Best of the Decade: Sci-Fi Movies

I wholeheartedly agree…with Peter! My #1 is your #2. (I’m surprised that “District 9″ didn’t make your list.)

District 9 was right there, at #11. Just couldn’t get over the hurdle. If only A.I. hadn’t been a masterpiece, it could have made the cut!

Nice statement. I would disagree on A.I. if I hadnt caught it on t.v. about a month ago. Very deep, nuanced relationships there that i didnt quite catch in the first go around. Any sci-fi film with Vincent Chase in it should make your list.

THEY AREN’T ALIENS!!! It’s ironic that you say A.I.’s finale is widely misread, and then you immediately get it wrong. The creatures at the end of A.I. are next-generation mechas, or mechas created by mechas.

I hate when people misinterpret the ending! My guess is that people assume they are aliens because they look so similar to the greys in Spielberg’s Close Encounters.

The entire film has the same 3-part structure as Kubrick’s 2001. But instead of human life, it traces the evolution of artificial intelligent life… from robotic toy Teddy to the realistic child David to the next-gen creatures at the end, who have replaced humans to become Earth’s dominant lifeform. They think of David as their ancestor, much like we do when we discover hominid fossils.

Despite that, good choice for #1. I think it takes guts to select a widely misunderstood and much maligned movie.

Holy crow dude. You have called down upon yourself a commentstorm of epic proportions.

I respectfully, collegially submit:

District 9, Donnie Darko, The Incredibles, Serenity, Pitch Black, Scanner Darkly, Sky Captain, Iron Man — IRON MAN!!! — Watchmen.

I mean dude. Solaris. Solaris? And Minority Report was one of the worst movies I’ve ever SEEN.

I did like AI though.

Watchmen was terrible, Lev.

What about Moon?

crispy4 – I was JUST discussing this with someone. You are indeed correct sir, and I will update the text to reflect it. I was sort of rushing to tighten down/shorten the text and didn’t fully think that line through as I was sketching it out. And yes, the fact that these are even more advanced robots, treating this robot better than its human overlords ever did, makes the ending that much more perfect. Thanks for the catch, not sure how I was so sloppy there on a rather key detail

Interesting Lev – I shall review your roster of submissions. But due to the appearance of “Donnie Darko,” I find it difficult to take your criticism seriously. :)

Excellent, Steven. And I remain impressed you picked it as #1. Great movie. I love discussing it (arguing really!) with people. :)

@PH Watchmen was indeed mixed. But the first 10 minutes of Watchmen was the best 10 minutes of SF on film in the entire decade. CAN YOU SAY THE SAME FOR SOLARIS?

I liked ‘Watchmen’ tons more the first time I saw it. Second time it felt really flabby…sadly.

After reading your Top Ten Sci-Fi Movies of the Decade, a name change to Top Ten Sci-Fi Romances of the Decade maybe better suited. Forgetting Watchmen I can understand, but IRONMAN? Really? How did that happen? That’s like forgetting Babe Ruth when talking about the greatest baseball players of all time. After saying that, I submit my list.

Ironman
Equilibrium
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
A Scanner Darkly
Star Trek
Watchmen
K-PAX
Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind
District 9
Deja Vu

K-PAX? Bwahahahahahahaha!

Bwahahahahahahaha! Lovely argument crispy4.

you’ve got to be kidding me that AI is the best sci fi movie of the decade! That movie was AWFUL. Maybe because Haley Joe Osment bothers the piss out of me. What about Moon or hell Transfomers was better that AI. I would rather see Hitch hikers guide to the Galaxy in the top 10. AI!? are you nuts! wow that felt good. Good call on Minority Report, big PKD fan but Minority report was hands down better than AI. This is a movie, you know entertainment. i cant stand when Spielberg tries to wax philosophical.

In the immortal words of the comic book collector from the Simpsons, AI is the “worst movie ever.”

