Posted on 09/24/2017 12:04:34 PM PDT by EveningStar
By its very nature, the sci-fi genre is relatively complex: the short stories, novels, TV series and films that comprise speculative fiction necessitate detailed expository passages to build its far-flung futures, reality-bending premises, and stories set in a galaxy far, far away.
Whether the story is set on an alien world populated by creatures markedly different from human beings, in a future separated by centuries or eons from the present in which society, technology, science, and civilization itself have evolved into a nearly unrecognizable state, or center around time or space travel, sci-fi stories require complex set-ups to create a believable reality that’s very different from our own.
Because of this, the sci-fi genre also allows for its stories to become quite complex. Time travel stories thrive on complexity while, depending on the story, other elements may be willfully obtuse to create an air of mystery or disorientation in the viewer–and some sci-fi stories are much more complex than others.
Here are 10 sci-fi films that are purposely complex ...
10. Predestination (2014) ...
9. The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976) ...
8. The Fountain (2006) ...
7. Coherence (2013) ...
6. Upstream Color (2013) ...
5. Primer (2004) ...
4. Inception (2010) ...
3. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension (1984) ...
2. Solaris (1972) ...
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) ...
(Excerpt) Read more at tasteofcinema.com ...
Sunshine was a weird duck. The first half was a great SF film (if you ignore the dumb solar physics). But the second half devolved into a Freddy Kruger horror flick.
They forgot Prometheus.
SyFy ran a bunch of epis a few years ago. It didn’t age well, comparing it to my youthful memories of it.
I had the same experience when I ordered the whole series on DVD. For the first few episodes, I began to wonder why I had enjoyed it so much back then.
Then it began to grow on me again and I did like it.
I had the same experience with “The Jack Benny Show”. I loved it as a kid and when they began to rerun it on some channel I was really disappointed, then the same experience. It began to gett better and better the more I watched it.
I agree!
But yeah, I started to like it again, even with being bombarded by promos for McCain's daughter's show during the breaks.
Remember UFO?
I liked it as a kid. Got a used set of DVDs of the series and re-watched it. All I could think was these aliens are really really stupid!
Inception drove me nuts. Still don’t get it.
And Dune, while visually stunning, was also confusing.
All excellent shows.
Yes, but barely. I think it was Saturday afternoon fare, it was an import, and I don’t think it caught on all that well, regardless of the eye-candy they supplied.
Other SF films with an inexplicable trippy/druggy ending: Altered States (1980), End of Evangelion (1997), The Black Hole (1979).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.