My Favorite Science Fiction Films.

In honor of the opening of the new Transformers flick this week,
here's a list of my 50 favorite science fiction films of all time
(which, the Transformers did not make it in):


50. TRON
Before there was the Matrix,
there was TRON.
Okay,
so maybe there really isn't all that much as far as compelling storyline goes in this cyber-epic-fantasy. But, boy, those visuals were unlike anything we had seen before. The science of computer graphic effects were fully upon us & in a land not too far away, the force known as CGI was gestating to become the meat that would make the eyes of sci-fan's drool from here to the eternity of this genre's future.
Maybe I look upon this film with the nostaglcic affection that held my young visual senses in a unblinking attention at the time, but it also represented of what was possible when man & modem meet.
I won't try to convince anyone out there that this is a great film on any level, but I do feel that it's a step in science fiction that was inevitable.
You are now entering the matrix of my own personal guilty pleasures. Not to mention the infinite possibilities of cyber-space.


48. The Blob (1988)
A big giant glob of pink snot that only gets bigger & bigger as the movie progresses.
Could somebody hand me over a city-sized piece of tissue, please?


48. I, Robot
Will Smith in a science fiction movie, but without the inept script of Independence Day or the goofy weightlessness of Men In Black.


47. Galaxy Quest
What if the the first alien life-forms to make contact with us happen to be the kind that watch too much television? Or even worse, what if they're Trekkies?
Galaxy-Quest starts out as a parody of the Star Trek franchise, but then, with just the right amount of heart, wry humor & even some satirical intelligence, this movie then evolves into a sci-fi adventure film with a premise that is alot of fun, on point and with a story that ends up standing distinctively on it's own.


46. Predator
How does one gain the World Championship title belt of Total Badassery? Come from another planet, in full tilt sophisticated battle-gear & then proceed to kick the combined @sses of ""the Terminator", Apollo Creed", Jesse "The Body" Ventura & that one guy who played one of the corrupt cops in Payback.
(Not to mention, in following sequels, take on another alien franchise).


45. Cocoon
The aliens have touched down, and they're not here to conquer us, morph into our bodies, drain us of our energy sources, or steal our sun. They just want to take a few of their "left-overs" from their first visit, home.
And if not, at least take some of our senior citizens with 'em.
Which is fine by us.
Cuz in space, no one can hear an old man fart.


44. The X-Files: Fight The Future
A sci-fi thriller that remains true as a chapter to the on-going series yet with enough self-containment in it's story to allow non-followers of the TV show (a la me) to enjoy it as a stand-alone feature.


43. Total Recall
A sci-fi action flick that even though it offers not very much in terms of advancing the genre, has enough quality in it's high-tech art direction & enough ruff & tumble kissassery in it's action sequences that I found it highly entertaining.


42. Monsters Vs Aliens
A tribute to all those 50's black & white sci-fi horrors flicks, but now in cool 3-D-like computer graphics. And in full color.
The graphics are absolutely top-notch,but some of the sheen has been lost due to the fact that they're also something that I'm sure viewers are pretty much starting to become accustomed to by now. And teen-agers today, let alone the more targeted little kid audience, will barely, if at all, get any of the connections to Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman, Black Lagoon & the like.
Now don't get me wrong. I think that this film comes off as entertaining enough, but to some, it may feel like it came out a fews years too late.


41. Solaris (2002)
Not as good as the 1972 version (but let's be honest here, despite Steven Soderbergh being at the helm, this version stood almost no chance of replicating the masterpiece status that is Tarkovsky's) but still a solid & more streamlined remake that effectively modernizes the theme of it's original.


40. The Prestige
An H.G. Wellsesque type of sci-fi thriller told thru the modern directing & co-writing talents Christopher Nolan.
And while this pic isn't as grand as The Dark Knight, I must admit, I found myself enjoying the story in this one more. The Prestige is innovative & cohesively engaging. A fantasy plot whose complex twists & turns eventually all complete their spiral turns to lead into a surprise climax that the viewer can still satisfyingly comprehend & enjoyably appreciate.


39. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
A simple story of a simple girl who discovers that she can simply leap thru time. But instead of using her powers for good, or even for evil for that matter, she uses it in a manner that we all wish we could if we were so magically endowed (especially if we were her age): to make up time when we were late, to retake exams we didn't study for, to get to our favorite snacks in the fridge before our annoying little siblings got the chance to polished 'em off, etc..
Which all leads up to a simple coming of age story that is as simply & beautifully told as it is simply & beautifully animated.
Simply put, simply beautiful.


