RobertScorpio
Pariah
Is there a scifi movie out there, that other people pretty much spit on, kick, hate, totally DO NOT LIKE; but you do?
Rob Scorpio
Rob Scorpio
underated SCIFI movies
- Thread starter RobertScorpio
- Start date
I'm going to with the movie "Monolith Monsters". It's fairly obscure, B-movie, shot in black and white, which seems to be the kiss of death for so many people today.
I thought it was original, fun, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's no academy award winner, but as a SF popcorn flick it succeeds on many levels.
I thought it was original, fun, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's no academy award winner, but as a SF popcorn flick it succeeds on many levels.
MeanJoePhaser
Admiral
People seem to hate on ENEMY MINE for some reason. And I like The Omega Man, and mainstream seems to diss that, too.
-- The Prestige (though I suppose it's more steampunk, than sci-fi). Great movie, but most people I know can't stand it. I really like the way it approaches the concept of "Who we really are" and "What makes a person a person"
-- Star Trek Insurrection. I know a lot of fans don't like it, but I think it's the most TNG of the TNG movies. It felt like a two hour episode of the series, which is both good and bad, but it was a good TNG movie.
-- Star Trek Insurrection. I know a lot of fans don't like it, but I think it's the most TNG of the TNG movies. It felt like a two hour episode of the series, which is both good and bad, but it was a good TNG movie.
I'll side with the Omega Man, although I've never heard of it being looked down upon. It's a fun flick, and Heston is always masterful in a sci-fi role.
I'll defend Star Trek V. It's a movie with a lot of heart, and not the disaster many make it out to be. There are some classic scenes (Spock in the Gunner's chair at the end, "What does god want with a Starship?") I even liked the camping scenes. they're silly, but honestly not out of character for those guys.
I'll defend Star Trek V. It's a movie with a lot of heart, and not the disaster many make it out to be. There are some classic scenes (Spock in the Gunner's chair at the end, "What does god want with a Starship?") I even liked the camping scenes. they're silly, but honestly not out of character for those guys.
I agree on both counts. Most people I've talked to loved The Prestige so I'm not sure if I would call it underrated. As for Insurrection, I think it's a great story and I don't think it deserves the hate it gets. So what if it felt like a two-hour episode? Not ever movie should be epic.
RobertScorpio
Pariah
I have a split on this one. Im not a fan of Insurrection, but I loved the Prestige.
My pick is The Truman Show. Yes I consider it a scifi movie, and I think its Carey's best movie. Another one? The Fly 2. Yep...go ahead and laugh, but I thought that one (with Eric Stoltz) was as good as the Fly, but I still liked it..
Rob
Yep, that's a pretty good one. I also think that Alien 3 is underrated. It's certainly not the best of the series, but it has a lot of atmosphere and the alternate cut is a definite improvement on the original. Another one is Star Trek V. Sure, it has its flaws, but it has the best character moments among the Big 3 of any of the films. Laurence Luckenbill is a very good actor and I thought the Observation Room scene made the movie.
I don't remember hearing anybody hate on it but Silent Running never seems to get the respect I think it deserves. Bruce Dern was terrific and the 'droids were delightful. A very moving ending, too.
RobertScorpio
Pariah
Homerun with both those picks...and I think SYBOK runs circles around Shinzon..its not even close as to which character was the better of the two...that observation room scene is what, I think, puts TREK V over Nemesis and Insurrection...
Rob
Star Trek V is a good TOS story, it's a classic TOS story: the crew of the Enterprise set out to find "God". The problem wasn't with the story, it was just with the execution; which is really was the result of a whole lot of bad luck for that movie. I like STV for the most part, but I think in the hands of the right director, and with a little more studio support, it could have been one of the best TOS movies.
I think 12 Monkeys fails to get the love it deserves. Whenever I see a list on this board it gets rated almost as an afterthought, like," oh, yeah, that flick's ok..."
Its got time travel, Doomsday, Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis. It has one of the most haunting images(the Angel, then and now) of any scifi movie, a performance by Pitt that is scary-good and Bruce Willis's best-acted role to date, IMO. It should be right alongside Blade Runner when people are rating scifi movies, not twelfth or fifteenth or whatever.
