Sunday, September 01, 2013

Reader Top Ten Greatest Science Fiction Films, Circa 2000 - 2013: Ed Erdelac

           

            My friend and reader Ed Erdelac contributes his top ten list next in our continuing reader poll. He writes:

         "1. Prometheus  - As decisive as it is, I think it’s the Blade Runner of our time, easily dismissed as flawed in its characterizations, but undeniably provocative in its craft and the depths of its hidden themes.

2. Moon – Fantastic one man performance by Rockwell, engrossing in its ethical concerns.

3. Real Steel – A criminally overlooked fusion of science fiction and sports drama inspired by Richard Matheson’s short, STEEL, where both of the major spectacle draws take a backseat to a pair of great characters. At its heart, a tried and true father and son story that had the theater literally cheering when I saw it, even with a surprisingly less than happy ending.

4. Wall-E – Heartwarming romance and comedy groundbreaking in its nonspeaking principals and bitingly satirical in the scope of its environmental message.

5. Attack The Block - An utterly original and unique perspective on the old alien invasion story, with inner city London youth culture as the protagonists, bolstered by a strike of lightning cast. My favorite movie of 2011.

6. Cloverfield – One of the few found footage movies that consistently makes sense, a harrowing on the spot depiction of a giant monster attack that lives up to its Godzilla inspirations, and what will no doubt be seen as a time capsule of post 9/11 paranoia.

7. Cloud Atlas – A masterfully interwoven look at the recycling of souls throughout time.

8. Iron Man – One of the finest comic book movies ever made, not just the story of a guy in a powered suit, but a supremely idealistic, metaphorical tale about an industrialist who has a literal change of heart and becomes a hero.

9. Europa Report – A harrowingly realistic look at deep space travel, the lengths to which the pioneers of humanity will go for knowledge, and with a dash of Lovecraft.

10. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes – Surprisingly great reboot of the classic series, with a compelling environmental message.

Honorable Mentions:

Pacific Rim
Godzilla: Giant Monsters All Out Attack
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith
X-Men
John Carter
District 9."

Ed: I enjoyed reading this list tremendously, and was glad to see you agree with my assessment and also high ranking of Prometheus.  I'm also gratified to see the high-placement of Cloud Atlas, a film also on my list, and which I will talk about more next week.  I have not seen Real Steel, but should...

3 comments:

  1. Europa Report and Real Steel are both novel, inspired picks. Real Steel was a lot better than perhaps deserved to be. I didn't even stop to consider for my list but, now, I do think its a rare, well-made, family-oriented science fiction film.

    I had the fortune of seeing Europa Report this past summer theatrically. It, too, was better than the tired, found footage premise would lead one to believe.

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    Replies
    1. I just put Real Steel and Europa Report in my Netflix queue.

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  2. Anonymous6:47 PM

    Thanks, John! Both great movies, and Real Steel is one of the most positive audience reactions I've seen in years, particularly from a movie with no pre-established fanbase. I think a lot of people were turned off by the kid-oriented trailers. It's a lot like the Stallone movie Over The Top, but with the father and kid motivations reversed a bit (in this, the father wants nothing to do with his son). What did you think of Attack The Block? I'm surprised by all the negative reviews it gets on imdb. I thought it was extremely entertaining and original.

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