My Top 20 science fiction movies: Part 1, #16-20

My Top 20 science fiction movies

The good thing about science fiction is that nothing is off limits. You can change history, visit other worlds, have characters that live as long as you like, and change almost any rule you can think of. Some of my favorite movies fall into this genre because they spark my imagination. Like any genre, there's good and bad, but the best science fiction movies can rank alongside more serious films.

I'm still waiting to see an adaptation of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game on the big screen, but I'm beginning to wonder if it will ever happen.

So let's focus on what has been released. The remaining 15 movies on my list will be revealed over the coming week, but here are the first five:

20. 12 Monkeys (1995)

Directed by Terry Gilliam

Starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe and Brad Pitt

Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys is 130 minutes of confusion and action, but it all makes sense in the end. We are shown a glimpse of the future and it’s not a very nice place. A plague wiped out most of the world’s population in 1996 and the surviving humans are forced to cower underground due to the inhospitable conditions above. Although the setting seems primitive, the technology available is not. Cole (Willis) is chosen to travel back in time in order to stop the plague from happening. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a lot of accurate information available. To make things worse, he initially arrives in 1990 rather than 1996. His ravings about the impending disaster are ignored and he’s considered mentally ill and dangerous. Gilliam’s world is interesting and the plot is intelligent. Willis is great as Cole and I consider this Gilliam’s best movie. He’ll keep you guessing, but you’re always rooting for Cole. It’s a captivating tale.

19. Deep Impact (1998)

Directed by Mimi Leder

Starring Téa Leoni, Robert Duvall, Elijah Wood and Morgan Freeman

If you followed my Top 10 Horror series, you will know that I’m fascinated by how society breaks down when it’s threatened by something serious. Jenny Lerner (Leoni) is a reporter who is hoping to advance her career. She gets her chance when she inadvertently discovers that a comet is threatening life on Earth. The president (Freeman) confirms her discovery and addresses the nation to talk about the threat. A mission, led by veteran Spurgeon Tanner (Duvall), is planned to intercept the comet and blow it apart before it gets close to Earth. The reason that Deep Impact works is the human stories involved. Some involve family, some romance, and others survival. There’s enough to make you care whether these characters live or die. Special effects are good when needed, but this is more about the characters than the effects. Duvall is superb in his role and the story is mostly believable.

18. War of the Worlds (1953)

Directed by Byron Haskin

Starring Gene Barry, Ann Robinson and Les Tremayne

War of the Worlds hasn’t aged well. The special effects look terrible when compared to those produced by modern technology. The scenery is obviously fake; the alien machines are clearly held up by wires; the acting is weak, and the music is overly dramatic. I think it deserves this ranking because it’s an imaginative story which was ahead of its time. The initial sense of mystery and discovery surrounding the first “meteor” landing was handled well. I always find myself wanting to see how everything unfolds. I don’t believe for a minute that today’s military would consult a priest, a professor and his niece, but that doesn’t matter. This was made in a different time. The novel by H.G. Wells has an interesting ending which is entirely possible should an invasion occur, but it doesn’t work particularly well on film. The ending feels rushed and too abrupt. Overall, War of the Worlds was effective and holds an important place in cinema history. How many things have you seen that were influenced by it?

Click here to see a full review for War of the Worlds.

17. I, Robot (2004)

Directed by Alex Proyas

Starring Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan and Bruce Greenwood

I strongly considered three Alex Proyas titles when compiling this list, but Knowing and Dark City narrowly missed out. I, Robot is loosely based on an Isaac Asimov novel. Detective Spooner (Smith) is not entirely convinced that the robots will obey the three laws, and fears that they could eventually become a threat to humans. The year is 2035 and the view of the future is quite convincing. Smith proved that he’s more than a comedian or an action star in such dramas as The Pursuit of Happyness and Seven Pounds, and he shows some of that range here. One of the robots, Sonny (Alan Tudyk), is suspected of committing a crime. Spooner’s hatred of robots initially clouds his opinion, but he shows that he’s capable of change. The story is an action-packed thriller in which Smith tries to solve the crime and discover whether Sonny is innocent or guilty. The movie is a perfect choice if you want to show off your home theater, boasting one of the best live action images available on Blu-ray. The sound isn’t too shabby either.

