BOF's Top 25 Sci-Fi Films of the 21st Century | COUNTDOWN

[James]

Donnie Darko deserved to be higher.

[4815162342]

Donnie Darko deserved to be higher.

Nope. I find it a film that holds up less and less as it ages.

[ZappBrannigan]

Wait, is that Sunshine domestic number right?  3 million total?

 

Wow, it is right.  Didn't realize how much that bombed here in the US.

Edited November 21, 2014 by ZappBrannigan

[The Stingray]

#16:

 

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (2013) - 146 points

 

"People are looking to you, Katniss. You've given them an opportunity."

 

 

Director: Francis Lawrence

 

Premise: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.

 

 

BOF user review: OMG where to start with this film?! I mean, such a 180 to how I felt when I saw THG at midnight. After I saw THG at midnight, I was reallly confused about the film and didn't know how I felt. Whereas this one, I literally could not stop smiling or crying during this movie. It was so perfect. There was never a dull moment in this. It either had you laughing, craying, smiling, or on the edge of your seat. It was SO TRUE to the book. I mean, at least 60% of the script was literally word for word from the book, especially the first like 10 minutes. I'm just so in love with this film. - k1stpierre

 

Trivia: The first film with a top-billed female lead to top the annual box office since The Exorcist (1973).

[baumer]

Wait, is that Sunshine domestic number right?  3 million total?

 

Wow, it is right.  Didn't realize how much that bombed here in the US.

 

Fox basically ignored it.  They only put it in about 400 theaters.

[ZappBrannigan]

Fox basically ignored it.  They only put it in about 400 theaters.

Ah, ok, I was trying to track down if it was just a limited release or not.  How weird to not release it wide considering the budget.

[The Stingray]

#15:

 

CLOUD ATLAS (2012) - 150 points

 

"Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb, we are bound to others. Past and present. And by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future."

 

 

Directors: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski

 

Premise: An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.

 

 

BOF user review: Cloud Atlas is so much more than a look at our souls as they take standing across time, but it is a saga of humanity, a story of the weak becoming strong, an epic anthology of our existence, and so on... The sum of Cloud Atlas's parts is huge, and yet the movie manages to be so much more. It doesn't even feel like a movie, as much as an incredible experience. Whether or not you think you'll like it, please see this movie. It may be one of the best movies that I have ever seen. - Spaghetti

 

Trivia: With a budget of over $100m, Cloud Atlas is one of the most expensive independent films to date.

[The Stingray]

#14:

 

LOOPER (2012) - 153 points

 

"This time travel crap, just fries your brain like an egg."

 

 

Director: Rian Johnson

 

Premise: In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent into the past, where a hired gun awaits - someone like Joe - who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by sending back Joe's future self for assassination.

 

 

BOF user review: Pretty terrific. Willis is back on my good side with this and Moonrise Kingdom. I'm sure it has plotholes, but that's pretty much unavoidable with anything involving time travel. The film is loaded with thrills and asks very difficult questions about the value of a single life. - tribefan695

 

Trivia: Emily Blunt revealed that she agreed to star in the movie after reading half of the script. She didn't even know what her character was.

[The Stingray]

A favorite of mine coming up.

[The Stingray]

#13:

 

SNOWPIERCER (2013) - 160 points

 

"We control the engine, we control the world."

 

 

Director: Joon-ho Bong

 

Premise: Set in a future where a failed climate-change experiment kills all life on the planet except for a lucky few who boarded the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe, where a class system emerges.

 

 

BOF user review: It's delieriously bleak and upsetting and yet this is a simultaneously witty, unexpected, and constantly inventive film. It aptly runs like a well oiled machine that's headed over a cliff. The political allegory isn't entirely revelatory but the script makes it FEEL revelatory to me. I've got literally nothing bad to say about it. Phenomenal score, ensemble (in a narrative where we actually have to meet Wilfred, Ed Harris is perfect casting), cinematography, editing, and most importantly direction. Expect to see this in my top 10 at the end of the year. It ain't going anywhere. - Gopher

 

Trivia: Joon-ho Bong had reservations about casting Chris Evans in the lead role because of his muscular physique. He felt that as a resident of the extremely poverty-stricken tail section, Curtis should not be especially physically fit. Costuming and careful camera angles kept Evans' physique from showing.

