Top Five Science Fiction Movies
(1) Bladerunner: Let's face it, this movie is sheer poetry in motion. There are lots of movies that use clones and robots to address the question of what it means to be human, but I think Roy Batty summed this one up better than any that I've seen since: "I want more life, fucker." Or, perhaps the more poetic (and G rated version) of the same key realization: "All those... moments will be lost in time, like tears... in rain." Still brings a tear to my eye. This may possibly be my favorite movie of all time.(2) The Matrix: I think Neo described this one best: "Whoa." Every once in a while a movie comes along that changes the way that other films of its genre are done... this is one of them. This was a brilliant film when it came out, and it is still a brain twister today. This movie begs us to question what we have accepted as reality. Is there a more important message than that? A great film.
(3) Brazil: I'm a fan of a good dystopia, and one that pits man against the machine of government is even better. Terry Gilliam did a brilliant job with this film, and it will always remain one of my favorites. Must we always toe the line to be good citizens? Do we have to keep following the rules when the results are grinding innocent people in the gears? This movie shows us not only the dangers of a massive government machine, but the heroics sometimes necessary to keep the machine in check, and the inevitable results when dare to take action. A great film that begs the question: when up against the machine, can love really conquer all? Good stuff.
(4) Aliens: Like The Matrix, this Riddley Scott film, Alien, simply broke the monster movie mold and showed us that there really could be something dangerous going bump in the night. While I almost put Alien in this list, I went with the James Cameron follow up instead. Aliens isn't as ground breaking, but I did find it more fun overall. And, in true Cameron style, we come to terms with the fact that there really could be something out there that we can't handle, and it really is scary and dangerous, but as Ripley puts it: "You know Burke, I don't know which species is worse. You don't see them fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage." Ouch, Mr. Pencil-Pusher... I think she has a point. Perhaps we really are out own worst enemy. A good movie.
(5) Serenity: In the same vein as Aliens, I didn't put this one on my list because it is particularly groundbreaking, but out of sheer sentimentality. The television series Firefly was aborted due to the same moronic ass-spelunking that makes us question our own nature towards self-annihilation in Aliens and is bound to grind us all into dust in Brazil. I think Whedon was channeling Batty ("I want more life, fucker.") when he put this amazing film together to reward fans dedicated to the short lived series, and I can't applaud him enough for the effort. The characters in this movie/series are simply fantastic, the movie itself was beautiful, and the concept goes way beyond the boring formulaic drivel that television executives keep crapping out for us to consume. I'm sure you'll see these characters emerge again if I get to a Top Five Television Programs, but until then, this will have to suffice. Yeah, Mal hit this one on the head: "The way I remember it, albatross was a ship's good luck, 'till some idiot killed it." May all the Fox television executives that were dumb enough to kill that series suffer from incurable burning hemorrhoids for the rest of their days.
Honorable mentions: The Fifth Element, Pitch Black, Dune, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, Predator, and, of course, Alien
