A Week of Movie Recommendations: Underrated Science Fiction
Ever since shelter in place began in March, on my Facebook page, I have been recommending a film daily. Several people have asked if I could compile those recommendations. So this begins a series of recommendations where each day I recommend a movie based on a theme.
Underrated Science Fiction
Day 1 Movie Recommendation
Today, I start a week’s recommendations of overlooked, unloved, or not loved enough science fiction. So I will be staying away from blockbusters, some critically famous movies that have made their way into the pantheon of films (aka "2001:A Space Odyssey"), or pop culture icons ("Star Trek", "Star Wars", "Matrix" etc). Today's recommendation comes from the first year I started writing criticism even though I was so young:
"Dark City" ****
Coming a year before "The Matrix" and influencing it, Alex Proyas' masterpiece was placed on Roger Ebert's Top Ten films of the year at #1. I had not seen it at that time, but I knew at point, I had to. I now use this opening of this film to start my Film Composition and Literature class every year.
A narrator begins the story in the same manner as Genesis, "First there was darkness" but rather than saying something about God or the Word hovering over the waters, he continues, "Then came the Strangers". Already we have a mythology being set up about the power of these aliens. The camera then begins craning down from the sky / space to Earth, but an Earth unlike anything we've ever seen. There seem to be eras colliding on this Earth, futuristic skylines that remind us of "Metropolis" or Burton's "Batman". Yet, 1950's era cars and old school movie theater marquees.
Our main character is introduced in the most extraordinary way, a camera moves through the sky into a circular window. Once inside, our main character is introduced in a close up of his head, but it is upside down. He is in a bath, naked, innocent, clean. He will have no memory. Later when he flees the room he's in we notice that it is 614. Even later, we learn his name is John, if you go to John 614, some translations will tell you that after the miracle Christ had performed the people said "truly this is the prophet who has been born into our world". We have just witnessed a birth scene.
The mystery of his identity and the nature of the Strangers postulates the fascinating question of what does it mean to be human? Do humans have a soul? Is that what makes us individuals? Or is it our memories?
"Dark City" may end with a typical battle scene but it is a visualization of a battle of the minds, of the idea of individualism over a repressive collectivism (it doesn't always have to be this way, but the Strangers act as a mob), but even with that, it is a great piece of Science Fiction that deserves to be remembered with the same love as "The Matrix".
Day 2 Movie Recommendation
Jean-Pierre Jeunet had been an influential filmmaker since his first feature length film debut "Delicatessen," long before he made the famous "Amelie," which jolted him to international fame. Prior to making "Amelie" though, he made a less well known science fiction film that I want to recommend.
"The City of Lost Children" *** 1/2
"The City of Lost Children" wears some of its influences on its sleeve. It certainly reminds one of "Metropolis" and uses both German Expressionism and French Impressionism to great effect in this film. Burton also seems another likely influence. But, with that being said, "City of Lost Children" is a film entirely original in terms of its combination of these strange and fantastical elements.
The "story" or "narrative" is less important because the entire world feels like a dream or nightmare. In this world, the evil, but sympathetic Krank cannot dream. There is a fascinating correlation between dreaming and film making. There was a study done that after the invention of motion pictures, people said that they dreamed in black and white and slowly as color replaced black and white cinema that changed. Here, Krank who cannot dream is a tragic character, but evil for the way and method of solving his problem. He kidnaps children and drains them of their dreams.
Denree, a young boy very much in the Dickins mold, is kidnapped by Krank's minions, but his adopted brother, One, a great Ron Perlman, embarks on a quest to save him. With elements of "Pinocchio", characters that seem to leap from a Fellini film, as well as fantastical creatures such as cyclopes, "The City of Lost Children" is a visual to behold and a nightmare to wake up from.
Day 3 Movie Recommendation
Next on my recommendations for overlooked, under-seen, or simply small science fiction films is the mother of all independent science fiction films. Unlike the horror genre which is generally considered relatively cheap to make, it is believed that good science fiction films automatically mean high budgets. Well, in his maze and headache inducing puzzle of a film, Shane Carruth's first film is a must see.
"Primer" ****
The premise is simple enough. The film starts with four people writing letters for investment to various enterprises. They are on the verge of inventing something amazing, although they speak about it in hushed tones. As the process continues and the machine is built, Abe and Aaron decide that they should cut the others out of their project permanently. The machine is theirs after all.
