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124.179.171.142
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Edits: 02/27/18Follow Ups:
And besides, a movie with Olga in it just can't be lame.
...not great but entertaining.
I liked it but there seems to be a Cruise backlash.
Not so much with edge of Tomorrow (renamed Die Again) which I thought was better, too.
The Edge of Tomorrow was merely OK in my book. (My wife felt the same way.) OTOH, she didn't like Oblivion nearly as much as I did - I guess Olga didn't have the same effect on her that she does on me. ;-)
nt
.......if they had not titled the movie as it was done, it could have been seen as a remake of a 50's sci-fi / horror movie set in the American old West. Innocent, you know. That way it might have attracted less anti-aircraft artillery shells.
I thought the movie was ok to watch during those moments of absolute boredom with nothing else available to distract from ones personal mysery.
-Steve
Her was OK, Cowboys and Aliens was pretty bad.
Cowboys And Aliens was one of the worst movies EVER. Even the title hints at a rarely achieved level of "awfulness". So, I *have* to believe you're just having us on? If not, oy.....!!PS: I'm sorry I called you Shirley...[g]
-RW-
Edits: 03/25/15
although I probably enjoyed "cowboys" a bit more due to good beer I was having at the time..
----------------------
"E Burres Stigano?"
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_science_fiction_films_of_the_2010s
I wouldn't really call Gravity a Sci-Fi film. Just because something is in space doesn't make it Science-Fiction.
And note the difference between Science Fiction versus Science Fantasy.
Star Trek is Science Fiction
Star Wars and Dr. Who are Science Fantasy
Star Trek (the new movies) are Science Fantasy/Action Movies in space
Alien (slasher movie in space)
Nothing wrong with science fantasy or action movies or even a good slasher movie.
The science element in science fiction tends to be discussed and is grounded in some sort of reality. Star Trek often discusses science related to computers, engines, bending space etc. And they mostly play within the laws of physics. A show like Dr. Who none of this is really ever discussed because the Dr. is kind of a Zaphod Beeblebrox and just can't be bothered to explain it to people who wouldn't understand anyway.
But heck I'd take a good movie from any of the Science (fiction/fantasy/action/slasher/comedy) group.
Forget the last 5 years - give me 5 that you think are actually good. Off hand I struggle thinking of 5 true Science fiction films. Minority Report was the last one I remember being remotely decent. Although I have not watched a lot of movies since 2005.
Movies kind of continually suck compared to better television shows. Everytime I see a decent movie like Imitation Game I think - man this would have been better as a 12 part 12 hour mini-series. Fascinating characters, highly interesting story and the run time is too short to get into them.
"I wouldn't really call Gravity a Sci-Fi film. Just because something is in space doesn't make it Science-Fiction."
I recall considering this while leaving the theater after seeing Gravity. Was it Sci-Fi or just fiction. (Saw it in 3D.) Space walks in Zero-G is rather common these days. It wasn't a futuristic movie. It was set in the present.
One thing for certain, and whether accurate or not, the movie went to a lot of trouble to describe the physics of motion in zero-G. So maybe it was an exercise in what could happen when things go terribly wrong while in orbit above Earth. I'm not quite certain how to categorize the movie Gravity.
-Steve
In Time
Lucy
Hunger Games
Another Earth
Her (check out the last couple Ender books for a very interesting variation on this story)
-Interesting as well that all these stories have strong female lead characters. Maybe things are getting better out there for the better half??
I'll toss out a couple of titles.
Ender's Game-relatively faithful to the book
Monsters-low budget flick, much better than one would think from the description.
Predestination- interesting and somewhat warped time travel movie.
Jack
Edits: 03/24/15
Most blockbusters are too much into cgi.
a couple low budget ones I liked were Moon and outlands.
...since you didn't mention any you liked it's tough to make a recommendation.I liked many you didn't.
