What's your personal Top 10 sci-fi movies and series list ?

Daveno · 28-05-2020 03:15PM #1

What's your top 10 list of movies and series ? My pick in order is:

1. Hardcore Henry (pretty much a quintessence of action movies for myself)
2. 2001: Space Odyssey
3. Alien - the 8th Passenger
4. Terminator (1st part)
5. Doom (2005)
6. Event Horizon
7. Ghost in the shell (original anime version)
8. Akira (original anime version)
9. Death Note (original anime version)
10. ? (yet looking for it)

Series:
1. The Magicians (sadly Sy-fy hasn't decided to continue

)
2. Carnivale
3. The Dark
4. WestWorld
5. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
6. OA
7. Watchmen
8. The Walking Dead
9. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
10. Supernatural

Trying to update my list and looking for some new recommendations

Relikk · 29-05-2020 11:32AM

Movies:
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars
2001: A Space Odyssey
Blade Runner
Blade Runner 2049
Predator
Alien
A Clockwork Orange
Robocop
The Terminator

TV:
Stargate SG-1
Battlestar Galactica (2003-2009)
The Expanse
Star Trek (TOS)
Star Trek DS9
Dark (I hope it finishes as strongly as it has started as it has the potential to be one of the greatest TV series ever made)
Fringe

I'm struggling to think of many more TV shows that I'd rate higher than those listed.

Daveno · 29-05-2020 04:38PM

Was also thinking about the Netflix's Witcher, but as much as I love the books, I think that the tv series so far has only been "good enough" to give it a chance and watch another season. Was pissed off with camera work and special effects in some of the episodes - given the budget they had, and the fact that Baginski was working with them on computer animation, I was expecting a better job.

Dades · 29-05-2020 04:54PM

Don't think I have 2 hours of anguish to form an accurate Top Ten, but a quick list would have these:

Movies:
Aliens
Starship Troopers
Event Horizon
The Abyss
Avatar
The Matrix
Insterstallar
Gattaca
Contact
The Fifth Element

Series
Firefly
Star Trek TNG
Battlestar Galactica (reboot)
Devs (very recent, I know)
X Files

Don't really consider Star Wars sci-fi, though you could maybe say the same of Firefly (space is just a location).

Will be interested to see what else is posted that I might be kicking myself for not mentioning!

mikhail · 29-05-2020 05:57PM

I could make several of these lists with no movies in common. Bubbling up near the top, with no particular order:

Alien.
Blade Runner.
The Matrix.
The Martian.
Solaris. (The remake. I know. It'll be okay.)
Sunshine. (The last act goes a bit awry, but I don't hate it like many viewers. Great score, characters, and visuals.)
The Fountain. (One of my favourite scores, e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whuf6C_T8tc)
Jurassic Park.
Gattaca.
Inception.

Sad Professor · 29-05-2020 06:19PM

List threads are against charter, guys. We'll leave this be for now but try to get some discussion going.

mikhail · 29-05-2020 11:20PM

Sad Professor wrote: »

List threads are against charter, guys. We'll leave this be for now but try to get some discussion going.

Fair enough. I'll try to pick out a few interesting choices above and ask about them.

Daveno wrote: »

Doom (2005)

I so wanted to like that, but it's quite patchy. The BFG sequence is great, and the leads are all game (has Urban ever been bad in anything?), but it's missing something.

Event Horizon

Someone sell me on this one, please. Loads of people love it, but I didn't see what they did.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

The recent Max Landis one, that got cancelled? There've been a few, but I kind of liked that one in spite of them getting Dirk all wrong. [/QUOTE]

Relikk wrote: »

Dark (I hope it finishes as strongly as it has started as it has the potential to be one of the greatest TV series ever made)
Fringe

I've never seen either, but seeing as I like everything else you mentioned, would you mind telling me about these two? What are they like?

Dades wrote: »

Starship Troopers

I read the book as a teenager, and I think it has an unfairly bad rep, so I've never been able to get past the fact that this is an adaptation by someone who hates the source material. Ever read it?

Devs (very recent, I know)

Never heard of it. What's it about?

Dades · 02-06-2020 03:51PM

mikhail wrote: »

Someone sell me on this one, please. Loads of people love it, but I didn't see what they did.

Event Horizon is classic horror SF. Really freaky stuff in the final act (though tame, compared to some stuff they left out allegedly). I can only watch the first half these days as I don't need reminding of some scenes at 3am on a Tuesday night. Recent torture pron type flicks may have taken stuff to a different level, but if you like your SF and biblical-level tension then Sam Neill with no eyes will do it for you.

mikhail wrote: »

I read the book as a teenager, and I think it has an unfairly bad rep, so I've never been able to get past the fact that this is an adaptation by someone who hates the source material. Ever read it?

