The Movie Mash Presents: My ‘Top 10 Sci-Fi’

Last week I posted my Top 10 Thrillers. This week is all for the Sci-Fi geeks, and boy am I a Sci-Fi geek. I love different director’s visions of a bleak future; whether it be a race of Terminator robots attempting to exterminate mankind, or a futuristic society that forces its citizens to take a daily injection that purges them of all emotions resulting in no wars or crime. Sci-Fi is one of the most creative genres of cinema because it gives a director/screenwriter complete control of the world and message they are trying to convey to the audience. These are MY Top 10 Sci-Fi movies of all time.

Before we get into the list, many of you may be surprised by a franchise that is completely absent; that would be any and all Star Wars films. Now don’t get me wrong, I love episodes 4, 5 and 6, but George Lucas’ recent disastrous prequel trilogy has made all of his Star Wars suffer in my heart as a result. I’m sure there’s going to be a bunch of  nerd backlash, but again this is MY list. So lets get to the legit Sci-Fi.

#10 Minority Report

Steven Spielberg is not only probably the greatest filmmaker of all time overall, (for now; cough, Christopher Nolan) but he’s also probably the best storyteller and visionary of science fiction. Close Encounters, A.I., War of the Worlds and ET are all prime examples of bold and daring visions of the future or humanity’s first contact with aliens. The best science fiction outing by Mr. Spielberg, in my opinion, is the brilliant Minority Report.

The year is 2054 and thanks to the three ‘Pre-Cogs’, murder and rape are a thing of the past with courtesy of Pre-Crime. Unfortunately for Tom Cruise, he’s being set up by his boss/mentor, causing him do anything and everything to prove his innocence, resulting in two hours of white-knuckle suspense, fantastic acting, great special effects and a compelling story. Minority Report is a visually dazzling Sci-Fi thriller, and one represents some of Spielberg’s best direction.

#9 Star Trek

One of the biggest and best surprises of 2009 was the reinvention of Star Trek. The fanchise runs in the double digits and spans 40 years, spawning a legion of nerds and an inevitable geek/lame-sauce stigma to go with it. Not anymore. The 2009 Star Trek was one of the most entertaining movies I’ve seen all year. It’s got a hot young cast, a great script filled with humor, drama and thrilling action, impressive direction from J.J. Abrams and dazzling special effects.

And not only did it simply entertain millions of people all over the world, but it also erased that “nerd” stigma, and brought the Star Trek lore and mythology to the masses; which, until now, had been completely irrelevant for most movie goers. So bravo to J.J. Abrams & Co. for making a fun and exciting summer blockbuster with brains, that will have a lot of people unashamed to dress like Spock or Kirk this Halloween.

#8 Gattaca

Very much like Equlibrium, which appears later in the countdown, Gattaca is a fantastic Sci-Fi drama that a lot of people might not know about because of its focus on psychological mind games and not explosions or spaceships. With the great cast of Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law, Gattaca is the story of a genetically inferior man (Hawke) assumes the identity of a superior one (Law) in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.

The film is a great piece of eye candy due to the sleek and cold depiction of  a “not-too distant future.” This movie has a lot of great dramatic suspense, as Hawke’s character is constantly almost “caught” impersonating his genetically superior brother. If your a sci-fi fan, definitely Netflix Gattaca if you haven’t seen it.

#7 Vanilla Sky

For a lot of you who have seen Vanilla Sky, or for those who know of the film but haven’t seen it, you might be raising your eye brows at why I am tagging this film as “Sci-Fi.” As I don’t want to spoil the film for those who haven’t seen it, the entire concept of the film deals with alternate realities resulting from futuristic technologies. So yeah, that’s pretty science fiction-y to me.

Anyway, Vanilla Sky is written and directed by the awesome Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) and is the story of David Ames (Tom Cruise), a millionaire playboy whose face is demolished after a life-shattering car crash, seconds after meeting the woman of his dreams (Penelope Cruz). The movie is a steamy, erotic thriller with a twist-ending that is very thought-provoking and should have you and your fellow audience members talking long after the movie is over.

#6 The Fifth Element

Right up there with Star Trek, The Fifth Element is one of the coolest and funnest Sci-Fi action adventures to come out during the last 20 years. Bruce Willis is classic Bruce in this funky and colorful depiction of the future where an ancient evil is attempting to destroy Earth, leaving only ‘The Fifth Element’ (Milla Jovovich) to stop it. The movie has some brilliantly creative set pieces and art direction that really transport you to another world.