38. Ghostbusters
The dead are starting to rise on the streets of New York. Well, moreso that usual that is. And at the center of it all, is the head ghost demon known as Gozer The Destructor. Who, even in marshmellow form, is still a destructor. So when ol' Goze decides to start giganticly rampaging down through the avenues of the Big Apple, who you gonna call....? The only guys around who know how to show this prehistoric b#tch how we do things downtown.
Ghostbusters is a fun, 80's summer-blockbuster defining sci-fi comedy that not only features Bill Murray at his sharpest & Sigourney Weaver at her sexiest (even though at one point, she does turn into a dog....), but also cool specials effects, a couple of proton packs, sliming goblins, a key master, a gatekeeper, streams crossing, cats & dogs living together, not to mention one really big "Twinkie".


37. The Matrix
Even though all the follow-ups, videos & merchandising would take the next cyber-evolutionary step in visuallly out-doing the one that started it all,
the story in this first chapter of Neo & Co. was still fresh & not yet over-wrought with complicated ideas & all walks of philosophical influences that tended to bog down what originally started as a really cool concept with monumental possibilities.
You are now entering the Matrix.


36. A Clockwork Orange
For me, this movie exemplifies everything that I like about all things Kubrick. IMO, he tends to make movies that are an inch away from being abstract beyond understanding, but yet keeps the flow of the film reeled in just enough to make it seem like it makes sense on some kind of creative level. And while I don't mind discussing what the underlying meaning(s) of ACO might be, I find that too much discussion on it tends to get in the way of the enjoyment that I get from noticing things like how colorfully crafted the art-direction is for a movie that doesn't bat a single lashed eye towards subjects like ultra-violence & the old in-&-out.
Visually, a beautifully crafted film with such a bite in it's theme that it acts as a well-balanced counterweight against the brightly set designs. Seldom do we see the contrast of light & darkness stitched on film in a manner that is instinctual, crazy & perfect all at the same time.


35. War Of The Worlds (1953)
In the so-called "War Of The Worlds", the aliens in question are not only winning, they are displaying the power to totally wipe us out. I mean, they are completely ripping the planet Earth a new @ss.
But just when it seems like all hope is lost for our defeated species, a savior is revealed. In the form of our bacteria. Looks like these giant tripod riding raiders have an immune system that would make a bubble boy's seem like an iron-clad defense system. Yep. The aliens literally catch their death of a cold.
Turns out that, all the while they were cutting us down with their sophisticated disintegration rays, all we had to do was to sneeze on 'em.
"... aah....
... aah....
... aAH-CHOOO..!!!!!!
Take that, ya blasted Martians!!"
Germ warfare in it's purest form.
"Oh, and if you greenblooded bastards want some more of this,
bring it!
Cuz I feel a fart coming on with all yo' names on it!"


34. Planet Of The Apes
"You maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!"


33. The Fifth Element
When I heard that alot of the visuals of this film were gonna be based off the works of French comicbook illustrators Moebius & Jean-Claude Mézières, as a comicbook nerd, I was super stoked. I didn't just want to like The Fifth Element, I wanted to love it.
Therefore, I was bit dissappointment but the avant garde goofyness of the plot which, IMO, only simulated the depth that actualize it.
I really wanted a story with a stronger structure & a more cohesive point, that would match the grandness of the visuals.
I think that this is just one of those examples of either you get it or you don't. And I didn't.
All that said, there is still an over-all creative beauty to this film that prevents labeling my reaction to it as "dislike". I still like it.
But only as a friend.
A good looking friend.


32. Minority Report
Mission Impossible meets Blade Runner with a dash of the Bourne Identity.


31. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)
A great classic sci-fi horror that thrills by channeling it's chills thru the use of the fears that we tend to hold most as a general populace. The fear that we & our brethen are not we seem to be.
And rarely does the black & white look of the time capture this cultural sub-genre fear of the unknown & magnify it so that even today, Invasion makes the viewer feel the sparseness of trust that was running amok during this era of red scares & McCarthyisms.
At the time, this movie could've easily influenced one to view his neighbor with a questioning look of "Are you a friend, a Pinko or a pod?"


30. The Iron Giant
Just when I thought that my hairy pimp-ass had finally reached a point in life that was hardcore enough that even the idea that I could get misty over a movie-ending was, for me, about as far on the otherside of the street, that it was in anudder 'hood, dawg.
Then comes along the Iron Giant, & proves me wrong.
And it's not just that it's a movie,
but even worse, it's an animated movie.
A cartoon.
Whenever I watch the scene with the line " ....Superman.",
I always find it quite difficult to refrain from repeatingly dabbing at that "something in my eye" that starts to become annoyingly persistent.
Damn.
This movie makes life hard out here for a pimp.