I've read Starship Troopers (and other Heinlein stuff). Interesting but politically motivated. Yeah, they taken the source material and turned it into satire, but that's what makes the movie great. As an action flick it wouldn't work, but shot as a propaganda piece it's genius.

mikhail wrote: »

Never heard of it. What's it about?

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8134186/

From Alex Garland, so it's got SF chops. Really liked it. Great core premise.

adox · 02-06-2020 06:33PM

I’d have John Carpenters The Thing top of my movie list but others may consider it a horror. Could also be classed as a suspense thriller etc.

Ex Machina another one worth a shout.

brevity · 02-06-2020 11:31PM

Contact
Gattaca
The Matrix
Annihilation
Ex Machina
Blade Runner (and 2048)

Can’t think of much others right now... Tried to keep it to more straight sci-fi rather than sci-fantasy

mikhail · 03-06-2020 01:16AM

Dades wrote: »

Event Horizon is classic horror SF. Really freaky stuff in the final act (though tame, compared to some stuff they left out allegedly). I can only watch the first half these days as I don't need reminding of some scenes at 3am on a Tuesday night. Recent torture pron type flicks may have taken stuff to a different level, but if you like your SF and biblical-level tension then Sam Neill with no eyes will do it for you.

I must give it another whirl when an opportunity presents itself.

It reminds me of a science-related movie Neil's in. It's not SF, so a bit of an aside for this thread, but it's obscure and may appeal to people posting here. The Dish is a fun little comedy about the southern hemisphere relay station for the moon landings.

I heard he's back as Alan Grant in the new Jurassic Park sequel! I don't know if it's a cameo or any more substantial than that. And that segues me to mention the last one is out on Netflix some time this week.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8134186/

From Alex Garland, so it's got SF chops. Really liked it. Great core premise.

I've a good time for Garland: I mentioned Sunshine above, Ex Machina is one of the best SF movies in ages, and Dredd is one of my favourite action movies. I thought Annihilation was a little overhyped, though it had some arresting moments.

I haven't seen Never Let Me Go; it gets called dystopian, so I wonder if it has science fiction elements?

Back to Dev. I see the trailer mentions Hulu, which I think is US only (I think). Is it available legally here?

adox wrote: »

I’d have John Carpenters The Thing top of my movie list but others may consider it a horror. Could also be classed as a suspense thriller etc.

It's all of the above, for sure. I didn't hate the prequel with Mary Elizabeth Winstead they made a few years back, though it's fairly forgettable. The original Howard Hawks The Thing From Another World (which is a separate adaption from the same book rather than something Carpenter remade) is surprisingly decent, and a bit more sci-fi than Carpenter's.

Skerries · 03-06-2020 01:53PM

1. Blade Runner - wasn't a fan of this film when I watched in my local community centre not too long after it came out as I was probably too young for it but having watched it over the years it has now become my favourite film

2. Aliens - just a great balls to the wall action movie with a great mother/daughter subplot that the extended addition added to and so any fans should play Alien Isolation to get the full story

3. Dune - highly ridiculed at the time but I am a fan of Dune because of this film and am very much looking forward to seeing what Villeneuve can do with it and I am glad that Jodorowsky didn't get in there first before Lynch

4. Robocop - Verhoeven at his most satirical and shocking depictions of violence was just pudding to my teenage brain at the time

5. The Matrix - We all wanted to be Neo at the end of that movie, I wander what would have happened if they made any sequels?

mikhail · 03-06-2020 03:16PM

Skerries wrote: »

3. Dune - highly ridiculed at the time but I am a fan of Dune because of this film and am very much looking forward to seeing what Villeneuve can do with it and I am glad that Jodorowsky didn't get in there first before Lynch

I loved the book; I've read all of them. Well, all of the ones by Frank Herbert. The extensive fan fiction by his son, Brian, is a waste of good trees. I even like the miniseries, for all its limitations. The Lynch movie though... Lynch was asked once what his favourite of his movies is. He replied that his movies are like his children. He loves all of them, even the runt of the litter, Dune. I can't get over how bad the narration is at times. It's telling how many fan edits there are.

5. The Matrix - We all wanted to be Neo at the end of that movie, I wander what would have happened if they made any sequels?

You're living in a dream world, Mr Skerries!

tricky D · 03-06-2020 04:23PM

Dades wrote: »

From Alex Garland, so it's got SF chops. Really liked it. Great core premise.

