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The 101 Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Movies of All Time: 1. Interstellar (1 Viewer)

Watching now. What if story-wise the gravity planet was last, shifting a bit of the emotional heft closer to the end?

I don’t know what purpose that would really serve except to introduce pacing issues. Having the 23 years of videos, then the tesseract stuff, then meeting with Murphy all back to back would be a bit much emotionally all stacked at the end.

Edit: also they had to do millers planet first because they would not have had enough fuel to swing back.
Just spit balling on that one. I was more thinking about how to get what I feel is the better landing emotional stuff towards the end. I forget we get all I describe with 1hour left in the movie.

I watched last night, and my answer is basically the same - mostly it's Mann and the black hole/tesseract stuff. It always lasts longer than I expect, and then the movie ends shortly after that leaving a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
The scenes on Mann's planet I feel were there to illustrate just how arduous the undertaking was. Here you have the leader of the first expedition, a revered NASA astronaut and engineer who was simply broken by the idea of never again seeing home once he realized his planet was not suitable. Also, without this scene we wouldn't have had the amazing docking sequence that came after.

I appreciated the tesseract and black hole stuff after reading Kip Thorne's book on the science of the movie.
I hear you on both points, but I still think the Mann stuff is a bit silly for a few reasons. Again, nitpicks and I am probably being harsher because of how well thought out most of the stuff is. Agree 100% on the docking sequence though.

I should add that book to my queue.
 
I also really enjoyed Mission to Mars, totally understand why critics don't like it but any movie that tries to accurately depict planet exploration like Ad Astra just has me on the edge of my seat because I love space exploration content. I'm the dude that watches Novas and "how the universe works" documentaries over and over and over.

"The Martian" is the most well done movie of the realistic space exploration genre IMHO, but Ad Astra has such cool visuals, the moon battle scenes alone put it in my top 100...regardless of the storyline because of my interest in the subject matter.
 
Interstellar - why does Mann feel it's necessary to kill/strand Cooper's crew instead of just become part of it? He wants to go home more than keep exploring?
 
Interstellar - why does Mann feel it's necessary to kill/strand Cooper's crew instead of just become part of it? He wants to go home more than keep exploring?
Especially since he is the one who knew the secret and told them. My take was embarrassment that he caved and lied about the planet and wanting to cover up that fact? Simply went crazy?
 
Interstellar - why does Mann feel it's necessary to kill/strand Cooper's crew instead of just become part of it? He wants to go home more than keep exploring?
Especially since he is the one who knew the secret and told them. My take was embarrassment that he caved and lied about the planet and wanting to cover up that fact? Simply went crazy?

Yeah I think it’s both. He was a revered astronaut and he had to eliminate the crew or else his secret be exposed. This way, he could return home a hero.
 
Interstellar - why does Mann feel it's necessary to kill/strand Cooper's crew instead of just become part of it? He wants to go home more than keep exploring?
Especially since he is the one who knew the secret and told them. My take was embarrassment that he caved and lied about the planet and wanting to cover up that fact? Simply went crazy?

Yeah I think it’s both. He was a revered astronaut and he had to eliminate the crew or else his secret be exposed. This way, he could return home a hero.
How? His mission failed and the home he's returning to will soon be extinct.
 
Interstellar - why does Mann feel it's necessary to kill/strand Cooper's crew instead of just become part of it? He wants to go home more than keep exploring?
Especially since he is the one who knew the secret and told them. My take was embarrassment that he caved and lied about the planet and wanting to cover up that fact? Simply went crazy?

Yeah I think it’s both. He was a revered astronaut and he had to eliminate the crew or else his secret be exposed. This way, he could return home a hero.
How? His mission failed and the home he's returning to will soon be extinct.

They mentioned something about him way early in the movie that suggested it. He was the commander of the mission. You don’t think they would be revered as heroes for that kind of thing?

And yeah the earth he would have returned to would go extinct eventually but he was going insane from the loneliness. That probably affects his thinking.
 