Wow the last decade was really not that kind to the sci-fi genre. Since some of you really really like AI; I’m going to keep my big mouth shut then. Yep I like it too guys (screwface to the max).
Really though, whats up with WALL-E. It’s really disappointing that you have this on your list Steven…it’s not as deep as you make it out to be. It was as intresting as garbage day.
The next bad choice of yours was Children of Men. The movie ought to call it self “What The Hell Is It About? It was dull until the bullets came.
Basically your list insults my inner geek/nerd. How dare you call yourself a fan of sci-fi and then list these awful movies (lets not even get into 28 Days…it’s more zombie flick then sci-fi I don’t care how you twist it).
I don’t hate your list Steven (or for that matter you); I hate what the last decade has done to you. It was an awful decade as far as originality and story were concerned in the sci-fi genre. But the worst part of it, is how lightweight and (i’m sorry) stupid your list is because of this awful ‘decade’.

nice hobbcore – though I already made fun of myself for having a soft spot for the trippy romance…that said I respect your inclusion of “Equilibrium” and “A Scanner Darkly.” Really don’t know how “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” or “K-Pax” are better than any of my items here. But that’s why these sorts of lists are fun – I dig the debate!

ispeak4theothers, now you’ve gone and hurt my feelings. Just kidding. How can you, someone who demands a good story, told originally, then go on to dismiss “Children of Men?” I’m confused as to what you want. Lots of action? I love “Solaris” precisely because it internalizes the struggle…I love the fact that it’s WITHOUT contrived action….

Great List! 90% agree [Spotless Mind was the one I'd swap out with Pandorum, though]. Gotta have one hard kick-ass bloody one in the mix, although I do recall you saying no monsters in the potpourri, so maybe I’m waffling back to 100% agreement. Equilibrium was another gem…Pitch Black had serious potential…I’m going to stop now before I fall into a spiral here…

I thought I was the only primate who connected with Solaris and AI…I feel….renewed! :)

Nope, another primate, right here. I’ll see you in the canopy -

I’m a big sci-fi fan and a BIG Zombie fan, but I could never include 28 days later as a “top sci-fi movie of the decade”. It’s a horror movie, plain and simple, and the inclusion of a “rage virus” doesn’t change that, no matter what wikipedia says (hell, The Dark Knight was more of a Sci-fi movie that 28 days later).

Apart from that I mostly agree with what you said Steve, however I would also humbly submit (not a full 10 count, just my thoughts):

The Island: I actually found myself shouting (in a good way) at the screen. Kinda obvious in the plot, but I thought quite well done.
District 9 (as stated previously in the comments)
Sunshine: Pure sci-fi
Ironman
Pitch Black (and The Chronicles of Riddick. Gotta like Vin Diesel in this role)

That’s all I can offer. Not exactly an overwhelming decade all told, but enough to keep us going.

@Steven James Snyder

I think that sometimes the concept of a movie sometimes overshadows how good/not good a movie is in any genre. I felt that way with Minority Report and Children of Men. Great Concept. Not that great of a movies. I added K-PAX because beyond the SCI-FI theme there was (in my opinion) some real character growth and emotional connections. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was included because I think it brings some much needed humor to the SCI-FI genre.

now that is true – i don’t have many funny moments on this list. Perhaps that deserves its own list: The funniest sci-fi films of all time. too bad that galaxy quest was in 99, which eliminated it from this list…

Maybe “Speed Racer?” Unintentionally funny, of course -

Colossus: The Forbin Project is underrated especially since it is probably the more likely scenario of what will happen to us when AI emerges.

It just goes to show you that you can never get consensus on these things and it’s double true with geeks. Count one person happy to see Wall-E on your list, though. It’s inclusion might ruffle the feathers of many SF fans, but I think the movie is a master class in cinematic storytelling. Ditto for Children of Men, which is my favorite movie of the last decade.

You haven’t answered anyone’s questions about the absence of Moon. You quote Solaris as one of your favorites (I agree) because it doesn’t include contrived action. Well, Moon is just like that, and much much better than Minority Report, AI, Star Trek, or Primer. Star Trek was a good popcorn flick, but nothing more. Children of Men, Eternal Sunshine, The Fountain, and Solaris, Wall-E, and 28 Days Later are all great movies, but Moon, IMO, really should be the number 1.

And, dismissing Donnie Darko? Sure, it’s one of those obsessed over movies like Fight Club and The Godfather, but that doesn’t make it a bad film. It’s a great movie, and much more science fiction than 28 Days Later, which is great, but not a sci-fi.

District 9 was also great. Not as good as most of the movies on this list, but still fantastic.

Apart from the movies mentioned in the comments, and some were very good suggestions (K-Pax: Blah; District 9: Definitely top 10) I’d like to mention 2 movies, one in your list and one not.

