Favorite Sci Fi Movie

Just saw Prometheus last night. For any fan of the Alien movies, Prometheus is a must see. On the other hand, it doesn't try to be Prometheus. It is less horror and more science fiction. Here are the pros and cons:

Pros:
1. The story. Outstanding concept, and plenty of room for more sequels and prequels to build on it. This could be the start of an epic -- on the level of Star Wars -- or bigger.
2. Cinematography. It sounds snobbish to use that word, but I can't think of a more suitable one. No expense seemed to be sparred to bring the audience a half billion miles from earth. I also appreciate that it didn't have a fake CGI look to it. Everything was quite believable.
3. The characters of David and Elizabeth, especially David, were well done.

Cons:
1. Other than David and Elizabeth, I felt the other actors were playing the movie as if it were a low-budget TV show. The acting was stiff and the dialogue amateurish.
2. There were too many story lines going on, especially at first. As the movie wound to a close there was more of an emphasis on Elizabeth , which was a good thing.
3. Charlize Theron was a particular disappointment. Normally she is one of my favorites, but she just seemed to not fit into this movie, and her character was too over the top.

If you aren't up to date on the Alien movies, don't let that stop you from seeing Prometheus. There isn't much overlap in the two stories. For the Alien fans, Prometheus is a must, but don't expect something like any of the previous Aliens.

Overall, on my 0 to 10 scale, I give Prometheus an 8.

Quote: Wizard

If you aren't up to date on the Alien movies, don't let that stop you from seeing Prometheus.

If you aren't up to date on the Alien movies, count yourself lucky :)

The first one was an ok monster movie with a mild hard SF setting. The second one was an ok action-war-monster movie with a mild hard SF setting. The third and fourth movies, as far as I'm concerned, do not exist.

Actually, the most salient factoid about the second movie is that Paul Reiser plays the villain.

Quote: Nareed

If you aren't up to date on the Alien movies, count yourself lucky :)

180-degree opposite opinion from me. Between this and climate change, I'm going to have to deduct two of your Wizard points.

The first Alien movie was as good as it gets when it comes to science fiction/horror. The second one was among the best action movies ever made. The third was decent, and the fourth should have never been made.

Quote: Wizard

180-degree opposite opinion from me.

Interesting, as we agree in two out of four movies:

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The first Alien movie was as good as it gets when it comes to science fiction/horror.

Or, as I said, an ok monster movie with a mild SF setting. When it comes to horror, nothing can compare to history or, sometimes, the daily news.

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The second one was among the best action movies ever made.

Here we disagree a bit. it was an ok movie. For "best," staying within SF, I'd go with any of the first Terminator movies. Outside SF I'd award the prize to the first Indiana Jones movie.

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The third was decent,

Decent what? ;)

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and the fourth should have never been made.

That "movie" si the best argument for developing a working neuralizer ;)

Quote: Nareed

When it comes to horror, nothing can compare to history or, sometimes, the daily news.

I actually cried bullshit on 9/11. "Yeah sure, Pentagon has been hit, and I just grew a third leg". Lacks suspension of disbelief. Movies are much better at building it up.

Quote: Nareed

Interesting, as we agree in two out of four movies:

Who doesn't agree that the third is somewhere in the boring to decent range, and the fourth was just embarrassing to the series.

Quote: Nareed

Decent what? ;)

I thought the acting in Alien 3 was first rate and the story compelling. Special praise to Charles Dutton. It was just too too slow, dark, and conversational.

A bit off topic, but I've never seen the Alien vs. Predator movies. Do they add anything to the Alien story, or are they, shall we say, outside of the rest of the Alien universe? Also, go ahead and ruin it for me, but who won?

Quote: Wizard

Who doesn't agree that the third is somewhere in the boring to decent range,

I dislike it when a movie sequel undoes the preceding movies.

Quote:

A bit off topic, but I've never seen the Alien vs. Predator movies.

