Where have all the good sci-fi films gone (vanity)?

Yours truly

[rjp2005]

Where have all the sci-fi films gone?

Those simple, thought-provoking speculative tales about how people respond to something new, what kind of moral choices they make, keeping traditions in the face of technological change. Essentially, the kind of films that were thought provoking and story/character driven - Day the Earth Stood Still, Planet of Apes, 12 Monkeys, Minority Report (more action though but good), etc.

The "Superhero and Fantasy Genre Craze" since Spiderman and LOTR has really eaten up a lot of support for original sci-fi works to film...

For 2008, we have two horror/slasher types "I Am Legend" (Omega Man remake) and "Death Race" (revisiting the 70's version), another superhero film in "Jumper", "Iron Man", which could be a treat, and maybe the only true sci-fi attempt, "Babylon A.D.". There was also "Sunshine", a late 90's disaster film leftover, possibly funded by Global Warming-mongers ;)

[ASOC]

Cowboy Bebop - a real look at the future...

[steve-b]

Never heard of that book -- however, I recall that the producer of Parts: The Clonus Horror sued them for doing an uncredited ripoff (and, given the similarities in both concept and plot points, he seems to have a good case).

[6ppc]

There is so much good written science fiction out there that I keep wondering how they can keep coming up with such crap. Niven and Pournelle wrote three books ( The Mote in God's Eye, Lucifer's Hammer, and Footfall) that would make GREAT blockbuster movies. Lot's of stuff by other authors. Why do idiot producers keep writing their own (bad) stuff when so much good stuff is available?

BTW...purists abhore the term sci-fi...it's called Science Fiction or SF for short.

[CJ Wolf]

Or an elite team responding to a cyber-attack on the electrical grid?

The latest live free or Die hard covered that.

[Always Independent]

You didn’t like the Crawling Eye? or the original The Thing? or the Giant Behemonth? Or IT? The Day the World Ended? The Man from Planet X? Journey to the Seventh Planet.

[ReignOfError]

I can only dread what Hollywood and Keanu Reeves will do with this year's remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still

That was a peacenik movie in its original release -- it was released in the early Cold War, at the height of the shelter-building, duck-and-cover days, when a lot of people believed a nuclear war could happen any day. It was a fantasy of an all-powerful arbiter who could halt any aggression.

GORT KLAATU BARADA NIKTO. Remember that. It's very important.

[6ppc]

Think I’ll watch “The Fifth Element” this evening.

That's some of the crap I was complaining about in my last post.

[GLDNGUN]

Yep. I was gonna mention that movie. I heard it’s based on a book called The House of the Scorpion, that’s supposed to be a pretty decent book.

It's one of the few movies I own, as I'm not real big on watching movies over and over. The way it unfolds from the beginning is very well done. You can tell something just isn't quite right but you can't put your finger on it. Then, as the story progresses, you get that *AHA!* moment and everything starts to come into focus. I won't give any more away for those who haven't seen it, but if you haven't seen this movie...DO IT!

[Oatka]

I just waded through 200+ posts and NOBODY has mentioned the TROMA productions! For Shame!

These guys evidently had a ball making campy Sci-Fi movies and came up with some interesting titles as well as multiple parts for the same actor. My favorite: “Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell” (tagline “Where the prehistoric meets the prepubescent”.)?

And then there’s the “Toxic Avenger” that spawned GI-Joe-like “Toxie” action figures.

[bjs1779]

>Anyone else like the original Outer Limits...??

Yeah that was pretty good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMtdvBHq2_A

[-YYZ-]

“Anyone else like the original Outer Limits...??”

That would be the one from the 60s (maybe 50s)? I don’t think I’ve ever seen them. I did like the original Twilight Zone. The 80’s version of the Outer Limits was OK, although a lot of the ideas for the stories were rather old and formulaic.

I have been watching, and am a big fan of, the new Doctor Who series. It’s only barely Science Fiction, but it IS good fun.

[steve-b]

Childhood's End has the same two problems as Foundation, in terms of adaptability to visual media:

1. The stories have lots of concept and not much action.

2. Ultimately, nothing any of the characters does makes any difference to the outcome. (This is the basic premise of Foundation.)

[6ppc]

Babylon 5.

That's a good one...I bought the entire series on DVD.

[Gator113]

“Day the Earth Stood Still”

As a child, I watched that movie on TV when it first came out. The house could have been on fire and I wouldn’t have left until the movie was over. ;>)

[6ppc]

Rendezvous w/Rama

That would be a good one.

[ReignOfError]

Think I’ll watch “The Fifth Element” this evening.

That's some of the crap I was complaining about in my last post.

I think the biggest failing of that movie was that it was mis-marketed. People went to the movies expecting a sci-fi movie, and they got a comic-book movie. It was a good comic-book movie.

[Sherman Logan]

Orson Scott Card is perhaps the most uneven writer I’ve ever run across. Some of his stuff is brilliant and some is absolutely atrocious.

I recommend avoiding the rewrite of the Book of Mormon set in the far future.

[-YYZ-]

“That’s some of the crap I was complaining about in my last post.”

Oh, c’mon. It’s good silly fun, with good visuals, and a cute girl. Not good science fiction, maybe, but entertaining at least.

[6ppc]

There is very little good science fiction in the realm of literature.

Wrong...you've been reading the wrong stuff!

[steve-b]

There was another interesting thread of symbolism in the alien visitor, who came back to life after dying and went by the alias “Carpenter”....