Didn't work well for me. The trope/notion of Determinism is too much in front and the effects of Free Will, quantum uncertainties, chaos... don't get a proper look-in. Happened with Westworld among others. While I do watch these, my enjoyment is curtailed by a disagreeing voice in the head. But that's just an opinion.

mikhail wrote: »

Back to Dev. I see the trailer mentions Hulu, which I think is US only (I think). Is it available legally here?

It was on BBC2 a few weeks back and I think is on their iplayer thing.

Dades · 03-06-2020 06:25PM

mikhail wrote: »

It reminds me of a science-related movie Neil's in. It's not SF, so a bit of an aside for this thread, but it's obscure and may appeal to people posting here. The Dish is a fun little comedy about the southern hemisphere relay station for the moon landings.

The Dish is great!

mikhail wrote: »

I've a good time for Garland: I mentioned Sunshine above, Ex Machina is one of the best SF movies in ages, and Dredd is one of my favourite action movies. I thought Annihilation was a little overhyped, though it had some arresting moments. .

I love Sunshine, Dredd and Ex Machina, and agree about Annihilation. It was interesting but not on the same level.

Relikk · 04-06-2020 01:17PM

mikhail wrote: »

I've never seen either, but seeing as I like everything else you mentioned, would you mind telling me about these two? What are they like?

With Dark it's probably best to go in blind. There isn't much I can say about it without spoiling the main plot device, but it doesn't take long to find out what that is. You'll know by the end of the second episode.

It's a German production for Netflix so there's two options you have when watching it. The original German with subtitles or dubbed English. If you choose to watch it, do yourself a favour and watch it with its original German soundtrack as the dubbed version has American accents and it doesn't suit the setting. I watched it in German from the beginning, but I checked the dubbed version and it's... no thanks.

It's very well made, superbly acted and the casting is amazing once it gets going. It's must-see, in my opinion.

Fringe is an Abrams/Kurtzman thing. Those two names these days are regarded with disdain by most people, and rightly so, therefore it suffers a little from the Abrams syndrome of starting off quite interesting, then getting much better but stumbling slightly towards the end. It focuses on a fringe science team within the FBI in Boston that investigates anomalies that local law can't explain. The main reason why I liked it was because of John Noble. His "Walter Bishop" character is one of my absolute favourite characters in all of TV.

adox · 04-06-2020 01:50PM

Millennium was another excellent sci fi show. Always felt like the show Chris Carter really wanted to make and The X Files was his cash cow.

04-06-2020 02:16PM

In no particular order:

Moon
Total Recall
Terminator 2
Predator
Children of men
Mad max: Fury Road
Back to the Future
Wall-E (if animation counts)
A scanner darkly
Existenz

and TV shows:

Red Dwarf
The Outer limits
Quantum Leap
Futurama
Black Mirror
Rick & Morty
Manimal

dubstepper · 04-06-2020 04:48PM

There are so many. I have left off the below list a movie I saw about 6 months ago about a ship out of control heading toward the sun. Nearly only one actor but very good.

Some movies maybe not shouted out yet:

Europa Report
Cube
Primer
Timecrimes
Dark City

But I do like many already stated.

On TV (not listed previous I think):

Lost in space (original tv)

murpho999 · 08-06-2020 05:01PM

I'm almost finished binging Star Trek The Next Generation and I think it's fantastic, stands the test of time and has some great characters and scripting.

After that will move onto DS9 which I've never really seen.

Battlestar Galactica reboot is fantastic too.

The Expanse and Firefly are also on my list.

As for films, some of the Star Treks (not all, they made some turkeys too).
Star Wars original trilogu and Rogue.
Aliens
T1 & T2
2001
Moon
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Interstellar
Altered States
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Inception

Plus many many more.
I always enjoy Science Fiction as the good ones involve good stories and good characters but often get overlooked by many as being nerdy or techie and I find that annoying,

mikhail · 09-06-2020 12:47PM

murpho999 wrote: »

I'm almost finished binging Star Trek The Next Generation and I think it's fantastic, stands the test of time and has some great characters and scripting.

After that will move onto DS9 which I've never really seen.

DS9 takes a couple of seasons to really find its feet, but is worth sticking with. Chief O'Brien is the only crossover regular; Worf joins later on, adding to an already good ensemble cast. It's very strong on characters, including some great villains, and is the first Star Trek to go in for long narrative arcs, though it's still mostly episodic.

What's your personal Top 10 sci-fi movies and series list ?

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