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80: V for Vendetta
The Film: Adapted loosely from the comic, this film presents a pretty dense story filled with action, interesting mysteries, heartfelt characters, and a rebellious spirit that mirrors the tale of Guy Fawkes. The dystopian nature of the futuristic London is subtle, but menacing enough to make us root for the main character. Maybe not a groundbreaking film, but it is a satisfying adventure with a unique vision.
My score: 4/5
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79: John Carter
What If: A Civil War soldier is teleported to Mars, where he becomes involved in a conflict between warring factions and has to save a princesses of Mars.
The Film: This film was 100 years in the making, but budget issues and poor marketing turned this into a flop and disappointment for many. Despite its shortcomings, the film is most adventurous. The story itself has been cited as a huge influence for many modern-day films, like Star Wars and Avatar. On its own merits, the film is pretty cool as soft sci-fi; it never takes itself seriously enough for scientific realism to become an obstacle (because, seriously, there's no air on Mars, so what the hell?). It is most noteworthy for its imaginative, highly-detailed world, full of awesome airships, aliens, creatures, and mythology. It is a really fun and inspiring glimpse at what otherworldly cultures could look like, and the story is by nature fundamental.
My score: 4.5/5
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78: Serenity
What If: In the distant future, a crew of renegades harbors a girl with a powerful secret, and has to go up against a whole bunch of enemies to save her.
The Film: This film follows up on the TV series Firefly, which was cancelled before it could really find its audience and go anywhere. The franchise overall is a slick and exciting hybrid of sci-fi and westerns; it takes us through many imaginative worlds on many imaginative adventures. In this last adventure, the crew of the Serenity face their toughest challenges, and each character is as endearing as ever. Even though the film remains open-ended for more potential sequels, it does round off the original series well. With awesome big-scale action and SFX, the film is a successful fan favorite, and might remain so for years to come.
My score: 4.5/5
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77: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
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| OH S&*T, PULL UP!!! |
What If: Medical experiments cause an ape to be born with advanced intelligence. After a series of tragedies and torments, the apes revolt.
The Film: We're all familiar with the Planet of the Apes, and the background was covered in the phenomenally dystopic Conquest for Planet of the Apes. With Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a fresh new series starts off hard and strong, chronicling the birth and rise of Caesar and his rebellion against the human race. It's always been a ridiculous story, but the film plays it straight enough, and it is evenly entertaining. More importantly, it's easy to emphasize and root for Caesar; his initial act of defiance is probably one of the most triumphant scenes in recent memory. This film shows that, after messing around with nature, nature fights back, and it could be the beginning of the end.
My score: 4.5/5
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76: Pacific Rim
What If: A race of monsters from another dimension invade Earth. We deploy giant robots to stop them.
The Film: Borrowing heavily from the classic kaiju movies and robot anime from Japan, Pacific Rim is a massive spectacle with larger-than-life battles. It's a silly film at times, but the characters are endearing, the production is highly imaginative, and the film overall has palpable heart and soul. The film lays out a detailed universe with a lot of rules and concepts that bring the giant Jaegers and the world of Pacific Rim to life vividly.
My score: 4.5/5
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75: I, Robot
What If: A cop investigates the murder of a famous robot inventor, and eventually discovers that the robot-pocalypse may be upon him.
The Film: Aside from the famous three laws of robotics, the film has little to do with Isaac Asimov's stories. It is still a pretty fun thrill ride, with lots of great-looking action and effects. It is cool to watch cars that can roll on swiveling 360-degree wheels, trying to outrun hoards of robots. In between the action, however, the film does dig up a few interesting ideas concerning robots and their potential influence on future culture.
My score: 4/5
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74: Stargate
What If: An ancient Egyptian artifact is dug up that, when deciphered, opens a portal to another world.
