Best SciFi Film of 2007

Balrog · Post by **Balrog** » 2007-12-28 02:09am

Same as the others, which of 2007's scifi films did you like the best? The pickings were a bit slim, some were best watched with your brain turned off but that hardly makes them worthwhile to keep as a favorite. I can't comment at the moment which ones I thought were best, since I've yet to see a few (I Am Legend, etc.) but don't let that stop you

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2007-12-28 02:35am

Transformers is the only one I saw and I'm still not voting for it. No vote here.

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2007-12-28 02:41am

I haven't seen sunshine, so out of the popcorn movies: Transformers. And It's actually quite a schi fi movie by the definition when you think about the premise, really

.

As popcorn movies go, it was my favourite this year.

PREDATOR490 · Post by **PREDATOR490** » 2007-12-28 03:15am

AVP-R:
Havent seen it yet.

28 Weeks Later :
Sci-Fi ?
I REALLY dont like this movie and I'm not talking about the blatant stupidity throughout the film. Humilating as it is to say this film just freaks me out even more so than the first because of the guy getting infected and murdering the woman. My own squemishness aside the rest of the movie was just writer's fiat with no logical sense what-so-ever.

I am Legend:
Havent seen it yet.

Invasion:
Havent even heard of this yet.

Sunshine:
Wasnt that bad of a movie I guess but I found it painfully dull.

Resident Evil Extinction:
I liked this movie but it was your typical zombie crap with the usual cliche nonsense. Hardly something I would consider impressive.

Transformers:
Watched it, liked it, was a good pop corn flick with some rewatchability.
I'm going with Transformers for being the best because of all the films here it lived up to what it was expected to be and played out reasonably.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-12-28 04:04am

Sunshie was cool. Zombie movies are not scifi. Transformers was nonsense, but almost certainly better than AVP. I Am Legend is barely scifi.

I say Sunshine wins because a) it has a spaceship b) explores the human condition and c) has a ridiculous magic bomb.

Xon · Post by **Xon** » 2007-12-28 05:01am

Stark wrote: b) explores the human condition

This is easily the most important aspect of good sci-fi. It is suprising the number of thinks slapped with a sci-fi tag which don't contain even the most trivial exploration of how humanity lives and wishes to live.

and c) has a ridiculous magic bomb.

Are large explosions a cause or an effect of exploring the human condition?

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-12-28 05:13am

'Stellar bombs' that create 'miniature big bangs' and accelerate to 'lightspeed' using only rockets and the Sun's gravity are, I think, BOTH.

KlavoHunter · Post by **KlavoHunter** » 2007-12-28 05:23am

Seeing as Transformers is the only one out of the list I've both seen and consider sci-fi.... Transformers wins by default.

Besides which, unlike everyone else going "RAWR GIVE US MORE ROBOT SCENES". I rather liked having the humans in it. Especially that spec-ops squad, duking it out with Brawl from a building. THAT'S how infantry battle a giant fucking robot.

Can't wait for the next Transformers film, especially if they include something as ridiculously over the top as Tidal Wave being a Nimitz. And anything like the A-10s and AC-130 pounding Skorponok to scrap metal in the first movie.

I Am Legend was also a VERY good movie, it avoided a lot of the typical garbage seen in way too many "action/suspense/thriller" movies. "Oh! Generic scene X just happened! Surely Generic Action Movie Scene Y is going to follow!". There was none of that to create fake suspense. Hell, the movie made me cry, twice. So what if it doesn't follow the book's plot at all? It ended up being a good movie.

Dienonychus · Post by **Dienonychus** » 2007-12-28 10:55am

KlavoHunter wrote: I Am Legend was also a VERY good movie, it avoided a lot of the typical garbage seen in way too many "action/suspense/thriller" movies. "Oh! Generic scene X just happened! Surely Generic Action Movie Scene Y is going to follow!". There was none of that to create fake suspense. Hell, the movie made me cry, twice. So what if it doesn't follow the book's plot at all? It ended up being a good movie.

SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!!!!!!

Gimme a break. A virus originally engineered to eat cancer mutates and turns humans into vampires with superhuman strength and speed and craniums that defy almost any material when banged against them? Ridiculous. lol supervampires lol You might as well have Giger's Alien romping around in that movie. Would've made no difference.
As for contrived and generic scenes, maybe you didn't see the part where the "leader" of the vamps looked out menacingly at Neville while in the light and started to burn...like it was setting up a future scene where he would be the primary antagonist...and do something like setting up a trap then releasing vampire dogs or call legions of the pale dead to attack. Why was this guy in charge? Was he Cortman incognito? Why did the other vampires follow him? Because he could yell louder than they could? How about the nice little setup with the dog, Sam? Lots of great shots of this wonderful dog and the revelation that he can still be infected. Big surprise when it finally happened. Bah! Even the CG wasn't great.

Neville becomes legend because he found the cure? What a let down from the Matheson story.
This movie was crap.

Ted C · Post by **Ted C** » 2007-12-28 11:10am

Transformers wins by virtue of being the only one that could motivate me to go to a theatre to see it.

