sslav Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Top 5 requires some tough choices. Once it came down to putting them down on the list I surprised myself with some of the ones I had to cut. Amongst the hardest cuts were: Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan Star Wars V, Empire Strikes Back Serenity (which started me on making the list in the first place) Road Warrior Alien These are all great films and would fill out my top 10 list if I made one. However for me the five I have chose below are not just great stories with great special effects. These films have put a completely unique spin on the genre. 5. Escape From New York 4. Aliens 3. Terminator 2. Matrix 1. Bladerunner What are your top 5? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Norman Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Forbidden Planet and the original The Day the Earth Stood Still are in my top 10. I'd include the original Star Wars and maybe 2001. 5th is up fro grabs at the moment. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpeltier Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Star wars I, the Fantom Menace Star wars II, Attack of the clones Star wares III, Revenge of the sith Star wars IV, A New Hope Star wars V, The Empire strikes back Star wars VI, Return of the Jedi Oops thats six. but a classic and one of the most succesful movie franchises of all time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limitless13 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 5. Serenity 4. Matrix 3. Fifth Element 2. Escape from L.A. 1. Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajarrel Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 (edited) I"m with Mr. Norman in one of his selections, My all time favorite is the original, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" #2. Aliens #3. Pitch Black/Dark Fury/Cronicles of Riddick (sorry, it's a three movie group) #4. Alien Resurrection #5. The Matrix trilogy (there I go with a three-fer again ) dj Corrected the name of Dark Fury cause i had a brain fart and put the wrong name in dj Edited February 23, 2009 by dajarrel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 1. Star Wars (IV) 2. Forbidden Planet 3. Day the Earth Stood Still 4. Blade Runner That's the easy part. Trying to pick one more from all the rest is tough. I'd have to pick from so many. There are all the obvious ones (Alien, Aliens) but also some more obscure ones (Dark City, Solaris). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CenTX Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Silent Running Alien The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) The War of the Worlds (1953) Star Wars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFlowers Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 #3. Pitch Black/Black Fury/Cronicles of Riddick (sorry, it's a three movie group) dj, Not exactly sure how these three fit togther.... So how does a 1935 movie about the exploitation of Coal Miners fit in with Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sslav Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 I am sorry. I have to call "shenanigans" on people trying to pass multiple movies as a single choice. Man up and make the tough choices! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentlemanJim Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 You can tell I am getting a little long in the tooth 1 Omega Man 2 Blade Runner 3 2001 4 Them 5 1 Million BC Too many more to list Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Vigilante Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 (edited) Wonder how many on this forum recall "Them"? You are dating yourself on this one (and me). This one is from the 50's. Edited February 23, 2009 by The_Vigilante Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Norman Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I forgot "Them" That movie scared the living crap out of me when I was a kid! So, I suppose my list should actually be in no particular order: The Day the Earth Stood Still Them Forbidden Planet the above are definitely in the top 5. Matrix, only the first one Star Wars, the first one 2001 On the Beach War of the Worlds, original (again very scary movie to a 6 or 7 year old.) There are many good and great movies. Some of the 'best' Sci-Fi is actually some of the worst movies. The ones that we barely "B" grade movies. They had no great message, the acting stunk and the special effects were horrible. But, they had a certain attraction and then there are the older serials, Flash Gordon and the like, they are priceless. One has to remember that the average person in the era of some of these movies had little education and the world in general was still it by lamp and communicated by letter. It was easier to believe that some of this was real. Today we have instant notification of a traffic accident is California that we' never even have heard about in the 50's . The world is smaller in the sense that we can see almost anything almost as it happens, almost anywhere. It makes filming a really good invaders from space move harder to make believable. When Orson Welles did his famous broadcast people actually believed. There was no quick way to verify that this was just a play. Today, we have to resort to special effects and blood and gore or people are bored. My wife and I like to watch old movies in black and white. the emotions conveyed by the camera angles and lighting are lost to so many today. Patrica Neal in Day the Earth Stood Still when she goes to Gort to tell him Klatu Barratta Nichto, has a shadow effect across her face that conveys far more than any words could ever. Having an arbitrary limit of 5 films is difficult. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I'll play. IN no particular order: -Star Wars Ep 5 (C'mon man, the battle of Hoth is the shiz) -Terminator 2 (one of the three sequels to be as good as or better then the first) -The Matrix (Blew my freakin mind in theaters...NOBODY saw effects like that up to that point) -Blade Runner (Dystopian society at its best) -Star Trek First Contact (Borg on the big screen baby ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atbarr Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I forgot "Them" That movie scared the living crap out of me when I was a kid! Ants I think or was it large spiders? A.T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Lord Gomer Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Does Highlander qualify as Sci-Fi? Another one I liked, though it was cheesey, was Predator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardinal Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I think I'll say (in no particular order): The Thing Blade Runner (the final version or the Dir cut.) Terminator 2 Aliens Escape from New York Honorable mentions: Alien Star wars Star Trek 2 and First Contact Terminator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Norman Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I forgot "Them" That movie scared the living crap out of me when I was a kid! Ants I think or was it large spiders? A.T. VERY LARGE ANTS. The little girl was found in teh desert and all she could say was 'them' The Ants invaded LA (I think) and got into the sewers, the Army was called out and fought, I can't remember if they found the queen, or if the ants had already swarmed. Another coll movie to add tot he list is Tremors. Makes keeping a large bore arsenal seem like a good thing to have. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Vigilante Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Here are my favorites in no particular order: 1. The entire Matrix series-I liked them all 2. The Terminator series 3. Star Wars (1,2, and 3) 4. War of the Worlds-really made an impression on me as a youngster 5. Alien and Predator (the first ones) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Norman Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I think we may see a bit of a generational split in best movies here. Those of us from the B&W days of TV and the movie theater on the one side and those of you youngsters with multiple color TVs and Multiplex movie houses on the other. We had precious few 'special effects' whilst you all have 'The Matrix' A good movie, no argument but would it have been a story line that could stand up in an earlier day? Asimov covered a lot of the mind control aspects, but I am not sure anyone had the collective human brains powering the grid. Might not have been even on the edge of fantastic 5 years ago, then again... Old Sci-Fi is something I like to read. 'Doc' Smith, the Lensman series anyone? Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfinney Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I think I'll say (in no particular order):The Thing Blade Runner (the final version or the Dir cut.) Terminator 2 Aliens Escape from New York Honorable mentions: Alien Star wars Star Trek 2 and First Contact Terminator To the movie, we agree. And to thise who mention Serenity as a best movie - the Firefly Series in my mind is the best TV Sci Fi series in recent time. The movie is a GREAT capstone to that series..... not sure if as a stand alone movie it rates one of the best Sci Fi movies though. It is a much better movie as part of the whole set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Santiago Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 RE;Them. I was trying not to include those movies in sci-fi but i guess they are. If that's the case. The old 50's 'B' monster movies are my tops. Them Tarantula Wasp Woman The Brain from Planet Aros and the classic..... Robot Monster..(I must...but I cannot) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA Friday Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 (edited) 1. Star Wars (How could this NOT be number one. This movie changed scifi and movie making for ever.) 2. Blade Runner ("Time to die.") 3. Serenity (My sister calls this cowboys in spaceships. What's there NOT to like?) 4. Aliens (Weaver was nominated for best actress in this. Changed the way people see these roles.) 5. The Day the Earth Stood Still (Original. It was the first best effort of taking scifi to the big screen.) Edited to add: If done right, I suspect this list will change for many if they make 'Ender's Game' into a movie. Orson Scott Card is working on combining Ender's and Bean's books into one movie. I have very high hopes. Also, honorable mention (6 and 7 on the list) would be the Sci Fi channel makes of Dune and Children of Dune. Not that weird crap original Dune that sucked ass and deviated from the book so bad it was worthless. Edited February 23, 2009 by SA Friday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sslav Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 We had precious few 'special effects' whilst you all have 'The Matrix' A good movie, no argument but would it have been a story line that could stand up in an earlier day? Jim, One of my personal criteria for selecting movies on my list is that they should be able to stand on the story alone without fancy effects. That is one of the reasons I chose the original Terminator over the Judgment Day though Judgment Day was far superior in the visual effects department. I believe that Matrix passes the test with flying colors. It is a great story as well as a revolutionary special effects movie. On the other hand, I also believe that the visual effects should be "good enough" to at least not disrupt the storytelling. The "good enough" criteria is a shifting one. Here I think the really old films operate at a technological disadvantage. The effects took a big leap forward in the 70s. Effects done at that time may be a bit dated but still hold up. Anything done prior to that just does not cut the mustard visually. In some cases "pushing the envelope" can work against a film. For instance I believe Matrix will hold up visually in the future. On the other hand the next two films were too ambitious in given the current technology. Some of the CGI sequences in these films will look laughably bad in the future (they do not look all that great now). Four out of my top 5 are over 20 years old with a couple of them pushing 30. And unlike Star Wars 4-6 they did not have their effects re-done. Yet they all hold up visually. The reason I have Bladerunner on the top of my list is that it is a superb story that is only growing more relevant as cloning and genetic engineering are becoming our reality. It has top notch acting. And despite being 27 years old, the visuals are stunning. All of these combine to paint a vivid and totally believable world and allow a complete immersion into it. I am as enthralled by it today as I was in 1982 and I do not see that changing in another 30 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Norman Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Invasion of the Bee Girls. A real B movie It has Sci-Fi, nearly naked women, a corny plot, women losing their clothes, A mad scientist twist and did I mention scantily clad women. Actually if one goes back in time far enough you will find that SciFi was one of the few places that magazines, books and movies were able to challenge the mores of the day. After all we weren't taking about 'US" we were discussing aliens and people far into the future. There was always a 'damsel in distress' and a heroic figure to rescue her. The crews of space ships were made up largely of people that you wouldn't let work on your lawnmower and the insides of the ships were always larger than the outside. I sort of miss the old days. The good guys would win, the bad guys were usually bad and they lost. I for one don't go to a movie to be lectured, or told how rotten my life, my country or my anything else is. I like being uplifted at the movies. I think that is why the first Star Wars was such a hit. I remember people actually cheering in the theater. The bad guy was BAD, the good guys were Good. Nothing wrong with that. We could use a bit more of that attitude today, the relativism we have descended to where a good guy is good because the bad guy is worse is not what we were raised on and I think it is hurting the people coming up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Hmmm.....so many good ones, don't see mention of Planet of the Apes, or Solyent Green. There should be a worst Sci-Fi category too...Starship Troopers has to be put somewhere...lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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