I am very happy you included Primer. What a great movie. I remember when I saw it with all my geeky friends and stayed up all night on Mountain Dew and Red Bull to have heated discussions about various aspects of the movie, not just the technical, but the ethical, philosophical and social. Just a gem of a movie and its a pity no one talked more about it in your comments. That movie deserves a long discussion thread just for its own.

The movie not on your list is Serenity. I know the creator of Buffy doesn’t inspire a lot of faith in Dune readers (but hey, the author of Ender’s Game called it the best Sci Fi he has seen, and he knows a bit about Sci Fi), but the movie was very complex and rich in how it took our current problems into the future, where people are still dying of hunger, still struggling to find jobs, still pining for love…just your everyday man trying to live. The universe created in Serenity put a mirror in front of our faces and said, “See, this might be you 500 years from now!”. And it rings true. If anyone reading this section has not seen the movie I suggest they do.

Thats it – and oh if Battlestar Galactica was a movie it would definitely be up there.

Umm, does everything on this list have to be mainstream?
How about the “Sci-Fi films you shoulda seen in the theaters” list?:

-Equilibrium
-Sunshine
-2046
-Serenity
-Pitch Black
-Titan A.E.

-Final Fantasy: Spirits Within –> This film is so disgustingly underrated that it doesn’t even make it on your typical “Underrated Movies” list.

It’s always interesting to see these lists and the responses to them. People have such varied tastes – and almost no tolerance for the tastes of others. ;)

I never managed to make it through AI to the end. It struck me immediately as trying to be A Very Important Movie. I hate that. Nothing undermines your Very Important Message like a heavy-handed delivery. You tempt me to try again, though.

I thought 28 Days was a great pick. It’s a science fiction movie AND a zombie movie, and I think the first part of that qualification gets overlooked a lot. It’s science fiction because it’s medical experimentation gone horrifically wrong. It’s a zombie movie because it’s inarguably a Class-4 outbreak (re: Zombie Survival Guide). Somehow, people seem to equate sci-fi with aliens and explosions. Those are what we like to call ‘action films.’ I thought this was the very best blend of horror and science fiction I’d seen.

Lots of people in this thread trying to sound smart.

I like your list. It does take a lot of balls to put A.I. before Spotless Mind, but in the end I do agree. A.I. is one of those Masterpieces that will only be apprectiated to its fullest once this whole CGI syndrome is played out. The movie’s ending and even its overall message is so more powerful than what people understand that I think only Spielberg could think of something like that. And at the end we are talking about a director that created what Sci-Fi is. The only thing I would change on your list would be “The Fountain”. Not one of the bests, maybe a honorable mention, but District 9 should have made it at least to number 10^^.

Just curious….if you had waited until the actual end of the decade, instead of the beginning of December, would you have included Avatar in your list?

I have to agree with those that have pointed out Donnie Darko. You actually have to think about it, and that is the real problem people have with the movie. Play the quantum card, and the game changes. Then you have to decide if Donnie is even in the same worldtrack he was in at the start. Although the movie involves time travel, I’ve always seen it from a polycosmic viewpoint. At the end when the song “Mad World” plays, and characters are shown remembering and reacting to what they seem to recall, and how it’s diverged from reality is way cool, and gives us a hint as to what happened.
I hope I’m not trying to sound too smart…

I often prefer the “Speculative Fiction” expansion of the SF acronym. Feels more inclusive to me.

For those who enjoy their SF with an Asian or European sensibility:

From Korea:
Natural City
2009 Lost Memories
Yesterday

From Japan:
Casshern
Ghost In the Shell II: Innocence

From France:
Immortal
Renegade

And can we include the Russian Night Watch/Day Watch, or do we have to call those horror movies because they are about “vampires”?

My favorite of the above is Casshern. What a blizzard of Jaw-dropping imagery.

Children of Men was the best Sci-Fi film of the decade…it surveys the landscape of humanity like no other film on this list. It’s portrayal of the collapse of society is penetrating and manages to speculate yet still be tangible: a massive division between the “haves and have-nots”; the religious sects battling for “souls”; morality and ethical judgement in the face of a bleak future, etc.

Its painful to see some of the films you placed higher on the list: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind; the Fountain.

A.I. strikes me as a movie seen once and quickly stashed away on the shelf–not a movie to be canonized in the Sci-Fi pantheon.

The most important Sci-Fi should touch on elements of humanity, and address pertinent issues in society. With that said, where is District 9?