Post by **Kuja** » 2007-12-28 01:23pm

More than meets the eye!

Post by **NecronLord** » 2007-12-28 02:02pm

Dienonychus wrote:A virus originally engineered to eat cancer mutates and turns humans into vampires with superhuman strength and speed

Didn't seem to have either to me. They were... err, quite good at climbing, though.

and craniums that defy almost any material when banged against them?

Really? I seem to recall one headbutting the ground in pain a few times and dying. Only the 'zombie' leader seemed to have such a magically tough skull, and I hardly think it was doing itself many favours by headbutting that toughened glass over and over. What with staggering around and stunning itself over and over.

Yeah. They headbutted windscreens and such. They also tended to drop down dead. A lot.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2007-12-28 02:25pm

I voted Transformers, but Sunshine was a very close second. I've yet to see RE3, I Am Legend and AVP2, but while they look fun, I don't think they'd rival the sheer ability to feel like a kid or see gripping drama as with my two choices.

And on the stellar bomb, I checked the subtitles and it mentions all of Earth's fissionable material going into Icarus II's payload. Aside from that awesome little package, the only other thing that I felt was missing was Pinbacker's line from the second trailer.

"Nothing survives. Not your parents. Not your children. Not even stars."

Ford Prefect · Post by **Ford Prefect** » 2007-12-29 03:00am

I loved Transformers. More than you (yes, you). However, Sunshine was the best sci-fi film of the year, hands down. Visually stunning in terms of direction, impressive in terms of pacing and acting, with the added bonus of being the first sci-fi character piece I've seen in a long while. Class, it was.

tim31 · Post by **tim31** » 2007-12-29 09:10am

I spend a lot of time extolling the virtues of Transformers to... Well, everyone, but I think of it as an action movie rather than sci fi, and hence I called Sunshine, for the same reason everyone else already listed. Especially the magic bomb with all of earth's fissionable material(!!)

andrewgpaul · Post by **andrewgpaul** » 2007-12-29 09:35am

Gotta be Sunshine, from that list, really. AvP:R and The Invasion don't count, since they won't be out in 2007 here, Transformers was OK if a bit silly, and RE was just as daft as the first two. Apparently, the US has devolved into a desert wasteland, but Japan seems OK?

Can't think of anything to come under 'other', frankly. Unless Bladerunner, the Final Cut counts.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2007-12-29 10:06am

I thought Transformers was ace considering what we could've got and what must've been a huge temptation to make it more generic to cut costs. It could've ended up like Terminator 3.

Still haven't seen Sunshine, Resident Evil 3 was even more retarded (and I thought less fun) than the previous ones.

So I say the robots with big eyes should win.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2007-12-30 02:51pm

Ford Prefect wrote:I loved Transformers. More than you (yes, you). However, Sunshine was the best sci-fi film of the year, hands down. Visually stunning in terms of direction, impressive in terms of pacing and acting, with the added bonus of being the first sci-fi character piece I've seen in a long while. Class, it was.

I have a tonne of merchandise now for the film; I am the biggest fan, good sir. I challenge you to a duel!

And I'm pissed that there's no soundtrack out yet for Sunshine, given they said one would be out in June to coincide with the US release. Bleh. Mind you, Transformers needed a damn petition to get the score released, quite unusual for a blockbuster.

Jadeite · Post by **Jadeite** » 2007-12-30 04:39pm

I'm voting Other: Children of Men.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2007-12-30 05:58pm

Jadeite wrote:I'm voting Other: Children of Men.

Given that was 2006, you lose. It won the last vote of this kind, however.

Panzer Grenadier · Post by **Panzer Grenadier** » 2007-12-30 07:15pm

I voted for I am Legend. Despite having a quite underwhelming final act, and cheesy unintimidating vampires, it was pretty enjoyable with a good performance by will smith, and some pretty creepy bits.

The other two movies I have seen AVP2 and to a lesser extent Transformers just sucked.

Davis 51 · Post by **Davis 51** » 2007-12-30 11:32pm

I've only seen Transformers and I Am Legend. While I liked both, when given the choice, I go with the giant fucking robots.

Jadeite · Post by **Jadeite** » 2007-12-31 02:00am

Admiral Valdemar wrote:
Jadeite wrote:I'm voting Other: Children of Men.
Given that was 2006, you lose. It won the last vote of this kind, however.

Fuck. Thought it was early 2007.

FSTargetDrone · Post by **FSTargetDrone** » 2007-12-31 02:05am

Ted C wrote:Transformers wins by virtue of being the only one that could motivate me to go to a theatre to see it.

Ditto, and then 3 times in all. Plus I watched it on DVD at least 4 times all the way through. I hadn't been as excited about a new movie and then not let down after the fact in quite a few years.

Vanas · Post by **Vanas** » 2007-12-31 08:22am

I was surprised how good Transformers was. Sure, there were some iffy bits, but all in all it was a heck of a film.

That and it's the only one of that lot I've actually seen.