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Top Sci-Fi of the Past 25 Years

January 10, 2008 - - -

Entertainment Weekly has recently released an article they've entitled Sci Fi's Top 25 Movies and TV of the Past 25 Years, and to me it just demonstrates how subjective these things really are. While I agree with some of their choices, it seems to me they've got some glaring omissions, and they're including some shows I didn't like at all.

Going back to 1983, there are certainly better sci-fi movies than Brazil and better TV shows than Lost. Looking at my favorite sci-fi TV shows, they've got Star Trek: The Next Generation, Battlestar Galactica and Heroes, but they've missed my two all-time favorites: Farscape and The 4400. And looking at movies, they nailed Matrix, Aliens, and Terminator, but missed Frequency, Contact, and the original Star Wars trilogy. How can you miss Star Wars?? Granted, their list only goes back to 1983, so you'd only have Return of the Jedi, which was made in 1983, and I'll admit was the weakest of the trilogy. But it's still better than Total Recall. Let's go over their list one by one so I can comment.

25 - V the Miniseries - I'll admit it - when this was on TV, I absolutely loved it. In retrospect, the lizard makeup was horrible. But it was television in the eighties, and this is the kind of sci-fi I grew up on. Since it's in 25th place, I'll give them this one.

24 - Galaxy Quest - Here, I've got to disagree. I know a ton of people who loved Galaxy Quest, but I did not. To me, it was right in line with Dude, Where's My Car?, which I'd never place amongst my favorite Sci Fi.

23 - Dr. Who - I know a lot of Whovians, so I'll give them this one too, since it's in 23rd place. But I've never been a Dr. Who fan myself. I don't know if it's the British-ness or what, but I could never get into it. And I've tried.

22 - Quantum Leap - A great and largely forgotten show. I really enjoyed Quantum Leap, although I never watched it as much as I'd have liked. I was too busy for TV in those years. It also cemented Bakula as a sci-fi star and lined him up for his eventual downfall in the horrible Star Trek: Enterprise.

21 - Futurama - While I love The Simpsons, I've never gotten into Futurama. So I don't have much to say about it other than the fact that my cat is not named after a Futurama character. He's named after John Bender from The Breakfast Club.

20 - Star Wars: Clone Wars - If they had to miss Return of the Jedi, at least they included this excellent cartoon, which was better than any of the movies in the new trilogy. It depicted General Grevious as appropriately badass, and despite being a cartoon was less juvenile than the actual movies. If you haven't seen it, I recommend getting a copy.

19 - Starship Troopers - While I enjoyed the movie, I certainly wouldn't have placed it amongst the top 25 movies and TV shows of the past quarter century. I liked the fact that the aliens in the movie were - for once - non-humanoid, but that alone is hardly enough.

18 - Heroes - Eighteenth place? Okay, maybe. I really like Heroes, and it's one of the best shows currently on television. Episodes like Company Man remain some of the best television I've ever seen.

17 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Who the heck wrote this list? The movie was certainly original, but I liked it only slightly better than Vanilla Sky. That is to say: very little.

16 - Total Recall - Again - who on Earth wrote this list? One of Arnold's more mediocre movies, with some downright silly effects. "If things have gone wrong, I'm talking to myself, and you've got a wet towel wrapped around your head." Yes, I know it's a Phillip K. Dick adaptation, but that doesn't save it.

15 - Serenity - I won't knock Serenity, since I know the Firefly fervor that permeates the intarwebs, and I did enjoy the movie. But I never got into Firefly. Still, I suppose they could've done worse for 15th place.

14 - Children of Men - If anything, this film should have been higher on the list. It was a fantastic, dark story, filmed with a minimalist style. I loved it.

13 - The Terminator/Terminator 2 - Odd to group the two movies together, but both movies were truly great. If anything, the sequel was even better than the original. It's a pity that the third sequel stunk.

12 - Back to the Future - The Back to the Future trilogy has long held a warm place in my heart. I loved them as a kid, and I still enjoy the movies. But best scifi of the past 25 years? I'm not sure about that.

11 - Lost - Granted, the first two seasons were great. But after a couple seasons, fans began expecting some answers, and they never came. When we saw nobody but Jack, Kate, and Sawyer for a half-season, the show had truly jumped the shark.

10 - The Thing - I won't argue that this was an excellent film, because it really was great. I might have placed it a bit lower though.

9 - Aliens - Another film I might have placed higher. I really envy the folks who saw it in the theatre not expecting the alien to burst from the man's chest - that surprise is one I'll never experience.

8 - Star Trek: The Next Generation - Certainly a well-made and influential TV show, so I'll grant this one eighth place without complaining.

7 - E.T. - One of Spielberg's most masterful family-friendly pictures, although it's not generally what I think of when I think Sci-Fi.

6 - Brazil - Here's my biggest complaint on this list. I'd never seen the movie until very recently, and I wasn't even able to watch the whole thing - I've still got to go back and watch the second half. Overall, I really did not like the movie. At all. And so I'm shocked to see it on the list - Terry Gilliam had much better pictures. Like Twelve Monkeys. And Time Bandits was funnier. But Brazil stinks.