It is then that the machine secretes some protein, but much more than it had time to make. Curious, they begin to hypothesize that the machine functions differently in time. The result is a movie that makes little to no sense on the first viewing. It's a rush, a puzzle, something to figure out.
One of my favorite pieces of artwork associated with this film is a plot map someone drew. It's so true.
Saying more, would be saying too much, but stopping here is also too little. That's the movie. This is a movie to watch with others over Zoom or Discord and then discuss into the wee hours of the morning. Here is a movie that deals with the complexities it sets up in their full breadth of implications.
The fact that this was Shane's first film is astonishing. The fact that he made it for 7,000 dollars is even more astonishing. Equally great is his second work which is also strangely a work of science fiction "Upstream Color".
Day 4 Movie Recommendation
Continuing with our selections of small or unsung Science Fiction movies, we turn now to a specific sub genre of science fiction: genetic engineering. Obviously the subject has given us thrillers like "Jurassic Park" or superhero type films like "Splice", but for my money, the best genetic engineering movie came from a first time New Zealand director in the late 90's.
"Gattaca" *** 1/2
"Brave New World" imagined a new world through manipulation of a fertilized egg to divide into 96 identical embroys and thus creating identically genetic people. It imagined a world where there was a purposeful class system involving genetics, where they would manipulate the fertilized egg, although they didn't have the word genetics. It remains one of the great novels ever written. "Gattaca" modernizes that idea.
In the world of "Gattaca", genetic engineering has lead to a bias against those born naturally instead of genetically enhanced. Ethan Hawke plays Vincent, who was naturally born, and therefore determined "In-Valid" for many careers, restricted to menial labor. But he has never been satisfied with that fate. Instead, he takes matters into his own hands. Earth is preparing to launch a new mission into space and Vincent wants to be an astronaut, but his genetic make up does allow him to even apply. Enter, Jerome / Eugene (a very young Jude Law) who has the proper genes, but is paralyzed because of an accident. Angry at society for shunning him because of his disability, Jerome (Law) agrees to supply the genetic material for Vincent to pretend to be Jerome. In this thriller, there are incredible moments of high tension as any DNA he leaves can reveal himself to not be Jerome.
Here is a science fiction movie not a sci-fi film. It is not concerned with space or aliens, alternate dimensions, or time travel. Rather, it is a projection of our own world into the future to discuss perhaps the continued separation of classes. As the rich get richer, will they embrace genetic engineering as yet another way to separate the rich from the poor?
Day 5 Movie Recommendation
Continuing with underrated or smaller science fiction films, today we turn to the alien genre of science fiction. There have been movies both with visions of extraterrestrial encounters that are benign ("Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "E.T.") and those that are terrifying ("Alien", "The Thing"), but perhaps the most unexpected alien encounter is from a late 90's film that saw the genre as an attempt to debate faith versus science.
"Contact" *** 1/2
The film begins with direct exposition (not necessarily my favorite way to start a film, but it works). Ellie, a young teenager, and her father, are getting ready for a night of star gazing. Since her mother's passing, her father has instilled in Ellie a love of astronomy and also HAM radio. As they prepare for the night, Ellie hears a crash in the house only to discover her father on the floor of the kitchen. Unfortunately, he does not make it. Now without both of her parents, she pursues her dream of exploring space as well as containing the hope that she one day could talk to her father again.
As an adult, Ellie is brilliantly played by Jodie Foster. She has a determination and a curiosity that drives most scientists. She enters a field of science that causes some scientists to roll their eyes: SETI: the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. After giving up a romance with a wondering philosophical traveler, a great Matthew McConaughey, she eventually discovers a signal from Vega sent by extraterrestrial life.
This is where the film strays from typical science fiction fair. Normally, the film would then launch themselves into meeting the aliens, trying to understand them, etc, but rather, it remains focused on Earth and the world's attempt to figure out how to respond to this message. Eventually, a committee is formed to select who will represent Earth in first contact. The question of religion comes up and Ellie refuses to bend her beliefs to get the job.
Eventually, the mission is a go, but the visualization of the aliens is startlingly simple, and brilliant. Expecting something akin to "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" instead, we are treated to a simulation in Ellie's mind as the aliens take a form she can understand. The world she goes to is not an alien world in fact, but a drawing she made as a child, and there she sees her father.
