Sci-fi film faves and flops

[Janus]

Bad:
Signs
Starship Troopers (Once again proving that a great book can be made into a crappy movie in the right hands.)
Laserblast
Battle Beyond the Stars

So bad its good:
Galaxina

[Pyrotex]

Originally Posted by kalexia

Alien Nation - yeh really bad. Mars Attacks is the worst I've ever seen. Independence Day good vis effects.

I don't know if that new 'Jumper' film is any good. (Not such a cool title in the UK, what with it being an item of clothing)

Mars Attacks was supposed to be bad! It's hilarious! It's a spoof of every ___[fill in the blank]___ Attacks Earth movie ever made.

Jumper is about the WORST SF movie I've seen in 20 years. It has no plot. I mean NO PLOT AT ALL. There's just these few folks who can "jump" instantly from one place to another, as long as they have seen the destination in person or in a picture. Then there's this ancient organization, Palladins, who for a 1000 years or more have been killing the jumpers. HOW they did this in 1255 A.D. is left unanswered because you can [supposedly] only catch a jumper with electrical shocks. Why the Palladins and the jumpers never carry guns is left unanswered. Why only the Palladins carry a knife (ONE knife!) ILU. How the Palladins tracked jumpers before global internet ILU. How come the jumpers don't use their talent to track down and kill Palladins ILU. How it all started ILU. Where it all ends up ILU. Why they made this pathetic movie ILU.

[Tormod]

I love Mars Attacks!!! One of the top movies ever.

[Buffy]

Originally Posted by Tormod

I love Mars Attacks!!! One of the top movies ever.

I will second that opinion: I even bought a

Slim Whitman

album because of that movie: I play it when I'm driving down the highway late at night....

Not enough MST3K fans around here: I could go on about "bad" for hours (although I put "This Island Earth" in the good column, the MST version is *priceless*....)

Any one for "Manos, Hands of Fate"? Or if you do not wish to tempt "Fate," how about "Rocket Attack USA?" "Teenagers from Outer Space?" "The Human Duplicators?" "The Amazing Colossal Man?" (head straight for the Valium after that one) "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians?" "The Brain that Wouldn't Die?"

Has anyone else here ever been able to sit through "Zardoz" without falling asleep?

Faves: "Clockwork Orange," "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (original with James Mason and Pat Boone), "The Time Machine" (original with Rod Taylor an d Yvette Mimieux), "Five Million Years to Earth" (aka Quatermass and the Pit), "A Boy and His Dog" (aka "A Dog and His Boy" to fans...well, you have to see it...Cute *young* Don Johnson , and LQ Jones is brilliant!), "The Fifth Element," "Zachariah" and, lessee one more easy one, "Brazil"....

I've asked Joel if he'd raise the level on my sarcasm sequencer,
Buffy

[REASON]

I tend to be pretty tolerant of Sci-Fi movies so my good list will always be much longer than my bad list. I'm going to brainstorm so they won't be in any particular order.

Good

Star Wars (like 'em all and will watch them over and over again)
Star Trek (like the TV series', particularly Next Gen, and movies)
The Matrix (all three)
Back To The Future (all three)
Alien (all)
Contact
Pitch Black (I like Chronicles of Riddick ok too)
Independence Day
I, Robot
E.T.
The Time Machine (numerous versions)
Close Encounters - Of The Third Kind
Fantastic Voyage
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Total Recall
The Terminator (all)
Jurassic Park (all)
Strange Days
Sphere
Predator (both)
Robocop
Altered States
Escape From New York
Mad Max (all)
The Abyss
Rollerball
Cocoon
Ghostbusters
Dune
Blade Runner
Blade (all)
The Final Countdown
The Planet of the Apes (all)
Westworld
Logan's Run
The Boys from Brazil
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Cell
Men In Black (both)
The Day After Tomorrow
Superman (all)
Spiderman (all)
The War of the Worlds
Flatliners
Minority Report
Deep Impact
Armageddon
Hollow Man
The Rocketeer
Soldier
The Arrival
Mimic
Deep Blue Sea
Outland
Honey I Shrunk the Kids

Bad

Sorry, I guess I just like Sci-Fi.

[CraigD]

Originally Posted by Buffy

Has anyone else here ever been able to sit through "Zardoz" without falling asleep?

Oddly, now that Buffy ask the question, I realize that despite having watched it several times, and having a pretty good sense of the order of scenes, etc., with the overall plot and various images having made lasting impressions on me, I’ve never managed to stay completely awake through an entire showing of Zardoz.

