Mar 30, 2005 08:09 PM
4581 Views
(Updated Mar 30, 2005 08:12 PM)
Science Fiction is a genre that awakens possibilities, ideas, concepts and million other thoughts in the fertile creative membrane between our ears.
Most of'Science Fiction' of yester years are facts today. People laughed when Arthur C Clarke predicted the application of man made satellites for communication. Look where we are now.
So now that the rambling preamble is out of the way, lets get to the serious business of picking 5 cool movies. There are so many that I shall restrict myself to just the first 5 that pop up.
The Matrix
The definitive science fiction movie of our generation. It made a programmer out of every one who saw it. It created aesthetic appeal for a line of code. And the effects redefined special effects and filming technology. A must for anyone who loves new possibilities, suspense, great action, martial arts, philosophy and black leather!
Top of the line work by Keanu Reeves(yes he managed to pull it off here, even though he is pretty wooden throughout the movie), Carrie-Ann Moss, Lawrence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving and Joe Pantoliano(albeit in a small but kickass role). What a soundtrack! Rammstein, Rage against the machine, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie to name a few. The mass appeal of this film is an example of how a film can reach everyone in the audience, rewarding the most intelligent viewer with the greatest kicks!
Bladerunner
It was a beautiful depiction of the most tragic futility of an android trying to achieve humanity. Rutger Hauer ran away with this one, with Harrison Ford providing a dark counterpoint. A haunting soundtrack to boot, Ridley Scott pulled no punches as he delivered this beauty. A prime example of how a science fiction can be more about philosophy and science rather than gadgets and gizmos.
Gattaca
Beautiful, haunting and simultaneously tragic and uplifting. An unbiased look at a world driven by Eugenics, where the best opportunities in life are given to the genetically engineered specimen's of perfection, while the blue collar work is done by the natural borns. Stellar performances by Jude Law and Uma Thurman(who met her presently divorced husband on this one, Ethan Hawke). The pace of the movie, the ambience and the whole feel is surprisingly retro for a science fiction movie. The protagonists drive cars that you and I call vintage! But you know that this is a world ahead of us. Beautiful camerawork!
Terminator 2
Ah Man! Now we are talking! Who can chose to ignore Arnie and his one liners. The apocalypse, the machines, the action everything is happening in our time and that made sure that we do not have to deal with painful explanations of each gizmo and its function. Linda Hamilton was a revelation in this film. My only regret was that she didnt make any other great movies. James Cameron proved that he was a master of the art with this one. Watch out for the title credits, which to this day is my fave ringtone!
12 Monkeys
Superb cast(Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, Madeline Stowe and Christopher Plummer)
Awesome Director(Terry Gilliam)
One mind twisting loop in time.
Go figure why I love this one!
