#4502435 - 01/02/2007:31 PMForgotten or mostly forgotten sci-fi films
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Sci-fi geeks like us remember most if not all of these movies but I'd say that the general public and pop culture have forgotten these which in my opinion are quite good and some were even quite prophetic about the future.
1. Gattaca (genetic engineering, electric cars, private industry spearheading space exploration, etc.)
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
Gattaca was great, and I have recommended that to a number of people.
Outland definitely had an "Aliens" feel, I think mostly because the people making it just liked that look. That movie is one of those that looks good, and has a decent basic concept, but a few dumb decisions along the way really spoiled it for me.
I haven't seen any of the others, and hadn't even heard of Screamers.
Ken Cartwright
No single drop of rain feels it is responsible for the flood.
13th Floor was pretty good--I remember watching in the theater
The Arrival was a sleeper surprise with Charlie Sheen and Ron Silver. I didn't expect much but was pleasantly satisfied and wanted more
Gattaca was great
I'd like to add "Existenz" to the VR sci-fi thriller list. It's a Cronenberg film, so be ready for surrealism. I saw it again after 20 years a couple of years ago and was way better than I remember. That Jennifer Jason Leigh was in the film... is a bonus.
Another is "Pandorum." Great movie that received very little press.
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Screamers was really good, but avoid the sequel. LOL
IMO, Ron Moore took overlooked elements from the original series and made good use of them. The idea of Cylons looking human being one of them. Watching the original show made me appreciate it as well as Moore's version a lot more. The original isn't as campy as I was remembering and Moore's has more thought to it than I used to think.
Agreed, The Arrival was a surprise I didn't expect much from but really liked.
Of the Mars movies that came out a while back, I still like Red Planet with Val Kilmer. Much more entertaining than some others since then.
Dark City was kind of a Matrix before the Matrix movie. Good at the time, but I found it hard to watch recently.
There are some fun scifi/horror movies you don't hear about much: Life Force (space vampires) Moon Trap (Walter Koenig and Bruce Campbell) ...and the somewhat similar premise Virus (Jamie Lee Curtis) Ghosts of Mars
You used to see Robinson Crusoe on Mars on tv fairly regularly and it always sucked me in. That and Forbidden Planet make a great pairing.
Another is "Pandorum." Great movie that received very little press.
That film was really good but as a claustrophobic person that early scene where he crawls into that pipe had me freaking out. On a second watch some years later I had to skip that scene.
Last edited by Chucky; 01/03/2002:38 PM. Reason: spelling
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Originally Posted by Raw Kryptonite
The idea of Cylons looking human being one of them. .
Yeah, a lot of people don't realize that was done in Galactica 1980.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
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It was mentioned in the original series. Apollo suspected Count Iblis of being a human looking Cylon. The end of the new series, the unseen 6 and Baltar, the influence of good and evil sides goes back to the original series too, just more artfully. For that matter, the idea of having a living person but finding their dead body in a crash on a planet comes from the original show, just in a different context.
I watched " It came from Outer Space " the other night not a high Tech film, but had Creepy parts. Enjoyable. However, it made remember another film " ,not the name ? ", where people without their meds are street bums/ homeless, but on meds can explode Brains and were brilliant, not my cup of tea .but it was well made and passable. Near or at bottom of my list is the " Devil Woman from Mars " about all she did was Talk the Talk and make noise. Princess of Mars and not of this earth dead last.
#4502849 - 01/06/2003:22 PMRe: Forgotten or mostly forgotten sci-fi films
[Re: DM]
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Originally Posted by DM
Silent Running. A comedy dressed as a tragedy. (In the classic sense) Dark Star. A tragedy dressed as a comedy (In the modern sense)
I remember I was about 6 years old when I first watched "Silent Running" which happened to be airing on TV at the time and while I had no clue about the plot, I distinctly remember crying when one of the agricultural droids got damaged and ceased to function.
"Dark Star" I attempted to watch a few years ago but couldn't get past the killer ball scene which seemed to last for an eternity. I may give it another shot some day.
Last edited by PanzerMeyer; 01/06/2003:23 PM.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
You should definitely give Dark Star another shot, Panzer, to see the ending alone.
Great obscure "movie," that without, John Carpenter never would have given us the classic masterpiece that is "Starman," which is still awesome and meaningful all these years later.
"Dark Star" I attempted to watch a few years ago but couldn't get past the killer ball scene which seemed to last for an eternity. I may give it another shot some day.
Yeah, well, by their own admission pretty much everybody on the film set was more or less constantly stoned. Occasionally, it shows.
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"The Hidden" is a very underrated scifi movie and I was able to rent the dvd from Netflix but that was several years ago. They may no longer have it available.
What I find interesting about the movie is that Kyle McLachlan plays an FBI agent and just 3 years later he played an FBI again again on Twin Peaks!
Claudia Christian of Babylon 5 fame is also in it.
Last edited by PanzerMeyer; 01/08/2007:06 PM.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
Yeah, The Hidden was surprisingly good. A friend of mine rented it right after it came out on video tape, way back in the day, and I had never heard of it, but really enjoyed it.
Ken Cartwright
No single drop of rain feels it is responsible for the flood.
I like the old Sci Fi movies, one of my favorites was from a book "When worlds Collide" which had a sequel that never was made into a movie "After Worlds Collide" and I always wanted to see that one done. "The 23rd day" with Gene Barry I think could be remade but with Today's climate might turn into what they did to "The Day the Earth Stood Still" which disappointed me at the end. The original is dated but still compelling.
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#4503598 - 01/13/2012:25 PMRe: Forgotten or mostly forgotten sci-fi films
[Re: KRT_Bong]
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Originally Posted by KRT_Bong
I like the old Sci Fi movies, .
Same here. "Metropolis" is the oldest sci-fi film I currently have on dvd. When you really think about it, it's mind-boggling how far ahead of its time it was in 1927.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
Not sure if "Forbidden Planet" qualifies as "mostly forgotten" but it was ground breaking. Even The Expanse still uses the trope of an "ancient, long gone super civilization with so advanced technology that it still works", and most major science-fiction themed computer games do. Plus, electronic music, and the concept that the heroes aren't fighting a super-powerful, evil monster, but their own fears. There's a restored bluray that delivers superb quality. That film inspired one or two generations of science-fiction directors and writers.