Comments on: The Five Most Underrated Sci-Fi Masterpieces (Act II)

By: samuraidave

samuraidave — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:48:06 +0000

How the hell is Predator and Tron underrated? Both are cult classics backed up merchandizing, crossovers, tie-ins, and what not. Everybody knows what a predator and a Tron guy look like.

Underrated means just that – underrated; either dismissed for being thought as being of low value or overlooked by the general public but deserving of better ratings and attention. Just because those movies might have come out before you were born doesn’t make them underrated.

Someone mentioned Forbidden Planet, Fantastic Journey, and the original War of the Worlds – seriously? Those are Classics! They are not underrated in anyway The Simpsons have parodied Fantastic Journey in one of their Halloween specials.

I would nominate Robinson Crusoe on Mars and Six-String Samurai

By: pulpsguy

pulpsguy — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:44:54 +0000

Regarding my choice of Starship Troopers above- the box office gross was considerably less for this movie than Alien3, for example. In the end, what is underappreciated is a matter of opinion to some degree because it is weighed against your perception of the value of a movie. So (Johnlancia please take note) differing opinions are not a moral failing like hypocrisy but a matter of viewpoint, and certainly not an excuse for namecalling. And my site is not spam- it has been well respected in the SF community for over 15 years. For those who would like to see a different set of underrated movies (just an opinion based on 200 inputs over the last 5 years try http://www.oldsfbooks.com/dvd.html

By: johnlancia

johnlancia — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:45:56 +0000

@psaltseller: LOL at Zardoz. That movie is one of the worst ever, yet I can’t stop watching it. Mostly because Charlotte Rampling is in it. But also because there is something quite compelling about it.

By: johnlancia

johnlancia — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:43:17 +0000

Very nice list, they all popped out at me when I looked at them.
@pulpsguy: You go on about how you list of underrated movies on your site (spam) is better because they are all really underrated. I go there and you’ve got Starship Troopers on the list? Google the definition for the word ‘hypocrite’.
@Everyone else: He definitely said underrated. That means a good movie that didn’t do very well for whatever reason. Its so ghetto internet when you come on the comments of a post like this and start screaming about how you can’t believe Star Wars or whatever your favourite movie was, isn’t on the list. If it did well, then it wasn’t underrated and will not get on the list.

By: billythekid3

billythekid3 — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:54:13 +0000

Maybe i show my age, but i was a kid when “Solvent Green” came out in the early 70′s. It was a movie about the near future where global food and energy shortages create tough choices. That movie really stuck with me as a believable possible undesirable future. Charlton Heston was the star riding high after Planet of the Apes fame at the time, though he later turned into a drip. So if you havent seen it, it could be worth 90 minutes of your time.

By: agent00ed

agent00ed — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 19:16:01 +0000

‘Frequency’: A real sleeper. Most people who’ve seen it absolutely love it, but hardly anyone has actually seen it. The only way it wouldn’t deserve to be on this list is if we determine that the sci-fi element isn’t prominent enough.

‘Serenity’: Speaking of sleepers. I realize that it has a devoted cult following, but I strongly believe that it deserves a wider audience.

By: heyraven

heyraven — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:47:32 +0000

The Fountain – A truly beautiful film.

Time Bandits – Loved it since I saw it when I was 8.

Exiztenz- A grade A mind-tripper

Solaris – Great acting and Soderbergh direction. Left an impression on me after I saw it, especially the ending.

Serenity – Have to include it in the “under-rated” category, definitely. Highly entertaining film.

Please do not include Gattaca. I don’t understand all the hub-bub over this film. It’s decent, nothing more.

By: misterhogan

misterhogan — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:46:36 +0000

Dark City.. stunning… I want to see a sequel!

Silent Running… the spec. effects appeared in a Encyclopedia Britannic Science yearbook

Pretator… ok, first they are kings of the jungle with all their guns; then they are crushed by better guns; so arnold conquers superior tech by going primitive… and then survives a nuke!

Time Bandits… loved Clytemnestra’s sly stare

A.I. was not on your list,Steven, so i’ll go with Tron…

By: pulpsguy

pulpsguy — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:59:57 +0000

There are some great movies on the list, but I would hardly call some of them under appreciated. Many were first run and grossed millions. On my site, I have the definitive list of the ten most underrated SF movies of all time. Have a look at http://www.oldsfbooks.com/dvd.html

By: scalhoun28

scalhoun28 — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:46:59 +0000

Every time I talk about this movie, I feel no one has seen it, but Sunshine was such a good movie. I was a HUGE fan even though it just missed out on being perfect.

1. Sunshine
2. Gattaca
3. Tron
4. Predator
5. Serenity

By: dwestburg

dwestburg — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:59:10 +0000

How about Enemy Mine?

By: psaltseller

psaltseller — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 06:26:50 +0000

Colossus: The Forbin Project

TRON

ZARDOZ

Serenity

Frankly, SF stopped being Scientific Fiction (what if we could …..)and became Speculative Fiction (if this goes on ……. back when Heinlein was stil getting his stuff bowdlerized by Boy’s Life. But in the last decade, we’re just going back to so much “watch the prety effects” that I would hesitate putting anything less than 20 to 25 years old on the list.

By: alexis2010

alexis2010 — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 04:01:14 +0000

From that list, I’ve not yet seen a few of the titles (but I plan to), but from the titles listed, I’d say those that belong in the top 5 list are:
1. Silent Running
2. Dark City
3. Gattaca
4. The Fountain.

I’m surprised that Soylent Green wasn’t included in the Top 20. I also think that A Boy and His Dog should be in the Top 20. So should Blade Runner.

I hated Hitchhiker’s Guide and I hated Solaris, and I felt Andromeda Strain was mere populist entertainment. I don’t think any of those three belong on the list of 20.

By: morgansjc

morgansjc — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 15:09:58 +0000

A few of my underrated films are:

Donnie Darko – Think of it from a quantum point of view
Repo Man – Just plain cool
Eraserhead – Bizarre and mesmerizing.
Jacob’s Ladder – Some might argue it’s not really Sci-Fi
THEM! – An older flick, B&W, but what a story.

I’m tired of special effects over story. No story is truly great if you don’t care about the characters. For a long time I wouldn’t accept Alien 3 at all. Everyone dead but Ripley after all that? NO! It just couldn’t be, no more than the shock of Butch and Sundance being killed in the end. I finally accepted Alien 3, and was a little disappointed. Blade Runner was based on a short story by, I think, Harlan Ellison called “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” The short story was better.

By: erikeric

erikeric — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 01:47:10 +0000

1. Solaris (1972)
2. Stalker (can you tell I like Tarkovsky?)
3. Silent Running
4. Andromeda Strain

By: daurade

daurade — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:48:38 +0000

oh and The Quiet Earth (1985). Terrifying!

By: daurade

daurade — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:44:58 +0000

Looker (1981) I saw that film on HBO like a dozen times many many years ago.

By: B-Sam

B-Sam — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:44:22 +0000

SERENITY.

By: hubotic

hubotic — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:54:32 +0000

Picking Sunshine would probably infuriate me… that story was just offensive.

I loved The Fountain, and Riddick.

By: rtl3

rtl3 — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:57:15 +0000

Once again no love for “Pitch Black”. I’m starting to think the editors actually never watched this film, not many people did. Think Conan the Barbarian in space; Arnold is to Conan as Vin Diesel is to Riddick—Really, you’ll be surprised. I think the entire fanboy crowd really missed one here.