Favorite films (5)

[soleiltropiques]

Quite a bit of time ago, I created a list of my favorite films. Summaries are (mostly) from IMDB.

This first post lists my favorite films in the fantastic and science fiction genres, in alphabetical order.

NB: Please note that when no nationality(ies) is specified, the film is from the U.S.

Some comments/warnings regarding problematic content are in bold. (In other words, there may be additional such content which I have not marked, but I focused on warning about things the film and its description did not deal with well. An example of this would be 'Gone with the Wind', which is horribly racist as a film and which IMO requires a warning.)

Please note that some of these films are in my list because they were influential, not because I objectively think they were great. In some other cases, they are still in my lists (with warnings) to remind myself that I need to rethink some of my earlier opinions. :)

Fantastic and science fiction

• Alice (2009, miniseries): with Caterina Scorsone, Andrew Lee Potts, Matt Frewer, Kathy Bates. (Online summary: Everything you know will be turned on its head.) This is a COMPLETELY changed version of Alice in Wonderland (i.e. Alice is an adult, for one thing). (NB: I would rate this PG-13)
• Alien (1979): with Sigourney Weaver. The crew of the deep space towing vessel Nostromo are awakened from hypersleep to investigate a strange signal from a nearby planet. While investigating the signal, they discover it was intended as a warning, and not an SOS. (NB: Don’t watch this one if you don’t want to be totally scared/creeped out of your wits.) (NB: I would rate this PG-13/R) (I also recommend the first sequel, 'Aliens' (1986), also rated R.)
• Alien vs. Predator (2004): with Sanaa Lathan, Lance Henriksen. Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. During an archaeological expedition on Bouvetøya Island in Antarctica, a team of archaeologists and other scientists find themselves caught up in a battle between the two legends. Soon, the team realize that only one species can win. (Really not the greatest film ever made by any means, but is still rather neat and creepy!) (NB: I would rate this PG13/R)
• Ant-Man (2015): Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, cat burglar Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world. (Rated PG-13) (I also recommend the sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, 2018.)
• Aquaman (2018): Arthur Curry, the human-born heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, goes on a quest to prevent a war between the worlds of ocean and land. (Rated PG-13)
• Arrival (2016): When twelve mysterious spacecrafts appear around the world, linguistics professor Louise Banks is tasked with interpreting the language of the apparent alien visitors. (Rated PG-13)
• Avatar (2009): A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home. (NB: Rated PG-13) (This one is really racist. And Hollywood needs to stop doing this.)
• Avengers, The (2012) (I also recommend the second sequel, Avengers: Infinity War (2018), which was fun. Avoid the first sequel though (i.e. 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' (2015)).): Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. brings together a team of super humans to form The Avengers to help save the Earth from Loki and his army. (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Back to the Future (1985): with Michael J. Fox. In 1985, Doc Brown invents time travel; in 1955, Marty McFly accidentally prevents his parents from meeting, putting his own existence at stake. (The two sequels to this film are truly awful. Don't bother.) (NB: Rated PG)
• Batman Begins (2005): with Christian Bale, Katie Holmes, Michael Caine. I would also recommend the two sequels, 'The Dark Knight' (2008) and 'The Dark Knight Rises' (2012). Bruce Wayne loses his philanthropic parents to a senseless crime, and years later becomes the Batman to save the crime-ridden Gotham City on the verge of destruction by an ancient order. (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Batman Forever (1995): with Val Kilmer, Nicole Kidman, Jim Carrey, Tommy Lee Jones. Batman must battle Two-Face and The Riddler with help of an amourous psychologist and a young circus acrobat who becomes his sidekick, Robin. (Another film that is not exactly the greatest ever made but is still fun!!) (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Black Panther (2018): T'Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country's past. (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Blade (part I - III, 1998 -2004): with Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson. A half-vampire, half-mortal man becomes a protector of the mortal race, while slaying evil vampires. (Not the greatest films ever made, but fun.) (NB: Rated R)
• Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) (and the first sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2014): with Chris Evans. After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending USA ideals. (Not the greatest film ever made, but fun. Note that I didn't care for the third film in this series.) (Note that I am not recommending the second sequel, 'Captain America: Civil War' (2016), which was pretty bad IMO.) (NB: Both rated PG-13)
• Captain Marvel (2019): Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. (Rated PG-13)
• Core, The (2003): with Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank. The only way to save Earth from catastrophe is to drill down to the core and set it spinning again. (Again, not the greatest film ever made by any means, but fun.) (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Dark City (1998): with Rufus Sewell, Jennifer Connelly, Kiefer Sutherland, William Hurt. Not very well known at all, it is a sci fi thriller. A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans. (NB: Rated R)
• Dark Crystal, The (1982, by Jim Henson): this one is sort of reminiscent of JRR Tolkien, and is with puppets. On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal, and so restore order to his world. (NB: Rated PG)
• Deadpool (2016), see also the sequel, Deadpool 2 (2018): A wisecracking mercenary gets experimented on and becomes immortal but ugly, and sets out to track down the man who ruined his looks. (Rated R) (Comment: There are some really racist elements in these two films, beware! Here is a link which I thought outlined the racism quite nicely.)
• Doctor Strange (2016): While on a journey of physical and spiritual healing, a brilliant neurosurgeon is drawn into the world of the mystic arts. (NB: Rated PG-13) (While this is fun on a superficial level (if you are a white person), it is not the best film ever made and the whitewashing in this film is really something.)
• Dracula (1992): with Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves. The vampire comes to England to seduce a visitor's fiancée and inflict havoc in the foreign land. (NB: Rated R)
• Dune (1984, directed by David Lynch): with Kyle MacLachlan, and Patrick Stewart. This is science fiction. In the distant future, a man appears who may be the prophet that a long-suffering galaxy has been waiting for. (NB: Rated PG-13/R)
• Dune (2000, miniseries, USA): Again, science fiction. Another great version of the sci fi classic novel by Frank Herbert. (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Enchanted (2007): with Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden. A classic Disney fairytale collides with modern-day New York City in a story about a fairytale princess who is sent to our world by an evil queen. Soon after her arrival, Princess Giselle begins to change her views on life and love after meeting a handsome lawyer. Can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world? (NB: Rated PG)
• Equilibrium (2002): with Christian Bale, Sean Bean, Emily Watson. In a Fascist future where all forms of feeling are illegal, a man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system. (NB: Rated R)
• Fantastic Four (2005): with Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffud, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis. A group of astronauts gain superpowers after a cosmic radiation exposure and must use them to oppose the plans of their enemy, Doctor Victor Von Doom. (Not the greatest film ever made, but still fun. Note that I am NOT recommending the sequel, 'Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer' (2007).) (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Ghost (1990): with Patrick Swayze, Whoopi Goldberg, and Demi Moore. After being killed during a botched mugging, a man's love for his partner enables him to remain on earth as a ghost. (Again, not the greatest film ever made, but fun.) (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Gravity (2013): Two astronauts work together to survive after an accident which leaves them stranded in space. (Rated PG-13)
• Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), see also the sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 (2017): A group of intergalactic criminals must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe. (Rated PG-13)
• Hunger Games, The (2012): with Jennifer Lawrence. Set in a future where the Capitol selects a boy and girl from the twelve districts to fight to the death on live television, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place for the latest match. (NB: Rated PG-13) (See also the three sequels: 'Catching Fire' (2013), 'Mockingjay part 1' (2014), 'Mockingjay part 2' (2015).)
• Indiana Jones series (i.e. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)): Archeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the US government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis. (These are fun but admittedly FLUFFY films!!...) (NB: I would rate these PG-13 except for the second film, which I would rate R.)
