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Best Sci-Fi films in the Star Wars era

ProfJohn

ProfJohn

Lifer
List the best Sci-Fi films made since Star Wars changed the game in 1977.

My list:
1. Star Wars. Perhaps the greatest sci-fi film of all time and the movie that changed everything that came after it.

2. Empire Strikes Back. The best of the Star Wars films, ranks only second due to the fact that Star Wars started the ball rolling.

3. The Matrix. Amazing film with some of the best action and fight scenes ever filmed. If it hadn't been for the sequels the movie would probably be considered one of the greatest films of all time, sadly the two that followed were so bad that I think we lost sight of how amazing the first film was.

4. T2. Two of the greatest chase scenes ever filmed with a great story line and great characters to round it out. Easily one of the finest Sci-Fi films ever made.

5. Aliens. Amazingly kick ass film that I think is just a bit better than Alien. Plus I think Alien is more horror/suspense than sci-fi.

6. Bladerunner. Great story and great visuals. Some of the effects, especially the sets, are a little dated, but otherwise exactly what you want in a good sci-fi film.

7. Minority Report. Spielberg + Cruse = great film making. The best Sci-Fi film of the 21st century. Everything about the film is first class and the sci-fi elements fit perfectly into the story.

8. Avatar. Great visuals, great effects, great sci-fi elements, but the weak script knocks it down a lot. From a Sci-Fi POV nearly everything about the film is perfect. It is probably the best looking and sounding film on the list, but all the films above it are better movies.

9. Stargate. I love that film. Good story, good acting, good sets and most importantly in a sci-fi film, it takes itself seriously.

10. Wrath of Khan. The best of the Star Trek films and one of the few that rates as a first class film by its own right. I would LOVE to see the special effects team from the new Star Trek film go back and redo all the special effects for this film and perhaps lengthen the fight scenes.

FYI I have NOT seen Inception or District 9 so I can't comment on them. I also left out ET as a kids film and Back to the Future since it really isn't a sci-fi film. I also skipped animated films such as Wall-E
 
Back to the Future isn't sci fi? They freaking go through time!!!!

Event Horizon


I'll add more as I can remember
 
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Why do you make a point of saying post star wars and then include two of the originals?

7. Minority Report. Spielberg + Cruse = great film making. The best Sci-Fi film of the 21st century. Everything about the film is first class and the sci-fi elements fit perfectly into the story.
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D:
 
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Back to the Future is more a comedy. You didn't go see it because you wanted to watch a Sci-Fi film. You went to see it because it was funny.
 
darkswordsman17 said:
Why do you make a point of saying post star wars and then include two of the originals?
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I changed it, happy? 🙂

At first I wanted a list of best films made since Star Wars, but thought it wrong to leave the film of the list since it is one of the best Sci-Fi films of all time.
 
Hated starwars & whinny luke, Empire was much better. But Bladerunner is best scifi movie of all time.
 
Dune directors is good if you fast forward through Barron scenes. (David Lynch problem)
 
darkswordsman17 said:
7. Minority Report. Spielberg + Cruse = great film making. The best Sci-Fi film of the 21st century. Everything about the film is first class and the sci-fi elements fit perfectly into the story.

D:
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Name a better one since 2000.


Not including Inception and District 9 since I have yet to see them and can't comment on them.
 
Zebo said:
Dune directors is good if you fast forward through Barron scenes. (David Lynch problem)
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The newer Dune stuff was better. Peter Jackson should take on Dune, although it is a difficult adaptation.

The Matrix trilogy is easily my favorite. The special effects they had more than 10 years ago is still better than some new movies.

Minority Report was great all around. The newest Star Trek was awesome. TRON Legacy is better than any Lucas Film at the very least. Stargate spawned one of the best tv shows while a tv show spawned one of the best films, Serenity.
 