29. The Animatrix
One of the most important moments growing up as a huge comicbook nerd was the discovery of Heavy Metal, an anthology comic-magazine full of fantasy, futuristic and/or the emergin cyber-punkologic stories that were not restricted by those imposed upon more immature superheroic fare.
When the movie came out, I had expected to see the same quality of creative diversity & no-holds barred story tellingthat I had experienced in the magazine. And tho, it was a valient effort, the film didn't seem to capture these traits to the level of hard hitting expression that I had imagined a film version to do so.
Then, many years later, came the Animatrix. And all the things that I as anxiously expecting to see on the HM movie were now being fully realized on the silver screen.


28. Back To The Future
'Ey, it's that's one dude from Family Ties teaming up with that one other dude from Taxi & that one chick from Howard The Duck.
Michael J. Fox, Leah Thompson, Christopher Loyd, along with Crispin Glover, form a cadre of actors whom, at the time of that BTTF occupied theatres, were not considered top marquee celebtitries, a situation that changed after release, particularly for Fox. Directed by Robert Zemekis, Back To The Future is a time-traveling tale which inarguably solidified the the fact that it's never a good idea to take your mother to the school dance. Even if it's before she becomes your mother.


27. Akira
My first look at anime. Well, kick @ss anime that is.
When I first saw this, I realized that, if I didn't have to work, I would spend all of my time lookin' up at what those crazy asians were concocting on the animation tip, yo.


26. Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi
It's father vs. son vs. the Emperor as the first franchise to go under the simple term of "The Trilogy" by it's fans reaches it's long awaited climax. Luke has become a full Jedi, Han has become decarbonized & Princess Leia is completely ignoring the fact that she made out with her brother in the first episode, A Brave New Hope.
Yeah, I know that this is considered the weakest of the original series, but at the time of it's initial release, for me, there was was nothing more important than the Force Fever that was sweeping all of society back then.
I don't care that the Ewoks were corny, stupid & had a hit song at the time (if anyone out there has the 12-inch extended dance mix to this, contact me & you will have a new very best friend ... ),
for my sci-fi geeked-out @ss, this sh#t wuz fo sho', yo.
And besides, no matter how much ROTJ gets the stigma as the lesser of the groundbreaking blockbuster franchise trio , it still kicks the butt of any of the prequels.


25. Serenity
The final chapter of the much beloved but rarely seen sci-fi series Firefly. I have never watched the series, but this movie does a fine job of continuing the storyline from the TV show but without making those not familiar with it's smaller screen counter-part feeling like they've been out of the loop.
A great cast of well-rounded individualized star-faring rogues is involved in a smart & focused plotline that shapes into a mission that is driven by a universal "questioning galactic authority" attitude & with a honest "saving the soul of humanity" revelance, but without any compromise to a thrilling & entertaining climax.


24. Cloverfield
This movie gets an extra point just for the surprise factor of how much I ended up enjoying it. I really didn't expect to like this as much as I did. I saw this flick with my brother-in-law, & remember that when the lights in the theatre came on, we both looked at each with an expression of "Whoa" on our faces.
As an adult, one of my absolute favorite things about going to the movies is when I see a film that brings back those feelings that I used to experience as a kid whenever I saw something that was too fantastic that it was beyond the realm of our realty & yet watch it come to life on the big screen in front of me.
A giant alien monster rangin' thru the streets of the Big Apple is a pretty good f'rinstance.


23. The Thing
The scary thing about this movie is that it's a movie about a scary thing.


22. The Road Warrior
A bad-ass lead character, a feral wolf-boy and his boomerang, , a "junk-yard" fortress, an ayatollah of rock-n-rolla, a kick-ass car-chase, Australian accents, & more S&M costumes than a German hardcore porn video (or so I heard...).
Everything you need to make a solid thrill-ride of a post-apocalyptic action movie, moyt.


21. Metropolis
When it comes to the idea of high production for the purposes of a high scale science fiction film,
this is the aptly titled one that started it all.


20. Starman
An alien being comes down to Earth, morphs into a human form in order to understand our species & then begins a race against time to meet with his star-faring rendevous party before the government military can get it's hands on him/it. But not before he/it can get a girl pregnant.
Essentially,
this movie is E.T. for adults.
Or at least, it's for those whose of us whose mind's are mature enough to understand that when it comes to traffic lights, red means "stop", green means "go" & yellow means "go very fast".


