Rotten Tomatoes has a list of 10 Sci-Fi Flicks for the Thinking Man that I thought was a decent list. I have seen all of them except Sleeper (because Woody Allen causes me to gag uncontrollably) and Primer (which is in my Netflix instant queue). I've also only seen the remake of Solaris, but from what I understand, it captures the spirit of the original quite well. I would have perhaps added the following to my own list:
12 Monkeys - Painting a dark picture of humanity's future, hope rests in the hands of criminals sent back in time to discover the stem of an eco-virus that changes the world. This and The Fifth Element showed me that Bruce Willis can do neat things with drama and humor. Easily my favorite performance of Brad Pitt--or anyone, for that matter.
The Lawnmower Man - A mentally handicapped innocent falls into a project with a scientist interested in pushing the limits of science's ability to advance human intelligence. While not the greatest film ever done, it makes a very powerful statement about how careful we are with where we let research lead us. Will it be our greatest triumph? Or our inevitable self-destruction?
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) - The story of one man who discovers a malevolent force from another world has slipped past humanity's defenses and begun a takeover of society from the inside out. While this film is a tad cheesy, it ages better than many of its peers. I remember the profound effect this movie had on me in junior high English. I begun to question things rather than assume what I was seeing was always what I was getting.
The Matrix Trilogy - This series needs no one-sentence-blurb. The first movie was so "outside the box" that I walked out of the theater ready to purchase another ticket. Sadly, the sequels were so far outside the box that they were grossly misunderstood, and many--including myself--were let down by the legacy that followed such an incredible foundation. After reading some exploratory essays on Reloaded and Revolutions, I began to grasp some of what the directors were pitching. Suddenly, these movies took on a much greater meaning. I encourage anyone who was frustrated by them to have a look--you may find the things you were looking for.
With those added, I was actually disappointed to discover so few among the movies listed on Netflix with the "Sci-Fi" moniker. The list of books I've read is 90% science fiction, and I would say that the genre as a whole asks you to think about yourself and the human race more than any other subject. It's kind of sad that so few cerebral concepts have made it to the big screen. I suppose it's a testament to the power of the book.
Science fiction is the best, isn't it? You should come to Japan sometime.
Posted by: nick | January 13, 2009 at 02:50 PM
Nick...
Have you been building a giant robot armor suit while researching an AI system that would use your child's brain-wave patterns?
Posted by: MalevolentDragon | January 13, 2009 at 03:38 PM