A friend of mine asked for a recommendation of good science fiction. Of course, I asked him what he liked first. He answered correctly: Blade Runner.

All kidding aside, I do think Blade Runner is one of the best movies ever made and a brilliant example of the genre; but I’m not a science fiction snob either. For example, I’ve recently watched Idiocracy, V for Vendetta, Night at the Museum, Stranger than Fiction, and A Scanner Darkly, all with varying degrees of enjoyment. And yes, I consider all of those science fiction on some level.

A good science fiction story, to me, is 20% about technology/alternate reality and 80% characters/story. That 20% is important, don’t get me wrong. The story falls apart if it isn’t consistent and well thought out and treated in a realistic way. But characters and story are where the real meat is.

Anyway, I thought I’d share my recommendations for him with everyone. These are movies I’ve watched in the last year or so that I consider good sci-fi. If you have other specific recommendations please comment. I’m always on the lookout for something interesting to watch.

I’ll start with my most highly recommended movies first and move down the list to the merely strongly recommended.

Children of Men I wrote a review of Children of Men back in May. It’s the story of a near future when mankind has destroyed its ability to procreate, the youngest person on earth is 18 or so, and miraculously a woman is found who has become pregnant. It’s a dark vision of the future but is ultimately about hope.

Primer This is a superb time travel film. A time travel mechanism is created and the plot stays true and consistent to this idea throughout—you won’t find the story falling back on any stupid techno-babble to resolve anything. Using the machine to buy stocks quickly gets out of hand and the suspense builds until the amazing reveal at the end.

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind This is a love story based on the premise that people can have a minor medical procedure to selectively remove parts of their memories. It’s a beautiful film and probably like nothing you’ve ever seen.

The Iron Giant This is the first film on this list that can be enjoyed by the entire family (the other two are Howl’s and Nausicaa). The heartwarming tale of a boy and his giant alien robot.

Serenity You may not appreciate this one as much if you never saw the television series (which was completely butchered by FOX when it originally aired). It stands on its own but if you think you’ll like it, you may want to rent the television series first (it’s short, unfortunately). “The wild west in space” almost sums up the universe but we’ve also got bits of evil galactic empire and government conspiracy thrown in for good measure.

Ghost in the Shell Section 9 is a covert branch of the government tasked with handling investigations that can’t be solved through normal means. The action takes place in future Japan where humans routinely replace their brains and other parts with cyber implants and many humans are cyborgs of some sort. “Ghost in the Shell” refers to a person’s soul, the part of one that transcends the physical body whether that body is entirely human or part machine. The lead agent of Section 9 is completely cybernetic, her mind and ghost downloaded into an android body. Japanese anime isn’t for everyone. The Ghost in the Shell films in particular are filled with dialog and beautiful photography punctuated by extremely violent and graphic action. The most “Blade Runner” like film listed.

Howl’s Moving Castle Another animated film suitable for the whole family. Arguably more fantasy than science fiction but it is beautifully drawn, the story is compelling, the world is fascinating and fully realized, and it’s a lot of fun to watch. I’ve seen this one over and over again.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind A cautionary tale of environmental destruction, this story is a little more “out there” but is also fun to watch, uses a fascinating world as a backdrop, and, like Howl’s, features a strong female protagonist. (And if you like this one or Howl’s you’ll probably also like Castle in the Sky and Princess Mononoke.)

[ By the way, if you’re on Netflix please feel free to invite me as a friend ([email protected]). Just be warned, my rental queue includes stuff for the wife and kids mixed in with stuff I like. Here are my last 20 returns: The Last Mimzy, Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society, 300, Hot Fuzz, Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild, Delibes: Coppelia (Royal Opera), Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Letters from Iwo Jima, Everyone’s Hero, Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Thank You for Smoking, The Magnificent Seven, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, Idiocracy, Happily N’Ever After, V for Vendetta, Thumbelina, Arrested Development: Season 3: Disc 1 (2-Disc Series), Pan’s Labyrinth, Night at the Museum. ]

Comments

1. Thomas on 2007-08-22 14:55:51 wrote: Gattaca also ranks as one of the best character driven Sci-Fi films of the last ten years. I’d also suggest The Abyss, the dystopian shoot ’em up Equilibrium and, despite it’s low production values Six String Samurai is probably the most fun and ideologically relevant post-apocalypse movies I’ve seen. Finally, I saw Sunshine last week. It may be the intellectual inheritor to 2001. I recommend you go see it while it’s still in the theatre. I think it might loose something on DVD. I’m going to have to look into Primer thanks for the suggestion.

2. ruthdeb on 2007-08-22 15:07:22 wrote: fd, you’ve been getting away lately from your “being daddy” funny conversations with your kids and lovely-and-talented…. those are what I come to your blog for. I’m not so interested in articles about technology & gaming and movie reviews… There are plenty of those on the interweb. I’m hoping you won’t dilute the great being-daddy blog you’ve created. Stay focused on what you do best. Your photos and conversations are what sets this blog apart from the usual cyberspace junk.

3. Chris OConnor on 2007-08-22 15:31:40 wrote: What about “The 5th Element” - a great sci-fi, with a dose of comedy - and some “morals” almost as well. One of my favourites.