• Inception (2010): with Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe. In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: Inception. (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Island, The (2005): with Scarlett Johansson, Ewan McGregor, Djimon Hounsou. A man goes on the run after he discovers that he is actually a "harvestable being", and is being kept as a source of replacement parts, along with others, in a Utopian facility. (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Lake House, The (2006): with Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock. A lonely doctor who once occupied an unusual lakeside home begins exchanging love letters with its former resident, a frustrated architect. They must try to unravel the mystery behind their extraordinary romance before it's too late. (Again, not the greatest film ever made, but fun.) (NB: Rated PG)
• Let the Right One In (2008, Sweden): Oskar, a bullied 12-year old, dreams of revenge. He falls in love with Eli, a peculiar girl. She can't stand the sun or food and to come into a room she needs to be invited. Eli gives Oskar the strength to hit back but when he realizes that Eli needs to drink other people's blood to live he's faced with a choice. How much can love forgive? Set in the Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg in 1982. (NB: Rated R)
• Logan (2017): In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X, somewhere on the Mexican border. However, Logan's attempts to hide from the world, and his legacy, are upended when a young mutant arrives, pursued by dark forces. (Note that this film is part of the X-men franchise.) (Rated R)
• Lord of The Rings, The (Trilogy of films directed by Peter Jackson, 2001-3): An innocent hobbit of The Shire journeys with eight companions to the fires of Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring and the dark lord Sauron forever. (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Man of Steel (2013): with Henry Cavill, Amy Adams. A young itinerant worker is forced to confront his secret extraterrestrial heritage when Earth is invaded by members of his race. (This doesn't entirely work, but some parts of the film were actually well done and quite fun.) (Rated PG)
• Martian, The (2015): An astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after his team assume him dead, and must rely on his ingenuity to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Matrix, The (1999): with Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss. I don’t know that I’d bother with the sequels, but the first one was good. (Online summary: A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers.) (NB: Rated R)
• Meet Joe Black (1998): with Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins. A media mogul acts as a guide to Death, who takes the form of a young man to learn about life on Earth and in the process, fall in love with his guide's daughter. (Again, not the greatest film ever made, but still enjoyable.) (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Minority Report (2002): with Tom Cruise. In a future where a special police unit is able to arrest murderers before they commit their crimes, an officer from that unit is himself accused of a future murder. (Doesn’t completely work IMHO, but still interesting.) (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Mistress of Spices (2006, UK, USA): with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Dylan McDermott. In India, Tilo has the ability of foreseeing the future. When their parents are killed by bandits, she is kidnapped but escapes and is raised by the First Mother in a sort of traditional cult of spices. She becomes the Mistress of Spices and is sent to the Spice Bazaar in San Francisco, with the mission of following three basic rules: help her clients to accomplish their desires with the spices, but never hers; never leave the store; and never be touched in the skin. When she meets the handsome American architect Doug, she feels a great attraction and desire for him, breaking the first rule and being punished by the spices. (Light/fluffy film, again not exactly the greatest ever made, but fun as long as you take it for what it is.) (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Neverending Story, The (1984, West Germany, USA): Bastian is a young boy who lives a dreary life being tormented by school bullies. On one such occasion he escapes into a book shop where the old proprieter reveals an ancient story-book to him, which he is warned can be dangerous. Shortly after, he "borrows" the book and begins to read it in the school attic where he is drawn into the mythical land of Fantasia, which desperately needs a hero to save it from destruction. (NB: Rated G)
• Passion of Mind (2000): with Demi Moore. A psychological romantic thriller where fantasy and reality become indistinguishable for a woman leading a double life in her dreams. (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Pitch Black (2000): with Vin Diesel. A group of marooned space travelers struggle for survival on a seemingly lifeless sun-scorched world. (NB: Rated R)
• Rosemary’s Baby (1968, directed by Roman Polanski, aka. the child molester, so please don't rent this one or otherwise view it in a way that would give him $$): with Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes. A young couple move into a new apartment, only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins controlling her life. (NB: Rated R)
• Sixth Sense, The (1999, by M. Night Shyamalan): with Bruce Willis. A boy who communicates with spirits that don't know they're dead seeks the help of a disheartened child psychologist. (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Snow White and the Huntsman (2012): with Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron. In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen. (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The (2010): with Nicholas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Monica Bellucci, Alfred Molina. Balthazar Blake, master sorcerer and apprentice of Merlin, must find and train Merlin's descendant to destroy Morgana le Fey, the darkest sorceress of all time. (Not exactly the greatest film ever made, but quite fun.) (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017): Peter Parker balances his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens with his superhero alter-ego Spider-Man, and finds himself on the trail of a new menace prowling the skies of New York City. (Rated PG-13) (Not the best film ever made, but fun.)