Prometheus - probably the best of the past 5 years
Gravity - you had to see it in 3D to really appreciate what they did
Interstellar - made you think, but then I always like time travel films
Edge of Tomorrow - Groundhog Day without Bill, doesn't take itself seriouslyHere's a few for you:
Predestination - very trippy time travel, good characters
Guardians of the Galaxy - fun
Pacific Rim - big CGI
Inception
Source Code
Super 8
The Host
Edits: 03/23/15
Right not so much in recent years....but let's not overlook "Edge of Tomorrow". Perhaps a tad shallow, a nevertheless pretty good sci-fi war drama that kept viewers guessing for quite a while.Of course if we include that Chilean movie "Europa Report" which tells an original tale with a unique perspective. Completely off the radar in North America.
Another off the radar film, Under the Skin. Small budget, thin storyline but with a unique perspective and very good cinematography.
I thought Prometheus was a first rate Sci Fi movie with some depth. Not just a prequel or sequel to the Alien franchise. Something more. Scientists go off looking for God (or the ones who made us). Over time I think I respect this film more than I did upon first viewing.
If you go back to 2006 there is Serenity. Its storyline runs parallel to that period in US History just after the civil war where Southern military don't surrender, turn outlaw, begin scratching out a living anyway they can. Like that, the crew of Serenity (type of craft: Firefly) makes its living in odd ways; sometimes running contraband, sometimes hiring out as mercenaries and mostly they are running from the law. (pirates in space?) But they accidentally uncover a government plot that turned civilians into dangerous incredibly vicious cannibal raiders. ( think Viking raiders only they are cannibals) And the finale serves up the cannibals directly into a confrontation with Government forces who thought they were chasing the crew of Serenity. Harrowing journey. High drama. I like this one. True swashbuckling in space.
Avatar. Not certain how to categorize this one. Futuristic Earth expands its outreach into the universe and find other life-supporting planets ripe for exploitation of resources. Planetary imperialism, if you will. The story turns sympathetic toward stone-age natives doomed toward extinction at the hands of the Earthers. Think Spanish conquistadors wiping out the Incas circa 1500's. Only in this movie the natives take a victory. Not unexpected coming from director James Cameron. His movies tend to have an overt anti-corporate message in them. Same here.
that's about what I can think of...except for...
Cypher. (2002) A made for TV movie about corporate espionage where spies undergo a mental preparation that wipes out memory of their previous selves while conditioning their awareness completely into the new character so thoroughly that the spy can not break under interrogation. Lucy Liu is the best known actor in this one. The story telling allows the viewer to figure this out over time and doesn't learn any more than does the protagonist who has undergone this conditioning. Pretty good surprise ending here.
Star Trek Reboot movies. Same quality level as the original series; kinda corny and grade 'B' entertainment. At least it is there.
I'm still waiting for the next 'good' sci-fi movie. But have doubts.
I predict the Disney reboot of the Star Wars franchise to be a continuation of --made for kids, and liked by many adults-; kind of heroic dramas in space. But the good thing is that Carrie Fisher goes to rehab, gets clean, gets physically fit and gets to play Princess Leia again. yawn. 8^)
-Steve
Edits: 03/23/15 03/24/15
quote/
Interstellar - bladder-bustingly incoherent, with lame Nolan dialogue
Prometheus - Z-grade cartoon schlock
Looper - gaping plot holes and mash-up of other movies
Oblivion - mash-up of other movies and just plain lame
Gravity - great special effects, but no actual story
Elysium - generic pap
Source Code - more generic, forgettable pap
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - ho-hum CGI crapfest
/unquote.
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Interstellar: It is coherent it just takes effort to keep up. Maybe too much science in this fiction. Some of the 'big' plot points were the product of well known physicist Kip Thorne. I guess the main point of this movie is that finding life suitable for humans out in the galaxie won't be very easy. Not entertaining, I thought.Prometheus: Good sci-fi movie where archeologists discover a cave painting that sends a group off to find God ..... or the ones who made us, and it turns out that 'they' might not be God. I think this one will stand the test of time and be well regarded ever after.
Oblivion: I liked it. Earth is conquered by aliens from outer space. then aliens make clones of certain Earthlings to handle security of the conquered planet while they are off doing whatever other business aliens must attend to. Then one of the clones manages to discover that he isn't the real self. He's one of many clones derrived from his original self. And then with this knowledge what's he going to do about it....