Its got time travel, Doomsday, Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis. It has one of the most haunting images(the Angel, then and now) of any scifi movie, a performance by Pitt that is scary-good and Bruce Willis's best-acted role to date, IMO. It should be right alongside Blade Runner when people are rating scifi movies, not twelfth or fifteenth or whatever.
Demolition Man - a witty script, great performances from Snipes, Bullock and yes, even Stallone. But no love from most fans and not even a sequel? Why?!
Star Trek III: TSFS. To me, this has aways disproved the 'All Odd Numbered Trek movies are bad. Maybe it's because it was the first Trek movie I saw in the cinema, but I've always enjoyed it - the theft of the ENT, 'don't call me shorty', 'What have I done?' - 'What you always do', 'You Klingon Bastards, you killed my son' and 'Your name is Jim.' So many classic scenes and lines.
(Not forgetting 'That green-blooded sonuvabitch. That's his revenge for all those arguments he lost to me.'
The Phantom Menance. Okay, not a classic, admittedly the least good SW movie. But what a lightsaber duel at the end, what an intro for R2-D2, what a great scene at the start with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan on the Federation ship, not to mention the brilliance of Darth Maul ... Actually, I'd pretty much include all the prequels in this list.
Blade Trinity. The least good Blade movie but I love Hannibal Smith's dialogue. Not to mention watching Jessica Biel in action. And way better than Blade: The tv series.
Star Trek III: TSFS. To me, this has aways disproved the 'All Odd Numbered Trek movies are bad. Maybe it's because it was the first Trek movie I saw in the cinema, but I've always enjoyed it - the theft of the ENT, 'don't call me shorty', 'What have I done?' - 'What you always do', 'You Klingon Bastards, you killed my son' and 'Your name is Jim.' So many classic scenes and lines.
(Not forgetting 'That green-blooded sonuvabitch. That's his revenge for all those arguments he lost to me.'
The Phantom Menance. Okay, not a classic, admittedly the least good SW movie. But what a lightsaber duel at the end, what an intro for R2-D2, what a great scene at the start with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan on the Federation ship, not to mention the brilliance of Darth Maul ... Actually, I'd pretty much include all the prequels in this list.
Blade Trinity. The least good Blade movie but I love Hannibal Smith's dialogue. Not to mention watching Jessica Biel in action. And way better than Blade: The tv series.
Event Horizon. I've noticed it being dumped on, mostly, I suspect, because of director Paul W. S. Anderson's involvement. But the Alien vs. Predator and Resident Evil monstrosities aside, this one is actually pretty good. It has a well-rounded ensemble cast, wonderful production design (both the gritty rescue ship, and the sleeker design of the Event Horizon itself), solid visual effects (only a few computer generated things look a little 'off' twelve years later), and a number of truly frightening moments.
Another good choice would be Dark City. Although Roger Ebert has been a cheerleader for the film since the beginning, reviews were generally split at the time. Box office results were minimal, and the film was mostly forgotten a year after its release, eclipsed by the more popular, but far less interesting The Matrix, which shares similar themes. And in a list of 100 great science fiction films from just a few weeks ago, Dark City still finds itself ranked far below The Matrix, even in the face of a growing cult fanbase and a new (and much improved from studio interference) director's cut.
Another good choice would be Dark City. Although Roger Ebert has been a cheerleader for the film since the beginning, reviews were generally split at the time. Box office results were minimal, and the film was mostly forgotten a year after its release, eclipsed by the more popular, but far less interesting The Matrix, which shares similar themes. And in a list of 100 great science fiction films from just a few weeks ago, Dark City still finds itself ranked far below The Matrix, even in the face of a growing cult fanbase and a new (and much improved from studio interference) director's cut.
12 Monkeys isn't bad, but it's kind of hurt by Brad Pitt. That was still pretty early in career and he had a tendency to go way too big (for me at least) with his character in that movie.
I thought Pitt's character needed that to keep the viewer convinced he could set in motion events that would (virtually) wipe out Humanity. IMO.
^You could be right. I'm glad he went in that direction rather than the direction of a methodical Bond villain or something. Still his performance just didn't work for me. I think he could have toned it down a little. 
Agreed on both counts. EH was definitely Anderson playing well above his usual standard. Shame he's never reached those heights since.
Dark City is probably under-known, rather than under-rated. Most people who've seen it praise it and it got good reviews on this side of the pond, from what I recall at the time. But it definitely deserves more acclaim than it's gotten.
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