Ten Deep 10.15.09: Top 50 Science Fiction Movies - Part 2/5

Posted by Owain J. Brimfield on 10.15.2009

It's week two of our epic countdown, so check inside to see which SF movies made numbers 40 through 31!





Welcome to week 51 of 'Ten Deep'! We're into week two of our marathon slog through the best big screen sci-fi, and already a list five times the normal size has drawn out some reactions that are five times the normal stupid, so let's touch base with some:

Reactions and interactions

Most of the dissention seemed to circulate around a) Logan's Run only making an honorable mention and b) Independence Day cracking the top fifty in its stead. Actually, it seems more that it was my description of Logan's Run as "campy" that angered some of the commenters. Perhaps some of you need to understand that that isn't a pejorative term, just an observation. chefpissedtheFoff in particular offered a noteworthy and articulate argument against the exclusion of the film...

"To Campy, you son of a bitch, "its a classic" screw you, Logans Run was the pivotal defining moment for taking the sci-fi genera seriously. Look at what was before it, A JOKE, just like your campy opinion, go F yourself & the computer you surf porn on..."

Glorious. I stand entirely chastised by your flawless reasoning and superlative grammatical skills. Thankfully, M:-X provides the voice of reason and observes that while it wasn't campy when it was made, it certainly seems that way now.

Debate also ran rife over the inclusion of ID4, some supporting and some hating that decision, so it's good to see that debate can be encouraged by my choices. I'll certainly defend its inclusion though.

Elsewhere, Kermit the Grooving Frog thinks that Serenity making only an honorable mention means the list is a "mockery". Fanboy much? It's a good film, but if you genuinely think it should have made the top fifty, then I submit that you haven't actually seen fifty SF movies.

Antoine takes my description of Bill Pullman's call to arms in ID4 a little too seriously. I was being facetious, dawg.

A pondering from Armitage Shanks over whether Sky Captain did the whole "film entirely on greenscreen" thing before Casshern. They were both released the same year, but I think Sky Captain was in development for longer so it probably does have the edge.

Guest (way to preserve your anonymity there) suggests that Primer is "ridiculously bad" due, I think, to the fact that it's hard to follow. I'm not sure how credible of an argument that reasoning will constitute, but I can see why it's less than intelligible to some viewers.

The Tortoise King is unsure over several of the exclusions I mentioned last week, but at least he's polite about it. Yes, you could debate the merits of Eternal Sunshine and Jurassic Park as science fiction - personally, I don't think the storyworld in which they take place is sufficiently empirically distinct from the real world for them to make the cut, but that could be argued at length (and I think neverAcquiesce would probably take me up on that offer) - but hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised with where Stalker ends up.

Moving on! Let's tackle numbers 40 down to 31 in our top fifty countdown.


As always, there's one golden rule: if I haven't seen it, it's not allowed on the list.

This week's golden rule notable omissions: District 9, Fantastic Voyage, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Moon, Tetsuo





The Story So Far...

Honorable mentions: The Man From Earth La Jetée La Voyage dans la Lune Logan's Run The Quiet Earth Serenity

50. Casshern 49. Pi 48. Independence Day 47. The Time Machine 46. Things to Come 45. Solaris 44. Primer 43. Robocop 42. Superman II 41. Westworld

40. Minority Report (2002)

Just cracking into the top forty ahead of Westworld comes Spielberg's loose adaptation (and believe me when I say it is a loose adaptation) of the Philip K. Dick short. Dick, even more so than H.G. Wells, is one of those authors whose material is responsible for providing the basis of a number of great science fiction movies, even if when his work gets adapted too faithfully it results in the likes of A Scanner Darkly. On the surface of it, one could be forgiven for writing off Minority Report as just another shiny futuristic blockbuster given the presence of everyone's favorite wackjob midget the Cruiser in the lead role, and the admittedly impressive effects-laden world in which his adventures take place. However, as you should expect given Senor Spielbergo at the helm, it's actually a much more complex adventure, both in terms of the philosophical and metaphysical ramifications of having a police force whose work is based purely on precognition, and the paradoxical fate that befalls Cruise when he's pre-accused of a future murder. While it's not the man's finest starring role (funny how John Anderton wears the exact same imperiled facial expression as Ethan Hunt and Bill Harford), the compelling story that unfolds around him is well worth its plaudits, and the peppering of the supporting cast with smart turns by the likes of Samantha Morton and Max Von Sydow more than restores the actorly balance. As well as the future world of the movie being one of the most feasible yet committed to screen -if we omit the science of the precogs, at least - the action is handled with the expected requisite flair by The World's Greatest Director ™, whose previous foray into the genre didn't quite bear up to these standards, proving that if nothing else Minority Report deserves the title of Spielberg's Top Three Sci-Fi, which aside from its other merits automatically qualifies it for inclusion here.

