Sci-Fi Cult Favorites
I decided to go lighter in terms of content this week. I did do deep work in my men’s group, but I’ve decided to let that percolate in my consciousness for a bit before attempting to translate it into words.
So I watched a countdown of 15 sci-fi movie flops that turned into hits later on. Generally, it’s not the kind of YouTube video that I watch, but I love sci-fi and I was curious how many of the films I had watched made the list. As it turns out, I had seen quite a few and several of those are in my permanent list of all-time favorites.
The original 3 Star War movies are enshrined in my mind as the best—the opening scene with a brief shot of a planet followed by the dramatic shift to an Imperial Star Destroyer chasing down Leia’s much smaller corvette style vessel is epic. But this isn’t about mega-hits!
My top recommends, movies that are not to be missed, are:
1) Fifth Element
2) Flash Gordon
3) Adventures of Buckeroo Banzai
4) Blade Runner
5) Serenity (with Fire Fly)
6) Honorable mention, not on the YouTube list: Galaxy Quest
Four movies added to my watch list: Brazil, Waterworld, Solaris, and Dark City.
Number 15 on the list: 1980s Dune. I did see this one in theaters. I was impressed with the sets, the Bene Gesserit were spot on, I liked the steampunk vibe and costumes, but the film didn’t connect. Characters talked to themselves (whispered inner monologues that ejected me from the film), the novel’s somewhat complex political intrigue came across as confusing, and it felt pretentious in a way that left me a little bored. I would watch it again with the right company, but this one has not stuck as a cult-classic.
Number 14, The Black Hole: Another one that I saw in theaters—I liked the film. It was weird, dark at times, edgier than Star Wars though the effects came across as campy compared to Star Wars. I appreciated its strangeness—it was ahead of its time. I have not seen the film in a while, but it is one that I would watch again.
Number 13, Flash Gordon 1980: I LOVE this film! To the awesome Queen score, to its saturated, neon comic book palette, to the acting which navigated between the serious and the campy at just the right mix, this is a movie I have enjoyed many times. Lots of glam, and over the top sets. What’s not to like about seeing a buff Flash Gordon restrained spread eagle wearing only short, tight leather shorts? Alas, I did not see it in theaters but I have made up for that miss! It’s a loss that there were not a couple more of these. The actors/actresses were so spot on—there’s no way it could be replicated today. Daring for the time—the creators had fun with this movie, and it shows! A masterpiece!
Number 12, Tron, 1982: I did see this one in theaters. I loved this one from the start. I thought the visuals were stunning (neon light cycles!) and groundbreaking. I was in to video games, and so I connected to the concept of the movie taking place inside a computer—I could see this being a true future-trip. I didn’t care as much for the sequels (neutral). This is one I have watched several times.
Number 11, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: I LOVE this film. Buckaroo is a totally weird, playful film made during a time when Hollywood dared to be creative. Part Rock Opera, part comedy, part Sci-Fi, part action film, it was a film that when it came out didn’t register as something to go see. I think the marketing was probably off. I stumbled across it a few years later, and it was love at first watch. This film, alongside Flash Gordon, are movies that I get excited to share. The brilliance of Buckaroo has only escalated as Hollywood as descended into regurgitating the same slop into worse slop. The closing credit scene is one of the best ever, perhaps the best, where the entire cast marches across a desert to synth-metal rock. SO AWESOME!
Number 10, Dark City 1988: This is the first one on the list that I have never seen. It’s described as a proto-Matrix—a brooding film where the main character awakens to discover he’s wanted for a series of brutal movies that he doesn’t remember committing. It included the idea of shadowy Strangers who reshape the city each night while humans sleep. I generally don’t connect with dark takes, but this is one I would watch with the right company.
Number 9, Event Horizon 1997: This is one I saw in theaters. At the time, I classified it as a watch worth having but I’m not a big fan of horror and Event Horizon had an unexpected level of violence that at the time caught me off guard. Also, I get turned off by relentlessly bleak— Battlestar Galactica, the second version, was brilliant, gritty, and visually stunning, but show after show was bleak and hopeless and it wore me down to where I saw every episode, and I’m glad I saw it through, but I have no intention of ever watching it again—Event Horizon was for me that kind of movie.