Looper: Assassination via time travelers. Great movie. Emily Blunt commands the screen in every scene she's in. Time travel paradox at play. Is it possible for you to visit yourself in the future? What if your older self would visit your younger self in your younger selfs' present? If you kill your self in the present, does your older self in the future die? Is it possible to break the loop? What is the loop? I liked it.
Gravity: Not really Sci-Fi. Fiction that takes place in present day and in orbit above Earth. Good suspense. Excellent cgi. Hardly any story. Just a movie about how to survive a major catastrophe while in orbit above Earth. I found it very gripping. but if you've seen it once, you've seen it.
Elysium: Using the pretext of a future Earth where the wealthy live in orbit over Earth while the 99 percenters live in squallor and mysery down on the planet. It uses its sci-fi pre-texts to take a stand on US immigration policy.
Source Code: Another time travel loop where the object is to avert a bomb being exploded on a train. I thought it was good. Particularly when we finally discover who our real protagonist is and then we learn of his situation.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes: I never went in for the first movie and therefore the entire franchise. Although it does present an ironic twist. The future vision of our world is evolution turned upside its head. Script of original movie by Rod Serling... Good pedigree.
I found a list (on the web) of sci-fi movies made after 2010 ....and of those in production and scheduled for release near term... It is a long list. The question is; how many of these will be worth remembering?Exclusions:
anything by Marvel is excluded. Why... I don't know, persistent prejudice, I guess.Inception (2010) Dream hacking for corporate espianage and illegal profit. I liked the idea of this movie better than the execution of it. But I accept it for what it is and include it among those that receive honorable mention.
Predators: 2010. Brody, Topher Grace, Laurence Fishburne. Sci-fi Horror. Not as horrible as it sounds. A well-enough made movie in the world of Predator hunters that go Gallumphing around space looking for another hunt. Here we find our protagonists have been dumped on a planet set as a hunters paradise/resort. And our heroes are the prey.
Repo Men: 2010. Body parts for sale at exorbitant rates. Can't keep up the payments...: they come and take their parts back leaving the victim to die in a puddle of his/her own blood. This could have been better than it was.
Skyline: 2010. Alien Invasion. Plays like a reboot of that 1995 movie Independence Day. I liked Independence Day better than skyline. But I found Independence Day mostly forgettable.
Tron: legacy. 2010 Sequel to the 1982 movie Tron. The first movie introduced some -at the time- novel concepts like; life within electronic circuitry. A social order within the computer; Programs and users. Users having ownership over the programs. The sequel proved to be a cgi roller coaster ride. And forgettable. Olivia Wilde was fun to watch.
The Darkest Hour: 2011. Alien invasion, action horror. The city is in the grip of an alien invasion and our protagonists must escape the city if they want to survive. It was fun watching....the first time. Then you've seen it.
In Time: 2011. In a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth.
I haven't seen this one, but will probably attempt to sit through it some day.
Limitless: 2011. theme is the same as that of Lucy. What if you could access 100% of your brains capacity....!
I haven't seen this one...but will probably find the time. Let's see if I can sit through it.
John Carter: 2012. I list this one because I've read some of those Barsoom novels by E.R. Burroughs. I hesitate to call this science fiction because Burroughs was conspicuous in never bothering to provide a plausible mechanism for John Carter to reach Mars. In the novels he seems to be 'magically transported there'. Otherwise the books are enjoyable page turners. John Carter, The movie pays homage to that on the 100th anniversary of the publication of Burroughs first Barsoom novel. ( The martians called their planet "Barsoom".)
Many will make comparisons between the star-wars franchise and this movie. However, if we want to put credit where it belongs, it was George Lucas who borrowed heavily from Burroughs in creating his Star Wars universe.
Lockout: 2012. A man wrongly convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage against the U.S. is offered his freedom if he can rescue the president's daughter from an outer space prison taken over by violent inmates.
I confess. Guilty pleasure for me. And the fun part was all about the style of our protagonist. Often the victim of sarcastic personal attack comments from his captors and then making inventive retorts invoking belly laughs. When not making sarcastic funny, our hero slaps the villains up alongside the head in a manner we all wish we could.