39. Pitch Black (2000)

While Dick Riddick the character seems to have had his legacy (if you can call it that) somewhat tarnished by his titular Chronicles, stepping back to his screen debut in Pitch Black it's a nice reminder of when the character did have the potential to carry a strong sci-fi franchise on his back. Now I'm aware that I probably rate Pitch Black higher than most moviegoers, so for those of you (and I know there are a few) who think it's an average SF/horror mash-up with no defining features outside of Vin Diesel, skip on to the next one why don't you, and save your righteous indignation. Taking a relatively straightforward plot device - a bunch of people stranded at nightfall with evil beasties that thrive in the darkness - and chucking in a moderately-sized twist to liven things up - the lead character is a convicted murderer who can see in the dark! - the film draws a surprising amount of suspense out of what could otherwise have been a more prosaic setup. Employing a somewhat pared-down visual approach, outside of the opening spaceship crash landing and the CGI monsters (natch), it's the more subtle aspects of the visual design that stick in the mind, like the color filters on the planet's surface and Vin's crazy nightvision eyes. Riddick himself is a memorable antihero, too, with the supporting cast's increasing dependence on his mercy making for some potentially interesting plot developments at every twist and turn. As for the horror elements, they're utilized pretty well, and I have to admit I didn't predict the order of the characters being killed off with any sort of accuracy, so points for some originality there. Pitch Black is an example of straightforwardly good science fiction, with some strong storytelling combined with a dose of creative flair in a unique environment.

38. Brazil (1985)

I get the feeling that this may be one of those films that people feel should be higher in the list, but nevertheless I'll have to admit I'm not particularly a huge fan of Terry Gilliam's dystopian satire. Still, a potent film it remains, and I'm happy to recognize its merits even if I don't love it like some of these other movies. Like Superman II before it on this list, and like a particular other entrant that'll be upcoming in the next few weeks, Brazil has suffered through numerous cuts and edits, and while not having seen all of them I can't give a definitive answer as to which is best, the US theatrical version is certainly not to be viewed, with its tacked-on happy ending, at the expense of the British cut, which retains Gilliam's intended macabre denouement. Always the way with these bloody studios, eh. To most intents and purposes Brazil is somewhat of a middle ground between Dr Strangelove and Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, with the satirical aspects of the film's take on the overwhelming nature of government bureaucracy being arguably more successful than the sci-fi elements of the dystopian setting. While Gilliam would go on to greater success working in a more overt representation of the SF genre, here it's used sparingly, with the focus instead being on a barmy conspiracy theory centering around Robert De Niro (whose death scene, if it can be called that, remains one of the most bizarre yet seen on the big screen). With the cast being made up largely of British character actors, it's tempting to think of this almost as "Monty Python does sci-fi" whenever Gilliam's eccentric flourishes hove to the fore, but deep down its use of the genre to set up a storyworld which ruthlessly - and hilariously - mocks governmental procedures is inspired.

37. The Iron Giant (1999)

Science fiction does seem most often to be the genre that sees the biggest gulf between critical acclaim and commercial reception (well, it does to my admittedly somewhat tunnel vision-afflicted eyes anyway), and Brad Bird's feature directorial debut is as good an illustration of that fact as any other film you could mention. Debuting to a lowly domestic gross despite a string of strong reviews (and to this day I don't think I have seen a single negative review of the film) and a seemingly rife potential for merchandising, history seems to have been somewhat unkind to The Iron Giant. Developed, somewhat randomly, from a Pete Townshend (yes, that Pete Townshend) treatment of a Ted Hughes story, the film sees, you guessed it, an iron giant fall from the sky during the Cold War and befriend a young boy who attempts to hide him from the authorities and the typical gung-ho military. Needless to say, the giant goes on to learn some poignant lessons about life, friendship and Superman. The film has a diverse and talented voice cast, including everyone from Frasier's dad to Shooter McGavin, and with Vin Diesel in the title role perhaps the best he's ever been outside of Riddick. As you'd expect from a filmmaker of Bird's caliber, is a remarkable animated movie. Made with a clear affection for Cold War-era science fiction (the promotional poster even namechecks 50s genre "classic It Came From Outer Space), while the animation itself isn't anything to particularly write home about, especially in comparison to Bird's next foray into the genre, it's certainly made with a loving attention to detail that most animated films would kill for, and thrives because of that fact. Perhaps the most quietly unassuming film in the top fifty, nevertheless The Iron Giant is a neat reminder of the genre's capacity to surprise.