Number 8, The Fifth Element: Ok, this is one I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!! Can I say that enough? I’m crazy about this one. I missed it at theaters but came across it a few years later—it did not take itself seriously, and it had heart and somehow found a way to be compelling, serious and fun at the same time. Grandiose costumes, slap-stick comedy, mixed in with heavy action and a campy villain. Overall, I see this as a space opera (with a gorgeous scene of literal sci-fi opera!), weird and colorful, and the over-the-top Ruby Rhod, a character that I typically would not like, was perfectly played and a perfect foil to Bruce Willis. A most unique film worth watching.
Number 7, Blade Runner 1982: One of the best SF movies ever made. Brooding, steampunk, often bleak and moody, I did see this in the theaters. Blade Runner is not a type of movie that I usually enjoy, but this is a masterpiece, and its vision of a sunless, neon-drenched corporate controlled world seems to be visionary. There is mystery, a meditation of identity, sometimes ponderous, but always compelling, and I have watched it a few times. This is a favorite, and I would watch it again with the right company but because it is bleak, with occasional violence that is visceral and shocking, this one requires that I’m in the right mood.
Number 6, Brazil 1985: A dystopian satire of a bureaucratic fever-dream, it is a cousin to 1984 spliced with Monty Python. I never saw this one, but I’m intrigued. This is probably a film that I would watch once, enjoy it, but not return for repeat viewings. 1984 is a movie high on my recommend list, but it’s such a desolate film that I would only watch it again upon request from a very good friend 😊. Brazil has 2 different cuts—one upbeat, the other dark.
Number 5, The Last Star Fighter 1984: I saw this one in theaters. A fun watch—a video game was used as a recruitment tool for star fighter pilots. As a gamer at the time, this was pure dream-food. The CGI was super primitive, and it looked cheap compared to say the models used in Star Wars. A fun movie, one I watched a few times back in the day, but not one that has the brilliance to hold my current interest.
Number 4, Serenity 2005: I didn’t know this one even existed until a couple of years ago. I was almost 20 years late to the Fire Fly party. Bored of the content that’s getting churned out, I started to search for older series that I might have missed on the theory that I would likely find something worth watching compared to the current choices. Fire Fly was one of my hits, and it was a home run. I thought its western themed shows would be off putting, but every one of the characters was compelling—the actors/actresses really gave it their all—I quickly became invested in who they were and their stories. The series, alas, didn’t last long, and I quickly saw all of the shows but then I got wind of Serenity—a movie that does justice to Fire Fly, expands the universe while tying up some of the storylines left hanging by the show’s cancellation. Fire Fly + Serenity makes for a great weekend binge watch. I highly recommend giving it a go.
Number 3, Battlefield Earth: Argh, a movie I did see in theaters. So if you have a drink or smoke some weed, this might be a movie to turn on. Be prepared for a lot of dutch angles and cheesy dialogue. It’s a bad movie, tries to be serious but comes across as campy, and apparently it’s so bad that it’s gained a following who “mock” watch it. That can be fun with the right crowd.
Number 2, Waterworld: A movie I saw in theaters, and that at the time bored me to apathy. This movie is the first one on the list where I’m surprised it has become a cult classic. Though it does fit in the definition of speculative science fiction, and there was scale and spectacle, I found it forgettable at the time and so I never thought to rediscover it. I am however intrigued enough to give it another watch, and to be open to seeing it from a different perspective—added to the watch list!
Number 1, Solaris 1972: A film that I have heard of, but I have never watched. A Russian film intended to be a creative response to 2001, A Space Odyssey, it’s described as meditative, slow, and philosophical—a quiet film with a lot to say. I would likely enjoy a watch—this sounds like a movie to savor and to contemplate for years to come. Company is great, but this one might be best watching alone in order to gain a deep level of immersion.
A movie that I was surprised not to see was Galaxy Quest—I didn’t think this did well at the box office, and I thought it had gained a following. I consider it one of the best films ever made but you may need to be part Star Trek geek to fully get it.