Along with Bruce being awesome Bruce, the film also features a hysterical performance from Chris Tucker playing a very flamboyant and eccentric talk show host, and Gary Oldman proving he’s one of the most versatile actors working today, playing the diabolical villain, “Zorg.” The Fifth Element is a rip-roaring sci-fi adventure that I’ve seen hundreds of times and it never gets old.

#5 Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Hands down the best Terminator and no doubt one of the best action movies ever made, Terminator 2: Judgment Day is probably the most badass Sci-Fi action movie of all time. Featuring one of the most iconic roles in movie history, Arnold, James Cameron & Co. bring us this heart-stopping, eye-popping action movie that still rivals action movies today, and it was made in 1991.

The dark nature of this clash between the past, the future and humanity’s fight for survival, is just an awesome concept for a movie and one that has obviously resonated with most movie fans. “Hasta la vista…baby.” No matter how lame or annoying that might be saying in an everyday sentence now, the fact that, when that phrase is uttered, anyone who hears it will know what movie it’s from, is a pretty powerful thing.

#4 A Clockwork Orange

Considered to be one of the greatest movies of all-time, and certainly director Stanley Kubrick’s biggest mark on cinema history, A Clockwork Orange is a movie that will stand the test of time for the next 100 years. Because of its disturbing, violent images, that facilitate social commentary about psychiatry, youth gangs, and other contemporary social, political, and economic subjects in a dystopian, future Britain, A Clockwork Orange is a truly unforgettable film.

With the combination of a terrifyingly droll and savagely charismatic performance by Malcom McDowell as Alex, and Kubrick’s hypnotic direction and screenplay, A Clockwork Orange, whether in love with or disgusted by it, will have you talking and debating until the wee hours of the night.

#3 Equilibrium

Ranking right up there with The Matrix in terms of mesmerizing fight-sequence choreography, 2002’s ’straight to DVD Sci-Fi epic, Equilibrium, is something that action junkies will find irresistible. In a future society, a government-enforced daily injection for all citizens purges all emotions from human beings, thus resulting in a ‘peaceful state.’ As many people “feel” they have the right to “feel,” an underground resistance is started to take back human being’s god given right to feel emotions. Unfortunately, those in power are not interested in “doing what’s right,” so they have created a specially-trained unit of elite soldiers with unprecedented skills in gun martial arts. Their objective?  “To seek out and eradicate all sense offenders.” The leader of this elite task-force, John Preston (Christian Bale), then begins to feel and attempts to lead the underground back to salvation.

This is one of my favorite movies. Hmmm…most of my favorite movies seem to always feature Christian Bale as the star. Pattern? Anyway, Equilibrium features a brilliant science fiction concept and some of the most unique and badass action sequences I’ve ever seen. If you haven’t seen Equilibrium, see it immediately.

#2 Twelve Monkeys

Ahhh Terry Gilliam (director of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Brothers Grimm), what a visionary mind you have. 12 Monkeys hit theaters in 1996 and is seriously one of the trippiest, craziest, weirdest and coolest Sci-Fi movies ever made. The movie is unbelievably complex and interpretive, but here’s a basic synopsis: in a future world devastated by disease, a convict (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet. That breakdown is not cut-and-dry and is definitely open for debate; an interpretive luxury that a majority of science fiction films seem to flourish from.

The movie features the best performance of Brad Pitt’s career. When Willis travels back in time, he is captured by police and sent to an insane asylum. There, he meets and makes friends with Jeffery (Pitt), a seriously delusional schizophrenic who keeps babbling on about these 12 Monkeys (*wink*). His portrayal of a crazy person is unforgettable and even garnered him an Oscar nomination and won him a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. 12 Monkeys is one of the most hardcore, pure science fiction films I’ve ever seen. It is so hardcore, that it may turnoff the average movie fan. But if you’re a Sci-Fi purist like me, you HAVE to check out 12 Monkeys.

#1 The Matrix

I’m sure that this doesn’t come as a shock for most of you. The Matrix is one of the most ground-breaking movies of all time, not only for the Sci-Fi genre, but for the entire movie industry. It re-wrote the rules on special effects and action; as well as the scope, scale and seriousness of the blockbuster. The Matrix features stunts and visuals that we didn’t even know movies could do back in 1999. Even to this day, The Matrix is a threshold, a benchmarks that all Sci-Fi action movies cannot ignore. (*Cough* This list will be re-done when Inception opens next summer)

While the franchise declined in quality by the movie, (Reloaded was decent and Revolutions sucked) the first installment in this epic Sci-Fi franchise will stand the test of time and always be considered as the hands down best of the three, and one of the best of the genre of all time.

What Do You Think? Discuss.