Interstellar - why does Mann feel it's necessary to kill/strand Cooper's crew instead of just become part of it? He wants to go home more than keep exploring?
Especially since he is the one who knew the secret and told them. My take was embarrassment that he caved and lied about the planet and wanting to cover up that fact? Simply went crazy?

Yeah I think it’s both. He was a revered astronaut and he had to eliminate the crew or else his secret be exposed. This way, he could return home a hero.
How? His mission failed and the home he's returning to will soon be extinct.

They mentioned something about him way early in the movie that suggested it. He was the commander of the mission. You don’t think they would be revered as heroes for that kind of thing?

And yeah the earth he would have returned to would go extinct eventually but he was going insane from the loneliness. That probably affects his thinking.
No. They may have given him a "thanks for trying" platitude but him returning empty handed is a collective death sentence.
 
Interstellar - why does Mann feel it's necessary to kill/strand Cooper's crew instead of just become part of it? He wants to go home more than keep exploring?
Especially since he is the one who knew the secret and told them. My take was embarrassment that he caved and lied about the planet and wanting to cover up that fact? Simply went crazy?

Yeah I think it’s both. He was a revered astronaut and he had to eliminate the crew or else his secret be exposed. This way, he could return home a hero.
How? His mission failed and the home he's returning to will soon be extinct.

They mentioned something about him way early in the movie that suggested it. He was the commander of the mission. You don’t think they would be revered as heroes for that kind of thing?

And yeah the earth he would have returned to would go extinct eventually but he was going insane from the loneliness. That probably affects his thinking.
No. They may have given him a "thanks for trying" platitude but him returning empty handed is a collective death sentence.

Earlier in the movie, they said something like they were the bravest humans ever to live or something. Even if he wouldn’t return a hero, spending the rest of his days on earth not alone was a better alternative to him than dying alone on his planet. The consequences of falsifying his planetary info was enough to make him want to do it alone.
 
Interstellar - why does Mann feel it's necessary to kill/strand Cooper's crew instead of just become part of it? He wants to go home more than keep exploring?
Especially since he is the one who knew the secret and told them. My take was embarrassment that he caved and lied about the planet and wanting to cover up that fact? Simply went crazy?

Yeah I think it’s both. He was a revered astronaut and he had to eliminate the crew or else his secret be exposed. This way, he could return home a hero.
How? His mission failed and the home he's returning to will soon be extinct.

They mentioned something about him way early in the movie that suggested it. He was the commander of the mission. You don’t think they would be revered as heroes for that kind of thing?

And yeah the earth he would have returned to would go extinct eventually but he was going insane from the loneliness. That probably affects his thinking.
No. They may have given him a "thanks for trying" platitude but him returning empty handed is a collective death sentence.

Earlier in the movie, they said something like they were the bravest humans ever to live or something. Even if he wouldn’t return a hero, spending the rest of his days on earth not alone was a better alternative to him than dying alone on his planet. The consequences of falsifying his planetary info was enough to make him want to do it alone.
Sure, but wasn't that also a secret mission? I thought the point of the beginning was NASA had to go underground nobody knew it existed. I'm not convinced that return home would have been a welcome one.

I think we can at least agree that it was a very bold move by Mann to be alone in another galaxy and attempt to kill the 3 people that could help get you out of there and home.
 
Just a final thought from me. I'm of two minds here, on one hand I like the self imposed restrictions of no comic books, animated disney etc. but on the other hand, leaving them out so they don't dominate the list (if they would have) makes the list feel maybe incomplete. Like if you legit thought Sleeping Beauty was the 17th best fantasy movie then that's how you feel and there's no shame in that. I've been maybe a little critical and others haven't agreed with your placements but most of us enjoy most of the movies on your list and generally think it's a good list. The decision to include both fantasy and sci-fi means a lot of good movies (or maybe bad movies that I enjoy) didn't make the cut.

