{"id":10181,"date":"2017-01-15T18:06:24","date_gmt":"2017-01-15T23:06:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/?p=10181"},"modified":"2017-04-20T14:24:10","modified_gmt":"2017-04-20T18:24:10","slug":"comments-on-sci-fi-lists-sf-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/comments-on-sci-fi-lists-sf-movies\/","title":{"rendered":"Comments on Sci-Fi Lists: SF movies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here are my comments on this<\/a> list. If there\u2019s a (+) after the rating that means I did or would have rated it higher the first time I saw it.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Their ranking<\/td>\nTitle<\/td>\nMy rating<\/td>\nMy comments<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nBlade Runner<\/td>\n4.5 (+)<\/td>\nDeckard is a blade runner — he hunts down rogue androids, but he’s getting tired of it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nStar Wars Trilogy IV-VI (1977-83)<\/td>\n3.5, 4.5, 4 (+)<\/td>\nLuke, Han, and Leia fight as rebels against the evil Empire, personified by Darth Vader.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nAlien<\/td>\n3 (+)<\/td>\nWhen a spaceship crew answers a distress call, an alien gets on board and starts killing everyone.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nThe Matrix<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nNeo discovers that the world he knows isn’t real — real humans are at war with machines.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\n2001: A Space Odyssey<\/td>\n4.5 (+)<\/td>\nA huge black monolith near Jupiter causes astronauts to head out to take a look.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\nAliens<\/td>\n4.5 (+)<\/td>\nRipley goes back out to face the xenomorphs, this time in the company of heavily armed marines.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/td>\nThe Terminator<\/td>\n3 (+)<\/td>\nSarah Conner is visited by an android from the future — he’s come to kill her because of her son who’s not even born yet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/td>\nThe Fifth Element<\/td>\n4 (+)<\/td>\nCab driver Corbin Dallas runs into Leeloo and eventually realizes she’s the saviour.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/td>\nTerminator 2 – Judgement Day<\/td>\n4.5<\/td>\nThe Terminator comes back and this time he’s helpful — there’s a new model that’s trying to kill them.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/td>\nTwelve Monkeys<\/td>\n4.5 (+)<\/td>\nCole goes back in time to find information about how the virus that wiped out humanity started.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11<\/td>\nBack to the Future<\/td>\n4.5 (+)<\/td>\nMarty goes back in time to 1955 where he has to straighten things out with his parents or he won’t exist. Watch all 3 movies in a row for the full effect.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12<\/td>\nA Clockwork Orange<\/td>\n3<\/td>\nA young man goes arund committing violent acts with his friends. A brilliant movie but very disturbing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13<\/td>\nForbidden Planet<\/td>\n3<\/td>\nWhen a starship visits Altair IV a scientist on the surface warns them not to land.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
14<\/td>\nThe Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)<\/td>\n3.5<\/td>\nAn alien lands and declares he has a message for all the world’s leaders. One of the old movies that’s still worth watching.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15<\/td>\nStar Trek II – The Wrath of Khan<\/td>\n4.5 (+)<\/td>\nKhan returns to take his revenge on Kirk, and he also steels the powerful Genesis Device.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16<\/td>\nClose Encounters of the Third Kind<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n“Everybody” loves this one but I didn’t get why it was so great.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17<\/td>\nJurassic Park<\/td>\n4.5 (+)<\/td>\nA park is filled with cloned dinosaurs — things go wrong and the dinosaurs start eating people.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18<\/td>\nGattaca<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nVincent can’t go into space because he’s genetically inferior — until he uses Jerome’s DNA.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
19<\/td>\nPlanet of the Apes (1968)<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nHumans travel far away and land on a planet where apes are in charge and humans are treated like animals.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
20<\/td>\nStar Wars I-III (1999-2005)<\/td>\n1.5, 2, 0.5<\/td>\nThe story of Annakin Skywalker’s transition to Darth Vader. Doesn’t deserve to be on this list at all, much less at this level.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
21<\/td>\nDune (1984)<\/td>\n3.5<\/td>\nPaul goes to the planet Dune with his family and eventually leads the Fremen in a war against the Empire.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
