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posted by cmn32480 on Sunday November 06 2016, @01:37PM   Printer-friendly
from the they-forgot-Waterworld dept.

The weekend is upon us and if you are looking for something to help pass the time, look no further! The Ars Technica science fiction bucket list—42 movies every geek must see ...and nine bonus stinkers from which you should run away screaming.

[...] Lists of science fiction movies are a common item for discussion on the Ars staff Slack channel—particularly short lists of the best science fiction movies ever made. But "best" is an impossible word to quantify in any broadly applicable way—one person's "best ever" might be another person's worst, especially in a genre of movies as rich and varied as science fiction.

["Science fiction" is a meta term that refers to a huge host of sub-genres, from "hard" science fiction to skiffy to all points between. For this list, we've chosen to constrain eligibility requirements to movies that deal speculatively with science and/or the future. This lets us include classics like Frankenstein (which is properly sci-fi) while excluding films that skew heavily toward fantasy. Then again, we've got Star Wars in the list and that's not a future movie, so author's discretion trumps all, I suppose!]

While the Ars staff has some bitter disagreements on which movies are better than others, it's undeniable that some science fiction movies are mandatory viewing for the modern geek. To that end, rather than try to pull together another tired "top ten sci-fi movies" listicle, we've instead polled the Ars staff to try to come up with a definitive "science fiction bucket list"—that is, a list of sci-fi movies that you should absolutely see at least once before you die. They aren't necessarily the "best" movies by any specific set of criteria, but every film on this list is outstanding in some particular way. Some were groundbreaking in their stories or subject matter, some were controversial, and some contained a character or plot twist that went on to become an archetype, referenced in and reused by countless other films. Some films on the list, like Fritz Lang's Metropolis, are pure cinematic poetry; others, like Pacific Rim, are pure popcorn fun. And, as a bonus, we even included a bonus list of a few absolutely terrible stinkers at the very bottom.

[Continues...]

Here is Ars Technica's list of forty-two must-see movies. See the linked Ars Technica story for writeups on each film or follow the IMDb (Internet Movie Database) link provided here.

  1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) (IMDb)
  2. 28 Days Later... (2003) (IMDb)
  3. Alien (1979) (IMDb)
  4. Blade Runner (1982) (IMDb)
  5. Brazil (1985) (IMDb)
  6. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) (IMDb)
  7. Children of Men (2006) (IMDb)
  8. A Clockwork Orange (1972) (IMDb)
  9. Computer Chess (2013) (IMDb)
  10. C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America (2004) (IMDb)
  11. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) (IMDb)
  12. District 9 (2009) (IMDb)
  13. Dune (1984) (IMDb)
  14. Enemy Mine (1985) (IMDb)
  15. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) (IMDb)
  16. Forbidden Planet (1956) (IMDb)
  17. Frankenstein (1931) (IMDb)
  18. Galaxy Quest (1999) (IMDb)
  19. Ghost in the Shell (1995) (IMDb)
  20. Ghosts with Shit Jobs (2012) (IMDb)
  21. Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1954) (IMDb)
  22. Her (2013) (IMDb)
  23. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) (IMDb)
  24. The Matrix (1999) (IMDb)
  25. The Martian (2015) (IMDb)
  26. Metropolis (1927) (IMDb)
  27. Moon (2009) (IMDb)
  28. Pacific Rim (2013) (IMDb)
  29. Planet of the Apes (1968) (IMDb)
  30. Primer (2004) (IMDb)
  31. RoboCop (1987) (IMDb)
  32. Stalker (1979) (IMDb)
  33. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) (IMDb)
  34. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) (IMDb)
  35. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) (IMDb)
  36. They Live (1988) (IMDb)
  37. The Thing (1982) (IMDb)
  38. THX 1138 (1971) (IMDb)
  39. TRON (1982) (IMDb)
  40. Videodrome (1983) (IMDb)
  41. WALL*E (2008) (IMDb)
  42. WarGames (1983) (IMDb)

And it may be best to avoid these:

  1. Bad Taste (1987) (IMDb)
  2. Barbarella (1968) (IMDb)
  3. Battlefield Earth (2000) (IMDb)
  4. Brain Damage (1988) (IMDb)
  5. Re-Animator (1985) (IMDb)
  6. Robot Jox (1990) (IMDb)
  7. Solarbabies (1986) (IMDb)
  8. Star Trek Nemesis (2002) (IMDb)
  9. Zardoz (1974) (IMDb)

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Bot on Sunday November 06 2016, @02:02PM

    by Bot (3902) on Sunday November 06 2016, @02:02PM (#423098) Journal

    Robbie from forbidden planet > HAL2001, no contest.