I might steal your thunder and do a fantasy one of these so you guys can laugh at my tastes in movies.
 
I should really rewatch both Interstellar and Children of Men. I liked them, but I've only ever seen them once each, and others have them quite a bit higher up than I do.
Yeah I have to watch Interstellar again.

I do like Nolan movies. Actually quite a lot…but this one did not hit me nearly as hard as some of his other films (like Inception which I love).
 
Tron not making it is disappointing.
More importantly the sequel to Tron which was superior IMO. A fantastic feast visually and the soundtrack was outstanding. I saw Tron Legacy at the IMAX and was blown away.

Vastly underrated movie.

I think the countdown was a damn good list. I like/love a lot of Scores top 100.

But my top 25 would be probably a lot different.
 
@Scoresman - I thought about my disconnect with the ending more and what I didn't post above is that I do not like adult Murph at all. I can not comprehend being pissed at a parent in that situation for decades, especially when you are working for the people who sent him up and you know wtf is going on. The sequence after the wave planet gets me because of his son's videos and me being upset that Murph didn't have a video. I just have never liked that she only seem to come around to her dad and what he was trying to do only when she thinks he was communicating with her.
 
@Scoresman - I thought about my disconnect with the ending more and what I didn't post above is that I do not like adult Murph at all. I can not comprehend being pissed at a parent in that situation for decades, especially when you are working for the people who sent him up and you know wtf is going on. The sequence after the wave planet gets me because of his son's videos and me being upset that Murph didn't have a video. I just have never liked that she only seem to come around to her dad and what he was trying to do only when she thinks he was communicating with her.

She did have a video though after he went through the son’s. It was the one where she said she was the age cooper was when he left. That was where I thought McConnaghey’s acting was best. The look on his face seeing her as an adult spoke volumes.

But I do get your point otherwise. She was still pissed off in the video.
 
@Scoresman - I thought about my disconnect with the ending more and what I didn't post above is that I do not like adult Murph at all. I can not comprehend being pissed at a parent in that situation for decades, especially when you are working for the people who sent him up and you know wtf is going on. The sequence after the wave planet gets me because of his son's videos and me being upset that Murph didn't have a video. I just have never liked that she only seem to come around to her dad and what he was trying to do only when she thinks he was communicating with her.

She did have a video though after he went through the son’s. It was the one where she said she was the age cooper was when he left. That was where I thought McConnaghey’s acting was best. The look on his face seeing her as an adult spoke volumes.

But I do get your point otherwise. She was still pissed off in the video.
For me, part of that is Chastain. She is not a very likeable actress IMO.
 
HEY! What about The Black Hole and The Black Cauldron????!>!>!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!?!!1/1/1/1/!

I thought about the Black Hole....haven't seen it aired anywhere for decades....must be pretty bad.
I remember really liking that movie as a little kid, but I'm sure it was probably hot garbage.
If you're talking about black hole I agree, it is a hot mess. Saw it in theatres when it came out but much like Tron the fx are horrible even for the time and don't hold up at all, imo. Story was cool enough when I was young but is silly now that I can comprehend science stuff a little. It's streaming on Disney btw.
 
Buck Rodgers and the original Battlestar Galactica seem to be in that same era....along with Star Wars and Star Trek were my first exposure to the genre.

You never see those around anywhere, but would be fun to take a peek just to see how bad they were.
 
Buck Rodgers and the original Battlestar Galactica seem to be in that same era....along with Star Wars and Star Trek were my first exposure to the genre.

You never see those around anywhere, but would be fun to take a peek just to see how bad they were.
Biddybiddybiddy... HEY Buck.

I think they were weak even back then. Would be funny/campu to watch now I'm guessing.
 
Buck Rodgers and the original Battlestar Galactica seem to be in that same era....along with Star Wars and Star Trek were my first exposure to the genre.