22<\/td>\nBrazil<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nTerry Gilliam’s masterpiece about a man caught in a web of bureaucratic nonsense.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
23<\/td>\nThe Thing<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
24<\/td>\nPredator<\/td>\n1<\/td>\nAn alien who can make itself invisible proves difficult to defeat.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
25<\/td>\nDark City<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nAliens make changes to humans’ memories to see what happens — one man discovers what they’re doing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
26<\/td>\nTotal Recall (1990)<\/td>\n1.5<\/td>\nA man has dreams about Mars and then discovers that he was really there — and his wife is not his wife.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
27<\/td>\nStargate<\/td>\n4<\/td>\nWhen a military team travels through the stargate they find humans, and aliens pretending to be gods.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
28<\/td>\nIndependence Day<\/td>\n2<\/td>\nAliens attack Earth and humans fight back.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
29<\/td>\nE.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial<\/td>\n3 (+)<\/td>\nAn alien is left behind on Earth when its spaceship leaves — it befriends a young boy named Elliot.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
30<\/td>\nDr Strangelove<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nA rogue general sends planes to bomb the USSR — unfortunately they can’t be recalled.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
31<\/td>\nContact<\/td>\n4.5<\/td>\nAliens send Earth plans for a spaceship. Ellie, a SETI scientist, gets to go on the voyage.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
32<\/td>\nStarship Troopers<\/td>\n2<\/td>\nHumanity sends its military to fight against an insectoid species.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
33<\/td>\nThe Abyss<\/td>\n4.5<\/td>\nAn oil platform crew helps recover a submarine — and discovers aliens.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
34<\/td>\nV for Vendetta<\/td>\n4.5<\/td>\nV rebels against an oppressive government. A great movie but a bit disturbing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
35<\/td>\nSerenity<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nMal and his crew discover the shocking truth behind the Reavers. Sequel to the short-lived but brilliant TV series “Firefly.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
36<\/td>\nDistrict 9<\/td>\n4.5<\/td>\nAliens are confined to a camp in South Africa — Wikus is ordered to relocate them.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
37<\/td>\nMinority Report<\/td>\n4.5<\/td>\nJohn arrests people right before they commit murder, because the precogs can see the future.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
38<\/td>\nDonnie Darko<\/td>\n4.5<\/td>\nDonnie starts seeing a man in a giant rabbit costume who tells him the world will end in 28 days.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
39<\/td>\nAvatar<\/td>\n3.5 (+)<\/td>\nHumans are mining on Pandora, but the Na’vi people are in their way.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
40<\/td>\nMetropolis (1926)<\/td>\n4.5<\/td>\nIn a futuristic city the upper class lives in luxury while the lower class trudges to work each day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
41<\/td>\nMad Max<\/td>\n3 (+)<\/td>\nCivilization has decayed in the future — Max is a cop but goes a bit mad when his family is killed.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
42<\/td>\nChildren of Men<\/td>\n4.5<\/td>\nTheo has to protect a woman at all costs — she’s the first woman to be pregnant in 18 years.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
43<\/td>\nLogan’s Run<\/td>\n2<\/td>\nEveryone is terminated when they become 30 — but when Logan gets to that age he’s not happy about it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
44<\/td>\nThe War of the Worlds (1953)<\/td>\n1.5<\/td>\nAliens come to Earth and start attacking, but they have a fatal weakness.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
45<\/td>\nStar Trek: First Contact<\/td>\n4.5 (+)<\/td>\nPicard and Riker follow the Borg back in time to stop them from assimilating Earth.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
46<\/td>\nThe Time Machine (1960)<\/td>\n1.5<\/td>\nA man travels to the far future and is distressed to find out what happens to humanity.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
47<\/td>\nThe Andromeda Strain<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
48<\/td>\nGalaxy Quest<\/td>\n4.5 (+)<\/td>\nActors from a TV show find themselves on a real spaceship. One of the funniest movies ever made.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
49<\/td>\nI, Robot<\/td>\n4<\/td>\nA decent science fiction action movie but doesn’t deserve to use Isaac Asimov’s “I, Robot” title.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
50<\/td>\nPitch Black<\/td>\n3<\/td>\nA spaceship transporting a deadly criminal crashes on a planet with deadly aliens.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