4. John on 2007-08-22 17:32:16 wrote: Hey, ruthdeb, I totally understand what you’re saying. You may have missed a post from January where I talked about this… In a nutshell: I’m still a Dad, always will be. But my kids are getting older. My little girl in particular is getting to the age of peer pressure and modesty and a social life and doesn’t need her Dad complicating things by writing about it on the internet. That said, I don’t want to (and don’t feel I need to) draw a line and say, “Beyond this point, no more kid talk.” It’s complicated. This blog has always been about stuff that’s interesting to me. And people change. You might say I’ve found more balance now that I don’t change diapers a dozen times a day. :-)

5. Matthew on 2007-08-22 19:58:03 wrote: Was Princess Diaries 2 as good as the first?

6. fyngyrz on 2007-08-22 21:44:07 wrote: I enjoyed Johnny Mnemonic; I particularly like the core idea. A little bit too much “ghetto chic” in it, but mostly they didn’t ruin the book. “Paycheck” is a good one. Solid SF, great story, engaging characters, no fantasy at all. “I, Robot” is excellent and they did a VERY good job on that one, most un-Hollywood like. “Pitch Black” is a fun one, definitely not for kids; the sequel is even better, “Chronicles of Riddick”, a really crazy SF adventure, extending far more into fantasy but no less enjoyable for all that. If you can watch Star Wars with your belief suspended, you can manage Chronicles, and Pitch Black doesn’t do anything in the fantasy area except the (in my mind) essentially forgivable presumption of FTL travel. Without this, much SF is impossible, so I buy in without argument. “Starship Troopers”, while a serious SF book, is more of a send-up, a tongue-in-cheek social commentary than a real SF movie, but again, if you can manage star wars… :-) Mind you, I like star wars too. It’s just that I recognize that as SF, it is pitiful. As fantasy, though, it’s fabulous. Also often funny. I look for funny, adventurous, interesting characters, decent continuity, a storyline one can empathize with, and eye candy of all kinds. All my recommendations have, IMHO, all those things. Speaking of funny, try “Galaxy Quest” on for giggles. If you like SF, you will love this movie. And when you’re certain you’re alone with the L&T/sig-other, watch “Orgasmo” for the same reason (it is rare when a single movie can send up movie-making, porn, religion, relationships, criminals, innocence, heroism and our own sensibilities all at once, and pull it off perfectly (no pun intended, but… oh well.) I would echo your recommendation of Serenity, but I would say that first watching the 14 episodes of Firefly is important both to understand the characters better, and to see what fools the networks are to cancel something of that quality. I personally think that Firefly was the best series ever put on television, and this from a fellow who is not particularly enamored with either cowboys or rural lifestyles. Superb character development, rib-cracking humor, good visuals, compelling storyline, great continuity… all shot in the foot by people who can’t wrap their heads around the idea that Nielson ratings don’t actually sum up the audience. Oh well. At least they shot the 14 episodes in hi-def. — Being Daddy — Just as a counterpoint, I come here for everything except the being daddy stuff; I’m done being a daddy at age 50, and my version of the “empty nest” syndrome was to throw a very sincere and very extravagant party. My three boys are great, but thank goodness they’re on their own. Man, have I ever had enough. SigOther agrees. As to your blog, I was captured by the quality of your posts and the observations you make on matters of direct import to me. I don’t mind your “daddy” posts, of course, because I generally don’t read them. So I’d implore you in just as heartfelt a manner to keep up with your current volume of non-parenting fare here. Because I do read those. :-)

7. Chris Johnston on 2007-08-23 04:26:16 wrote: Excellent list, and I’m glad to see Equilibrium mentioned right away. Also happy to see recommendations of The Abyss, I, Robot and Chronicles of Riddick (I usually see those getting bashed). Have trouble believing that The Matrix hasn’t been mentioned yet, though. I’ve been waiting for the price to come down on the Primer DVD. Of the two Mars movies of 2000, Red Planet beat Mission to Mars by a country mile. But, Contact is possibly the best SF film I’ve seen.

8. knwd on 2007-08-23 05:58:06 wrote: I’ll throw in another two thumbs up for Firefly / Serenity, which has to be the only show to get more rave reviews as DVD’s than it did when it was on TV. I’ll also second fyngyrz’s recommendation for adding Galaxy Quest to the list. (Your kids will probably enjoy it too.) I also thought I’d chime in with my own recommendation of a movie currently in theaters– We went to see Stardust the other day and really enjoyed it. It’s probably more of a fairy tale than science-fiction, but it was very entertaining, and I thought it deserved better reviews than what the critics are giving it. And cheers to writing about whatever interests you!

9. s’mee on 2007-08-23 08:22:35 wrote: Third witness testifying for and behalf of “Galaxy Quest”…IMHO one of THE best funny “sci-fi” movies out there. ahem. Also totally dug “Hitchhiker’s Guide”. And John, as one of your happier staulkers just let me say that if you throw up a photo now and then of say, a brick, I’ll be happy. Write about your wife, and frankly I tear all up like a little rain cloud. I love the kid stuff but totally get why you back off. The thought of being killed in your sleep with the dull end of a Barbie doesn’t appeal to anyone. I’ll admit when you write about techno stuff all I get is that cricket chirping noise in my head, yet, I WILL check your blog for something edible every stinking day. You are my blog crack and I, the monkey who keeps banging her head to get it.

10. Sam on 2007-09-07 12:28:32 wrote: gasp Not one mention of The Fifth Element.