The last really good sci-fi movie you saw in a theater

Yes, I can't wait for Prometheus! I've always thought that the "derelict spacecraft" in Alien(s) offered up so much potential… potential squandered for the sake of telling a linear story involving Ripley.

Really looking forward to that.

Moon
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Pandorum

Really looking forward to Prometheus, even though his Robin Hood is one of the worst movies i've seen in a theatre :/

I liked Moon (Saw it at home though). The way they did the Moon Base and moving around on the Moon reminded me of the style of space you saw in the 60's and 70s.

The last good Sci-Fi I saw in the theater would have been the Star Trek reboot I think (that was after Inception, right?)
 
Joined
Jan 10, 2008
Messages
4,353
Location
Austin, TX
How about Pandorum? It's a little older, but probably meets the criteria.

I suppose the technically correct answer to the question would be Transformers (story sucked by the visuals were truly incredible).

Let's see…there were sci-fi movies that I ended up watching very close together. Try and remember… There was the George Clooney one—"Solaris", which I didn't particularly enjoy but many folks did. There was "Event Horizon", which I thought was very good. And the 3rd one…ummm…"Sunshine"!

edit- well crap, looks like I could have saved a little time dragging that 3rd one out of memory by re-reading the first post... Guess that's not much value as a recommendation at this point, eh?
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
13,535
Location
Illinois, USA
Hey, once you put the "saw in a theatre" requirement on there, my list of factually correct answers gets extremely short since the Boss and Wild Dogs don't particularly like sci-fi. I did say that the story sucked... ;)
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
13,535
Location
Illinois, USA
So taking drugs to share dreams [Inception] is plausible, but zapping yourself inside a super computer [Source Code] is not?

The ending of Source Code spoiled it all for me, I'm afraid. All of a sudden, a "memory machine" can transcend time and space... too much fantasy. I guess I'm too hard to please when it comes to gripping sci-fi, and that would explain why so little of it piques my interest these days.
 
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
5,978
Location
Florida, USA
I guess I'm too hard to please when it comes to gripping sci-fi, and that would explain why so little of it piques my interest these days.

Have you seen "Dark City"? It is not too recent as it is from 1998 but it may be to your liking as it is not your typical sci-fi movie.
 
Joined
Jun 22, 2011
Messages
613
Location
Madrid, Spain
Dark City is one of my favorite movies of all time, not the least because it stars Richard O'Brien :D

The shot panning away from the city towards the end of the film still resonates with me.
 
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
5,978
Location
Florida, USA
Monsters is a really nice indie sci-fi, very cool atmosphere.

Dark City was indeed incredible.. remember i bought that movie at the same time as i bought a new TV (a 32" widescreen CRT lol, this was 14 years ago or so) + new surround system. I couldn't have chosen a better movie to watch :)
 
Joined
Apr 18, 2011
Messages
3,263
Location
The land of rape and honey
Monsters is a really nice indie sci-fi, very cool atmosphere.

Interesting coincidence…

Seeing you and blatantninja mention Moon made me curious enough to rent it last night. I also rented the movie that was next to it on the shelf… :)
 

Attachments

  • 20120310_040436.jpg
    20120310_040436.jpg
    229.1 KB · Views: 89
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,133
Location
Florida, US
Don't know any recent ones that haven't already been mentioned — I liked Moon and Inception — so despite the "cinema" and "new" requirements, I recommend City of Lost Children (1995), Avalon (2001, if you like Ghost in the Shell) and The Fountain (2006).
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
3,486
Pandorum was pretty good. Transformers was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Thankfully I didn't see it in the theatre.

A movie not a lot of people liked was War of the Worlds which I really enjoyed.

Also had really low expectations for Knowing but that turned out to be an enjoyable 2 hours. The airplane crash scene was surprising and realllllly good. Ending was cheesy but expected I guess.
 
Joined
Jun 4, 2008
Messages
999
Location
The Great White North
Does a home theater count?

Last night we hosted some friends for a blu-ray double feature: John Carpenter's The Thing (1980s version) and Bladerunner Director's Cut.

Both were outstanding transfers.
 
Joined
Jan 15, 2011
Messages
1,477
Location
Chocovania
Couple of new trailers for Prometheus. Don't get too excited.. they don't reveal much that the first trailer didn't.

Imax trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXLzJhZa8PY&feature=player_embedded

Viral promo trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb7gspHxZiI

I think Prometheus looks amazing. I work with a bunch of young 'comic book' freaks and when I mention Ridley Scott and the original Alien, they look at me like I'm nuts. For them, the Alien universe started with the James Cameron sequel.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
852
Location
Columbus, OH USA
Back
Top Bottom