I got a decent response from my Disney list (okay, so two responses) and it inspired me to make yet another list of my favorites. This time around, I'm listing ten of my favorite science fiction films. I'll make a fantasy list later on, so if you're wondering why some films didn't make the list, it's probably because I felt that some films fit better into that category.
Here goes and, as before, there's no particular order to this list:
1. Jurassic Park--One of the most wonderful science fiction films ever produced. Although it takes a few liberties from the book (including changes to who does and doesn't survive), Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Michael Crichton's genetic/dino thriller is excellent. Created when CGI technology was still in its infancy, the film has near-flawless special effects, making one wonder if those dinosaurs really were on screen!
2. Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back--The bad guys end the film on a high note, filling fans of Luke, Han and Leia with doubts about the futures of their favorite characters. This film introduced the world to Boba Fett as well, who's brief screen time was just enough to earn him his own cult following. From the ice planet Hoth to the swamps of Dagobah, this film covers all sorts of terrain. It's my favorite Star Wars film.
3. Equilibrium--This one might be harder for folks to find, but Kurt Wimmer's futuristic film about a society with suppressed emotions is worth seeking out. It stars Christian Bale as a renegade law enforcer who begins to see the beauty of emotions thanks to characters like those portrayed by Emily Watson and Sean Bean. As Bale begins to appreciate everything from puppies to classical music, he discovers that emotions are what makes the world go round and attempts to start a whole new revolution against an oppressive world government.
4. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country--The final voyage of Captain Kirk and his crew on the Enterprise, Star Trek VI is my favorite film in the Star Trek catalogue. When the Klingons experience a terrible tragedy, they must look to the Federation for help. Could this eventually lead to peace with the Klingons? Not if certain mysterious parties have anything to do with it. The Enterprise is accused of firing on and murdering the Klingon ambassador and Kirk and Bones are sentenced to life imprisonment. Can Spock prove their innocence? Will the Enterprise weed out the real troublemakers in time to save the peace talks?
5. Predator--Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, Carl Williams and a small group of soldiers go on a rescue mission only to find an alien hunter on the loose in the jungle. It begins taking them out one by one using a strange array of weapons. It strings up and skins its victims, and leaves a bloody trail through the jungle. Can the governator stop the alien?
6. Back To The Future--Michael J. Fox gets a dose of his mom and dad before they were his mom and dad in this wonderful sci-fi comedy. When Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) is attacked for cheating terrorists out of their plutonium, Marty McFly (Fox) jumps into Doc's time machine, a DeLorean, and is hurtled back to the 50's. Once there, he runs into his future parents, makes a terrible time-altering mistake and has to fix everything so that he can exist in the future. Will Marty survive? It's a pretty safe bet that he does, considering this film spawned two sequels.
7. The Iron Giant--The only animated film on this list, The Iron Giant is a wonderful film for older children to watch. Falling to the earth, lost and lonely, a giant befriends a little boy. Together the two learn about friendship, life and death. This film features the voice talents of Harry Connick, Jr. and Jennifer Aniston, as well as the grunts and groans of Vin Diesel as the Giant. There's a brief bit of language in this film, but when compared to the other films on this list, it's the most family-friendly one.
8. Ghostbusters--A paranormal/sci-fi comedy, Ghostbusters is a fun film about a group of men dedicated to catching and containing ghosts. What they don't realize is that there's one particularly nasty ghost who's out to take over the world and an increase in paranormal activity means that a great danger is awaiting the Ghostbusters. It features an all-star cast that includes Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver.
9. Congo--Yep, another Michael Crichton book adaptation makes the list. This time around, though, a lot of liberties have be taken with the source material. Dylan Walsh heads up a solid cast of scientists, adventurers and telecommunications whizzes who set out for the jungles of Africa to find a missing crew working for a telecom corporation. Diamonds, mutated apes and all sorts of dangers, some man made, some from the jungle itself, await the group. I should note that this film is often disliked by fans of Crichton's book of the same name. However, I rather enjoyed it for what it is.
10. Galaxy Quest--Taking a loving shot at science fiction fans, Galaxy Quest is a hilarious comedy about a bunch of washed up actors from an old sci-fi TV series (hints of Star Trek) who are called upon by an alien race for help with a terrible enemy. The aliens fell in love with the group thanks to "historical documents" (also called television shows) and have created an entire world based around the show believing it to be real. For a comedy, this film features some brilliant special effects. The cast is perfect as well and features Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Daryl "Chill" Mitchell, Sam Rockwell and many others.
This list is far from complete. I'm sure that I'll come up with more science fiction films that I love as time goes by. Let me know if there's any film on here that you disagree with and list your favorites as well.
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