Science Fiction movies and TV shows

[vito]

I've always been a fan of science fiction, ever since I was about 10. Then it was more about rockets into space, and now it is more about whether or not we are really alone in the universe. I find that good authors are able to come up with very interesting beginnings for these stories. They all seem to say that there really is something out there, but since it is all fiction the movies and TV shows never come up with a plausible ending. Maybe one of the best was the movie "Contact" written by astronomer Carl Sagan, but even that had a less than satisfying ending.

Thinking about this I have come to the conclusion that part of me is actually hoping that whatever show or movie I am watching will actually tell me something about these big questions. While watching I suspend my sense of disbelief and let myself be caught up in the premise and the story, only always to be disappointingly left unsatisfied at the end.

Maybe that's why silly "Space westerns" like the whole "Star Wars" series, or even "Star Trek" can be enjoyed because they never really even raise the deep questions that good science fiction tries to grapple with. Just some Sunday morning musing.

 

[41Dude]

If you have not seen it.
BLUE EYE SAMURAI on Netflix.
Not science fiction but worth a look.
Not a joke (in my Biden voice)

 

[Watertender]

My favorite TV show is The Twilight Zone. I watch it usually every night unless I have to work the overnight shift.
Rod Serling was a genius and wrote many of the episodes. Earl Hamner of The Waltons wrote several episodes. I believe Ray Bradbury only did one for the show.

 

[Jeepnik]

One of, if not the best, and therefore unexpected endings is "To Serve Man".

What's more terrifying than the line, "It's cookbook".

 

[Danjet500]

The Twilight Zone didn't have too many strictly science fiction episodes. Many had to do with horror, suspense and psychological dilemmas. The Outer Limits was primarily science fiction. Both are good in their own regard.

 

[The Norseman]

I like "The Expanse" series on Prime Video. I thought
it had a good story line and special affects.

 

[woodsy]

One of my favorite authors is Arthur C. Clarke. The guy was a genius, and wrote "2001" and "2010". I just wish that someone would do a movie based on his book "Rendezvous With Rama". As for movies, see "Them!" with James Arness before he became Matt Dillon. When was a kid and seeing it with my parents and sister at the theater, we had to walk out because it was so disturbing.

 

[BearBiologist]

Several on Prime and other streaming sources:

1. More fantasy than Sci Fi but "Grimm". Black humor about a Portland, OR detective who discovers that he is descended from the Grimm Brothers and that the fairy tales are family histories! His best friend, Monroe, is a "reformed" werewolf! Buddy, the Eis Bieber, is a crack-up! Everything from The Rat King to Trolls with sexy evil witches and foxy ( ) were-foxes (minor crush on Bree Turner as Rosalie)!

2."Outer Range". Season 2 is now on Prime.
3. "The Thing (from Outer Space)" both the original and the John Carpenter remake.
4. "Alien" and "Aliens". After that, they went downhill!
5. Second "The Expanse"! Good to excellent!

Almost forgot: "Fallout". Wacky and intriguing. Ella Purnell is a "sleeper" actress ( Was in Yellowjackets & Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children) and Walton Goggins (from Justified) wandering a post-apocalyptic wasteland in search of a severed head containing uploaded secrets to survival.

 

[41Dude]

I like "The Expanse" series on Prime Video. I thought
it had a good story line and special affects.

The opening Expanse music put me in the mood for space.

 

[blume357]

I have the theory that when 'they' show up it will be much like when the Spanish came to Central and South America..... will not be good for us... but then maybe just maybe 'they' will be a little more 'humane' than we are. But of course a lot of folks think 'they' have already been here and I sometimes wonder what actually caused humans to advance so much further than the other carbon based life forms on the planet?

 

[Jeepnik]

I have the theory that when 'they' show up it will be much like when the Spanish came to Central and South America..... will not be good for us... but then maybe just maybe 'they' will be a little more 'humane' than we are. But of course a lot of folks think 'they' have already been here and I sometimes wonder what actually caused humans to advance so much further than the other carbon based life forms on the planet?

Well, let's say that aliens are responsible for human advancement. Did the aliens get as advanced as they are from other aliens being responsible for their advancement, etc...?