This is a good list, I agree abouth A.I., Minority Report, Children of Men and Star Trek (especially about Star Trek, it is fantastic movie), but my favourites are Iron Man and I, Robot.

–> SUNSHINE

–> DONNIE DARKO (Dir Cut)

“The Island” was good, but an exact remake that was well done, but I am not sure the production improved on the original message. I think Solaris did have production value and soundtrack that improved on the original in some ways (despite all popular opinion).

I am happy to see that “Primer” and “The Fountain” did not get missed though.

Oh yeah, and how about a “WORST SCI-FI” of the decade. We can start the list off with “The Day The Earth Stood Still” with Keanu. . . what a colossal disarticulation of a classic.

I just wanted to applaud Mr. Snyder, I’ve never seen a writer actually respond back to people’s comments like this.

Think the list was good, 28 Days Later counts b/c they weren’t technically zombies. Would’ve liked to see Serenity, really interesting/deep characters set in, wait what was it? A western in space! C’mon!

Sorry folks, but Iron Man ain’t no Sci-Fi movie. Get off your comic-book high-horse.

I’m glad to see both The Fountain and Children of Men on this list. I know they’re not really the typical films people think of for the genre, but they are artistically and conceptually excellent. I’m a little confused by Solaris. While it was a good I didn’t really consider it much of a sci-fi film so much as a film that happened to take place in space. But I guess you could say the same for The Fountain.

As for those lamenting the lack of Iron Man – it was a definitely a fun movie, but not really one that goes on a top 10 list of the decade. Especially not a sci-fi one since it’s really a comic book movie!

My problem with A.I. isn’t its ending, which was clunky and awkward but at least ambitious. My problem was the entire first half hour plus. Painfully laborious and predictable.

Two movies that you need to see:

Sunshine – brilliant, and underrated just because its ending isn’t quite as amazing as the first hour and a half

Moon – which a lot of people have already mentioned.

If you’re going to put a popcorn flick on there, Iron Man was a much better one than Star Trek. Just saying.

Wow! I hated all of the movies listed on ‘THE BEST LIST’ except StarTrek. They had no story and were not in the lest entertaining but dark and despressing. I have enough of that in the real world.

Wow I usually never agree with these lists but you are spot on except Danny Boyle’s SUNSHINE really needs to be on there. And if CUBE can be considered more Sci-Fi than hooror, add that one as well.

Funny, I thought you were a techie, but you are a hopeless romantic! And as millions of gadgetheaded, monitor-staring geeks and nerds witll tell you, “Romance? Maybe if there’s a super hot green alien chick!”

Here’s the real list:
Dude Where’s My Car (lots of super hot alien and human chicks in that one)

Men In Black II (only one super hot alien, but she has tentacles and can take a punch!)

Teknolust (replicants must have sex to survive – who doesn’t?!)

Monsters v. Aliens (fifty foot tall super hotty – now that’s science fiction!)

Resident Evil: Extinction (Yep, the ONLY way to fight zombies is in your underwear with thigh-high boots…or with hundreds of your naked clones)

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (lots of cute Japanese girls running for their lives, some only 7 inches tall!)

Meet Dave (See? I put one romance film on my list AND it has a cute alien girl)

The Matrix Reloaded (Monica Belucci, any one?)

Both of the Transformers movies (Megan Fox, every one!)

There! Now, go revise that horrible list you made!

Cube is last decade (1997) not this decade.

Children of Men is the best Sci-Fi film of the decade, but it is almost non-fiction. Aside from the infertility problem, everything in that film is happening now, just not out in the open in England or the U.S. Our countries only finance and supply military and weapons for that stuff in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Central America … while the rest of us sit at home and discuss movies via our computers.

I understand how some people don’t have the stomachs to watch something as depressing as the truth, but that is Children of Men. The truth.

You doubt me? Katrina showed how quickly our society will break down when things stop working. If the slightest thing goes out of whack in our society, it can mean mayhem.

The point of Sci-Fi is not to entertain people, but for humanity to recognize its failings so that it may collectively correct them before we stop being human.

Because of that, I have a hard time including this year’s ‘Star Trek’. I enjoyed the film, it is a lot of fun, but it is not really Star Trek. It is an action movie. Sci-Fi movies with a lot of action, usually cease to be Sci-Fi, and instead become mythical hero tales (Star Wars, The Matrix, Aliens).

