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 ...
Rebuttal: Most of “2001” was the old Frankenstein story. The last half hour of “2001” was for druggies. People who say the last half hour of “2001” was “deep”, “complex”, etc. didn’t understand it either — because it was incoherent — and are simply trying to sound sophisticated.
I was 14 and living in Japan when 2001 came out, watched it perhaps ten times that year, beginning when it was released in Tokyo and then in Yokohama. Lost my chance at a girl friend (CPO's daughter) when I took her to see the movie in Yokosuka, and then spent the next hour bubbling over about how wonderful it was, and all the way the movie was made well, when she didn't understand any of it. Lucky for me, Mrs. C didn't get to see the movie until after we were married; she thinks it's dull and boring, and I am still fascinated by it, in spite of it's not-so-Christian eschatology.
Biggest problem with Interstellar was the sound editing.
You really couldn’t hear the dialog over the music.
Also it really was hard to follow even for a science junky like myself.
Plus the flaws...I don’t think a world orbiting a Blackhole would ever have life on it.
Wow! I’ve seen seven of them.
As I and other have indicated, these four belong on the list.
12 Monkeys
Blade Runner
Zardoz
Ice Pirates
Ice Pirates last of course.
At first glance, I thought that was Tim Robbins from “Mission to Mars”.
I liked Gattica.
Good movie despite the problems in the plot.
One of my favorite scores though.
How about TV series?
X-Files
Babylon 5
Lost
Doctor Who
I can see that. Tim Robbins does somewhat resemble a gumball machine.
Regarding Solaris - I thought as a SciFi drama it was well done. However I couldn’t get past the fact the authors\movie writers thought the sun was like a stove whose pilot light had gone out. All they had to do was flip a thermonuclear Bic and restart it. i.e gather up all the earth’s fissionable material and make a “BIG BOMB”!
“Everybody need see Buckaroo”.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was another good one from the same era.
Wasn’t that Sunshine?
You’re right ! My bad!
I’ve never seen Solaris.
Predestination (2014)is the best of the lot.
"They call him JANE..." for that scene alone.
My favorite Sci-Fi TV series was “The Invaders”.
Certainly not great art but for some reason I liked it.
Have not read the book(s) but have noticed that the ones who do not like it are the ones who have.
I have read the book.
The movie was the most horrible film adaptation of a book that I have yet seen.
There was a DUNE miniseries (2000) that was much better.
DUNE .
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