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018): This one is animation. Teen Miles Morales becomes Spider-Man of his reality, crossing his path with five counterparts from other dimensions to stop a threat for all realities. (Rated G/PG)
• Stargate (1994): with Kurt Russel, James Spader. An interstellar teleportation device, found in Egypt, leads to a planet with humans resembling ancient Egyptians who worship the god Ra. (This was later turned into a television series which ran for 10 seasons and had two spin-off series, and which continue the storyline begun in this film.) (Also not the greatest film ever made, but fun!) (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Star Trek (2009) (and the sequels ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness 2013 and Star Trek: Beyond 2016): with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Leonard Nimoy. The brash James T. Kirk tries to live up to his father's legacy with Mr. Spock keeping him in check as a vengeful, time-traveling Romulan creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time. (NB: All are rated PG-13) (Note that 'Into Darkness' is guilty of white washing, as well as misogyny.)
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982): With William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy. With the aid of the Enterprise crew, Admiral Kirk must stop an old nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, from using his son's life-generating device, the Genesis Device, as the ultimate weapon. (This is the second film in this series, I DO NOT recommend the first, which is called ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’ (some have renamed it ‘Star Trek: The Motionless Picture’ because it is really boring). The sequel to this is Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (below), which is fun fluff but also has gaping plot holes. I also DO NOT recommend the fifth film in this series, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (I always referred to it as ‘Star Trek V: The Final Insult’), it is really really really BAD.) (NB: I would rate this R)
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984): with William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy. Admiral Kirk and his bridge crew risk their careers stealing the decommissioned Enterprise to return to the restricted Genesis planet to recover Spock's body. (This is the third film in this series, I DO NOT recommend the first, which is called ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’ (some have renamed it ‘Star Trek: The Motionless Picture’ because it is really boring). The current film is fun fluff but also has gaping plot holes. I also DO NOT recommend the fifth film in this series, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (I always referred to it as ‘Star Trek V: The Final Insult’), it is really really really BAD.) (NB: Rated PG)
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986): with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. To save Earth from an alien probe, Admiral Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to 20th century Earth to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it, humpback whales. (This is the fourth film in this series. I DO NOT recommend the first, which is called ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’ -some have renamed it ‘Star Trek: The Motionless Picture’ because it is really boring. The current film is fun fluff. I also DO NOT recommend the fifth film in this series, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (I always referred to it as ‘Star Trek V: The Final Insult’), it is really really really BAD.) (NB: Rated PG)
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991): with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. On the eve of retirement, Kirk and McCoy are charged with assassinating the Klingon High Chancellor and imprisoned. The Enterprise crew must help them escape to thwart a conspiracy aimed at sabotaging the last best hope for peace. (The last film in this series: all of them are fun except numbers 1 and 5 which I would recommend avoiding.) (NB: I would rate this PG-13)
• Star Trek: Insurrection (1998): with Patrick Stewart. When the crew of the Enterprise learn of a Federation plot against the inhabitants of a unique planet, Captain Picard begins an open rebellion. (This is one of the two best films in the series of films featuring the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation, IMHO.) (NB: I would rate this PG-13)