I actually really like this movie. I suspect only viewing it semi-consciously is much of the reason why.

A recent movie I didn’t think I would like, but did: The Last Mimzy. Though toned down and sanitized a bit from its 1940s science fiction roots and cutsied up in the typical movie treatment manner, I still found it engaging and enjoyable.

[Thunderbird]

The best 18..Until I can think of some more.

Dune
Contact
War Of The Worlds- 1953
Journey to the Center of the Earth
When Worlds Collide
Close Encounters
E.T.
A.I.
2000 Leagues under the Sea
1984
Blade Runner
Aliens
2001: A Space Odyssey
2010
The Matrix
Dr Strangelove
Superman Returns
Equilibrium

Sci-fi is like sex, when its good, its really good, when its bad,... its still pretty good.

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by Tormod

I love Mars Attacks!!! One of the top movies ever.

Me too! the Aliens are unadulterated shits!
I liked the old The Day the Earth Stood Still 1951 version, i remember being fascinated seeing it as a kid. (although it could have been The Day the Earth Stopped?)I caught it on late night TV recently and still think it was way ahead of its time, like a lot of the old British Sci Fi films.
EG
Metropolis --amazing classic
Dr Who is my favorite Sci Fi series. I have seen all Dr Who's, some several times.
Is Buffy the Vampire Slayer Sci Fi?
The Rodenbury Star-Treks (and even the latest big screen version, I think, Rocdenbury would like.). It was so nice to think his ashes (and his wife's?) are in space as I watched this.
The recent one terrible /good chyrstal Chevy chase?
ET was great--When are Yanks going to give the man an Oscar?
*batteries not included another delightful Spielberg.-also his one about hatching out modern dinosaurs -who's name escapes me at the moment 12 AM!
Close Encounters
Contact
The Matrix
Mad Max
The Terminators (just scrapes in)
I haven't seen Dune. I loved the first book but thought the second was rubbish.
Star wars of course, the movie I had spent my life waiting for. I will still never forget the opening minute when that huge Starship filled the screen.
Spiderman
Men In Black (both)- fun romps.
Godzilla-one of the funniest movies ever. Perhaps the Yanks don't get it or I had too many pills that night. I still remember the amazement of the French SS agent, disguising his soldiers as Yanks by giving them gum to chew. The amazement of the Hero to the mass-weaponry the French had gathered on USA soil explained by the offhand "But you can buy anything in America!" . The French agent's contiuing futile attempt to find a decent cup of coffee, or his reaction to donuts

Cocoon
The Island of Dr. Moreau 197? incredibly perspicacious.
The Boys from Brazil chilling
The Fly ?
Back to the Future 1 One is mildly amusing but the theme gets tiresome. Michael J. Fox's enthusiasm saves it.
Godzilla vs. Mothra Well you need to have seen some of Takao Okawara's versions to enjoy the modern one.
Godzilla Meets Bambi -very short
I wasn't allowed to see The Blob when I was a little boy. I stayed up late one night recently to watch it. Terrible!
Same with Creature of the Black Lagoon, although that was tolerable.

Ones I dislike
Predator s

The ones I hate and resent them steeling a few hours from my life.
All Aliens ("Lets split up and go down these poorly lit starship hallways again--(and get eaten by an Alien!?)? Very bad.
FleshGordon
Stormship Troopers- crap
I don't do, Yank "end of the world" disaster films, or bad remakes like War of the Worlds
There is still a lot I haven't seen. Hanging out for Torchwood and whatever Josh Wheeldon does next. His 'Cowboys in space' thing was tolerable but only because no-one is doing anything better.

[Moontanman]

Flesh Gordon? You don't like Flesh Gordon? I mean how can you not like a penisaurus? I like most all of the so far mentioned films but many of them just barely qualify as science fiction most are at best science fantasy. End of the world films have had their 15 minutes in my opinion, when the end comes all I need to know is how big the meteor/tidal wave/earthquake/ is and I'll just sit back know exactly what is going to happen. But I honestly cannot believe no one has mentioned....."SPACED INVADERS" Funniest science fiction flick I have ever seen!

[Thunderbird]

I’m excited about Peter Jackson's new alien invasion movie, “District 9.”
Haven't heard any reviews yet , but he is quickly becoming my favorite movie maker.

Oh,.. and that reminds me his version of King Kong was fantastic ! In the top five best sci fi’s ever.