 

[gunzo]

Have never been into Sci fi much, ever. But the movie "Tremors" just tripped my trigger. I guess it's not as dark, or more comedic or something. Plus, I think a bit more effort was put into the directing, acting & budget than so many B movies.
I've only seen it about 10 times, about due for a repeat. My wife will say "oh no! not again" & go to bed.

 

[txramfan]

Travelers , on Netflix , is series that ran for three seasons was interesting to me because it blends time travel , changing the past and when a person Travels only their consciousness travels and replaces the consciousness of a dying person.
I found it thought provoking, plus at times they use a KelTec SUB2000 as a sniper rifle which made me chuckle.

 

[ProfessorWes]

Rule of thumb: you generally get one good sequel and then the franchise falls apart IMO. And that was even before Hollywood started remaking and rebooting franchises with a nihilistic eye toward discrediting everything that made them great, and deliberately humiliating the fanbase in the process.

(*koff* Star Wars *koff*)

So, with that in mind:

Alien and Aliens. You can forget about the whole rest of that franchise.

The Terminator and T2: Judgement Day. Again, you can forget about the whole rest of that franchise.

Firefly (TV series) and the Serenity movie. Yes, I'm a proud Browncoat.

Babylon 5. One of the best TV sci-fi series ever, from beginning to end.

Original Star Trek plus STII: The Wrath of Khan. I've come to dislike most of the other Star Trek films and ST:NG (although Voyager and Deep Space Nine weren't bad), and flat-out loathe the JJ Abrams reboots.

The original three Star Wars films are a cherished part of my childhood. I'd add the Rogue One prequel and Timothy Zahn's Thrawn novels (particularly the original Thrawn trilogy that opened with Heir to the Empire; in which Zahn did a great job of capturing the magic of the original trilogy). With the rest . . . well, George Lucas lost the plot with the prequel trilogy; then Disney systematically murdered the franchise, abused its corpse and mocked the fans with woke BS.

Classic The X-Files.

The classic 80s show "V." Somebody mentioned "To Serve Man" back up the thread? Well, that was pretty much the series. And Jane Badler was campily, evilly awesome as the head lizard.

The Charlton Heston classics Soylent Green and The Omega Man. Heston at his scenery-chewing best.

The original Predator (and Predator II wasn't bad).

The Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood, which was Doctor Who for adults with far more complex and intriguing plotlines and relationships. (I never was able to get into Doctor Who, even before they woke-i-fied it.)

The original Robocop.

Event Horizon. Great blend of horror and sci-fi.

And while I'd love to see a remake of Starship Troopers that was faithful to the original novel and took its themes and concepts seriously (and gave us the powered armor!) . . . the film version is still hilarious. I mean, how can you not laugh at Feldmarshal Doogie Howser?

 

[BULL'S-EYE]

I was about to chime in, but @ProfessorWes pretty much nailed my thoughts on the subject. I would however, add the 80's reboot of the Twilight Zone, which was totally decent IMO, and the Sci Fi channels Farscape to the list as well.

 

[KIR]

TV Movie the "Forbin Project". It was taken from a novel. Would have liked to have seen the following two novels made into movies.

Best Sci-fi flick: Orgiinal "War of the Worlds". The color and sound has not been surpassed yet! I always love it when L.A. City Hall gets zapped.

 

[JackBull]

I liked Dr Who before they alphabetized it this year. I enjoyed how they made black people real land not stereotypes.

Favorite SciFi is Mystery Science Theater!

 

[Danjet500]

One I haven't seen mentioned is the '60s TV series "The Invaders" with Roy Thinnes. It's about the aliens already being on Earth and a man's mission to expose them.

 

[gnappi]

If you have seen a UAP I think you'd believe that they're so far ahead of us that to them we're just an amusing curiosity. If they had any interest in our planet it may be more for its resources than us.

 

[41Dude]

TV Movie the "Forbin Project". It was taken from a novel. Would have liked to have seen the following two novels made into movies.

Best Sci-fi flick: Orgiinal "War of the Worlds". The color and sound has not been surpassed yet! I always love it when L.A. City Hall gets zapped.

People keep pushing AI. They should watch The Forbin Project. It might change their minds.