16. Star Trek (2009)

Directed by J. J. Abrams

Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and Leonard Nimoy

I grew up watching the original Star Trek crew and feared that this reboot would ruin the franchise, but after watching it, I had a smile on my face. There are just enough references to the original crew, but the movie doesn’t make the mistake of trying to impersonate the old characters. Kirk (Pine) is sure of himself and not afraid to express his opinion, and I could easily see Shatner’s Kirk doing the same thing in his youth. Some of the details that we do learn add something to the original movies. It’s good to know how McCoy got his nickname and why Kirk and Sulu have always been friends. Uhura (Saldana) was another good casting choice. In fact, I was pretty happy with all the casting decisions. Spock (Quinto) has an important role to play in the story, especially when Nimoy shows up. The plot was fairly basic and isn’t the reason I rank the movie in my Top 20. It works because it establishes the new actors in a believable way. It looks better than any Star Trek movie ever has because technology has moved on since the original series. The repeated use of lens flares might annoy some, but I liked the overall presentation. The plot left the future of the franchise completely open and it’s no longer necessary to worry about matching every event that happened to the original crew. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

Click here to see numbers 11-15 on the list.
Click here to see numbers 6-10 on the list. 
Click here to see numbers 1-5 on the list. 

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Avatar: The best Blu-ray presentation to date?

Avatar (action, adventure, fantasy)
Directed by James Cameron
Starring Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver and Zoe Saldana
162 minutes

20th Century Fox | 2009 | 162 min | Rated PG-13 | Released Apr 22, 2010

Video:
MPEG-4 AVC | 1080p | 1.78:1

Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD 2.0
English, French, Portuguese, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0

Subtitles: English SDH, Portuguese, Spanish

Discs:
Single 50GB Blu-ray disc, region free
DVD copy

The Film 4.5/5

James Cameron knows how to make movies with mass appeal. After grossing $1.8 billion worldwide with Titanic, Avatar is closing in on $3 billion. Despite its success, many regard it as unoriginal and simply a blend of several stories we already know. While that's true in some ways, it doesn't mean that it isn't groundbreaking or spectacular in its own right.

The trailers didn't impress me at all and I dismissed the hype from people who had seen the movie in theaters. When Avatar earned nine Oscar nominations, winning three, and the Blu-ray was released, it was finally time to see what all the fuss was about. I truly expected to be disappointed, but I was completely wrong.

Within 90 seconds, the movie had me in its grasp.

We see an interior shot of the ship and meet Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), the main protagonist. Cameron chooses to use Sully as a narrator and it works effectively. The opening shot of the ship looks impressive and gives an idea of the sheer scale of the movie. A minute later, a shot of Pandora orbiting a gas giant increases the impression of size.

The first 24 minutes takes time to establish the setting. We meet the main human characters and discover some of their background and the purpose of their mission. Sully is an ex-marine who, despite having lost the use of his legs, is able to use the expensive avatar intended for his dead brother. This shows us that the mining company in the story is cynical and only concerned about the bottom line, money.

Sully has no experience with the avatar and no training in the background of the native Na'vi language. He's portrayed as savvy, confident and disrespectful, and we are supposed to like him immediately. After a speech that wouldn't have been out of place in Full Metal Jacket, we learn that Pandora is a dangerous and inhospitable moon and that many will not survive their tour of duty.

The initial setup might drag for some, but it held my interest. The exposition is clumsy, but it really doesn't matter. This is a feast for the eyes and ears and you will enjoy it more if you don't stop to analyze it.

After 24 minutes, everything changes when Sully, as part of an exploration team, is sent on a mission outside the training complex in his avatar body. The initial shot of the surface is breathtaking, full of detail and color. In fact some of the colors seem totally new to science.

Sully's inexperience shows and he is separated from the team by the native animals. That's when the story really begins as we encounter a Na'vi woman in the form of Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), Sully's eventual love interest.