Total Recall: 2012. Another vision of that Philip K. dick novel; 'We Can Remember if for you Wholesale". This one, instead of going to Mars, travels from one side of Earth to the other by the shortest possible route: a straight line going through Earth's core. Lots of action in this thriller. To its credit, the acting is better here than in that 1990 movie with Arnold Schwartzenegger, Sharon Stone, Ronny cox ,etc.
Excellent CGI. Too much action. No time to think. but then that was the case with the earlier movie.
Europa Report: 2013. Excellent low budget thriller. Protagonists journey to Jupiter's moon, Europa to find and study life on the moons surface. What they discover is something more than was bargained for.
I liked this one.
Ender's Game: 2013. Fans of the novel will probably like this movie. I saw it and was mildly entertained. I thought the "payoff" was less than expected. I'm sure others will see it otherwise.
Her: 2013. A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need. Then the new software turns into an artificial intelligence far more capable and insightful than anyone had bargained for.
I found this one mildly entertaining. The basic concept holds potentials that this movie chose not to explore. Instead it seemed more like a human interest touchy-feely kind of movie. Ecchh!
Riddick: 2013. The last, (hopefully) in a franchise that begins with "Pitch Black" then "The Chronicles of Riddick" and finally this one, "Riddick" which is a sequel to the second movie. Perhaps a minor chapter in this franchise. I thought the first movie, "Pitch Black" to be the best of the group. And this one, the least. Though there is one scene where we get to see the left nipple of...
Snowpiercer: 2013. Set in a future where a failed climate-change experiment kills all life on the planet except for a lucky few who boarded the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe, where a class system emerges.
I payed to see this one via "on demand" on my fios cable service. A perspective I've yet to see in a sci fi movie. Probably a movie that I will re-visit when it becomes available freely.
Star Trek Into Darkness: 2013. Typical fare for Star Trek stories. Not only have we rebooted the crew of the enterprise, we've re-booted its nastiest of villains; Kahn Noonian Singh. Ricardo montalban is now deceased and Benedict Cumberbatch gets the role.
It may be extremely difficult to find a replacement for the Montalban role. Even that actor found it difficult to reprise this role in the 1982 movie. I think his series performance in 1967 episode, titled "Space Seed", is definitive and hard to match. What it was, was a sense of presence that implied malevolence and physical and mental superiority -and threat- just behind a polished gentleman's exterior. To face Kahn was to face grave danger.Cumberbatch did manage to pull together some gravitas for the role.
If you don't expect too much, you shouldn't feel disappointed in this movie. I think of it like this; In the original series the official mission was for 5 years and to go where no man has gone before. I think it can be said of the reboot that this new Star Trek franchise will go where no Old Trek has gone before. Or whatever.Lucy: 2014. maybe in time I will forgive this movie and accept it for its positives. Scarlett was good here.
RoboCop: 2014. A remake of the 1987 movie. Entirely forgettable. Probably what is missing here is the movie makers failed to find a suitable replacement for Peter Weller in the lead role. Weller had some presence. This new guy doesn't cut it.
Transcendence: 2014 A scientist's drive for artificial intelligence, takes on dangerous implications when his consciousness is uploaded into one such program.Saw it once. I doubt I'd want to sit through this one again. Where did it go wrong? I won't waste any energy counting the ways.
Under The Skin: 2014 Pretty good low budget sci-fi. It's a simple story that uses actions rather than words to describe its plot. Not much dialog. We simply follow our subject around as she does her assigned tasks. Pretty good. Plus we get to see Scarlett J in the altogether.
Jupiter Ascending: 2015. A young woman discovers her destiny as an heiress of intergalactic nobility and must fight to protect the inhabitants of Earth from an ancient and destructive industry.
I wonder if after this one the Wachowski brothers (or whatever they are) will ever see another budget like the one it took to make this wreck of a movie. In any case, I liked it where Jupiter Jones shoots Balem Abrasax in the foot with her pistol. Dude had it coming.
-Steve
Edits: 03/28/15 03/30/15 05/16/15
Seems a lot of people here liked Oblivion. Me too! I do agree it's not exactly ground-breaking or great acting or...anything great really. Just a movie that I liked and will definitely watch again. The BD is good, and looks good enough that I almost wished I lived in the place/world depicted, in some ways...
