The best Sci-fi film ever and why??

[Jedi Shrimper]

So would you regard that as speculative fiction?

One dictionary definition of science fiction is:
A literary or cinematic genre in which fantasy, typically based on speculative scientific discoveries or developments, environmental changes, space travel, or life on other planets, forms part of the plot or background.

The AFI define Science Fiction as:
A genre that marries a scientific or technological premise with imaginative speculation. Whether it's a flying saucer whirling through space or a gleaming city on a distant planet, at the core of all science fiction is the provocative question, "What if...?" Science fiction presents stories and situations that tap our brightest hopes and darkest fears about what might, one day, turn out to be true.

Certainly a dystopian world view would seem to fit in with those definitions. I think we try to pigeon-hole films a little too precisely at times - it is possible for a film (or work of literature) to span genres comfortably. Blade Runner for example is a fantastic example of film-noir as well as being 'science-fiction'...

Very well put, infact i think you could almost boil down the sci-fi genre down to "What If..." as a definition.

 

[andrew_sthnd]

Certainly a dystopian world view would seem to fit in with those definitions.QUOTE]


Exactly. A sci-fi film usually starts with a perfectly normal society setting, something then disturbes this utopia and the main plot of the film is the fight against dystopia with the film ending with a new utopia being created. In my opinion V for vendetta qualifies and is a pretty good film too!

The day the earth stood still is another good shout!

 

[Napster]

Certainly a dystopian world view would seem to fit in with those definitions.QUOTE]


Exactly. A sci-fi film usually starts with a perfectly normal society setting, something then disturbes this utopia and the main plot of the film is the fight against dystopia with the film ending with a new utopia being created. In my opinion V for vendetta qualifies and is a pretty good film too!

The day the earth stood still is another good shout!

Minority View's another one

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Total Recall or the Running Man for me.

 

[BrettieAngell]

Minority View's another one

Do you mean Minority Report?

I also enjoyed Equilibrium which is along a simliar vien.

T1 & 2 are two of my favourite films ever so I voted for the Terminator series. 3 shouldn't have happened though.

 

[Napster]

Do you mean Minority Report?

Yes. Doh!

:'(

 

[South Bank Hank]

I'd go for the usual shouts. Terminator is as good as it gets for sci-fi, and Star Wars dominated my childhood as it did for so many other blokes my age.

I'm also a big, big fan of Twelve Monkeys and the Lawnmower man, but for me, the best of the lot was Millennium (with Kris Kristofferson and Cheryl Ladd).

Cracking film - rent it out!

From IMDb:
An investigator seeking the cause of an airline disaster discovers the involvement of an organisation of time travellers from a future Earth irreparably polluted who seek to rejuvenate the human race from those about to die in the past. Based on a novel by John Varley.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Both are visions of the future involving at some level scientific advances so I think they are.

I'm not saying all sci-fi films have to be set in the future, or involve science. But nor do they have to involve aliens or outer space. They can just be slightly different from our present world.

Now I'd disagree as V4V is set in an alternative 1980's. Hardly futuristic. Neither that film or Brazil have any sci-fi staples such as gadgets, spaceships, aliens etc.

In fact Brazil has a very 1930's retro look to it - I guess "speculative fiction" is a good tag, but who cares, they're good films - Brazil one of the greatest ever made IMHO.

And as for Terminator: Check out the Sarah Connor Chronicles - hopefully they're erasing T3 from history!

 

[Rayleigh Weir]

Now I'd disagree as V4V is set in an alternative 1980's. Hardly futuristic. Neither that film or Brazil have any sci-fi staples such as gadgets, spaceships, aliens etc.

In fact Brazil has a very 1930's retro look to it - I guess "speculative fiction" is a good tag, but who cares, they're good films - Brazil one of the greatest ever made IMHO.

And as for Terminator: Check out the Sarah Connor Chronicles - hopefully they're erasing T3 from history!

I'd argue that the 'bug' in the system at the heart of Brazil is one of the key Sci-fi staples. As is the fact that it's set in the future - albeit a future that the repressive controlling powers have prevented from progressing technologically (sounds familiar) hence the retro look of it...

So where does something like the remake of The Time Machine fit in? With its Victoriana Steampunk style gadgets it could hardly be termed futuristic, and although the time machine itself allows Hartdegen to travel to the Future - it's a future that has regressed to a more stone age society. So is it Science Fiction or period drama? Or a bit of both with several other genres thrown in?

 

[Napster]

ET isn't in the future. Nor is Star Wars. (a long time ago...)

 

[MK Shrimper]

So where does something like the remake of The Time Machine fit in?

Sci-Fi without a doubt. Time machine, morlocks, Samantha Mumba - all unbelievable :D

 

[MK Shrimper]

ET isn't in the future. Nor is Star Wars. (a long time ago...)

But ET contains spaceships and an alien. Star Wars contains many spaceships and many aliens. Brazil and V4V simply don't contain any SF standard staples, and therefore in my eyes, cannot be classed as Science Fiction.

 

[BrettieAngell]

I'd go for the usual shouts. Terminator is as good as it gets for sci-fi, and Star Wars dominated my childhood as it did for so many other blokes my age.

I'm also a big, big fan of Twelve Monkeys and the Lawnmower man, but for me, the best of the lot was Millennium (with Kris Kristofferson and Cheryl Ladd).

Cracking film - rent it out!

From IMDb:
An investigator seeking the cause of an airline disaster discovers the involvement of an organisation of time travellers from a future Earth irreparably polluted who seek to rejuvenate the human race from those about to die in the past. Based on a novel by John Varley.

Twelve Monkeys is a good film!

 

[South Bank Hank]

Twelve Monkeys is a good film!

If you like that, you WILL like Millennium. Same mind-****ing portrayal of time travel which leaves your head in a bit of a spin.

 

[Tommy2holes]

Going on cheesy sci-fi i love a film called Trancers.

Time travel film with very low budget but an excellent story line.

 

[ian_the_girth]

does "honey, i shrunk the kids" count ?

 

[MK Shrimper]

does "honey, i shrunk the kids" count ?

Hang your head in shame. :stunned:

 

[ian_the_girth]

Hang your head in shame. :stunned:

ok, sorry... how about ghostbusters !

 

[MK Shrimper]

ok, sorry... how about ghostbusters !

Well it's not REALLY sci-fi, but it's a good film otherwise, so a reprieve granted :D

 

[stoy_redstar]

does butterfly effect count?