Most underrated SF movies

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by TalkieToaster, Feb 10, 2016.

  1. Mage

    Mage Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2007
    Gattaca was amazing.

    Solaris, Clooney version, was also pretty good. I'd say the original Stargate movie is underrated these days. I also like Reeves' The Day The Earth Stood Still.
     
  2. Mach5

    Mach5 Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2008
    Location:
    Manbaby
    M. Night Shymalan's "Unbreakable". One of the best superhero movies ever made, IMO.

    Also, Peter Hyams' "2010". It didn't try to be 2001, and I think it works pretty well on its own. I do think Heywood Floyd was miscast (nothing against Roy Scheider, just didn't seem like the right fit), Helen Mirren, John Lithgow and Bob Balaban were fantastic.
     
  3. Steve Roby

    Steve Roby Rear Admiral Premium Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2002
    Location:
    Ottawa, ON Canada
    The only ones I feel like watching again as a result of this discussion are the Solaris remake, Children of Men, and Gattaca. Maybe Dark City.

    I've never watched The Fifth Element all the way through because its fantasy premise doesn't interest me, and the bits I've seen I didn't like at all. It just looks like one of those weird European strips that ran in Heavy Metal magazine way back when.

    Life is too short for M Night Shyamalan movies.

    I liked Moon and Space Station 76. The latter was sometimes labeled a parody but it's only rarely funny; it's more like what someone in 1976 would have come up with if they were seriously trying to cross a mainstream domestic drama/social commentary film with mid 70s SF without realizing how bad an idea that is. I'd like to see Radio Free Albemuth but I am not an Alanis Morissette fan.
     
  4. Mach5

    Mach5 Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2008
    Location:
    Manbaby
    How is Children of Men underrated? It's almost universally praised by both critics and the audience.
     
  5. 1001001

    1001001 Serial Canon Violator Moderator

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2001
    Location:
    Undisclosed Fortified Compound
    I love both of those movies.
     
  6. Steve Roby

    Steve Roby Rear Admiral Premium Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2002
    Location:
    Ottawa, ON Canada
    Not something I see mentioned by SF fans all that often, though.
     
  7. Set Harth

    Set Harth Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2010
    Location:
    Annwn
    Also I would say that it is barely classified as SF.
     
  8. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 10, 2005
    Location:
    Confederation of Earth
    I love that film. TFE's one of my favorite SF movies of all time. The future New York City looks really cool, and I love the music. About the only thing I didn't like was Chris Tucker (although the idea of a DJ being able to carry his studio around with him so he can do his show live from wherever he wants, is excellent).

    Supergreen! :techman:
     
    Last edited: Feb 14, 2016
  9. DarrenTR1970

    DarrenTR1970 Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2015
    Location:
    Bothell, WA
    I don't know if this counts as underrated or cult, but I just finished watching Planet of the Vampires on Comet TV.
    You could definitely see some of the influence it had on Alien with the derelict ship and the alien corpse.
    I also liked the unusual interior design of the spaceship and the leather space suits.
    The twist ending you could see coming a mile off in that it's similar to an episode of the Twilight Zone, Third from the Sun, if I'm remembering correctly.
     
  10. Greg Cox

    Greg Cox Admiral Premium Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2004
    Location:
    Lancaster, PA
    I haven't seen PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES in decades, but I remember that it scared the heck out of me as a kid--and, yes, the first time I saw ALIEN, many years later, I immediately flashed back to PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES.
     
  11. Mach5

    Mach5 Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2008
    Location:
    Manbaby
    Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

    [​IMG]
     
  12. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2004
    Location:
    Arizona, USA
    I haven't watched it in ages, but I loved Batteries Not Included when I was a kid
    Those two are good.
    I like those too. I actually saw 2010 long before I saw 2001, and was kind of amazed just how different they were from each other.
    Moon was an awesome movie. I think that was one of the few movies where I actually managed to go in without getting the twist spoiled before hand. Sam Rockwell did a great job. The fact that Duncan Jones is directing it is one of the big reasons I'm very optimistic about the Warcraft movie.
    There seems to be something about the Wachowskis that works for me that doesn't work for most people, because I appear to be one of the only people that actually likes The Matrix sequels (I know I already mentioned them), Cloud Atlas, and Jupiter Ascending.
     
  13. Marsden

    Marsden Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2013
    Location:
    Marsden is very sad.
    I'm going to say Soldier. I think It was great, simple story, good action.
     
    Mach5 likes this.
  14. Set Harth

    Set Harth Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2010
    Location:
    Annwn
    I'm one of those people who hated, hated, hated his character when the film came out.

    ...but now I don't. For some reason I get it now. :shrug:
     
  15. tharpdevenport

    tharpdevenport Admiral Admiral

    I love "Signs". For all it's flaws, it has a lot more good in it. Good pacing, often good writing (but not always), good shots, a fantasic score that is one of the best things James Newton Howard has ever done, some real emotional scenes here and there, and the way they decided to play the angle of a family in a rural area and how they handle it all.


    "The Fifth Element" isn't bad, it just needs some sprucing up.

    Chris Tucker didn't need to be in that film at all. He's pointless, annoying, and reminds me of a worse version of Rob Schneider in "Judge Dread". Only singing. It would be very difficult to edit him compeltely out of hte film, but it's worth it.

    And the evil mysterious force from a planet far away, is never really developed properly. It's an intergalactic McGuffin.

    And in my opinion, they should have had the rap-like opera. If they wanted weight and dramaticism, they should have stay with a regular opera, as scenes from film and TV have done with opera, classical music, etc., for montagish scenes with violence and/or death. It cheapened the whole thing.

    And while I don't mind the song at the end credits, it was kind of pointless. It was like shoving a song on there for nothing more than CD sales and/or something that might do well on the radio. Somebody was diluding themselves on that.
     
    theenglish likes this.
  16. DarKush

    DarKush Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2005
    Some I can think of (maybe not all are the most underrated but I think they were better than many might have considered them then and now):
    Strange Days
    Gattaca
    The Day the Earth Stood Still (remake)
    Supernova
    Pandorum
    Equilibrium
    The Chronicles of Riddick
    Dark City
    Virtuosity
    Priest
    Battle: LA
    Surrogates (maybe? At least it seems forgotten and it was a decent film, though Willis's Looper was better)
    After Earth
    Edge of Tomorrow
    Oblivion
    Pacific Rim
    Godzilla (Matthew Broderick version; that's not a typo)
    Babylon A.D. (I'm on the fence about this one, but it wasn't that bad)
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2016
  17. Mach5

    Mach5 Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2008
    Location:
    Manbaby
    Agreed. Real simple, non-pretentious, with a really great cast. Will rewatch.
     
    Richard Baker likes this.
  18. jaime

    jaime Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2013
    Location:
    London
    Does hackers count?
     
  19. DarKush

    DarKush Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2005
    More to add:
    Dune (1984)
    Attack of the Clones
    Revenge of the Sith
    Robocop remake (It wasn't as good as the original but it still wasn't that bad a film)
    Ender's Game
     
  20. Mach5

    Mach5 Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2008
    Location:
    Manbaby
    [​IMG]
    Not sure if "underrated" is the appropriate word here, but "Virtuosity" is my THE guilty pleasure movie.