51<\/td>\nAkira<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
52<\/td>\nEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nA couple who broke up uses new technology to erase their memories of each other.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
53<\/td>\nMen in Black<\/td>\n4.5<\/td>\nA police officer is recruited by the MIB to help protect the planet against<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
54<\/td>\nThe Road Warrior (vt Mad Max 2)<\/td>\n3 (+)<\/td>\nMax tries to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
55<\/td>\nX2: X-Men United<\/td>\n4.5<\/td>\nMutants unite to fight back against those who would destroy them. This is fantasy, not science fiction.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
56<\/td>\nStar Trek (2009)<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nKirk and Spock encounter each other at Starfleet Academy, then head out to space to face a time-travelling Romulan.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
57<\/td>\nA.I. – Artificial Intelligence<\/td>\n3.5<\/td>\nDavid is an android programmed with the ability to love, but his mom decides she doesn’t want him.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
58<\/td>\nTron<\/td>\n2<\/td>\nA programmer is transported inside his program. Visually interesting but the story makes no sense.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
59<\/td>\nSolaris (1972)<\/td>\n2.5<\/td>\nScientists orbiting the planet Solaris have trouble coping with mysterious events. A slow movie that doesn’t give you many answers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
60<\/td>\nRoboCop (1987)<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
61<\/td>\nInvasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
62<\/td>\nStar Trek IV – The Voyage Home<\/td>\n4.5 (+)<\/td>\nKirk and Spock go back to 1986 to get a couple of humpback whales.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
63<\/td>\nSoylent Green<\/td>\n4<\/td>\nFrank investigates a murder which eventually leads him to discover what soylent green is made of.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
64<\/td>\nMoon<\/td>\n4<\/td>\nA man thinks he’s alone on the Moon aside from a robot — he then discovers there is someone else there.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
65<\/td>\nWALL-E<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nA robot named WALL-E, one of the few things left running on Earth, discovers a live plant.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
66<\/td>\nEquilibrium<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
67<\/td>\nThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy<\/td>\n2<\/td>\nDo not watch this movie — read the book instead. The movie is only mildly amusing whereas the book is the funniest one you’ll ever read.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
68<\/td>\nSilent Running<\/td>\n3<\/td>\nPlants only exist on spaceships, so they must be carefully preserved for their eventual return to Earth.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
69<\/td>\nIron Man<\/td>\n4.5<\/td>\nTony Stark builds himself a powerful suit and uses it to become a superhero.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
70<\/td>\nTHX-1138<\/td>\n4<\/td>\nTHX and SEN get into trouble when they stop taking their drugs and engage in a romantic relationship.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
71<\/td>\nThe Thing (From Another World)<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
72<\/td>\nThe Truman Show<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nTruman is in a reality show and he doesn’t know it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
73<\/td>\nEscape From New York<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
74<\/td>\nStar Trek VI – Undiscovered Country<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nKirk and McCoy are tried by Klingons and sent to a prison planet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
75<\/td>\nThe Incredibles<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nBob has to become Mr. Incredible again in order to defeat the dangerous Syndrome and his Omnidroid.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
76<\/td>\nWar of the Worlds (2005)<\/td>\n3<\/td>\nThe “War of the Worlds” story isn’t my favourite, but this version is much more watchable than the one from 1953.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
77<\/td>\nFahrenheit 451<\/td>\n4<\/td>\nIn the future firefighters burn books — because they’re dangerous.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
78<\/td>\nThe Fly (1986)<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
79<\/td>\nInception<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nA team works to implant an idea into an important man’s head by entering his dreams.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
80<\/td>\nArmageddon<\/td>\n3.5<\/td>\nAn asteroid is heading towards Earth and Bruce Willis heads out to blow it up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
