Favorite Science Fiction Films

THE MATRIX — a success in both categories. An astonishing idea (what if your whole life were an illusion?) combined with a visual style that was jaw-dropping.

MINORITY REPORT – another success in both categories. A taught police-thriller with the mind-blowing concept of punishing crimes before they happen, or the question of when it becomes unsupportable to rest public happiness on private suffering, combined with such eye-candy as a chase scene on jetpacks, or five-lane highways crawling up and down the sides of buildings.

DARK CITY — Alex Proyas’ masterpiece, and my personal favorite SF film. Again, success in both categories. An astonishing idea (what if your memories were tampered with? Who would you be?) combined with a film style not seen since the days of METROPOLIS.

Speaking of which:

METROPOLIS — the special effects were so meticulous that even by modern standards, they still have the power to impress. The visuals of the city, of the robot-woman, of the huge M-Machine turning into Moloch, all define the highpoint of German Expressionism. Again, success in both categories: the science fictional idea, things like vision-phones and mechanical men and aerial highways and superskyscrapers had never been seen before, and they defined (and to this day still define) our visual image of what the future should be. The visual style of METROPOLIS, for example, was reflected in STAR WARS. The futuristic city-planet of Coriscant is merely Metropolis writ large: the same flying vehicles and superskyscrapers are in evidence.

FORBIDDEN PLANET — the eerie homage to Shakespeare’s TEMPEST, combined with impressive visual effects, Robbie the Robot, Anne Francis in a slinky dress, flying sleds, giant Krell Machines, monsters from the ID, culminating in the destruction of the planet Altai IV has at least as much power to astonish as a copy of John W. Campbell Jr’s ASTOUNDING magazine.

DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL — One of the few conservative films with an anti-nuclear-war message. There is no handwriging or moral posturing about nukes in this film, merely a grim warning by a higher power that we will be wiped out if Earth threatens the safety of other worlds. The “Passion story” elements (a man named Carpenter who comes from the stars who dies and is resurrected) also reflects something of the themes and moral tone of 1950’s written SF literature. While the special effects might seem dated to jaded modern eyes, again, there are striking visual images—Michael Renee emerging from the flying saucer—that are seared into the racial unconscious of science fiction fandom.

BLADE RUNNER—Again, a success on both counts, both as a meditation on the meaning of life and death in a world were technology can create artificial life and artificial memories, and a visual style that defined the ‘cyberpunk’ view of the future.

2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY —Perhaps the most memorable visuals in any science fiction film, if we neglect that odd and pointless light-show at the end. The film is a secular meditation on evolution and transcendence. This is Arthur C. Clarke’s vision of the universe displayed on the big screen. Kubric’s direction has rarely been equaled.

Let me give honorable mention to films that were good in one category or the other, but did not combine both. First, films that had that sense of wonder visually, but not in the realm of ideas.

STAR WARS – the visual effects were without parallel, and changed the way films are made. And yet, the story was a fairytale, taking place “long long ago and far away” without a single correct scientific idea anywhere to be found, and no speculative thought.

ALIENS – both the visual style and the character of the marines pinned down in a claustrophobic hellhole are striking. But the characters were basically modern men, just like us, and there was no SF speculation, none of that “what if…?” that defines idea-oriented science fiction.

INDEPENDENCE DAY – the visual image of immense flying saucers hovering over the White House is like something from Arthur C. Clarke’s CHILDHOOD’S END. This movie was a visual wonder, but there were no science fiction ideas here.

THIS ISLAND EARTH – Again, some amazing visuals (which science fiction fan among us does not want an interociter?) but nothing in the idea file.

SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW – this film leaped right off the pulp cover of Astounding, but there was nothing else to it. A personal favorite of mine, but it is not really science fiction.

The final category is harder. I don’t think I can think of five films that are great SF idea-films but unimpressive visually.

GATTACA – an under-appreciated gem of a film. As ‘idea SF’ maybe the best on the list. What we saw in this film might well come to pass within my lifetime. But it was not visually a source of wonder.

THE VILLAGE – A Serlingesque tale about an isolated but utopian village oppressed by nameless terror. There were no impressive special effects and no need of any. The central science fictional idea deals with the price to be paid for living in the modern world, or rejecting it. When is a noble lie better than the truth?

BACK TO THE FUTURE – The special effects were good, but not the point of the film. The idea made the film: a bumbling time traveler who must play cupid, and make sure his parents meet and fall in love, lest he be erased from existence, is a prime-cut of science fictional goodness.

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS – What if you did not know who to trust? There are no special effects worth mentioning here, but the idea is one resonant throughout the Cold War, and even today we often meet pod people.

FAHRENHEIT 451 – No special effects are all, just Oskar Werner’s excellent acting.

Honorable Mention:

THE THING — I mean the original Howard Hawks, not the unpleasant remake. The special effects are nothing to look at, but the sense of wonder is there. There is a scene where a group of soldiers try to make out the outline of an aircraft buried for a million years in the Antarctic glacier by each man standing on the ice above where he sees part of it. The move to their positions, staring down. Then they look up, and realize that they are standing in a circle. No word is spoken; there is merely the look in the eyes of the men as they realize the ship underfoot is a flying saucer. It is pure wonder, wonder at the unearthly.