ProfJohn said:
5. Aliens. Amazingly kick ass film that I think is just a bit better than Alien. Plus I think Alien is more horror/suspense than sci-fi.
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It's actually kind of interesting, because there have been a few films that tend to have the "Aliens Effect." That is, the original is a horror/suspense and the sequel is more of an action and/or sci-fi movie. You mentioned a film that meets that (Terminator 2), and another great example is Pitch Black vs Chronicles of Riddick.
 
Aikouka said:
It's actually kind of interesting, because there have been a few films that tend to have the "Aliens Effect." That is, the original is a horror/suspense and the sequel is more of an action and/or sci-fi movie. You mentioned a film that meets that (Terminator 2), and another great example is Pitch Black vs Chronicles of Riddick.
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Yeah I like chronicles 1 and 2 but for different reasons. Been eager to hear the plot for the third.
 
Malak said:
Yeah I like chronicles 1 and 2 but for different reasons. Been eager to hear the plot for the third.
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I actually couldn't get into Chronicles. I knew it'd be more of an action film going into it, but I guess all the back-story with Riddick just made it seem so odd. With Terminator 2 and Aliens, both movies seemed to work with their predecessor.
 
i love sci-fi and i hate the 'i never like popular things' school of thought but i always thought star wars to be a mediocre film with great special effects.
 
Ghostbusters definitely has been overlooked (unless someone posts it while I'm not). Just because a movie is a comedy or a drama as well does not exclude it from being sci-fi.

ProfJohn said:
Name a better one since 2000.


Not including Inception and District 9 since I have yet to see them and can't comment on them.
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Arkaign said:
Moon. A must see for sci-fi fans.
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There's one.

I just didn't really like Minority Report. There were good aspects to it, but its a film that was short of all its components. I also got headaches from all the bloom. The only two things I really liked were the glove controlled display and the middle when he gets his eyes replaced.

glenn1 said:
Gattaca. And Galaxy Quest for a sci-fi comedy (I prefer it over Spaceballs in this category).
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I liked both. Also Men In Black.

There's a bunch of 80s sci-fi films that I like, I wouldn't call them amazing but they're enjoyable. Real Genius, War Games, Manhattan Project, Last Starfighter, Flight of the Navigator, Videodrome, They Live. I wanna say Scanners but I only remember the guy's head exploding.

I also liked Sky Captain although its not a good movie.
 
1. Blade Runner - no question
2. Twelve Monkeys
3. Dark City
4. Inception

Some other nominees I would name:
- Total Recall
- Terminator
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- The Truman Show
- Code 46
- Minority Report
- Terminator 2
 
I'm old school so most of my choices are of what I grew up watching.

Star Wars 4,5, and barely 6. Ep 6 was a bit too "mushy" and "good" - I can still remember LucasArts pulling the "Revenge of the Jedi" posters [from what I remember] as the title going against what Jedi is all about.
[original] Dune - originally saw this 2x on the large screen [IMAX size in most theaters] - 1st time alone, 2nd time with my parents who yelled at me for telling them what's going to happen next 🙂
Bladerunner [best damn scifi movie of all time]
Brainstorm - being able to tap into the mind has always been fascinating
Superman The Movie [1978]
Alien and Aliens. Parents took me to see Alien [way underage for the R rating] - scared the hell out of me, but I loved it. I kept looking for aliens to jump out from underneath cars in the parking lot after the movie was over.
The Black Hole [1979] - campy but still a great flick.
Matrix 1 [2 and 3 were ok] - revolutionary special effects.
MIB 1 and 2
Star Trek "Wrath of Khan" and 2009
Gattaca - I believe this movie fortells how humans will evolve - parents will be able to genetically engineer "perfect" offsprings.
Spaceballs - awseome parody of Star Wars.
TRON [with all of it's flaws, it's still an awesome movie]
5th Element - the wife and I can pretty much repeat every line in the movie. It's just a fun movie to watch.
Mortal Kombat - one of the few good video game adapted movies.
Avatar - weak story, but the "3d experience" was very well done.
Terminator 1
Total Recall
12 Monkeys

And way too many more to list - but off the top of my brain - those are most of my favorites.
 
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