36. Total Recall (1990)

Hmmm... I wonder if it's actually a trend to note that literary adaptations seem to be appearing within only a few spaces of each other across this list - this is the second Philip K. Dick adaptation this week, similar to a couple of H.G. Wells movies from last week's column. I'll chalk it up to coincidence rather than any lack of imagination on my part. Anyway, similar to Minority Report, Total Recall isn't exactly a faithful rendition of the original story (although it's definitely a snappier title than We Can Remember it For You Wholesale), but that's not to denigrate its worth as a motion picture. Taking in a number of classic genre conceits (fake memories, mutation, colonizing and terraforming Mars), the fact that the film is a bloody good sci-fi flick is often overshadowed by the chick with the three tits and the bloke with the baby in his stomach, and Arnie's eyes bulging several inches out of his eye sockets. Admittedly yes, the special effects are more than memorable, with some typical Verhoeven grossout moments, but there's more to it than that, folks! The twisty-turny tale of the Governator trying to recover his lost memories, which may or may not actually be his after all, throws some pretty sophisticated ponderings onto what could otherwise have been a straightforward action/mystery-type story, as we're as much in the dark as Ahnuld as to exactly which parts of his brain have been artificially altered. It's perhaps the big man's most urbane big screen outing, and although that may not seem like a compliment given that the man also gave us Hercules in New York, Total Recall set the bar for the 1990s when it came to both thought-provoking and ball-busting science fiction, and proved a pretty hard act to top.

35. Silent Running (1972)

Outstanding survivalist science fiction, or sentimental hippy-drippy claptrap? The latter is an accusation I've seen thrown towards Silent Running on several occasions, but I think the viewpoint is unfairly influenced by the film's utterly boggling inclusion of two Joan Baez folk tunes on the soundtrack, which take the film in a completely unexpected (and as far as the rest of the movie's tone goes, jarring) direction for the several minutes they're played over the on-screen action. Look past those moments of apparent madness, though, and the remainder of the film is indeed a superb mix of isolationist paranoia and post-apocalyptic ecological manifesto. Bruce Dern excels in the central role of Freeman Lowell, perhaps the human race's last surviving botanist, whose utter despair at being ordered to destroy the galaxy's final remaining forests, stowed aboard his space freighter in giant greenhouses, results in him unwittingly murdering his shipmates and piloting the ship off into the depths of the solar system. While the character is certainly not likeable, he's sympathetic at least as his motivations are pure, and the growing insanity of his charge is clearly a burden too far on his addled mind. His only company on the journey is three robotic drones he nicknames Huey, Dewey and Louie, and his increasingly desperate (and indeed disparate) attempts to reprogram them to act like humans in the stead of the crewmates he offed are touching. While the environmental message may be laid on a little thick, the film has dated pretty well and its influences are clear in TV shows like Red Dwarf and Battlestar Galactica. While director Douglas Trumbull has worked on superior sci-fi films in other capacities (see next week's column, or in fact later on this week, for more on that), his feature debut remains a pioneering movie in the genre and well worthy of adulation from a modern audience.

34. Predator (1987)

Given that one commenter last week was quick to suggest Robocop should have made the top ten, I'm willing to predict it won't be too long before someone makes the same claim about Predator, a film which has a huge amount of love amongst older and younger viewers alike. Well, I won't go that far, but it's still a highly entertaining film with all the right ingredients - cast of awesomely macho actors, classic soundbites (which is your favorite, "get to the choppa!!!" or "if it bleeds, we can kill it"?), frenetic action in a suspenseful setting, and most importantly, an antagonist that's badass enough to have you believing it might actually kill off Arnie. Yes, the Predator itself has a deserved place in the pantheon of SF baddies, even for all that it's been diluted by the weakling version of the character that appeared in Predator 2, and the whole AvP nonsense which we shan't talk about in these here parts. The fact that it hunts down and systematically disembowels a veritable mercenary army of buff heroes just adds to the aura. Of course, science fiction bad guy aside, the film works just as well as a straight-up action film, with Arnie's Army spending a fair chunk of their time blowing away evil goons in the Guatemalan jungle and racking up an enviable body count. However, it's the extra dimension the film takes on once the dynamic switches to the Predator picking them off one by one, that elevates its cache to a level worthy of inclusion in our top fifty. Despite reams of similar movies in the ensuing years, the affection most moviegoers have for Predator is seemingly undimmed, and I know a good few of my mates would be pleased to see this here, if they bothered to read my column, the lazy gits.