You never see those around anywhere, but would be fun to take a peek just to see how bad they were.
I just recently watched the entire Buck Rodgers series on Blue ray. I loved this as a kid and there are some great “late 70’s early 80’s” moments. Mostly a silly show but so bad it’s good.

It only lasted 1.5 seasons. Got cancelled halfway thru season two on The star ship Searcher. They tried to be kinda like Star Trek in season two and failed miserably. Also Hawkman!!!

And watching a super hot Erin Grey in those awesome tight leather pants……yeah worth it.

Battlestar Galactica is a show I also have watched again on blue ray and enjoyed.

Now the newer Battlestar kicks all kinds of Cylon ***. Love that.
 
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Buck Rodgers and the original Battlestar Galactica seem to be in that same era....along with Star Wars and Star Trek were my first exposure to the genre.

You never see those around anywhere, but would be fun to take a peek just to see how bad they were.
Biddybiddybiddy... HEY Buck.

I think they were weak even back then. Would be funny/campu to watch now I'm guessing.
I think Buck Rogers holds up.

Two words: Erin Grey.
 
I just recently watched the entire Buck Rodgers series on Blue ray. I loved this as a kid and there are some great “late 70’s early 80’s” moments. Mostly a silly show but so bad it’s good.

Also, can't believe they put this on Blue ray....how did you track down that amazing piece of small screen history?
 
And watching a super hot Erin Grey in those awesome tight leather pants……yeah worth it.

yeah, she was a total smokeshow.

had no idea it was cancelled after 1.5 seasons....I remember it being a longer run, but I was like 6.
Yeah I was 9 or 10 when it got canned. And back then we had no internet. It just was not on anymore and I was heartbroken.

Man growing up back then:

Six Million Dollar Man/Bionic Woman
Emergency
SWAT
Battlestar Galactica
Buck Rodgers

Stalwarts for me…..good times.
 
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I just recently watched the entire Buck Rodgers series on Blue ray. I loved this as a kid and there are some great “late 70’s early 80’s” moments. Mostly a silly show but so bad it’s good.

Also, can't believe they put this on Blue ray....how did you track down that amazing piece of cinematic history?
Amazon and Ebay my friend. And it looks great BTW.
 
First, kudos to the OP for this undertaking and putting this out there. These sorts of lists will always draw criticism and since it's mostly subjective, it's really unfair to come at the OP for his perceived errors.* Nonetheless, what fun would these threads be if we didn't?

My worthless takes:

Omissions:
Donnie Darko is a glaring omission. I understand the movie is more cultish and reasonable people disagree on it, but it should crack any top 100 list.
At least one of the new James Franco Planet of the Apes movies should have made the list (my apologies if I missed it).
Was Terminator 1 and 2 on here?

Ranked too high:
Interstellar - only because it shouldn't be number 1. I'd have it in the back half of the top ten. It's very good. But it's not the best and shouldn't be in same tier with Blade Runner, Empire, etc.
Contact - meh, it's not bad, but nowhere near where it's ranked.
Arrival - More meh (and the ****ing alien is her father??)
The Martian - Good movie and I liked the twist, but should be middle of the pack.
Signs - Well made and well acted, but if you think about the premise for more than a few seconds it just becomes so ****ing stupid. Aliens come to a planet made overwhelmingly of their kryptonite and they then stand on barn roofs for no reason? Really, really stupid. I probably wouldn't put it in the top 100.

Ranked too low:
Blade Runner - as I stated previously, should be #1.
Dune: Part 1 - ****ing awesome and better than the sequel.
Mad Max: Fury Road - Arguably more action than sci-fi, but this was one of the best remakes ever. Should be top 50 easily on this list.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless - To me, this is a top ten movie of all-time and easily the best romance movie ever made. I can see an argument that it isn't "sci-fi" as the sci-fi parts are more plot devices than anything. But if it's going to be considered sci-fi, it's just too good of a movie to not be top ten.
Wall-E - for an animated Disney movie, this was fantastic. Probably a top five all-time animated movie.
Stargate - A personal favorite of mine. I get that its flawed, but I still think it deserves top 20.
Planet of the Apes - should be top ten.