81<\/td>\nSuperman<\/td>\n3 (+)<\/td>\nClark Kent becomes Superman and battles Lex Luthor. This is fantasy, not science fiction.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
82<\/td>\nSpider-Man 2<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nPeter Parker is not sure he wants to be a superhero — then Dr. Octopus shows up. This is fantasy, not science fiction.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
83<\/td>\nI Am Legend<\/td>\n4.5<\/td>\nRobert is the last human in New York — he works on a cure for the virus while defending himself against mutants.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
84<\/td>\nYoung Frankenstein<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
85<\/td>\nThe Omega Man<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
86<\/td>\nWestworld<\/td>\n2<\/td>\nAndroids at a theme park malfunction and start killing the guests. It’s like “Jurassic Park” except with robots.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
87<\/td>\nSunshine<\/td>\n2.5<\/td>\nA spaceship crew heads to the Sun on a mission to reignite it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
88<\/td>\nThe Rocky Horror Picture Show<\/td>\n3.5<\/td>\nA musical comedy in which at least one character is an alien. The songs are catchy but other than that I didn’t really get it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
89<\/td>\n20,000 Leagues Under the Sea<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
90<\/td>\nPi<\/td>\n3 (+)<\/td>\nMax is a mathematician who thinks the world can be explained with numbers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
91<\/td>\nThem!<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
92<\/td>\nCube<\/td>\n3.5<\/td>\nSeveral strangers wake up in a giant cube where every room looks the same.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
93<\/td>\nNight Of the Living Dead<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
94<\/td>\nEvent Horizon<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
95<\/td>\nSpaceballs<\/td>\n3 (+)<\/td>\nA spoof of movies like “Star Wars” — it’s funny, but not too funny.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
96<\/td>\nThe X-Files<\/td>\n4<\/td>\nIf you’re watching the TV series “The X-Files” you need to watch this movie between season 5 and 6.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
97<\/td>\nStalker<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
98<\/td>\nStarman<\/td>\n3 (+)<\/td>\nI’m guessing it was good the first time around 20 years ago. I started rewatching it more recently and didn’t finish it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
99<\/td>\nInvasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
100<\/td>\nGodzilla<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

There are some movies that deserve to be on the list that aren’t. Here are the most egregious omissions:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • 2010: The Year We Make Contact<\/li>\n
  • The Adjustment Bureau<\/li>\n
  • Advantageous<\/li>\n
  • Anna<\/li>\n
  • Attack the Block<\/li>\n
  • Batman Begins<\/li>\n
  • Batman: The Dark Knight Returns<\/li>\n
  • Beneath the Planet of the Apes<\/li>\n
  • The Brother From Another Planet<\/li>\n
  • Capricorn One<\/li>\n
  • Cloud Atlas<\/li>\n
  • Cocoon<\/li>\n
  • The Dark Knight<\/li>\n
  • Dawn of the Planet of the Apes<\/li>\n
  • Delicatessen<\/li>\n
  • Edge of Tomorrow<\/li>\n
  • Ender’s Game<\/li>\n
  • Ex Machina<\/li>\n
  • Frequencies<\/li>\n
  • Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel<\/li>\n
  • Gravity<\/li>\n
  • Her<\/li>\n
  • Interstellar<\/li>\n
  • I Origins<\/li>\n
  • Jurassic World<\/li>\n
  • Last Night (1998)<\/li>\n
  • Looper<\/li>\n
  • Mad Max: Fury Road<\/li>\n
  • The Martian<\/li>\n
  • Never Let Me Go<\/li>\n
  • Oblivion<\/li>\n
  • The Prestige<\/li>\n
  • Predestination<\/li>\n
  • Rise of the Planet of the Apes<\/li>\n
  • Robot & Frank<\/li>\n
  • Safety Not Guaranteed<\/li>\n
  • Seeking a Friend for the End of the World<\/li>\n
  • Self\/less<\/li>\n
  • Signs<\/li>\n
  • Snowpiercer<\/li>\n
  • Star Trek III: The Search for Spock<\/li>\n
  • Star Trek V: The Final Frontier<\/li>\n
  • Star Trek Into Darkness<\/li>\n
  • Star Wars: The Force Awakens<\/li>\n
  • Tremors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Here are my comments on this list. If there\u2019s a (+) after the rating that means I did or would have rated it higher the first time I saw it. Their ranking Title My rating My comments 1 Blade Runner 4.5 (+) Deckard is a blade runner — he hunts down rogue androids, but he’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[42,6,8],"class_list":["post-10181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-my-thoughts","tag-lists","tag-movie","tag-science-fiction"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10181"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10646,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10181\/revisions\/10646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}