The Film: I always felt that Stargate had an interesting concept, as it drew parallels between ancient Egyptian culture and extraterrestrial life. Who's to say that the ancients didn't look up to an alien as a god, and built the pyramids as a giant space-dock? Of course, all this sets the ground-work for some cool action and special effects, and the film is a solid thrill ride first and foremost. The film's concept does open the doors for questioning our perception of history and wondering if life in the stars could have influenced life here.
My score: 4/5
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73: Oblivion
What If: In the future, a technician goes around fixing drones to protect giant structures that's supposed to help the human race migrate to Titan. Or is it?
The Film: We've seen some of this before; chances are that you'll go through the film and say, yeah, that reminds me of Independence Day, and that reminds me of Logan's Run, and that's just like such-and-such. However, the film is still a very slick and visually-awesome picture, and it is a load of fun to watch. Many viewers found the story hard to understand, thanks to some of the twists that are pulled out, but I found it very sublime (and it all makes even better sense on repeat viewings). Despite being a bit derivative, I really admire the story, I love the way the film looks, and it is phenomenally entertaining.
My score: 5/5
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72: The Thing (1982)
What If: Explorers in the Antarctic become stalked by an alien that can consume organisms and assume their form.
The Film: The original film The Thing From Another World is classy as it is, but John Carpenter's version presents a more harrowing and chilling update on the tale. It's often times crazy and gruesome, highlighting the real terror of a shapeshifting alien and the paranoia that it would create. The film also emphasizes the fear of what could happen if the creature is let loose on the world. The Thing is an unforgettable horror picture, and a fine bit of sci-fi.
My score: 4.5/5
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71: War of the Worlds (2005)
What If: Aliens invade!
The Film: Once again, HG Welles' classic tale of alien invasion hits the big screen. This time, in Spielberg's hands, the experience is notably different. It's made to thematically reflect the harsh issues of the time, when the War on Terror was in full swing; some have noted that there's a parallel between the invading aliens and the troops that invaded Iraq. What's really surprising about this movie, however, is that the action (cool as it is) is mostly shoved in the background, allowing the characters and their plight to take the center stage. A lot of what they go through is tense and harrowing. Unfortunately, some of the ideas that made the original book and film so fresh won't work as well with the modern times (specifically, with the aliens being defeated by mere micro-bacteria; it's more likely that their diseases could wipe us out!). Still, considering the source material, this version of the tale is interesting in its own right.
My score: 4/5
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70: War of the Worlds (1953)
What If: Creatures from another world look upon Earth with envious eyes...
The Film: This classic picture brings HG Welles' novel to life with a lot of flash and thrills. Obviously, the biggest standouts will be in watching the Tripods rising up and wiping everything out with their heat rays. And as a modern take on the tale, we send everything we can at them: guns, tanks, planes, and even a nuclear bomb...but with no avail. Even though the film is pretty dated and a bit cheesy, it is still probably the most faithful adaptation of the book, and it remains the most original alien invasion story to date. In its original context, it is a pretty scary "what if" situation.
My score: 4/5
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69: Knowing
What If: A little girl writes down a seemingly-random series of numbers. Years later, those numbers are decrypted and reveal the exact date and location of major disasters. And the worst disaster might be coming...
The Film: This has been a love-it-or-hate-it film with most, but I thought it was brilliant. Most of it plays out as a suspense thriller, but by the end, it pulls out a few bold and far-out twists that pushes the film into the realms of thought-provoking speculation. The experience is brought down a bit by all the running-around toward the end, but the revelations of Knowing are quite profound.
My score: 4.5/5
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68: Twelve Monkeys
What If: A guy travels back in time to stop the Army of the 12 Monkeys from releasing a virus that could wipe out humanity.
The Film: It's a weird, visceral, and dark film, but Terry Gilliam's signature zaniness and charm still exists. The time traveling aspects will be the most interesting, especially during the finale. Overall though, the film is pretty bleak, visually interesting, and it is quite an odyssey through time.
My score: 4/5
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67: Slaughterhouse-Five
What If: A man finds himself becoming "unstuck" in time; he jumps around between being his younger self in WWII, being a married man in his middle-ages, and being on another planet in the future.