5 - Star Trek: Wrath of Khaan - While I understand that this is the best of the Trek movies, I'm not sure I'd place it in the top five if I were making a list. Certainly not higher than Return of the Jedi.

4 - The X Files - Here's another that baffles me. Granted, I was never a big X Files fan, but still - fourth place?? I just don't get it. Who made this list?

3 - Blade Runner - I suppose it wouldn't have been a list had it not included everyone's favorite. I've seen Blade Runner at the top of many peoples' lists, but personally I've never been as big a fan as everyone else. Blade Runner just doesn't do it for me.

2 - Battlestar Galactica - While I'll agree that the new Battlestar is amazing, the first half of the first season was the best part. The most recent episodes have gotten just weird. I suppose the final season has a chance to redeem the everyone-and-his-brother-is-a-Cylon fiasco, but I wish the Cylons were more implacable foes, and less human-like.

1 - Matrix - If you look at how truly original the story is, and how shocking a surprise was presented to unspoiled theater-goers, I can definitely see this movie taking first place. It's a shame that the sequels killed the franchise, as Matrix had the potential after the first movie to become the next generation's Star Wars. Instead, that trophy was taken by The Lord of the Rings.

Entertainment Weekly also has a list of what it calls glaring omissions, and while they do themselves credit by naming Farscape fist in that list, they include such garbage as Star Wars Episode 2, Men in Black, and Dark City. They also include a number of shows I never watched/liked: Babylon 5, Stargate SG1, Buffy, Voyager. I do like 12 Monkeys, 5th Element, Jurassic Park, and Independence Day, although I'd never have placed any of them on my top 25 list. Minority Report, Tron, and Donnie Darko might have made my list. And as for Dune, I actually liked the newer sci-fi Channel remake better than the old one. (Sorry, Sting)

So what are your favorite Sci-Fi shows of the past 25 years?

If you liked this post, check out Boston.com's Fifty Best Sci-Fi shows and Slice of Sci-Fi's Peoples' Choice Awards.

Comments on Top Sci-Fi of the Past 25 Years
 
Comment Thu, January 10 - 6:08 PM by pmd
24 - Galaxy Quest - I guess you've never been to a Trekkie convention, have you?

23 - Dr. Who - The great thing about this show is... If you don't like it, wait a few years. Up until recently it was for easily frightened kids with large sofas to hide behind... Now, it's more family Sci-Fi with a dash of horror. My only complaint right now is that it's a little too 'Harry Potter' at the moment.

17 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Agreed, not a movie for everyone... But I loved this movie.

14 - Children of Men - I wasn't so crazy about this movie

12 - Back to the Future - This should have been in the top 5

4 - The X Files - This one had some really great episodes and a lot of fun moments... Until it started to die a slow and painful death. Jose Chung's is still one of the best.

3 - Blade Runner - Why is everyone so crazy about this movie? It was alright.

Heroes / Lost / Battlestar Galactica - The pacing on shows like these seem a bit off to me... Maybe it's A.D.D. or something, but it feels like I have to invest in too much drama or character development filler before the story pays off. I still like these shows (some more than others), but I think they can be better.

Nobody remembers Voyagers... Darn good kids show. I wonder if someone will 're-imagine' this one someday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm-o_7AGJRQ
 
Comment Thu, January 10 - 6:31 PM by tagger
I am not liking this, nephew. You are forcing me to reply *at length* and it's your bLog. You have, however, dug the hole, opened the door, flung the gauntlet, etc.

The term "sci-fi" was invented by Forrest J. Ackerman and was (is) intended to be synonomous with "drek." "Drek" is Yiddish for "shit." On to the list.

("no comment" means I haven't seen it)

25 - V the Miniseries

This tale has absolutely nothing to do with makeup. It had to do with Nazis and the concept that "It can happen here." In the 1950s, I was a kid listening to the grown-ups who fought WW II saying things like "Thank God it could never happen here." They were mistaken. Read any newspaper. "V" was a cautionary tale. The series reeked, but the idea was valid.


24 - Galaxy Quest

Nobody seems to get it. One of the hats I wear is literary agent for Science Fiction (not "sci-fi") authors. Most of us loved Star Trek and hated Trekkies. My review appears at imdb.com/title/tt0177789/usercomments-41

23 - Dr. Who

Two words--"Tom Baker"

22 - Quantum Leap

Good idea, poorly executed. Dean Stockwell was my kind of officer.

21 - Futurama

OK--I guess you had to be there.

20 - Star Wars: Clone Wars

Sucked then. Sucks now. The original space opera was much better.

19 - Starship Troopers

A poor imitation of a great book. I'm tired of explaining this one to people under 50, so I won't do it again. Read the book.

18 - Heroes

no comment

17 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

no comment

16 - Total Recall

The story is called "We can remember it for you Wholesale." Someone forgot to tell the movie people what the plot was.

15 - Serenity

no comment

14 - Children of Men

no comment

13 - The Terminator/Terminator 2

Good action. Not science fiction, however. Writers should read Feynman before attempting time travel.

12 - Back to the Future

Three of my favorites for years.