19. The Terminator
This was the first time that Ahnold ever uttered those infamous words
"Ah'll be bock."
And he didn't stop coming bock until we finally elected his blockbuster ass into office.
Well, I guess that's one way to stop an unstoppable killing machine.


18. Solaris (1972)
This film is an excellent example of what can happen when all of the effort of special effects is replaced with maximum effort into the script.
Definitely a thinking man's science fiction film whose intellect sacrifice none of the science nor none of the fiction.
The plot utilizes the fantasy element of the genre to delve intricately into themes of the pysche such as regret, love, pity, self-inflection & even the most monumental of these concepts, the justification of life and death. It does so with enough room to allow the viewer with no other answer other than the store of reflection which he or she carries into film, before & after.
Despite an incrimately moving pace that many of today movie-watchers may at first be uncomfortable with, once you settle into it's richly layered rythym, Solaris is a great film whose provocation of thought is as richly satisfying as is the grandest world-demolishing visuals of any other more explosive sci-fi films.


17. Appleseed Ex Machina
So far, the most updated amazing computer animation in any animated feature.
Simply put, the computer-generated visuals in this film truly have to be seen in order to be believed.
However, even though the story is solid, as the sci-fi epic that Appleseed's visuals aspire to be, it does lack some originality in it's plotline. It is for this reason, combined with the indistinguisnness of the faces (as is usually common for most 3-D anime) that prevented this film from being ranked higher on this list, despite the fact that the graphics are, so far, some of the most favorite that my eyes have ever laid upon.
That said, there wasn't a frame in this movie where I just wasn't completely stunned with awe. The technical details & intricate designs in Ex Machina are some of the most striking ever to be generated on film.
Iron-Man's armor looks like it was created by Fisher-Price compared to the "hardwear" these guys are sporting.
A true marvel to behold.


16. The Matrix Reloaded
After this movie came out, could you feel it?
Could you feel the idea & use of special effects in the entire sci-fi genre take a major step forward?
I know I did.


15. Star Trek (2009)
After watching this reboot of the original crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, it becomes obvious that space is no final frontier,
time travel is.
And "reboot" is a loose use of the term in that Kirk, Spock & all the rest of the gang are not so much back, as much as they are introduced. And yet, this storyline is still a continuation of the "current continuity" of the Star Trek franchise, just that, in this episode, it has branched off into.... well...
to try & explain it any further would require spoilers.
Anyways, this newest mainfestation of the "old" crew comes off as fresh & invigorated, with sets that look detailed yet stylish, the special effects are typically awesome (as is it is always expected in this genre), the starship battles kick ass & the plot's purpose doesn't stray too far off from what made this film series popular to begin with.

So, while fans of Star Wars grumble all over the internet & at sci-fi cons of how low their beloved franchise has fallen,
with this latest chapter, Trek fans, old & new, have been given A New Hope for a future filled with the possibilty that, as Trekkies, they will truly be able to live long & prosper*.

* You just knew that phrase had to come along eventually.

14. Alien
Ridley Scott directs a tale of "in-your-face" first contact, followed by a fatal game of hide and seek between a interstellar search party crew and a xenomorph, just one of what will turn out in following sequels to be a hive-race of double-mouthed acid-blooded slick black visitors who take the role of their hosts quite literally.
Never have the film genres of horror & science fiction been so perfectly blended as in this stylish, dark and damp first entry into the franchise which first introduced what is, IMO, one of the most unique & simply bad-ass alien life-forms ever produced for film.


13. Contact
What Close Encounters Of The 3rd. Kind did back in the 70's, this film takes to the next evolutionary step, in terms of the actual physics & concepts of a meeting 'tween us mere mortals & any life-forms.
For my money, Contact contains some of the best discussions of religion & atheism in any film ever made. It's depictions of the manner that things like general fear & politics can get in the way of a true quest for knowledge is both basely intelligent & comprehendibly poignant. This film's plot does a great job treading on the subject of how our society is constantly struggling between the comfort of what we already know & the confrontational truths about our species that can be revealed as result of the discovery of what is new, especially if seen thru the "eyes" of a life-form that's a lot smarter than us.


