COOL SCI-FI MOVIES YOU MIGHT HAVE
MISSED
We have seen all the Alien, Star
Wars and Terminator movies. But what about all
those videos gathering dust on the science fiction shelf? Surely some of them have to be
worth seeing as well?
The Arrival
(Unfairly ignored)
Neat little paranoid thriller
starring Charlie Sheen that somehow got lost in the huge hype surrounding Independence Day.
Battle Beyond the Stars
(Can you say hormonal
imbalance?)
Pure B-movie material
as has-been television stars battle it out with invading aliens with green blood.
One of exploitation producer Roger Corman's most expensive efforts, Battle
Beyond the Stars is worth the price of a rental only to see the incredible outfit
worn by busty Sybil Danning . . .
A Boy and his Dog
(Must see - despite the cheap
sets.)
It might gathering
dust under another title (such as Apocalypse 2011) on your local videostore's
shelves, but this black-humoured movie made on a shoestring and based on a novella by
sci-fi great Harlan Ellison is a must-see.
Brazil
(Over-the-top, grotesque,
sick, great . . .)
If you're a Monty
Python fan then you'll know who Terry Gilliam is. Having made such off-beat films
such as The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Fisher King
and 12 Monkeys, Gilliam is one of the most original and singular talents haunting
the Hollywood byroads. If you're not a Python fan, then that's no excuse to miss this
wildly surreal movie about an Orwellian dystopia.
Dark Star
(Waiting for Godot meets
Arthur C. Clarke)
Made by cult director
John (Escape from New York, The Thing)
Carpenter while still a film school student, Dark Star runs like a mixture
between French absurdist theatre and 2001: A Space Odyssey. The
effects are surprisingly good for such a cheaply made movie.
The Day The Earth Stood Still
(An "oldie" but
good . . .)
Even if
you don't like Black &
White movies this one is still worth seeing . . .
Death Race 2000
(One of my favourite bad
movies of all time)
Bad outfits, music,
acting, hairstyles and a wickedly twisted screenplay makes for an excellent bad movie.
Demolition Man
(Violent and funny
actioner)
Fancy lots of
explosions? You've got that and a screenplay that slyly makes digs at the type of
macho character usually played by Sylvester Stallone . . .
Disaster In Time
(Uneven, yet thoughtful)
Time travel story with
an intriguing premise. This movie doesn't always deliver on its promise, but is still worth
catching on late-night television if you can. . .
Enemy Mine
(Lame ending, good
acting, gripping)
More sci-fi than anything recently thrown in our direction, Enemy Mine ultimately
suffers from an extremely unlikely ending. However, if your literary tastes includes
"hard" sci-fi such as Asimov and Clarke, then you'll be, er, hard-pressed to find a
better way to spend two hours of your life.
Fahrenheit 451
(French art house movie -
but without the subtitles)
See this movie based on the novel of the same name by Ray Bradbury about "firemen" who burns in a future dystopia before Mel Gibson finishes the Hollywood
remake of it he is busy with right now.
The
Handmaid's Tale
(Cautionary feminist
parable)
This, er, tale set in a future patriarchal dystopia in which women serves as nothing else
than breeders may be slow moving, but is suitably weird and interesting.
The Hidden
(Violent, clever, funny)
This unexpectedly good violent sci-fi action movie reminds one most of the first Terminator
movie.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 - the Movie
(Funny)
This extremely funny spin-off of the "cult" television show may start off
unpromisingly, but soon you'll find yourself rewinding the tape and watching it again
because you couldn't hear all the dialogue because everybody watching it
were laughing so loud.
Not Of This Earth
(B-movie - be in the
right frame of mind, beer not optional)
Pure Roger Corman exploitation pic starring ex-porn star Traci Lords. Lots of beer and
pizza are required while watching . . .
Repo Man
(Weird)
Weird and off-beat are the adjectives that spring to mind when watching this flick that
features street punks, mad scientists, repo men, stolen Chevies, mad scientists and flying
saucers.
Retroactive
(Not bad sci-fi action movie)
If you're looking for undemanding action movie stuff then you can do a whole lot
worse than this engaging Groundhog Day-style time travel story.
Screamers
(Effective at times)
Based on a Philip K. (Blade Runner, Total
Recall) Dick short story called Second Variety, Screamers may play
like a downbeat version of Aliens, but it has its moments.
Silent
Running
(Thoughtful, understated,
melancholy)
Forget the scientific implausibility's and immerse yourself in this 2001-like
lament on man's disregard for nature. Directed by special effects wizard Douglas Trumbull,
the effects are above-average for its time but doesn't overwhelm the movie.
Slaughterhouse-Five
(The book's better, but
this isn't bad)
You'd be better off reading Kurt Vonnegut's off-beat classic of the same title, but this
film adaptation will at least make you want to read the book to more clearly understand
on-screen events.
Split Second
(Trashy, yet fun)
Rutger (Ladyhawke) Hauer in pursuit of an Alien lookalike
monster in future semi-submerged London. Trash - yet enjoyable trash.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
(Often forgotten)
This last movie to feature the original television show cast has lots of Shakespeare
quotes being thrown around and is one of the few sci-fi movies that can be described as
Agatha Christie in Outer Space . . .
Strange Days
(Underrated)
Violent end-of-the-millennium action movie with unlikely hero Ralph Fiennes. Cyberpunk
thriller ultimately worth seeing despite its unlikely ending.
They Live
(Difficult to dislike
despite its flaws)
This alien invasion story that gets its shots in at Reaganite 1980s materialism is a
welcome return to form for cult director John Carpenter.
THX 1138
(Bleak)
You worship the very ground George Lucas walks on and you've seen Return
of the Jedi more times than you can be bothered with to count, but have you ever seen
Lucas' directorial debut - a bleak 1984 type of affair?
Time After Time
(Entertaining and
light-weight)
"What would H.G. Wells say if he saw how things turned out in the end?" a
character in CopLand asks. This time travel story supplies some hints: he spends a lot of
time trying to get back to his own time!
Tremors
(Fun)
Dune lookalike worms attack a small desert town. Enjoyable and
funny mayhem ensues mostly because of the local survivalist gun nut couple.
12 Monkeys
(Clever, intelligent)
Don't be put off by people who claimed that the plot is too complex: this Terry Gilliam
movie is intelligently crafted and beautifully shot and filmed.
The Wings of Honneamise
(Great animation but not
really for kids)
Want to check out anime - or rather Japanese animated movies? Then this is the place to
start . . . Stark, surreal, at times violent - Wings of Honneamise isn't quite
Disney.
Zardoz
(Bad 1970s movie or great
art?)
Love it or hate it - but you probably won't understand what the heck it's all about . . .
Stars Sean Connery in a red leather S&M outfit - if that's your type of thing.
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