Mar 29, 2007 02:42 AM
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(Updated Mar 29, 2007 06:43 PM)
Is it the effect of watching Suniel Shetty as re-incarnated Ravan in'Rudraksh'? Or the dizziness caused by Hrithik Roshan flitting in a broken Catwoman mask? Or the daze of a blue rubber toy being passed as an ET? No, I'm not about to do a series on failed Bollywood scientific experiments here.
Science Fiction, Sci-Fi as it's affectionately called by it's fan, is thought to be something that borders on ridiculous by the non-adherents. The above mentioned misfits help to strengthen such misgivings about the genre. I'm not, exactly, of the'it's not SF if not from Isaac Asimov' fanatic, more of the'if it's got terrific CGI I will pass' kind. Of course there are a shitload of extremely ridiculous low-budget - sometimes unfortunately high-budget - gunk that tries to pass of as SF. But that discussion will be let reserved for yet another topic.
Between the above mentioned extremes of Asimov-puritanism and high-tech fluff, there are a plethora of movies that don't fit into any classification. They just happen to be SF as their themes have a strong reliance on scientific principles. My favourites belong to these'unclassifiable' category. I haven't tried to limit choices to just 5!
My list
1) Blade Runner- Harrison Ford as the Blade Runner, the original Terminator - a human one terminating, or rather'retiring', runaway Androids(replicants). He is assigned to retire 4 replicants who have returned to Earth, as his last assignment. A classic based on Philiphs K. Dicks novel'Do Androids Dream of Electrical Sheep?' it was a washout in theatre screening. But became a rage in the Video circuits elevating it to the cult status.
It raises serious questions about
- what is it to be human?- what if our memories weren't ours, but implants from someone elses life? - was HF himself an android(unknown to him)?
There are no Black and White characters here. Everyone shows grey shades. In fact you end up pitying the androids at the end, despite them committing some horrible murders!
2) Gattaca- If'Jurassic Park' tried to teach us that Nature cannot be conquered, it teaches the opposite - nothing can stand in the way of human will to succeed. Ethan Hawke plays the role of genetically defective natural-born person in a future where everything about a human is predetermined by reading his genes. While, in the prevailing scheme of things, only fit to be considered for a janitors post in a space-shuttle launch station, he dreams of becoming an Astronaut and fly to the stars.
Will he succeed? Or will his dream get shattered by a murder investigation that has got his genetic material accidently mixed up(and could blow up his cover)? Riveting performances by Hawke, Uma Thurman(his ex) and Jude Law. A great motivational film for the depressed.
3) Twelve Monkeys- In a dystopian future humanity has been devastated by a plague that has destroyed most of the population. The remainder forced to leave underground under an autocratic bureaucracy. Forest has overtaken the cities and wild animals roam freely in Manhattan. Bruce Willis, the only convict to have survived'over the ground' trip [punishment] is sent to the past to retrieve the original pure strain of the virus, to find a cure to it.
Willis gets admitted into a mental institution [as cops don't buy his story], keeps jumping between past and future, gets mixed up with a hottie shrink(Madeleine Stowe) and the revolution-obsessed son of a microbiologist(Brad Pitt). It tries to answer the Time-Travel paradox - can future be changed if we know the past? Brilliant concept. Don't miss the beginning and climax. If you do you wouldn't be able to make head and tail of it.
4) V for Vendetta- A futuristic Britain ruled through fear by a totalitarian government. A single masked-man'V' stands against the government fighting fear tooth and nail with fear of his own. Who will win in the battle between Fascism and Anarchism? Commendable performances by Hugo Weaving(as V) and Natalie Portman(as Evey Hammond). Spectacular effects accompanied by a solid screenplay by the famous Wachowski bothers. An individual fighting against an institution and a good story make it my favorite.
5) Terminator- T2 might have dazzled us with hair-raising special effects which can be termed'novel' even today, but it's much humbler predecessor carried more weight in terms of story and anxious moments. A relatively unknown Austrian, Schwarnegger back then, plays a Terminator - a futuristic robot sent to kill the mother of leader of human resistance(Linda Hamilton). Michael Biehn the role of human warrior sent to save Hamilton. A real battle for survival for human protagonists faced with an, almost, invincible robot. Though entirely wooden in expression, Arnie fit the role to T and instantly rose, from a non-entity, to become a star. A cult classic which launched an unbelievably more successful sequel(which pure FX fans consider way better). However the third installment was a non-starter and vanished without a whimper.
6) Matrix(the original) - A must-include classic in the list of every SF aficionado. An uncompromising look into the tomorrow that challenges the assumptions of today. What if the world as we know it was a computer simulated fantasy? What are the limits to what can be achieved in such a world? Is there a salvation from the slavery of the machines? Raises hell lot of technical as well as spiritual and psychological questions. Redefined philosophy for the Gen X. As Laurence Fishburne(Morpheus) states in the movie -'No one can explain what Matrix is.
You need to experience to know it'. Need repeated watching to make sense. An unmissable SF experience. The sequels raised the bar too high in terms of CGI effects possibilities, but unfortunately nothing much to the shocking revelations of the original.Two much lesser known movies'Thirteenth Floor' and'Dark City' can be considered to be prequels to the Matrix. Though sounding so, these aren't Horror movies. The way these deal with the question of existentiality(who am I) greatly influenced the Matrix.
TF & DC together provided the basic philosophy not only for the original but the sequels too(whatever little that was included). Don't be surprised if you get hit repeatedly with a sense of deja-vu while watching those too(No, it's not the Matrix reconfiguring). When ideas get stolen so brazenly in Hollywood why do we blame the Bhatts for lifting stuff?
7) Krrish- Just kidding! Let me know yours.
