galaxy Quest

The Thirteenth Floor

Both Riddick's

Comics

Ex Machina

Books

Altered Carbon and Thirteen by Richard K. Morgan
Reply
post #22 of 39
8/15/08 at 3:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cameron Hughes View Post
Books

Altered Carbon and Thirteen by Richard K. Morgan
100% agree there. I've only recently gotten into Morgan but so far I really enjoy both of these. On the Books side of things I would have to add these:

Illium/Olympus - Dan Simmons
Old Man's War series - Scalzi
Reply
post #23 of 39
8/15/08 at 4:06pm
How could I forget Pitch Black, Matrix 1 and 2, Galaxy Quest, Minority Report, Primer, and Donnie Darko. Ugh.

Also, a lot of people like the Dr. Who series. I found it incredibly uneven, with some episodes awesome (the quantum locked gargoyles come to mind), some dreadful.
Reply
post #24 of 39
8/15/08 at 5:30pm
Thread Starter 
God, how could have I missed some of these. Thanks guys.
Reply
post #25 of 39
8/15/08 at 6:31pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mediumdave View Post
Cypher was fun. Primer should be mentioned again because it's awesome. Fuck you, both Riddick movies are good, Pitch Black being better. Minority Report was damn fine, minus some ending bullshit. Gattica misses "decade" by one year, but that doesn't mean it's not still good. Dark City. Equillibrium, but that's thought of as more action than sci-fi. The Matrix...
Cypher? Want to talk more about it? Interest. Piqued.
Reply
post #26 of 39
8/15/08 at 6:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Admiral Shark View Post
Battlestar Galactica is so cinematic in quality that it makes up for the dearth of good sci-fi movies recently.
Seconded.
Reply
post #27 of 39
8/15/08 at 6:57pm
Sure. Cypher is directed by Cube's Vincenzo Natali. It's future corporation wars featuring Jeremy Northam and Lucy Liu. Pretty lowish budget, but except for some shitty CG future-coptering, you don't really notice. It mixes some of the ideas of identity and purpose from Dark City and Gattica with this future where corporations fight over discoveries. Something like that. It's been awhile since I've seen it. Good flick, though.

And I forgot about eXistanZ, a movie that I really like. The Thirteenth Floor can suck my dick. I figured out the plot twist about 20-30 minutes into the movie and hated every second after that. And Galactica really is fantastic, minus a couple of episodes here and there. The 4th episode of the 3rd season contains a moment that is far more awe-inspiring and spectacular than anything in the Prequels.
Reply
post #28 of 39
8/15/08 at 7:27pm
Alot of great films already mentioned. Gattaca also comes to mind.
Reply
post #29 of 39
8/15/08 at 7:59pm
Do people really like movie adaptation of V for Vendetta?

I'll throw The Host into the ring.
Reply
post #30 of 39
8/15/08 at 8:14pm
Am I the only person who saw/enjoyed Rennaissance?

Maybe a little bit run-of-the-mill (does that whole noir/sf deal that Blade Runner and Children of Men work) but the animation is flat-out stunning.
Reply
post #31 of 39
8/15/08 at 8:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultraman Mac View Post
Do people really like movie adaptation of V for Vendetta?
I haven't re-watched it but Portman aside I thought it was pretty enjoyable.
Reply
post #32 of 39
8/15/08 at 8:40pm
I have a soft spot for Cube and Cube3 myself. They are above average DTV fare but very entertaining. Gotta throw out some love for Gattaca, the first Matrix, COM, and the first 2/3 of Sunshine. One thing that earns alot of forgiveness from me on that last movie was the whole Mercury scene. There was something really cool and magical about that little sequence. Makes me wish they didn't go down that serial killer route in the last third. It also makes me wonder if the movie we saw was the same as the movie in the script. Seems like someone got in there and fucked with the movie in a big way.
Reply
post #33 of 39
8/16/08 at 2:10am
Quote:
I haven't re-watched it but Portman aside I thought it was pretty enjoyable.
I don't know why its opinion on it has slid(perhaps here cause it has slowly risen on IMDB, and thats not cool) but I aggrewith Devin's original review that states what the W's have done is actually better than the Comic. Sure its not entirely faithful but McTiegue and "ahem" the writers have put their own spin on it, and for once on an Alan Moore adaption it brings some of his own personal choices in the source not actually the best solution. Also I cant reason why anybody would dislike Portman in it? Her accent is pretty damn good, not perfect but good. And she is clearly moved by the material, by at least a 100 times more than any scarps Lucas gave her.
Reply
post #34 of 39
8/16/08 at 11:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sharpel007 View Post
I cant reason why anybody would dislike Portman in it? Her accent is pretty damn good, not perfect but good. And she is clearly moved by the material, by at least a 100 times more than any scarps Lucas gave her.
Probably not her fault:

- character's arc, in the end, left me a bit cold

- Portman in general has sorta left me cold since Beautiful Girls - dunno if it's her or the material but I just don't dig on her

- Hugo Weaving probably makes just about everyone onscreen with him look second-rate.* Even if it's just his voice.


* - Guy Pearce and Terance Stamp excepted.
Reply
post #35 of 39
8/16/08 at 11:11am
If we're talking a strict definition of 'science fiction', War, Inc qualifies as an interesting effort. I liked the Onstar psychiatrist bits the best.
Reply
post #36 of 39
8/16/08 at 3:49pm
The Man From Earth is a fantastic sci-fi film, although it's low budger and has absolutely no special effects. It takes place in one room, but the entire story is Sci-fi, if that makes sense..

Depending on the day The Fountain is my favorite film of all time, love that film, Children of Men like countless others have said is also art. Also loved V for Vendetta, one of my favorites of 2006..
Reply
post #37 of 39
8/16/08 at 8:06pm
The Fountain; The Fountain; The Fountain; The Fountain; The Fountain

Can't think of anything new to add (Battlestar!), but I simply cannot recommend that film enough.
Reply
post #38 of 39
8/16/08 at 8:09pm
THE FOUNTAIN isn't really sci-fi. Strictly speaking. But I'd argue in favor of A SCANNER DARKLY.
Reply
post #39 of 39
8/17/08 at 10:52pm
I'll give BSG, The Matrix, A Scanner Darkly and Children Of Men their just due. There's also Starship Troopers (if 1997 is still recent) which has aged surprisingly well. There's also Idiocracy, which I've grown to love after repeat viewings.

Also, The Iron Giant, whatever else it is, deserves a mention here.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Movie Miscellany
CHUD.com Community › Forums › THE MAIN SEWER › Movie Miscellany › Best Recent Sci-fi?