Also liked Looper much better than others seemed to. Thought I'd hate it, didn't. Actually thought it was more clever than Inception in its premise. Hey Nolan: being obtuse doesn't make things deep. But I liked Inception too.
Elysium: I wanted to see more of the Elysium world. Just because, maybe for the same reason I liked Oblivion. Otherwise Elysium seemed like a re-tread of District 9 except off-world this time, not bad, but kinda uninspiring.
Edge of Tomorrow: Anything with Blunt is pretty fine by me, and Cruise is good (in Oblivion too). I thought the movie was good enough, but highly over-rated. Another expanded one-idea movie, would have been a Twilight Zone episode back in the day, in half an hour.
Enders Game: liked the book, but the movie seemed aimed at 13-year-old boys. OK, but not what I expected.
Snowpiercer: train movies are usually good! I don't know why...maybe I just like trains. Decent movie, odd premise.
Gravity: Fictional, for a start, and possibly even sci-fi because of it: no astronaut as untrained (outside her academic field) and apparently as unsuited to decision-making etc. as what Bullock portrays would be part of a shuttle crew. Kind of belittles all the women who *have* been astro/cosmo-nauts. In my view.
Oh yeah, I have the BDs of all these and most of the movies others mentioned so far, if they're available...that's how I watch these days.
Firefly was the series that made me realize that the cast is what makes a show great (to me anyway)
in the vein of those movies with screenplays based on novels by Rafael Sabatini. examples: The Sea Hawk, Capt. Blood etc.
Why not transpose/re-write those into outerspace? Outlaws scratching out a desperate existence but in starships rather than gallions. In a loose sort of way, the Firefly TV series pretty much tried to do that.
I regard the term "Fanboy" as a derogatory label. Yes, you can find several movie franchises that do attract the 'fanboy/fangirl crowd'. But I would refrain from pasting that label over the movies themselves. Ergo, not everyone in the audience at a Star Wars screening can be described as a fanboy. (But many are.)
Btw I recall sitting in the audience on a Wednesday afternoon at the first showing of the "Lord of the Rings (fellowship of the ring)" movie. At one point I did take a look around at those in the theater I found myself surrounded by. Funny how, in retrospect, so many appeared dressed and groomed much like the movies maker was in those early days, (Peter Jackson)
It seems probable that Jackson himself fits the profile of a fanboy. Irrationally devoted. A JRR Tolkein fanboy.....and his wife too, apparently.
So now I contradict my earlier statement. Yes you can call some movies 'fanboy flims'. Particularly when the movies are created by fanboys and made specifically for other fanboys. I just prefer to put some distance between myself and anyone you'd call a fanboy. I'm more detached than that.
(ouch, I'm not a fanboy...;-)
-Steve
----------------------
"E Burres Stigano?"
The Scarlet Johanssen Sci Fi Flic Lucy could have been a Contender.
"The Scarlet Johanssen Sci Fi Flic Lucy could have been a Contender. "
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Yes that is what I thought. It could have been, might have been if not for....Luc Besson. A missed opportunity, I'd like to think
-Steve
Absolutely agree. Ridley Scott or even the Coen Bros would have made a great Lucy. The only thing that was really cool I thought were the scenes with the ape Lucy.
Better go see Prometheus again. You missed the boat on that one. The tom cruise Sci Fi Flic The Edge of Tomorrow looks promising but I have not seen it.
Edits: 03/23/15
Emily Blunt was divine.
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"E Burres Stigano?"
That was pretty good.
I'd put that in the category of "pretty good sci-fi"....and it was recent.
-Steve
Agree that Edge of Tomorrow was good but not great. Thought the ending screwed the pooch.Of all these listed the only one I would say is great sci-fi is Inception.
Edits: 04/05/15
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Edits: 02/27/18
I DO love sci-fi, and I can't recall ANY decent film in many years.
Usually you get tons of ridiculous fantasy and plenty of ridiculous computer graphics... that's about it.
Nt
I never considered it a great Kubrick' movie, but still, it was interesting.From that era the Solaris was a better film, I thought. But they were worthy adversaries.
Edits: 03/23/15
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