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The ten most underrated science fiction movies
Here is one such list. It offers up:
1. Primer
2. Aeon Flux
3. Body Snatchers (1993!)
4. Tron
5. Sleeper
6. eXistenZ
7. A Boy and His Dog
8. Enemy Mine
9. Gattaca
10. Silent Running
My picks would have been Mission to Mars and Titan A.E. Sunshine is also quite good and not so well known. At times I regard What Dreams May Come as science fiction. Can I call John Carpenter's The Thing underrated? (Is Gattaca underrated? I don't think so, not any more. Is the wonderful eXistenZ underrated?) Then there are the three Stars Wars prequels, each deeply underrated (unlike The Clone Wars, which defies every rational choice theory known to mankind). But we've had other comment threads on the prequels, so don't flame me on that one. Offer up your picks, with an explanation why.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on August 31, 2008 at 07:27 AM in Film | Permalink
Comments
How is Sunshine underrated? I mean all the colours make a nice home cinema demo but the movie itself is just bland. And I'm entirely unsure how one could think Episode 1 was underrated. That drivel got what it deserved.
Posted by: Someone from the other side at Aug 31, 2008 7:51:47 AM
BTW, most underrated: Starship Troopers.
Posted by: Someone from the other side at Aug 31, 2008 7:52:24 AM
Very good pick Someone, I should have put *Starship Troopers* on my list. It's one of the best anti-war movies ever made.
Posted by: Tyler Cowen at Aug 31, 2008 7:59:41 AM
I think the biggest difficulty with this list is that we have to not only evaluate the movies (for which the kappa would be pretty darn good), but establishing how well RATED these movies are.
How can A Boy and His Dog be underrated, as it sat at the top of my Netflix recommendations for months? It's apparently rated very (appropriately) high.
Posted by: Pup, MD at Aug 31, 2008 8:33:19 AM
"Service guarantees citizenship. Would you like to know more?" What a fun movie.
What about "Dark City"? I don't know if it's underrated anymore (kind of like how "Gattaca" is seen nowadays), but I'm still amazed at the number of people who haven't seen it.
And, while I may not agree with it, I know some who really love "Starman". I think it's good, not great, but don't tell that to a couple of my friends.
Posted by: The Matt at Aug 31, 2008 8:36:58 AM
Oh, and I should add that is *John Carpenter's* "Starman". Kind of amazing considering his two movies previous to that were "Christine" and "The Thing".
And one other I thought of--thank you, post-"Post" insight--"They Live" by...John Carpenter. Wow. He's really on my brain this morning. OBEY
Posted by: The Matt at Aug 31, 2008 8:40:59 AM
Event Horizon
Posted by: at Aug 31, 2008 8:49:36 AM
I understand having not read the book is a necessary condition for enjoying the movie, but I still find it hard to believe that it is a sufficient condition. (Starship Troopers)
Posted by: Alex J. at Aug 31, 2008 9:06:40 AM
Galaxy Quest (starring Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver) is not only an underrated sci fi film, it's an underrated comedy, period.
But how is Gattaca on this list? That movie was widely praised.
Posted by: jason voorhees at Aug 31, 2008 9:08:31 AM
"You just fold space/time like this piece of paper, and then poke a hole in it!"
[Sometime later...] "I am the DEVIL!"
Posted by: Cliff at Aug 31, 2008 9:09:32 AM
"Lathe of Heaven" (early TV version) though well reviewed then seems largely forgotten like "A Boy and His Dog."
And does Ralph Bakshi's "Wizards" count as science fantasy?
Posted by: jn at Aug 31, 2008 9:35:11 AM
Mission to Mars is one of the worst movies I ever saw. Was it supposed to be a parody?
On open flap tent on Mars? That movie was full of dumb little things like that taking me out of the film. The M&M DNA thing. The wrist top computer that can instantly analyze anything?
Posted by: Mike at Aug 31, 2008 9:44:34 AM
Sunshine was bloody awful. It's not even science fiction it's a horror film in space.
