My Top Five Favorite Sci-Fi Films

By Ann Clarke

I’ll be honest; I’m not that crazy about most science-fiction films. If I like them at all, it’s when they have an underlying theme about some sort of society based in the future, but with a skewed slant that isn’t even typical of a sci-fi film! I’m not into Star Wars, if that gives you any idea of what you wont be seeing in my list.

5. They Live (1988, John Carpenter)

First of all . . . I watched this because “Rowdy” Roddy Piper was in this. I was probably 10 years old when I saw it initially. Back then, I just thought it was cool but years later, I couldn’t remember why I liked it, or what even happened in it. So I re-watched it again in the past year, and found that this movie still fascinates me (but not for the same reasons it did when I was a kid).

It’s still fun to see Roddy in this one, but the underlying message in this film is: We are surrounded by underlying messages! They Live has great one-liners and character development. This film still speaks volumes; it is actually quite ironic and has a shelf-life despite how dated it is.

4. Escape From New York (1981, John Carpenter)

Yet, another John Carpenter film, and I need to point out, I don’t actively seek out his films. Every one of his films I’ve seen, I watched without knowing that he was responsible. He just clearly has a knack for presenting sci-fi in a format where there is more story over special effects. Plus, we have one of the best screen heroes of all time, that being Snake Plissken! This movie is better than its sequel, and I really fucking hope that rumor about a remake is untrue, because this film should NEVER be fucked with! It’s also responsible for giving me that lifelong crush I have on Kurt Russell.

The casting in this was fucking superb . . . I mean c’mon, you got Kurt, Harry Dean Stanton, Donald Pleasence, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Adrienne Barbeau, and Isaac Motherfunking Hayes! There’s no way this film could ever suck!

3. Until The End Of The World (1991, Wim Wenders)

This is probably the most realistic science fiction film ever made. I should re-watch this sometime since I’m sure every gadget that was in this film has been invented since the film came out (except for the contraption that makes completely blind people able to see). It has breathtaking cinematography, romance, drama, intrigue, and an incredible soundtrack.

The only caveat is that it’s over three hours long. Most Wim Wenders films are like that, but they’re usually so well-done, you don’t mind getting couch-sores! It’s never cheesy either; it’s quite serious. Again, another well-cast movie with William Hurt, Sam Neill, Jeanne Moreau, Max von Sydow, and the ravishing Solveig Dommartin (RIP).

2. Dead End Drive-In (1986, Brian Trenchard-Smith)

This Aussie classic, is just that . . . an Aussie Classic! It’s full of Aussie slang and profanities, as well as isolated folks still dressing like the Sex Pistols in 1986 (even though the rest of the world had kinda given up on that look at that point). There are no famous people in this (well, maybe they’re a big deal down under, but in the rest of the world, no one knows who the fuck any of these people are). It’s crude, desolate, dystopian, and unintentionally funny, but the special effects aren’t even that bad, because there aren’t that many! Quick synopsis: In a chaotic, post-apocalyptic Australia, the government devises a plan to keep all the slackers who are on the dole in a makeshift concentration camp.

Here’s the thing the slackers don’t know: By going to the drive-in to see schlock films and fucking in their cars, they will all have their car tires systematically removed by the cops, rendering them stuck at the drive-in. The drive-in has electric fences, which is why they can’t leave, but the majority of people don’t even want to leave because they are allowed to be lazy pieces of shit who eat junk food, and watch movies. There’s one character who gets stuck there because he was being cheap (he asks for the unemployed “rate” for the film when he shows up). That’s all I will say about this film without telling what happens in it, but it’s awesome!

1. Idiocracy (2006, Mike Judge)

This might be one of the funniest films I’ve ever seen, but it’s also kinda scary, mainly because so many things in this film are already happening. Somehow, I think this might actually be where the future is heading; the writing is on the wall. What more can I say about this film that hasn’t already been said? All I can say is to watch it!