12. Star Wars: A New Hope
"Teh nehhh
teh neh neh nehh nehhhhh
teh neh neh nehh nehhhhh
teh neh neh nehhhhhhhh
teh nehhh
teh neh neh nehh nehhhhh
teh neh neh nehh nehhhhh
teh neh neh nehhhhhhhh.... "
The theme song that not only changed the way sci-fi movies would be approached for the future, but also changed the lives of many a hardcore nerd (not to mention, their ability to get laid), including myself.
Upon initial viewing, even the most ardent non-fan can sense that the force is strong in this one.


11. Star Trek: The Voyage Home
Late in the future 2300's, some super-powerful alien force is looking for the now extinct whales, & it's approach towards Earth is likely to destroy the entire planet.
Kirk & crew decide to jump back through time to the mid 1980's & fetch one, with the hope that utilizing it's whale lingo, it can persuade the gigantic "whatever-it-is" to back the eff off.
A great story with fun energy & for my money, the best of the ST franchise series. The interaction between the the crew members in this film is the most integrated of the "old" generation series. You can really get a sense of family that this group of people (whom we've come to know after so many years) have grown into.


10. Equilibrium
This is kind of like a "The Matrix Unloaded".
A very stunningly stylish movie that features action sequences that any martial arts or straight-up action flick would be proud to call it's own. And even tho the story, like The Matrix, can lose it's audience every couple of turns and again, it does have a more solid & linear structure, making it is possible for the viewer to get back onto understanding it's premise.
Equilibrium did not have the big budget that it's computer themed bigger succeeding cousin had, therefore it came up with a concept called "Gun Kata", to allow for the insane bullet hails that make these types of gun-toting movies the kind that could cause even the hardiest NRA member to bust his own cap.


9. Blade Runner
Almost a decade & a half earlier before Blade Runner, 2001: A Space Odyssey was one the first films to successfully marry the big budget sci-fi with a genre of a different theme (that of psychological thriller) so that all the high tech flashiness of science fiction acted as a contrasting backdrop to a darker side that resided underneath all the complicated buttons & wires of futuristic technology.
Then came Ridley Scott's Alien, which did the same for the darkside of sci-film, but now more in the method of the straight-up horror genre.
He followed that up with another marriage to sci-fi, but this time in the cinematic category of film noir. Now, with this story of replicant-hunter Rick Deckard, Scott depicts what lays beneath all the flashy neon lights that decorately symbolize the endless possiblities of the future, to tell a tale of the grit & grime layers of lost & forgotten cybo-souls that could only act as a foundation of those towering spires of technological brilliance that would allow the mortal men living in 'em to percieve themselves as gods.
Blade Runner is just as equally a visual stunner as the other famous sci-fi classic that Harrison Ford is famously known for, but now, instead of a distant galaxy far far away, it's in a distant future that is much more down to Earth.


8. WALL-E
It seems like these days, every season, an animated movie comes out displaying the next level of computer-generated visuals. For the year of 2008, it was this film & Kung Fu Panda. While not so surprising in that I (we?) expected the details in the graphics to be as detail & realistic as they were, it's still quite stunning to behold.
And even though Wall-E contains the basic formula elements one would expect from such a family film, it's still quite surprising how often & consistantly filmmakers are able to intergrate the amazing graphics into the quality of the storytelling in a manner that seems fresh & keeps the messages from feeling too cliche. At the rate that these types of highly sophisticated computer animated flicks are being released, it's remarkble that the ratio has been so much more good than bad.
A futuristic story that despite it's epic themes of environmentalism, technological over-dependence & the effects of idleness on the soul of humanity when it is stripped away from the natural strife of life, at it's heart, it's also an effective story of loneliness & longing between two computer-animated robots that despite their mechanical make-up, offer up enough heartfelt human emotion that each robot is able to depicted with a simple programmed vocabulary that consists of nothing more than their names & a directive.


7. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
One of those rare exceptions when a sequel is better than the original.
James Cameron, you are a god.
However, I've got a question: What is it that inspired the future sentient computer-technology that takes over the Earth, to put out a line of mean-looking humanoid hunter-killer robots, only to program the entire series with an English language that is weighed down with a heavy-@ss Austrian accent?

Mannn..... I wish I was made outta liquid metal.


6. 2001: A Space Odyssey
The very first incredibly realistic portrayal of a sci-fi story that I saw. Great visuals back when this stuff was incredible difficult to create (without the help of computers). Also, a suspense thriller plotline that is masterfully & almost quietly delivered.
Plus, if you're not on drugs whilst viewing this film, by the time you get to the ending, you will you feel as though you are.