11 - Lost

C'Mon--it's TV. Probably would have been better if the writers weren't hacks.


10 - The Thing

Which one? They both come from a John W. Campbell story called "Who goes there?" The remake was more faithful to the description of the alien than the original, but the older film was a better movie.

9 - Aliens

OK, I guess, but not in my DVD collection.

8 - Star Trek: The Next Generation

Some good episodes, but--c'mon--it's TV.

7 - E.T.

Belongs higher up the list. A truly good film.

6 - Brazil

When I wasn't laughing, I was thinking. Another cautionary tale.

5 - Star Trek: Wrath of Khan

The writer copped out, but Ricardo almost managed to make it good. For drama, the TV episode (Space Seed) was better.

4 - The X Files

TV again. Some good, some bad.

3 - Blade Runner

Phillip K. Dick again. The story was "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep." The best of his paranoid vision. "Minority Report" runs a close second.

2 - Battlestar Galactica

Oh, come ON. This is drek.

1 - Matrix

Big deal. Computers, right? Where's the story?
 
Comment Fri, January 11 - 7:09 AM by Brandon
I loved "Dark City" personally.

I can understand the X-Files thing. At the time, it was the show to watch and it's main plot line had to do with an alien invasion of the planet. Seems like sci-fi to me. Plus, they did attempt to explain the monsters of the week in scientific terms, rather than just have them be these supernatural boogie men.
 
Comment Fri, January 11 - 11:16 AM by Gideon
- Concerning Aliens, you sound like you're referencing the original with your commentary, Greg, but I believe the list wanted to include the sequel, which I also thought was superior.

- Futurama is better than the Simpsons has ever been since 1997.

- I really liked Starship Troopers. Like, so much as to put it in my top 10. I can sometimes see why others don't so much, that doesn't stifle my enjoyment though.

- I'd put Total Recall up there with T2 and True Lies as one of his best. (The rule of T for Ahnuld)

- I thought Children of Men was amazing also. One of my faves from all of last year.

- Heroes/Lost/TNG/X-Files: All great TV shows. And in the correct order, if Lost concludes in any sort of rational fashion. And PMD, Heroes' pacing is way better than Lost, but I'm of the camp that there shouldn't be any serialized TV except for 24. Sure, you could have certain ongoing plot points, ala X-Files, but episodes should stand alone, IMO.

- A little piece of me dies inside whenever someone hates on the Matrix sequels. I consider the original one of the best 5 movies from the last 30 years, and the sequels, though inferior, hardly suck as much as society seems to think they do. If you extrapolate the action sequences from action movies, I think you'd find that Reloaded is the best action movie, ever. Hands down. I could go on, but this argument requires an entire separate post.
 
Comment Fri, January 11 - 11:40 AM by Greg
Gideon- I'll agree that the action in episode 2 was fantastic. I loved the car chase, I loved the fight scenes (especially the chateau) and even the burly brawl was very well done. But the story, especially as we move into Revolutions, just fell apart. How the heck did Neo have supernatural abilities outside the Matrix??
 
Comment Fri, January 11 - 12:58 PM by Frank
Greg, after reading some of your comments, I'd really like to see what your top 25 list would look like. Granted, I probably wouldn't have put Galaxy Quest, Futurama, Brazil or Dr. Who on my personal list, but there's no denying they are all unique and exceptional bits of sci-fi.

Personally I'd have slotted Aliens and Serenity/Firefly much higher. Also, Tagger, you should really watch some modern sci-fi before calling shows like Battlestar Galactica (the new series) and The Matrix drek.
 
Comment Fri, January 11 - 1:29 PM by Greg
Tagger-

Regardless of the meaning intended by the man who originated it, Sci-Fi is now largely taken as simply an abbreviation for Science Fiction. Words have different meanings to different people.

My comments on your comments:

Galaxy Quest - I agree. I don't get it.

Star Wars: Clone Wars - you may not have realized that I was talking about the cartoon.

Starship Troopers: I have read the book. Didn't love it. Probably didn't "get it"

The Terminator Movies: I agree that the time travel portions of it were lacking, but I still really enjoyed the movies.

Blade Runner: I also read "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" I actually liked the movie better than the book.

As far as BSG and Matrix, I simply have to disagree.
 
Comment Sun, January 13 - 2:51 PM by tagger
You rate a "sorry" for some of those--I am a bit abrupt at times.

"Galaxy Quest" was simply a tip of the hat to Trekkies who managed to learn to laugh at themselves--rare indeed.

SW:CW--never saw the cartoon, so I can revert to a 'no comment'

"Starship Troopers"--a message from a WW II-era super patriot to the Viet Nam generation. In retrospect, there's no reason for you to feel the way we did about it. The children of the 80s didn't, and we're paying the price now.

Did I say "Blade Runner" was bad? Didn't mean to. Thing is, in a Philip K. Dick story, _everybody's_ out to get you. Count on it. That comes through loud and clear in the film.

We can agree to disagree on BSG & Matrix. It's just that it's been done so many times before, clear back to the 1950s.

Sci-fi remains drek.

Nice to see you're thinking, though. Keep it up.

:-)