And why did someone question 28 Days Later … did you not know that Night of the Living Dead is a Sci-Fi film, technically? There are vampire zombies, voodoo zombies, ‘ghost’ zombies, demonically-possessed zombies, and of course zombies created by government test programs, which means George’s creations as well as Return of the Living Dead … that’s Sci-Fi. I really liked Boyle’s film. The sequel, I thought, was nearly unwatchable, and that’s a product of poor storytelling.

Anyway, though I’d toss Minority Report off the list for being contrived and having the decade’s most telegraphed exposition scene, this is a great list for discussion. Keep up the good work.

you don’t appear to be checking the comments any more, steve. but i, too, would like to hear your thoughts on “Moon,” which i thought was darn good. also, i would have included “the prestige,” though some might find it more fantasy, maybe? i think it’s plenty sci-fi enough. others have mentioned “sunshine,” by your boy boyle. i think it’s worthy of honorable mention, only missing the top10 perhaps because of its bad ending (nearly plagiarized from “event horizon” in my opinion). kudos for picking “primer,” the only movie i’ve ever watched a second time as soon as the first viewing ended. “the fountain” is simply beautiful; don’t listen to the haters. detractions: “star trek” was good, but too popcorn for me. and by the way, anyone mentioning iron-man is not a thinking person. great movie, but simple. i found “equilibrium” to be incredibly dim, not to mention plagiarized (“the matrix,” “1984,” etc.). and gun-kata? DUMB DUMB DUMB. curious: where would “the fifth element” rank if it were eligible? i would trade “AI” for “the prestige.” and “wall-e” for “Moon.”

The Prestige is funny in that it becomes supernatural late in the film, with the introduction of the Tesla character (you just know it’s going to be someone cool when he steps out) but I would not categorize the film as being Sci-Fi. I think the film is a bit of a mess, structurally, but I would categorize the Tesla invention as fantasy.

If the entire film were about that invention, and not about two(?) rival magicians out-doing each other, I might reconsider.

I still have to see “Moon”. I think I will likey.

And thank you for calling out ‘gun-kata’. Would have been cool to see Bale do it from a pommel horse, though.

@ccs69: fair comments on “the prestige”. however, i’m a strong advocate of seeing it twice. it didn’t change my life after one viewing. but after the second, wow. it has to do with bale’s secret. namely, how IN THE WORLD did christopher nolan know how long to make his shots so that the audience wouldn’t realize the trick? on seeing it a second time, it was PAINFULLY obvious the entire time. of course, armed with the knowledge of the ending, it would be. but it’s brilliant how they avoided people guessing it. brilliant.

you should stop what you’re doing now and go see “moon.”

Yes, I am indeed still following comments. A few responses to come. erniehouk, something about Moon didn’t just click for me in the way it did for SOLARIS. I would still give the film 4 stars, it would still be on my best of the year list, but Moon just fell short of that level of greatness….I do so love it though.

anarchyzchild, agreed – BSG is fantastic. And Serenity is right up there. But only 10 would fit on the list…

m3devac, i think it’s cute that you think SOLARIS and PRIMER are mainstream

morgansjc, i wonder if his subsequent failures have influenced me at all. With Donnie Darko, you kinda wonder if the director is crazy, or crazy-genius. And in the subsequent years, I think we’ve started to realize that he’s a bit of a hack…

deleuzean, yes, Ghost In the Shell II: Innocence! Yes, yes, yes. So good.

noelhastings, wow, worst of the decade: Man I was sure pissed at Mission to Mars.

Thanks skride2, that’s the way we do it here on Techland. Did you see my list of the top spaceships of all time? Let me know your thoughts on that one too!

Interesting, alumplus. You find Eternal Sunshine depressing? And Primer? That said: I wonder if I’m a depressive now….think I better go and meditate…

Yeah, superkunk, Sunshine gets better every time I see it. Have you seen my list of the top 10 spaceships of all time? Icarus II!

popologuy, if I need to like Dude Where’s My Car AND Matrix Reloaded to win you over, I’m not sure if I’m your man. :) But don’t write me off yet as a tech geek – check out my list of the top 10 spaceships of all time! (And I have a list of 15 honorable mentions in the comments….)

back on the comment train, michaeljspinelli, i just replied about MOON. Thanks for your love on THE FOUNTAIN which I just have a total irrational love for. I like WALL-E and MOON right about the same, so I guess I could endorse that swap, if I wanted to axe animation. Fifth Element I think of more as fun than great. But I do think of it often….