5. The Abyss
Or "Close Encounters Of The Under-Water Kind".
Or maybe "The Day The Ocean Stood Still".
We humans are a species capable of our own destruction. Or of our own salvation.
And though sometimes, it's can seem like we're going down the road of total annihilation, there's still enough within us to choose otherwise.
At least, that's the kind of hope the water-breathing life-forms from outer space in this film seem to hold about us.
Personally, I think this is James Cameron's masterpiece. It's actually two stories in one. The alien storyline that provides the twist for the film, crossed over with the tension building plot involving the scientific crew & the naval SEAL team. And both plots, while differently paced, are still very excellently executed. Now, while the edited version that was originally released into theatres is a fine film, for my money, the uncut version is what truly reveals just how great this movie really is.



4. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
There's nothing that I can add to this film that hasn't already been said. Lemme just say, after several years of this movie collecting dust on my video collection, I watched it with my 6 yr. old niece a couple of months ago, & I'll be honest with you: I don't know which one of us was left sitting there with more childlike awe & wonder on our faces:
She, b'cuz she thought that E.T., was one amazing tale.
Or me, b'cuz I thought that Elliot's mom was one amazing tail.
An extra-terrestial becomes trapped on our planet & befriends an Earthling boy who shares it's love for Reese's Pieces. From there, these two beings "from different worlds" (one of the rare times that this phrase is meant literally), begin to share each other's experiences in a bond that can only result from unconditional acceptance.
A moving picture which teaches that when it comes to a deep longing for love in the form of kindness & friendship, we humans are not alone.
And all we have to do to get it, even on a universally galactic level, is to simply just "be.... good".



3. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
I agree with the rest of the world that this is the pinnacle of the entire Star Wars franchise, with it's darker tone & cliff-hanger ending within it's still fairytale-like structure. The saga of the intergalactic war between the Empire & the Jedi-led Rebellion hits it stride as Luke Skywalker, Hans Solo, Princess Leia & the rest of the crew find themselves pursued & cornered by Darth Vader & the forces of the Dark Side.
The Empire Strikes Back came out at a time back when movies would stay in wide release, not for weeks at a time, but for months, and a few of 'em, like this one, for almost a full year.
From my own point of view, I think that, on the majority, audiences today have been so desensitized from so-so blockbusters being released every other week-end or so, that they will never get to fully understand or experience the feeling a big movie-event like Star Wars. The year of Empire was one of my fave summers ever as a kid. It was really cool knowing that I could hop on the city bus at any point during the season & go watch TESB. And every time that I did, the other audience members were just as excited to be seeing this film at the end of the summer as they were at the beginning. Every year that one of the 3 original films was released, you could feel the power of the "Force" within the air, not just until the next "big" movie came out, you could actually feel it in the air for almost the entire year long.
And then some.



2. Aliens
In this sequel to the non-plural installment of the series, Ripley is back, and this time, she arms herself with some big guns & with an even bigger attitude of instead of squaring off against just one xenomorph, she's taking on a whole hive full of them. And their momma too.
This movie has everything that I look forward to in a sci-fi adventure. Suspenseful action, solid story, distinct characters (with great chemistry), great visuals, kick-@ss aliens, a turning plot-twist (we all thought for sure, that Bishop couldn't be trusted), & of course, a catch-phrase that made the entire theatre that I saw this movie in to roar ("Get away from her, you b#tch!").

Mannnn....I wish I had acid for blood.



1. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
Up to the point in time that Close Encounters was first released in theatres, for me, this movie represented the most realistic handling of the story of making contact with aliens beings that I had ever seen. The manner in which it handled this theme is most likely what inspired later films like Contact & Signs, both which tried admirably to emulate the "validity" of Encounters. So convincing was the portrayal of this first contact, that upon my first viewing lo those many years ago, it made it almost believable for me that the idea of extra-terrestrials could actually be a reality. Also, it was done with such a sense of awe-inspiring hope & elegant beauty, that even now, at my spirit-hardened age, it almost makes me wish that aliens do indeed exist (& maybe they do exist, but that's an entirely different website, altogether).


Mannnn.... I wish a UFO would come down & fly me away into the limitless potential of space.

Sans anal-probes, of course.





A few sci-fi classics that I still haven't seen:

- Solyent Green
- Gattaca
- The Day The Earth Stood Still*
- Children Of Men
- Twelve Monkeys
- Forbidden Planet*
- Star Trek: The Wrath Of Khan*

* Actually, these are films that I viewed as a kid, but since I barely remember 'em, I'd have to give 'em a rewatch to see if any of 'em would make my list.