Okay, here’s a couple of extraordinarily good indie sci-fi films. The type which will stick with you and keep you thinking well after the CGI bombast of blockbusters have faded away.

Primer (as mentioned in the first reply) is indeed brilliant. It was made by the genius Shane Carruth. He wrote, directed, edited, composed the soundtrack and acted in it.
Better still is Upstream Color . The best film I have seen this year. Beautiful, bewildering and very, very clever.

Then there’s Europa Report . The majority of the look of the film is very much like familiar NASA type onboard filming. Plenty of science and believability but I found it drew me in to the drama in a very unforced way and had me completely gripped by the end. I have no idea how they did the gravity to no gravity shots in the space craft.

Don’t think anyone’s mentioned Existenz which is a bit divisive in the way its shot but has more layers and questions than inception.

Strange Days. It’s lost some of its pre-millenial tension but still superb.

Hunter Prey is entertaining. On Netflix I think.
Limitless is good (assume that’s real SciFi as it’s plausible, scientifically).

Existenz excellent film
swiss 01 some good calls
classic
Invasion of the body snatchers original 56 version
Metropolis
The Time Machine

different sci fi
Brazil Terry Gilliam
Donnie Darko
west world
Flash Gordon

Total recall arnie
Predator arnie
Predator 2 better with danny glover

That is, apart from PrinceJohn who redeemed himself with:

Titan AE – a kids film is pretty good fun

Don Bluth (Dragon’s Lair, Space Ace) and Joss Whedon, what’s not to like? Titan A.E. is a vastly underrated little movie.

😀

Also just thought of Disney’s The Black Hole

Just in the mood for a veg out to a film so downloading “primer” from itunes now, cheers peeps.

Edit : surprised no one has mentioned “metropolis” yet?.

^ me up there Metropolis

2010
The abyss
Sphere

I don’t think they have been picked up yet. although I guess you may have seen them.

Stalker

Remember this from many years back but not seen it recently:

Gerry Anderson – “Journey to the Far Side of the Sun” or “Doppelganger” is its other title…

Glad to see Dark Star has been suggested

I’d also add Johnny Mnenemonic and The Lawnmower Man

swiss01 – Member

and nobody for zardoz?

Damn straight.

Try Les Maîtres du temps (The Masters of Time), a strange little animated film from 1982

Original French version (with English subtitles) can be found on youtube
Part 1 of 5

Don’t read the wikipedia page, you’ll ruin the ‘twist’

Cant believe no ones mentioned Contact yet… prob one of the most belivable films with aliens in ever.

Westworld.

Fine performance by Yul Brynner

Also the sequel Futureworld, watchable but not a patch on Westworld.

Good shout on Westworld – great film.

Seanthesheap said: Stalker

Not sci-fi, that’s a documentary.

Vondally said: ^ me up there Metropolis

And me, in 1927.

Kunstler said: Better still is Upstream Color . The best film I have seen this year. Beautiful, bewildering and very, very clever.

If it’s such a clever film why doesn’t it actually bother to make sense? A beautiful film with staggering camera work and sound design, but the plot doesn’t work.

I just remembered The Last Star Fighter.
Again, based on a true story.

Primer – WOW 😯 , my brain is fried for trying to keep up with the film, and i in no way understand in a linear fashion what i just watched but i’m going to read up online about it then watch it again, then i’ll prob watch it again after that.

Good call on the film, I thought there was something significant when Abe was on the roof looking down at Aaron on the bench but thought no more of it as i tried to concentrate on the dialogue and following the sequence of events, needless to say i failed miserably but it’s well worth watching again, more recommendations like this please.

Kunstler said: Better still is Upstream Color . The best film I have seen this year. Beautiful, bewildering and very, very clever.

If it’s such a clever film why doesn’t it actually bother to make sense? A beautiful film with staggering camera work and sound design, but the plot doesn’t work.

Yeah, I’ve been thinking about this after giving it a high recommendation and as amazing as the film is I have to concede that it could be seen as ‘difficult’ and I don’t really think of it as a sci-fi film either. For me it’s more about the connections between the main characters. Their grounding and the narrative are fragmented to the point of obfuscation (nice pace of editing though very much pinched from Mallick) but if you want a nailed down plot you’re going to be disappointed. Perhaps it’s failing is that it makes you think it’s knowable without having to google for interpretations.

Has somebody other than Tarkovsky made a film called ‘Stalker’?

If I was to start battle star galactica should I watch the prequel series they did before or after?

and nobody for zardoz?

no wig, shit.

has anyone mentioned cube? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123755/

Thanks again everyone. I’m going for oblivion and primer for a good (hopefully!) bit of variety.

I’ll then have to go through the other ones I haven’t seen.

Deserter not really but make sure you watch the. Bag pilot miniseries / movie 1st

Taken the mini series was great.

Starman was ok if you want a bit of romance with your scifi

As said Event Hotizon is epic and proper nasty.

Deserter not really but make sure you watch the. Bag pilot miniseries / movie 1st

Yeah, good advice.

I started with episode 1 and got hopelessly confused that it seemed to be midway through the series. The BSG miniseries sets everything up and is three hours’ worth before you start the series proper.

In unrelated news, I may be late to the party but I only realised this week that Adama is the same actor who played the origami bloke in Blade Runner.

Kunstler said: Has somebody other than Tarkovsky made a film called ‘Stalker’?

I doubt it, I was just being silly calling the film a documentary.

Having watched Upstream Color twice [spoilers coming] where it’s good, it’s very good, but there are some whopping great holes in the plot. The simplest of these being how the two victims just happened to bump into each other on a bus. Presumably the thief doesn’t need to doa job every fortnight, as he’s ripping off peoples’ entire savings; and the potent worms are a rarity. Then there’s the whole thing with running water as a clue that guides the couple when they are hunting the pig farming sound guy – perhaps the most common sound on the planet, especially when it’s raining. The moment when she turns the tables on the pig recordist is superbly shot, but it’s not explained how they did this, or why they’re hunting down that guy and not the thief who took their money / houses / jobs.

Probably sounds negative, especially as I’m all for ambitious films being made, but unless I’m missing something, some clever allegory, then they seem to have made the film assuming the viewer will leap over the plot gaps and concentrate on the spectacle / weirdness.

everything mentioned above , plus
12 monkeys

Bad Taste.
Quiet Earth.
Neon Genesis.

Ooh ooh, Patlabor and Patlabor 2. Though if I was building a big robot for fighting other big robots, it wouldn’t come with a bloomin revolver.

(on the same note, if I was building a Jaeger and its most effective way of fighting big aliens is twatting them with a ship, I would give it a ship in the first place, I wouldn’t rely on it finding one halfway through the fight scene)

Is BSG Blood & Chrome any good?

its most effective way of fighting big aliens is twatting them with a ship, I would give it a ship in the first place, I wouldn’t rely on it finding one halfway through the fight scene

and that’s the issue you have with that filum?

Quiet Earth.

ooo, yeah. low budget, and depressing.

Well I watched primer..

Enjoyed it but completely lost the thread mid way through. Suspect having read up on it now that I missed some finer details as I was flying… Must watch it again I think.