[James]

Snowpiercer over Cloud Atlas?! Wow...

Edited November 21, 2014 by James

[Empire]

Snowpiercer over Cloud Atlas?! Wow...

They are both really good movies, but I like Snowpiercer more.

[4815162342]

Cloud Atlas: B/B+

Snowpiercer: A-

[ZappBrannigan]

Snowpiercer over Cloud Atlas?! Wow...

I really wanted to like Cloud Atlas, but could never get into the movie.  The only storyline I remember liking and wanting to see more of was the futuristic one with the asian clones.

[CoolioD1]

 

#16:

 

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (2013) - 146 points

 

"People are looking to you, Katniss. You've given them an opportunity."

 

 

Director: Francis Lawrence

 

Premise: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.

 

 

BOF user review: OMG where to start with this film?! I mean, such a 180 to how I felt when I saw THG at midnight. After I saw THG at midnight, I was reallly confused about the film and didn't know how I felt. Whereas this one, I literally could not stop smiling or crying during this movie. It was so perfect. There was never a dull moment in this. It either had you laughing, craying, smiling, or on the edge of your seat. It was SO TRUE to the book. I mean, at least 60% of the script was literally word for word from the book, especially the first like 10 minutes. I'm just so in love with this film. - k1stpierre

 

Trivia: The first film with a top-billed female lead to top the annual box office since The Exorcist (1973).

 

Ick.

[The Panda]

Overall this list is fairly strong, the only big one I oppose is the hunger games and catching fire may be to high

Edited November 21, 2014 by The Panda

[The Stingray]

Alright, two more, and then I'll save the Top 10 for tomorrow.

 

Next one is slightly overrated, imo.

[The Stingray]

#12:

 

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2011) - 164 points

 

"Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape!"

"NO!"

 

 

Director: Rupert Wyatt

 

Premise: A substance, designed to help the brain repair itself, gives rise to a super-intelligent chimp who leads an ape uprising.

 

Its premise is similar to the fourth film in the original series, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), but it is not a direct remake of that film.

 

 

BOF user review: One of the best films of 2011.  The slow rise of the apes was fascinating to watch.  I also loved how they had Caesar gain the trust of all the apes, especially the giant dude in the cage.  And of course, for me, the scene that brought a lump to my throat was when Caesar said "NO."  This is the kind of film I wish was based in reality.  I'd love to see abused and mistreated animals rise up one day and turn the tables on their human oppressors. - baumer

 

Trivia: The jigsaw puzzle that Caesar has nearly completed is a depiction of Taylor and Nova from the original Planet of the Apes (1968), riding on a horse down the beach, just before coming upon the Statue of Liberty.

[TalismanRing]

Wait, is that Sunshine domestic number right?  3 million total?

 

Wow, it is right.  Didn't realize how much that bombed here in the US.

 

Sad but true.  Fox Searchlight was supposed to have a wide release for it but there was some behind the scenes brouhaha and some studio interference with the last act and then when it was finally released it was under marketed and sent to limited release maxing out at around 400 theaters.

[The Stingray]

#11:

 

DISTRICT 9 (2009) - 181 points

 

"Get your fokkin' tentacle out of my face!"

 

 

Director: Neill Blomkamp

 

Premise: An extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly finds a kindred spirit in a government agent who is exposed to their biotechnology.

 

The story, adapted from Alive in Joburg, a 2005 short film directed by Blomkamp and produced by Sharlto Copley and Simon Hansen, depicts humanity, xenophobia, and social segregation. The title and premise of District 9 were inspired by events in District Six, Cape Town during the apartheid era.

 

 

BOF user review: This is the best film of 2009 and ranks among the greatest science fiction films of all time. It paints a fierce portrait of racism, prejudice, and war while never becoming too preachy. It's thrilling, emotional, and thought-provoking. Plus, it features such a powerful leading performance and the last shot of the film is wonderful. - Noctis

 

Trivia: After the feature film based on the Halo video game series which was to be directed by Neill Blomkamp fell through, producer Peter Jackson went to Blomkamp and offered him $30 million to make whatever he wanted. The result was this film.