Maybe I should give The Prestige another shot as well – see where it takes me this time. Maybe the third time’s the charm for me….but I always kind of liked The Illusionist more than The Prestige….

Hmmm…many new responses from Steven to other questions, but no response to my question about Avatar. Does it not rate as sci-fi?

noooooo, you did not just put illusionist above prestige! how can you put a christopher nolan below a…whoever directed the illusionist!?!? your love of the fountain will excuse this folly. but yes, give prestige another shot.

also, what do you think of “war of the worlds” (monsters, i know). but i think it’s sorely underrated. many dismiss it, but i think there’s much more going on than people give it credit for. puts the viewer in the same place as cruise, telling us no more or no less than he knows (until the end when morgan freeman explains). very immersive experience.

War of the Worlds has the most anticlimactic ending in the history of cinema. But prior to that, it’s amazing! The DVD is worth owning for the sound alone. I like to crank it up on my home theater system until the neighbors panic and jump out their windows.

windchild85, i was actually just taking some time to really think about it. Avatar. Hmmmm. Best of decade? Well, the fact that it’s even in the conversation probably says something.

Tell you what: I’m going to write up a piece for Monday about seeing it in IMAX 3D…I think after seeing it a second time, I will be able to answer your question. So tune in Monday – as to whether Avatar makes the cut of the top o’ the decade….

crispy4, the 3 movies that have most fallen off a cliff by a DISASTROUS epilogue….of all-time:

1. War of the Worlds
2. Collateral
3. Gangs of New York

God almighty. How did they manage to fuck it up!

about war of the worlds: it’s true to the book though! imagine if you were a normal guy when all that happened. it would seem to stop suddenly and you’d have no idea why. and talk about one of the most misinterpreted movies of all time! (“how did the birds kill the aliens???”"

I enjoyed Prestige, don’t get me wrong, but I echo the favoring of The Illusionist over it. It’s about story structure. The Illusionist is more ‘commercial’ and is a love story, but is true to itself and has much tighter story structure. Prestige is one of those films that doesn’t know what it wants to be and tries to be too many things without focusing on one idea.

All the great films are very simple in their storytelling. You go back and watch them and realize how simple they really are. Novels can be complex and loose and internalized and all over the place, structurally, and still work (if well written, it must be noted), but feature films have to work within a tight, limited storytelling structure. No matter how interesting the subject matter, if the filmmakers go outside that box they will make something less than satisfying.

One of this year’s best films, The Hurt Locker, works because it focuses on one character in a simple succession of events that build to the climax.

Regarding WOTW, I have a tough time watching Tom Cruise in most things. He sometimes gives a brilliant performance (Born on the 4th of July, Magnolia, Tropic Thunder) but in some of his most famous movies I can barely stand him (Top Gun, The Firm, A Few Good Men, Minority Report, all 3 MI films and WOTW). So, my view is prejudiced by his involvement. I found his relationship with his daughter really annoying and somewhat contrived. I love love LOVE the 1953 Gene Barry version. I know the newer one is truer to the book’s story, but I really think the protagonist should be more than a bystander. I don’t find the story ‘special’. The gist of the 1953 version is that the experts can’t stop it and get swallowed by the panic in the streets, and only barely survive at the last moment. Spielberg’s version is more of “oh yeah, here’s one guy’s tale – he’s no one special, he’s a little overly-obsessed with his daughter, is all”. Same problem curses Cloverfield to “meh” status, even though it was very entertaining and intense.

If I don’t love the characters, it’s not great, merely OK. That doesn’t mean I have to want to be friends with them, cases in point Alex the Droogie, Travis Bickle, Dexter, and many others – but I love those characters. WOTW mainly fails because I kind of want that family to die.

ok, agree to disagree on WOTW. i can see not liking the characters (maybe even wanting them to die), but i don’t think you can fault cruise. personally i think we could do a lot worse as far as actors go (notwithstanding he’s a nut-job in real life), and mission impossible 1 will always be the bomb – but i digress.

you hit the nail on the head with the illusionist: simple. TOO simple, i think. as an edward norton fan, i was ashamed he chose to participate. i agree that the prestige is convoluted, but not overly so. i think it’s possible to unravel, especially upon successive viewings. that makes it a hard watch, but it doesn’t detract from its quality (at least, in my opinion). and i’d argue a lot of great movies are hard to understand at first. 2001 makes no sense at all, for example.

i also don’t think the prestige has an identity crisis. we have a rivalry between two magicians, fueled by professional competition but also a deep hatred and need for revenge. one man is totally sold out to the craft, and will sacrifice everything for the art; the other is a showman, in it for fame, but who will also stop at nothing for revenge. i see it as a cautionary tale, telling of the risks of losing oneself (quite literally, in a different way for both main characters) in a blind pursuit of selfish ambition.

in summary, i concede on WOTW. but i’ll never back down on the prestige.