*Except for that cheese list. That was unconscionable.
 
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What about the Last Starfighter? I've got friends who would fight you over that one not being in the top 100.

Friends from the 80s...Pardon me, I'll head over to Tim's thread now.
 
First, kudos to the OP for this undertaking and putting this out there. These sorts of lists will always draw criticism and since it's mostly subjective, it's really unfair to come at the OP for his perceived errors.* Nonetheless, what fun would these threads be if we didn't?

My worthless takes:

Omissions:
Donnie Darko is a glaring omission. I understand the movie is more cultish and reasonable people disagree on it, but it should crack any top 100 list.
At least one of the new James Franco Planet of the Apes movies should have made the list (my apologies if I missed it).
Was Terminator 1 and 2 on here?

Ranked too high:
Interstellar - only because it shouldn't be number 1. I'd have it in the back half of the top ten. It's very good. But it's not the best and shouldn't be in same tier with Blade Runner, Empire, etc.
Contact - meh, it's not bad, but nowhere near where it's ranked.
Arrival - More meh (and the ****ing alien is her father??)
The Martian - Good movie and I liked the twist, but should be middle of the pack.
Signs - Well made and well acted, but if you think about the premise for more than a few seconds it just becomes so ****ing stupid. Aliens come to a planet made overwhelmingly of their kryptonite and they then stand on barn roofs for no reason? Really, really stupid. I probably wouldn't put it in the top 100.

Ranked too low:
Blade Runner - as I stated previously, should be #1.
Dune: Part 1 - ****ing awesome and better than the sequel.
Mad Max: Fury Road - Arguably more action than sci-fi, but this was one of the best remakes ever. Should be top 50 easily on this list.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless - To me, this is a top ten movie of all-time and easily the best romance movie ever made. I can see an argument that it isn't "sci-fi" as the sci-fi parts are more plot devices than anything. But if it's going to be considered sci-fi, it's just too good of a movie to not be top ten.
Wall-E - for an animated Disney movie, this was fantastic. Probably a top five all-time animated movie.
Stargate - A personal favorite of mine. I get that its flawed, but I still think it deserves top 20.
Planet of the Apes - should be top ten.

This mostly appears to be a pretty popular take when you look at online lists and such. Very reasonable.

Where I differ is my love of hard sci-fi that is done well. That’s why movies like interstellar and contact are so high on my list. To me, the impact of a movie where the premise is something that could actually happen in our future is what gives me that sense of awe that sets these movies apart.

And if someone can add in a human element, the movie will have even more of an impact.
 
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Great job by @Scoresman

I always love these countdowns and they are super hard to do.

So here is my quick and dirty Top 25 in the same spirit of the OP and rules combining fantasy and sci fi.

1. Aliens
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. Blade Runner
4. Dune Part 1
5. Alien
6. The Thing
7. LOTR Trilogy
8. The Terminator
9. Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan
10. Star Wars
11. Dune Part 2
12. The Matrix
13. 12 Monkeys
14. Jurassic Park
15. The Running Man
16. Total Recall
17. Rogue One
18. Star Wars Episode 3 ROTS
19. Mad Max Fury Road
20. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
21. War of the Planet of the Apes
22. Blade Runner 2049
23. Terminator 2
24. Robocop
25. Planet of the Apes (1968)
 
And yeah, the alien in Contact wasn’t her father. It took the form of her father to make her more comfortable. People who complain about not seeing the aliens kinda miss the whole point of the movie.

I specifically went to that movie expecting to see some ******** aliens and was severely disappointed
 
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And yeah, the alien in Contact wasn’t her father. It took the form of her father to make her more comfortable. People who complain about not seeing the aliens kinda miss the whole point of the movie.
I got the point of the movie. I still can complain about it anyway.
 

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