33. WALL-E (2008)

Another animated movie to add to the list, WALL-E is one of the most recent entrants into the top fifty, but in the short space of time since its release it has already seen its reputation grow as a future classic, in much the same way as most of Pixar's oeuvre. In the same manner as all the cartoon greats, WALL-E takes a simple setup and what is ostensibly a children's movie, and turns it into something profound and universal (no pun intended). Although the futuristic world of robots and spaceships is rendered in a wonderfully artsy manner, the sci-fi setting is really only the means by which to tell a simple love story, or at least as simple as love stories get when they're taking place between two robots. However, the very nature of the lead characters mean that the science fiction elements that are in place are inextricably linked with the progression of the story, hence my labeling it a SF movie rather than a romantic drama or some such. Besides, the first forty minutes or so, in which WALL-E wanders around an abandoned Earth in a futile effort to clean up the human race's collective mess, are as much a contemporary update of the silent movie as anything else, lending even greater scope to WALL-E's dynamics as a motion picture, and proving that genre isn't everything. As always with Pixar, the CGI universe itself is stunningly rendered, and you could probably turn the sound off and get a fair bit of enjoyment out of admiring the visuals alone (although you'd be missing out on the top notch sound design too), but it's the merits of the story that will be discussed around the water cooler the next day (proverbially speaking). While WALL-E isn't a revolution for the genre, it's a sweet story cleverly told and certainly one of the best, if not the best, SF movies of the past few years.

32. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

As implied earlier, Senor Spielbergo made a couple of science fiction films that were superior to Minority Report, and this is one of them. Although it seems like its legacy has been somewhat dulled over the passing years, with the exception of the AFI's continued love, make no mistake that this is a landmark genre film. With UFO sightings across America driving electrician Richard Dreyfuss and numerous other everyday-type folks to distraction, a final meeting takes place at the sinisterly-named Devil's Tower. I think it's no spoiler to reveal that the aliens are benevolent, because quite frankly even if you are one of the few people reading this list who hasn't seen the film, the fact that their musical motif is in a major scale should have tipped you off. Close Encounters is simply classic Spielberg, which immediately puts it in a league of its own, and it features what for my money one of Dreyfuss's best performances (although if Wikipedia is to be believed he was something like the sixth choice for the part... who knew!). Taking a distinctly different tone from the vast majority of alien visitation stories, Spielberg is one of the few directors who could get away with friendly aliens bringing peace and love (a concept he'd later revisit with even more impressive results) without coming across as maudlin or corny, and is aided as always by a John Williams score that recalls dreamlike visions and wistful dreaming of what might lie beyond the stars. While I'm not as high on Close Encounters as most SF buffs would like me to be, it's one of the most benign and universal films to feature in our top fifty and showcases a different side of the genre that doesn't ordinarily receive too much attention. Besides, Ray Bradbury loves it, so who am I to argue.

31. Return of the Jedi (1983)

Aggrieved as I am that this can't top the list, I grudgingly have to recognize its limitations, but it's still a great sci-fi movie. Always up for a spot of self-plagiarism, I shall recycle my blurb on Jedi from the "top threequels" column the other month, since it covers all the points I'd want to make, although before I forget, let's take that execrable musical number from Jabba's Palace in the Special Edition out of the picture, too. Anyway, those things aside, RotJ is where the saga comes full circle, with the final triumph of good over the Dark Side and complete with the greatest space battle ever committed to film. If the Battle of Endor and Luke's showdown with the Emperor don't represent one of the best final acts to a series ever seen, then I don't know what does. There's also the smaller scale moments, from Yoda's death to Leia quietly realizing that she made out with her brother in the last film, as well as the endless water-cooler philosophical ponderings, like just what was the Rebel Alliance's moral stance concerning all those contractors on board the Death Star? For building on the foundations laid down by Episodes IV and V and for capping off the greatest film trilogy ever, RotJ deserves your respect even if you do have a hatred for teddy bears that can inexplicably take down a legion of stormtroopers. It remains my favorite film of all time (mock all you wish), and although looking at it objectively it doesn't match the standards of its two predecessors, which as you may have gathered will be showing up much later on in this top fifty, it's still deserving of more recognition that its reputation would suggest, and if your blind hatred of the Ewoks won't let you see that, then more's the pity for you.

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And finally…

Feeling aggrieved or elated at this week's ten picks? Then let me know! The magic of the interweb allows you to post your comments right here on this very page, and if they're especially insightful (or idiotic), I may even respond in the next column. Be sure to tune in next week for another edition of 'Ten Deep' and numbers 30-21, but until then - keep watching the skies.