Posted by: Alex Tabarrok at Aug 31, 2008 9:50:07 AM
But why should we care about which movies are underrated? In choosing between the 30th-best movie of all time, which people think is #5, and the 45th-best of all time, which people think is 100th-best, it would seem I'm better off going for the over-rated movie...
Posted by: LP at Aug 31, 2008 9:50:36 AM
There's no way Primer, Gattaca, or Existenz are underrated. Maybe in the initial reaction (especially Gattaca, but nowadays by my observation they are all rated quite highly, and rightly so.
Some of my picks to throw on the pile --
How about The 13th Warrior with Antonion Banderas. (Why is this science fiction? Because it imagines that Neanderthals lived/survived far longer than is believed by science)
According to some interpretations, Punch-Drunk Love - which unlike most I believe is the best Paul Thomas Anderson movie, and therefore underrated - is science fiction.
I actually rather enjoyed The Chronicles of Riddick. (**ducks**)
Outland with Sean Connery (or is that just a Western?).
Posted by: Sonic Charmer at Aug 31, 2008 9:54:09 AM
Good picks above. I'd strongly second "Starship Troopers" and "Event Horizon" (which I found deeply creepy and unsettling). Is there anything left to be said about how truly awful the three prequels are (though I still think the non-dialogue is great)?
Posted by: wugong at Aug 31, 2008 9:59:56 AM
Cube. Very 50's B-movieish sort of feel (that's a plus in my book).
I'll second Chronicles of Riddick - A lot of fun, plus it's effectively the same story as most successful sci-fi franchises (e.g., Star Wars, Dune) - minor outworlder discovered as secret/reluctant savior who overthrows oppressive galatic empire, but with better action sequences.
Posted by: Jody at Aug 31, 2008 10:32:49 AM
I'll second "Cube" (fairly hard sci-fi, though if you've read a lot of the genre, it might be too simplistic) and "Starship Troopers" (though not as an anti-war movie - rather as a stylish and very clever joke on a certain kind of pop moviegoer. In so far as it is underrated, it is misunderstood).
On Tyler's suggestions, "Mission to Mars", "Sunshine" - be aware that Tyler has absolutely no taste in movies, perhaps even negative taste - and I base that on viewing some of his previous suggestions. If he recommends a movie, consider that as a reasonably good reason to avoid it.
Posted by: Barry Kelly at Aug 31, 2008 10:50:37 AM
Agree with the others on Starship Trooper and Event Horizon.
My favorite from the list though, is Gattaca, one of the greatest movies of all time.
Posted by: MSC at Aug 31, 2008 11:04:58 AM
The Blood of Heroes (aka The Salute of the Jugger)
Event Horizon is like Hellraiser, in space, except not as good.
Posted by: Alex at Aug 31, 2008 12:20:04 PM
John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars is horribly hilarious. I second all the comments about Starship Troopers with the always great Neil Patrick Harris.
Posted by: Tim at Aug 31, 2008 12:22:08 PM
No comments on "Aeon Flux?" I found it to be terrible, personally...among my circle of friends, we have in-jokes about some of the poorly-delivered lines in the movie.
Posted by: Alex at Aug 31, 2008 12:23:00 PM
"Flight of the Navigator."
I'm adding my voice to those who pillory Tyler for saying anything at all nice about the abysmal "Sunshine." It was clearly was a set without a plot until somebody said, "screw it, let's just make a character make a nonsensical mistake." And why send a physicist into space? They needed a bloody mechanic.
Posted by: David at Aug 31, 2008 12:26:15 PM
I found "Sunshine" to be an amateurish mess.
Suddenly, Tyler, your film criticism doesn't carry much weight with me...
Posted by: Nedd at Aug 31, 2008 12:41:25 PM
According to some interpretations, Punch-Drunk Love - which unlike most I believe is the best Paul Thomas Anderson movie, and therefore underrated - is science fiction.
Science Fiction? Okay, I'm intrigued. A link, please.
Posted by: Ray Midge at Aug 31, 2008 12:43:44 PM