I haven't, either. I never even saw any of the Predator movies

deleted

Quote: Wizard

Just saw Prometheus last night.
3. The characters of David and Elizabeth, especially David, were well done.

I must disagree here. I thought everyone was terribly cast. Charlie and Elizabeth were supposed to be such famous and brilliant scientists that they attracted this trillion-dollar trip to find God, but they came off as young, boring amateurs who take off their helmets at the first chance they get on the planet. Elizabeth flip flopped her story one scene to the next from "We've got to get out of here" to "I want to stay and ask them 'why'" (of course that's the writer's fault). My audience laughed at the absurdity of her lines. I didn't care about any of the people in the movie like I cared about Ripley in the first Alien. She was a badass, but Elizabeth...not so much. David the robot was well cast though, he has a robot face in real life.

And why get Guy Pearce to play the old man? Anyone could see it was a young actor in oldman make-up, absolutely terrible. Why pay Pearce to do it instead of getting an actual old actor?

Theron was miscast also. I don't think I'm giving anything away at this point since the movie's been out a while, but she's in her early 30's in age, and she's supposed to be the daughter of a 100-year-old man? puhlease. And she's supposed to be in charge of this multi-national, multi-billion dollar firm that funds the trip? And she's only 30? puhlease.

Hope that's not a spoiler, but anyone interested in this flick would've seen it by now.

Quote: Wizard

A bit off topic, but I've never seen the Alien vs. Predator movies. Do they add anything to the Alien story, or are they, shall we say, outside of the rest of the Alien universe? Also, go ahead and ruin it for me, but who won?

There are three of them now. The first (AVP), was the best I thought. The one in Colorado (?) (AVP Requiem) wasn't as good and the last one (Predators, with Adrien Brody) was kinda ho-hum. We've seen it all by now; stretching the franchise a bit thin. But give AVP a watch.

I figured that Elizabeth was supposed to be indecisive, and a contrast to Ripley. That is not reason alone to dislike it. Look at any of the first three Rocky movies. At first he was ambivalent about fighting a stronger opponent, but eventually found his confidence and purpose. The audience ate it up each time.

I agree 100% about the old man. Why get a young actor to play an old character when there are plenty of old actors out there already? However, a 70-year-old man can still father children, especially with the help of medical science.

Quote: zippy

And she's supposed to be in charge of this multi-national, multi-billion dollar firm that funds the trip? And she's only 30? puhlease.

I don't want to spoil it, so my response is

Now, speaking of movie fights, one question I've been trying to get a clear answer to for years is who won the Freddy vs. Jason fight? Please put your answer in spoiler tags.

Quote: zippyboy

. And she's supposed to be in charge of this multi-national, multi-billion dollar firm that funds the trip? And she's only 30? puhlease.
.

Well, Zuckerberg, Jobs, Gates - (zuckerberg is already in the billions at age 28) -- (Gates was a billionaire around 32) (Jobs kind of went bust and became rich on and off)

Quote: Wizard

180-degree opposite opinion from me. Between this and climate change, I'm going to have to deduct two of your Wizard points.

The first Alien movie was as good as it gets when it comes to science fiction/horror. The second one was among the best action movies ever made. The third was decent, and the fourth should have never been made.

One Factoid about the Alien movie.... at the end where Ripley battles the Alien in the cargo bay, that Caterpillar walking fork-lift actually was invented, and is/was a real piece of machinery. My dad was still working at a local Caterpillar Service/Sales outlet, and was very proud of the machine. WAY ahead of its time.

Quote: rxwine

I think I might add "Close Encounters of the Third Kind",

I can't agree. The squeaky voiced midget in the lead role
ruined the movie for me. Terri Garr as his wife didn't help.
When he was building the mountain of mud in his house,
I thought the scene would never end. All the tension, all
the build up, and the ending was nothing. A bunch of
kid actors dressed as aliens come wandering down the
ramp. I wish I was there with my pellet gun.