When she returns, no one believes her. Investigations are launched and she is questioned before Congress. In one of my favorite scenes ever, she talks about why she still believes this event happened. The film doesn't equate science and faith, they are very different, but it does explain the importance of both and how belief and knowledge are two different, yet perhaps, fundamental things in life.
Day 6 Movie Recommendation
So far I have recommended "Dark City", "The City of Lost Children", "Primer", "Gattaca", "Contact" which are all very serious takes on Science Fiction, but today, I want to recommend something a little more lighthearted, but still a wonderful adventure story. The obvious choice for a Science Fiction animation recommendation would be Pixar's "Wall-E" or Brad Bird's "The Iron Giant", but I would like to recommend an animator who doesn't get enough credit for his films like "Secret of NIHM", "An American Tale", and others: Don Bluth.
"Titan A.E." *** 1/2
A somewhat forgotten animated science fiction film, ultimately "Titan A.E." is a wonderful adventure story. It also has an incredible voice cast that knocks it out of the park. The movie begins in the most serious sense when a scientist on Earth, Cale's father, invents a device that frightens the Drej, aliens made of pure energy, who then launch an attack to destroy Earth when Cale is just a child. Cale's father disappears in the spaceship, Titan, which carried the device that the Drej so feared. And humans watched helplessly as Earth is destroyed.
Years later, Cale is a teenager (voiced by Matt Damon) who is living in an alien spaceport. Humans are now drifters. A few settlements have gathered since the destruction of Earth, but any large gathering causes the Drej to come back. At the spaceport, a space pirate, who knew Cale when he was younger and also knew his father, Korso (an amazing Bill Pullman) arrives along with his crew: a fierce and fiery pilot from the few human colonies, Akima, (voiced by Drew Barrymore), a strange alien gunner (voiced by Janeane Garofalo), an equally strange alien scientist (voiced by unrecognizable Jon Leguizamo) and finally a sleezy second officer (voiced by Nathna Lane). They rescue Cale because they have information about where Cale's father might have hidden the Titan, but they need Cale. Looking back at those voice talents, did I mention that the cast was stellar?
The planets they visit are extraordinary visuals, including a water filled planet with plants that contain explosive gas among others. All of this builds to a space chase inside the frozen rings of a planet filled with floating glaciers. The animation is astonishing, combining digital and traditional animation. In a sequence that had to have influenced "Wall-E"'s space dance, Korso allows Cale to take the helm when they find "space angels", sort of dolphins in space. The ship and animals engage in a beautiful dance.
The film is also a wonderful comedy and by the end the realization of what the device was that his father created, we recognize the influence of "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan".
Day 7 Movie Recommendation
For our final entry in our week of underrated, small, or unsung Science Fiction movies, I turn now to a more recent film than some of the films I've suggested in this category. A small independent science fiction film with a brilliant performance (in part because he almost single-handily carries the entire film) by Sam Rockwell.
"Moon" *** 1/2
In the near future, the Earth suffers from power problems, but a source of energy has been found on the moon. Astronauts are expensive to train and so they volunteer to do this difficult job. They are stationed one at a time on the moon for three year stints. There, they live in isolation, saving the planet below. Humanity has yet to figure out how to send instant communications that distance, so the worker is truly alone.
Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) has been on the station for almost his entire 3 year job. It is nearing an end. He is both excited to return, but also worries that this three year mission has caused his psyche to wane. He knows he's hallucinating. Similar to "Her" or even "2001", Sam's sole companion is the computer, GERTY, who he interacts with. Then an accident happens. He awakes in the infirmary, assumes that GERTY helped him get there and is informed that a rescue mission is on its way. Wanting to see what caused the accident, Sam disobeys orders and goes into the broken harvester and discovers a frightening "truth". Is it real? Is he losing his mind?
The movie is a wonderfully slow burn. Beginning by really letting us feel the isolation and loneliness, the boredom and the routine before everything goes crazy. Similar in feel to "Alien", where the slow burn happens, and similar in another respect as the company that employs him and computer on board cannot necessarily be trusted.
This is a great small film that excited critics, but relatively flew under the radar when it came out.
WARNING: This trailer gives away... a lot.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWoDBcSW4_c