    Also, if you haven't appreciated Barbarella, Zardoz and Death Race 2000 you shouldn't be allowed to discuss scifi.

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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by bzipitidoo on Sunday November 06 2016, @03:46PM

    by bzipitidoo (4388) on Sunday November 06 2016, @03:46PM (#423140) Journal

    How can the list have Galaxy Quest and not Spaceballs? I can see Terminator 2 being on the list and not Terminator, because of the revolutionary special effects, but Terminator is the better story. The wow factor of T2's special effects have not aged well. Jurassic Park is a major omission. And Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

    Independence Day wasn't a total turkey, but it sure is bad. Only thing it was good for was identifying faux geeks whenever the cool factor of geekiness hit a high point. And, Star Trek: Nemesis is bad, but better than Star Trek V.

    • (Score: 1) by toddestan on Monday November 07 2016, @01:20AM

      by toddestan (4982) on Monday November 07 2016, @01:20AM (#423333)

      Speaking of sequels, I'd add Empire Strikes Back to the list.

      Other interesting movies to include might be Silent Running, Idiocracy, and The Fifth Element.

      Also, I'll take a contrary viewpoint and say that Star Trexk Nemesis wasn't that bad. Sure, it's not going to make the top list, but I wouldn't lump it down at the bottom with those other turkeys.

    • (Score: 2) by choose another one on Monday November 07 2016, @11:17AM

      by choose another one (515) Subscriber Badge on Monday November 07 2016, @11:17AM (#423444)

      I'm surprised it has Galaxy Quest at all - since it seems to be going for serious not comic (although it's got They Live too I guess)

      If it's open to spoofs and comedy, then where is Mars Attacks, or Men in Black or Paul (just thinking about Close Encounters...)? Actually maybe Paul doesn't count because it was a documentary.

      Independence Day might not have been a total turkey but it had the worst ending ever - the aliens absolutely should have won so none of us would have had to sit through the unmitigated pile of utter tripe that was Independence Day II (Will Smith died in a test flight accident my arse - he probably took one look at the script and said "not if it was the last movie on earth").

  • (Score: 2) by Hawkwind on Sunday November 06 2016, @03:53PM

    by Hawkwind (3531) on Sunday November 06 2016, @03:53PM (#423144)

    Barbarella, Zardoz and Death Race 2000

     

    Agree on all three but have to give special call out to Zardoz, there is so much for a nerd to chew on.

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by FatPhil on Sunday November 06 2016, @05:40PM

      by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Sunday November 06 2016, @05:40PM (#423184) Homepage
      I had the actual quote that I'm just about to mangle as a usenet .sig for many years:

          The gun is good, the penis is evil: go forth and kill

      Great movie, in particular if you're in a slightly boosted mental state. The cinematic world is a richer place because of the creation of that movie.
      --
      Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
    • (Score: 2) by Bogsnoticus on Monday November 07 2016, @06:23AM

      by Bogsnoticus (3982) on Monday November 07 2016, @06:23AM (#423398)

      Given that the most iconic scene from Zardoz is the shot of Sean Connery in his leather loincoth, your comment about there being much for a nerd to chew on might leave an unpleasant taste in your mouth. (Or a pleasant taste if you're that way inclined. Not judging, but I wouldn't rate ballsweat 'n' cheese broiled in a posing pouch as something I'd want to taste for myself).

      --
      Genius by birth. Evil by choice.
  • (Score: 2) by mcgrew on Sunday November 06 2016, @04:24PM

    by mcgrew (701) <publish@mcgrewbooks.com> on Sunday November 06 2016, @04:24PM (#423149) Homepage Journal

    Barbarella would probably be hard to get hold of these days. I saw it as a teenager while working at a drive-in theater. It ran with an even worse (but funnier) SF movie I can't remember the name of. All I remember about it was the penis-shaped space ship. Anyone with a better memory know its name?

    Also, Battle Beyond the Stars [wikipedia.org] was far worse than the two in the "bad" list I've seen are.

    The Martian and Dune are both excellent movies, but I don't think they belong in the list, because they could have been SO much better, especially The Martian. Both of those two books put their movies in deep shame, but especially The Martian. There were a few grins in the movie, but a LOT of belly laughs reading the book. I saw no bad science in the book, but one in the story stuck out like a sore thumb--the airlock alarm. It would be soft and lower pitch when he entered, getting louder and a higher pitch as the air pressure rose.

    --
    mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org