Inspired by FanExpo in Toronto this past weekend (I couldn't go!!!) and my solo trip to the IMAX theatre this afternoon to see Elysium (which is totally awesome), I thought I would compile a list of other sci-fi-esque movies that I totally love in case anyone is looking for ways to spend their evenings on Netflix. Don't let your aversion for "sci-fi" turn you off, you'll only find the rare alien on this list.
1. District 9 (2009): Released on the heels of one of the coolest mysterious-teaser marketing campaigns to accompany a movie in the last 10 years (check it out HERE), I will admit that I went to see it not knowing anything at all about what I was getting into--and now it's probably my #1 favorite movie. Set in South Africa (cool!), it's actually a faux documentary about the occupation of Johannesburg by a camp of refugee aliens that's narrated by a quirky non-hero with the ridiculous name of Wikus Van De Merwe. Something usual happens to him and the film also follows his downward spiral... oh, and it's also an allegory for apartheid!! TRUST ME, watch it if you haven't. (and then tell me what you think!)
2. The Island (2005): DON'T CLICK THAT LINK (spoiler alert!) Okay, to be fair part of the reason I like this so much is watching Ewan McGregor act with childlike innocence.... but the concept is cool, and it's fairly well executed (okay, so you can probably see the "twist" coming from miles away, but it's still great when it happens). I feel as if a lot of people I know missed this in the theatres (I did!), but I have been hosting screenings for virgin viewers at my house regularly in the years since. It's pretty Hollywood glam, and there's not much depth to it, but I like it all the same.
3. Minority Report (2002): Yeah, it's Tom Cruise, but again, another pretty interesting concept that is executed with a pleasant blend of the expected Hollywood sci-fi action glamour with enough humanity to make it memorable. I showed a bunch of clips in MIT projects in university... but I specifically like the smaller elements of the future "world" in this movie: when he's walking by stores and the billboards greet him by name via retinal scan, and his family video "holograms". Cool shit.
4. Equilibrium (2002): Christian Bale pre-Batman. Set in the future, we see mankind's answer to world peace as the elimination of emotions via a mandatory-under-law daily injection of drugs. No passion, no love, no art, no creativity... I love the societal repercussions suggested here from humans having no emotions: the removal of literally everything that evokes any kind of emotional response. Watch it if you missed this one.
5. Repo Men (2010): I actually have only seen this movie once, but something about it stuck with me, and the leadup to the climax of the storyline takes you on one hell of a ride. I guess the thread you'll see with all of these movies is a strong human element, despite all the crazy movie tricks and FX. Jude Law serves that up pretty well here.
6. Vanilla Sky (2001): Say what you want, this is still a great idea for a sci-fi flick. Basically, Tom Cruise gets in a car accident and then the movie traces his downward spiral of a life... but things get increasingly confusing. I actually don't even like the original Spanish language version better. Try to figure it out as you go, and don't read spoilers! It's part of the fun...
7. Knowing (2009): Again, this one was critically a disaster, but there's something about it I like. It legitimately scared me (so, not for the faint of heart), but I really like how the story unfolds, too. It's so nice to have a child actor in a movie that's not annoying, and the ticking clock of the end of the world framing the rest of the plot revelations helps to build intensity--I am not even disappointed by the ending, better than the world just exploding, right?
8. Moon (2009): This movie gets in your head, and part of that is probably due to the fabulous creepiness of Sam Rockwell putting forward an amazing performance. To sum it up, a guy is up in space alone with only a computer voiced by Kevin Spacey for company.... things don't go well. Another one that starts out calm, and takes a turn for the worse ending in a twist you probably won't have seen coming (Don't look it up! It'll blow your mind!!!!).
9. Battle Royale (2000): First, if you're not one for foreign films, trust me you will get over that in the first 5 minutes of watching this Japanese gore-fest. This movie is what the Hunger Games SHOULD have been, and it follows a very similar concept... only it was made more than 10 years before Katniss's family-friendly adventure. In an over-populated future Earth, a school class is randomly selected to be sent on a one-way field trip to an island on which they have to battle each other to the death--last one standing gets to leave the island, and if there's two? Well, you both die! I love the mix of over-the-top anime-inspired characters and violence, and how this movie also fairly realistically takes you through what would happen if the average person was faced with this scenario... something Hunger Games doesn't really cover well.
10. I am tempted to put The Fifth Element on this list, but if you haven't seen THAT, then get right out of town. So, for this last one, I will give a list of some other sci-fi flicks I have watched a bunch of times, that either are more well-known or I don't like quite as much, but are still pretty great (also, I'm tired and going to bed): Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, TRON, Titan A.E., The Matrix..
Oooh! I thought of one more! It's on Netflix right now, I just watched it last week. VERY cool, kind of Contagion-esque, but more surreal. Perfect Sense (2011): my sister originally recommended it to me and I totally forgot about it until it popped up on my suggested films--thanks Netflix! It's about a mysterious disease that pops up in the future causing people to break down into a fit of complete sadness followed by the loss of their sense of smell... and then, you know, the usual downward spiral... :)
Also, here's two more lists I found while grabbing these links that include these, plus lots more great films if you're bored:
http://www.imdb.com/list/Ui0vVgSMM6Y/?ref_=tt_rls_1
http://www.imdb.com/list/E1fozfxyin0/
2. The Island (2005): DON'T CLICK THAT LINK (spoiler alert!) Okay, to be fair part of the reason I like this so much is watching Ewan McGregor act with childlike innocence.... but the concept is cool, and it's fairly well executed (okay, so you can probably see the "twist" coming from miles away, but it's still great when it happens). I feel as if a lot of people I know missed this in the theatres (I did!), but I have been hosting screenings for virgin viewers at my house regularly in the years since. It's pretty Hollywood glam, and there's not much depth to it, but I like it all the same.
4. Equilibrium (2002): Christian Bale pre-Batman. Set in the future, we see mankind's answer to world peace as the elimination of emotions via a mandatory-under-law daily injection of drugs. No passion, no love, no art, no creativity... I love the societal repercussions suggested here from humans having no emotions: the removal of literally everything that evokes any kind of emotional response. Watch it if you missed this one.
6. Vanilla Sky (2001): Say what you want, this is still a great idea for a sci-fi flick. Basically, Tom Cruise gets in a car accident and then the movie traces his downward spiral of a life... but things get increasingly confusing. I actually don't even like the original Spanish language version better. Try to figure it out as you go, and don't read spoilers! It's part of the fun...
8. Moon (2009): This movie gets in your head, and part of that is probably due to the fabulous creepiness of Sam Rockwell putting forward an amazing performance. To sum it up, a guy is up in space alone with only a computer voiced by Kevin Spacey for company.... things don't go well. Another one that starts out calm, and takes a turn for the worse ending in a twist you probably won't have seen coming (Don't look it up! It'll blow your mind!!!!).
10. I am tempted to put The Fifth Element on this list, but if you haven't seen THAT, then get right out of town. So, for this last one, I will give a list of some other sci-fi flicks I have watched a bunch of times, that either are more well-known or I don't like quite as much, but are still pretty great (also, I'm tired and going to bed): Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, TRON, Titan A.E., The Matrix..
Also, here's two more lists I found while grabbing these links that include these, plus lots more great films if you're bored:
http://www.imdb.com/list/Ui0vVgSMM6Y/?ref_=tt_rls_1
http://www.imdb.com/list/E1fozfxyin0/
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