I say next year you let Lev do the list.
District 9, Serenity and Pitch Black should be high on this list. please redo.

Why would they do a “Best of the Decade” list next year?

@michaeljspinelli

Sorry been a few days …

I respect your position on the matter, to be sure. I watched the two magician films back-to-back nights. Though I am much more inclined to like a Nolan/Bale/Jackman vehicle over a Burger/Norton/Biel vehicle (though I am always a fan of Mr. Giamatti in whatever he does) and in my mind it was close, I thought Illusionist aimed lower and hit its target, while Prestige aimed higher and missed. I still enjoyed it. I’m splitting hairs here. I rarely watch Hollywood fare anymore, so I definitely give The Prestige thumbs up.

Also, despite its thematic density, I think 2001 is one of the simplest films in the world, structurally, and that is why it is one of my favorite films. In fact it is one of the few films where the three-act structure has title cards. The story structure I refer to is best deconstructed, I think, by the late Blake Snyder in his “Save the Cat” books. All movies have the structure, and it is all about hitting those beats without having neon lighhts around them. I think Nolan is cool in that he really tries to make those beats original and interesting.

Anyway, peace, love and sci-fi! Be well.

Many people don´t like AI because it reflects what the humans are.
We “evolve” and always forget about our starting dreams. That is a main point in the movie. The machines just want to survive (like the wildlife in the entire world) and do what they can do. The humans always want something more… and get no barriers to get that. That reunion with the guys from the mecha company is something that happens everyday. The only new thing was the mechas. Then all the story is centered on a machine (it was not one… but i will get to that) that the humans tryed to adapt to be like any normal human.
On other movies we see those machines taking over the world, destroying everyone and thing like that… on AI we saw that those machines still work for the humans… because they were created by the humans.
Then the garbage collectors are the same has now… we have thousands and thousands of human people hunting for wild animals everyday. In the movie the garbage collectors hunt for machines that where abandoned by the humans.
And there were 2 mechas that completed there journey: the boy and the teddybear. That´s something that goes away and the people just got the point with the boy (even that many just take it has a washing machine) but forget about the teddybear. He too completed is part on protecting the boy until it could complete is “mission of be a little boy”)

@ccs69: sorry, been a few days for me as well.

i will check out this “save the cat” series. i’ll also try hard to watch 2001, probably for the first time. i’ve seen bits and pieces, but never really committed to a thorough viewing. (sacrilege!)

A.I. Thank you so much for acknowledging how great that movie is. It is one of the SADDEST endings of any film (similar sadness as 6th Sense). It is the idea of unfulfilled yet totally overwhelming love that makes the film so powerful. It stretches the imagination and the moral philosophies. Just what great Sci-Fi should do.

Excellent writing.

Children of Men is one of my favorite movies of all times. The One-shots in that movie were the best I’ve ever seen. Great list.

One movie that has not been mentioned is Fahrenheit 451. It’s one man’s quest to find what he believes to be right in a world that is very much controlled. Based off the novel by Ray Bradbury that was adapted from his short story ‘The Fireman’, this movie is eerily predictive of society today with it’s dependence on media and pharmaceuticals. The ‘seashells’ used in the movie and book are thought to be the first concept of the walkman. In an interview with Ray Bradbury that is included with the dvd, he tells how a Japanese company actually came to him with the first prototype of headphones they had created.

The book was amazing and very stirring and the movie wasn’t far off from the book.

I haven’t read your list yet, but I’ll have to say this: EXCUSE ME!!! You didn’t include Avatar because you hadn’t seen it before you posted???? Avatar should not be in any best-movie compilation!! It has the most common-place story, meaning that it’s the most predictable and boring movie ever (thinking about how much attention it’s got). The only thing about it is the visual images it leaves, but after that, it leaves nothing… I really hope someone at the top of the decision-making hierarchy dies before they ever make a sequel…