• Star Trek: Nemesis (2002): with Patrick Stewart. After the Enterprise is diverted to the Romulan planet of Romulus, supposedly because they want to negotiate a truce, the Federation soon find out the Romulans are planning an attack on Earth. (This is one of the two best films in the series of films featuring the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation, IMHO.) (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Star Wars (Episodes IV - VI, 1977 -1983): with Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford. Luke Skywalker, a spirited farm boy, joins rebel forces to save Princess Leia from the evil Darth Vader, and the galaxy from the Empire's planet-destroying Death Star. (NB: I would rate these PG-13)
• Superman (1978) and the sequel Superman II (1980): with Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman. An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest super-hero. (Note that I am not recommending the two sequels, 'Superman III' (1983) and 'Superman IV: The Quest for Peace' (1987) which were quite awful.) (NB: Rated PG)
• Superman Returns (2006): with Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey (aka. another abuser), Kate Bosworth. After a long visit to the lost remains of the planet Krypton, the Man of Steel returns to Earth to become the people's savior once again and reclaim the love of Lois Lane. (Not the best film ever made, but this was still fun.) (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Thor (2011) (also the two sequels, Thor: The Dark World, 2014 and Thor: Ragnarok 2017): Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins. The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders. (Not exactly the greatest film ever made, but quite fun.) (NB: All are rated PG-13)
• Time Traveler’s Wife, The (1990): with Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams. A romantic drama about a Chicago librarian with a gene that causes him to involuntarily time travel, and the complications it creates for his marriage. (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Titan A.E. (2000): (This is an animated film.) A young man learns that he has to find a hidden Earth ship before an enemy alien species does in order to secure the survival of humanity. (Not the greatest ever made, but fun.) (NB: Rated PG)
• Tuck Everlasting (2002): with Alexis Bledel, Jonathan Jackson, Sissy Spacek, William Hurt. A young woman meets and falls in love with a young man who is part of a family of immortals. (NB: Rated PG)
• Twilight (2008): with Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Sarah Clarke. A teenage girl risks everything when she falls in love with a vampire. (I also recommend the sequels, New Moon (2009), Eclipse (2010), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I (2011). The final sequel, 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -Part II' (2012) was pretty disappointing, honestly.). (Not the best films ever made, but still fun.) (NB: Rated PG-13) (Note that these films include an essentially older man stalking a young girl, disguised as teenage romance.)
• V for Vendetta (2006): with Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman. I put this in here because it does feature a character which is sort of like a comic book hero. I really enjoyed this one though -it is a film to make you think. A shadowy freedom fighter known only as "V" uses terrorist tactics to fight against his totalitarian society. Upon rescuing a girl from the secret police, he also finds his best chance at having an ally. (NB: Rated R)
• X-men (2000) and the first sequel, X2  (or X2: X-Men United, 2003): with Hugh Jackman, Anna Paquin, Patrick Stewart. Two mutants come to a private academy for their kind whose resident superhero team must oppose a terrorist organization with similar powers. (Note that I am not recommending the second sequel, 'X-Men: The Last Stand' (2006), which was just really bad.) (NB: Rated PG-13)
• X-men: First Class (2011): with James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon. In 1962, the United States government enlists the help of Mutants with superhuman abilities to stop a malicious dictator who is determined to start world war III. (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Wing Commander (1999): with Freddy Prinze Jr, Saffron Burrows. Blair, a fighter pilot, joins an interstellar war to fight the evil Kilrathi who are trying to destroy the universe. (This one is not the best film ever made, but it is still fun.) (NB: Rated PG-13)
• Wizard of Oz, The (1939): with Judy Garland. Dorothy Gale is swept away to a magical land in a tornado and embarks on a quest to see the Wizard who can help her return home. (NB: I would rate this G)
• Wonder Woman (2017): When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny. (NB: Rated PG-13) (This is not the best film ever made, but it is fun.)