The Film: Such a weird story, but it's ingenious the way the film takes numerous narrative strands and makes them flow in one continuous and sublime fashion. Adapted from Kurt Vonnegut's celebrated novel, the film focuses firmly on the character, as he faces horror while living in a literal slaughterhouse during WWII, before moving on and facing even stranger encounters afterward.
My score: 4/5
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66: Fahrenheit 451
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| Well, okay, you can burn that boring book... |
What If: In the future, firemen don't stop fires, they start them, because books are illegal and they burn them!
The Film: The film is a bit random and loses some steam by its end, but it's still a decent adaptation of Ray Bradbury's classic story. It's a sobering view of a dystopic future, with a firm focus on troubled characters who inevitably rebel against oppression. The story has always asserted that we might lose a significant portion of our culture and humanity if we destroy our literature; the story is also profound in the way the main character gains some humanity by abandoning his position and pursuing literature.
My score: 4/5
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65: Gattaca
What If: In the future, the human race becomes divided between those who are genetically perfect, and those who are "invalid." One invalid tries to thwart the system to become a spaceman.
The Film: Gattaca has a very original and interesting idea. I have heard speculation that we could design and genetically alter our children in the future, so I have no doubt that the world of Gattaca could be a reality some day. And it is a tough reality, given that our natural-born protagonist has to face discrimination at every turn, and resorts to some clever, but difficult means to pass off as a superior member of society. It is an exquisite film with cool ideas, but I always felt it got pretty dry as it went on, and then it seemed to fizzle out at the end. Other than that, it is a must-see.
My score: 4/5
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64: Silent Running
What If: A spaceship is trucking around the last of Earth's forests.
The Film: A bit slow, but still a solid story with lots of great-looking model work and designs. The film is one of the few that more realistically portrays space travel, and it does so with a relevant story. One can't help but to root for the main character as he struggles to save the last forest. With its unique premise and settings, Silent Running is a pretty cool space opera.
My score: 3.5/5
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63: Altered States
What If: Scientists experiment with hallucinogenic drugs, causing them to revert to a former stage of evolution.
The Film: Despite some drag, the film has some incredibly visceral imagery when the scientists get high on their own supply. More than that though, the film underscores the key primal characteristics of the human spirit: the brutal, bestial qualities that reside in our genes generation after generation, which might be invoked in dangerous ways. It's a very high-concept premise, told with powerful and invoking photography, and it makes for one trippy experience.
My score: 4/5
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62: Watchmen
What If: In an alternate 1985, Cold War tensions reach their apex, and it rests on a group of superheroes to stop the world from plunging into total destruction.
The Film: A very close adaptation of the original comic, the Watchmen film takes the classic tropes of superheroes and flips everything around. It's a bleak world where good guys do bad things, where bad guys work for the greater good, and everybody's actions have deep consequences. The story implies that the mere presence of heroes and supermen could alter history in profound ways - ways that might be more dystopic than the average superhero film would otherwise suggest. In sci-fi terms, Watchmen provides an interesting alternate history scenario.
A couple of side-features have also been made for the Watchmen. Tales of the Black Freighter adapts the comic-within-the-comic. It is a darn wicked cartoon. Under the Hood adapts the subplot of Hollis Mason's background. On home video, the Watchmen can be seen in its original theatrical edition, a three-hour director's cut with decent new scenes, or the Ultimate Cut which includes everything plus the Black Freighter cartoon. They're all worth seeing, depending on personal preference.
My score: 4.5/5
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61: Primer
What If: Some guys build a mysterious machine.
The Film: This film is like an engineer's experiment, craftily-made with raw parts, but running efficiently. It is a stylish film, and it is quite a cerebral one that twists the timeline around and makes things unpredictable. It has got to be one of the densest and smartest time-traveling movies available.
My score: 4/5
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To be continued...
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