And don't get me started on ET. I said before I still don't know
how the movie ends because I walked out long before
it was over. I visualize that they killed and ate ET, but
thats probably just wishful thinking.

Quote: EvenBob

And don't get me started on ET. I said before I still don't know
how the movie ends because I walked out long before
it was over. I visualize that they killed and ate ET, but
thats probably just wishful thinking.

Yes.

And he tasted like chicken.

Mars Attacks is a classic. Every time I see it
I laugh out loud.

Quote: Nareed

I think Spielberg built his rep with one horror movie (Jaws) and one action movie (Raiders of the Lost Ark).

I think the following 9 movies were all very good as well. I do find his family TV shows to be tedious.

1972 Duel
1974 The Sugarland Express
1982 Poltergeist
1985 The Color Purple
1993 Jurassic Park
1993 Schindler's List
1998 Saving Private Ryan
2002 Minority Report
2002 Catch Me If You Can

Quote: pacomartin

I think the following 9 movies were all very good as well. I do find his family TV shows to be tedious.

1972 Duel
1974 The Sugarland Express
1982 Poltergeist
1985 The Color Purple
1993 Jurassic Park
1993 Schindler's List
1998 Saving Private Ryan
2002 Minority Report
2002 Catch Me If You Can

Had nightmares about Duel for years. Didn't care
for Purple, a 600 lb Oprah really frightened me.
Minority was a good Cruise movie. Catch Me was
great, even if it did have Leo as the star.

Quote: pacomartin

I think the following 9 movies were all very good as well. I do find his family TV shows to be tedious.

By 93, when he made Jurassic Park, his rep was already as high as it was going to get. But I neglected to mention his connection to the Back to the Future movies. He didn't direct or write them, but many people think he did.

Quote: pacomartin

I think the following 9 movies were all very good as well. I do find his family TV shows to be tedious.

1972 Duel
1974 The Sugarland Express
1982 Poltergeist
1985 The Color Purple
1993 Jurassic Park
1993 Schindler's List
1998 Saving Private Ryan
2002 Minority Report
2002 Catch Me If You Can

Duel is one of the more under-rated TV movies ever. Not Sci-Fi, but damn good movie-making.
J-Park and Saving Private Ryan are his best Cinema Movies, hands down. Schindler's List just a tiny bit below, but still an A+ movie.

An odd question here... Wizard of Oz probably scared more kids under age 10, for decades... How did Alien, or J-Park compare?

the avatar is the best sci-fi movie ever. it's dericted by James Cameron. this movie is too cool and such have a good animation.
here the link is :-

Quote: 98Clubs

One Factoid about the Alien movie.... at the end where Ripley battles the Alien in the cargo bay, that Caterpillar walking fork-lift actually was invented, and is/was a real piece of machinery. My dad was still working at a local Caterpillar Service/Sales outlet, and was very proud of the machine. WAY ahead of its time.

I can't believe that.

Caterpillar DID NOT invent it. The movie's producer I think actually owns the patent. There was no CGI in 1986, the machine existed and operated.

Quote: 98Clubs

There was no CGI in 1979,

Aliens was made in 1986 and there most certainly
was CGI. ILM started using it as early as 1980 and
by the mid 80's it was everywhere.

Fixed error. As far as I have been seen and told, the powerloader was real, and did operate.

This should clear it up.


"Q: Are those power-loaders real?
A: Based on the Collectors Version of Aliens on Laserdisc, which comes
with a disk that shows some of the secrets of the making of the movie,
the loader is part real, part fake. The actual loader is real, but
has an external power supply. Since the loader is extremely heavy, it
is supported by cables which are masked out for the final print.
A power loader was on display at the Boston Museum of Science as
part of a special effects exhibit. This power loader was worked by a
person inside, behind and below the actor, that is with their legs down
in the power-loader's legs and their torso in the power-loader's back.
Different constructs of the power loader were used depending on the
action it had to perform in front of the camera."

So it was a not a real working machine, it was a full sized model.