The hour following Sully's first trip to the surface is the most original and interesting part of the movie. We are shown Pandora and the Na'vi way of life in an extended training sequence as the tribe decides to study Sully. The creatures and plants he encounters are quite different from things we have seen before. The jungle which they inhabit also has unique features. Just look at some of the night scenes for example.

I don't want to ruin the story by revealing too much for the few people who haven't seen Avatar, so let's concentrate on the themes.

As the world is introduced to us, we start to shift focus. Instead of viewing it as something to be exploited for its minerals, it becomes a precious thing of beauty. The inhabitants want nothing more than to live and be left alone. It's an effective sequence and most viewers will empathize with the plight of the Na'vi and start to side with them, just as our protagonist does.

As I have indicated, the script isn't the most important reason to watch Avatar. Some of the dialogue is silly and you are clearly told which characters you are supposed to like or dislike. But that doesn't mean it's totally without depth and you will see a few of the characters develop and change. Sully is an obvious example, as is Grace (Sigourney Weaver), but take a closer look at Tsu'tey (Laz Alonso). His character interested me and I enjoyed seeing his character gradually change throughout the story. I would have liked to have seen him involved even more.

Once we are fully invested in the Na'vi way of life, the events which follow have more meaning. The actions of the military seem like abominations. There are obvious parallels to the way in which the US military is viewed by some. The use of Unobtainium is an obvious reference to oil in today's world. The home tree may even be viewed as the twin towers and the Na'vi represent a race that was exploited on our own world. Cameron isn't afraid to use our modern prejudices to draw us in deeper. There is a strong green message as well and it just seems wrong to destroy the beauty and harm the native population.

I'm a big fan of Orson Scott Card's Ender Wiggin series and it was interesting to see his theme of everything in the world being connected - from Speaker of the Dead - used in Avatar. It was effective because it heightened the feeling that this world and its people should not be exploited.

The final 45 minutes switches to full Hollywood mode. We see non-stop action, explosions, inspirational speeches, death, heroic acts, unlikely outcomes and miraculous escapes. It's full of cliché, but I found that I didn't actually mind. The reason was that the first half of the story made me care about these characters. I was fully invested.

One thing I realized after taking everything in was that Avatar was unique in one very important way:

I'm a fan of science fiction in general and love movies such as Blade Runner and Dune. When I watch those movies, or Star Wars, I know that they are set in different realities and sometimes on different worlds. But part of me always thinks that it's just Earth. It may feature a desert setting or use an unusual location, but it's still something I know. Avatar made me feel like I stepped out onto a completely new world. When I saw where and how the Na'vi lived, I was really seeing it for the first time. The creatures, the fauna and the colors were unique. It almost felt like I was a part of the story.

The overall pacing was excellent. Once you see Pandora's surface for the first time, you'll be hooked. This experience doesn't seem to last over two-and-a-half hours and you will probably wish for more when it ends. Don't despair; there is now an extended cut available with an additional 16 minutes and extensive special features, as well as the likelihood of two sequels over the next few years. The popularity of Avatar almost guarantees that we will be seeing a lot more of Pandora in the future. I for one can't wait.

Avatar is influenced by so many movies that it would be prohibitive to list them all. Dances with Wolves and The Matrix are certainly near the top of the list.

Video Quality 5/5
Avatar looks better than any movie I have ever seen, with the exception of some fully-animated titles. Although the majority was created on a computer rather than filmed with a camera, it seems real and the detail is exceptional. The colors that we know are accurate, while the newly-invented surroundings and inhabitants appear consistent with the less-familiar colors. The image is so good that it adds to the feeling that you are stepping out onto an unknown world. Even the menu and subtitles look impressive. I really can't imagine a better quality presentation in the future.

Audio Quality 5/5
The sound quality matches the picture quality. There is so much detail that it's a completely immersive experience. You can hear creatures all around you on the moon's surface. The latter action sequences carry impressive weight and the explosions seem real. The score matches the mood of the movie well and builds during important sequences, in a similar fashion to Lord of the Rings. I didn't have to strain to hear any dialogue.

It's hard to fault anything in the presentation as a whole. This is why Blu-ray exists.

Overall score 5/5 

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