The Best and Worst Sci-Fi War Films
The Best and Worst Sci-Fi War Films
By Johnny Rico, War Movies Expert, About.com
There's been some debate within the small very niche "war film" fanboy community about whether to include the likes of Star Wars, Starship Troopers, and other science fiction spectacles in the war film genre, a genre normally reserved for the like of Saving Private Ryan and Apocalypse Now.
But I say a war is a war is a war. The theme of war films is armed conflict, of battles, of armies clashing. Whether this occurs in ancient Rome, World War II, or outer space makes no difference.
So without further ado...here are the best and worst Science Fiction War Films! (Please note, this is not a list of sci-fi films, but sci-fi war films!...This is a war movies site, after all.)
Click this link to view the slide show and the best and worst Sci-Fi War Films:
http://warmovies.about.com/od/Science-fiction-and-Fantasy/ss/The-Best-and-Worst-Sci-Fi-War-Films.htm
For those of you who do not frequent the NewTalkers groups, there are two groups that may be of interest to you if this article grabs your attention:
Classic Cinema:
http://thenewstalkers.com/group/classic-cinema
Science Fiction Fanatics:
http://thenewstalkers.com/group/science-fiction-fanatics
Tags
Who is online
32 visitors
This combines two of my loves - movies and science fiction. Only a few might qualify as classic, but as time marches on (as the saying goes) some might be considered classics one day.
If anyone has other Sci-Fi war movies they think may be the best or the worst, please tell us what they are, and why. Although Spaceballs is a great parody, I'm not sure if it should be considered a "best" or a "worst".
There is ongoing conflict and then an all-out war in the movie "Dune" which may be my favourite Sci-Fi movie, but I know that it has been subject to both praise and criticism.While the David Lynch-Dino De Laurentiis version of "Dune" is not cannon to Frank Herbert's book, it still is one of my favorite sci-fi movies along with Aliens and Terminator II.
"Enders" was a massive waste of time and "After Earth" staring Will Smiths talentless son, Jaden, was a dog.
Two great lines: "I'm surrounded by assholes." and "Just what we need, a Druish princess."
Starship Troopers is probably the worst of the SF war movies, but the worst SF movie, so bad that it's a cult classic, is Plan 9 From Outer Space.
I don't know if this counts or not, since it was a made-for-tv movie, but The Day After was good. Starring Jason Robards, John Lithgow, and JoBeth Williams, it focused on the residents of Lawrence, KS, during an all-out nuclear war between Russia and the US. I loved it, and still watch it, occasionally.
Another one I loved was The Final Countdown-- a navy ship, (the USS Nimitz), travels back in time to the day before Pearl Harbor. Speculating on how could a modern warship help the American forces on the day of the battle? Would we have won, had we had modern radar, radio monitors, etc? It starred Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen. Another one that I watch on occasion.
Lastly, but one of my favorites, is Independence Day. I loved that movie! Starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Harry Connick, Jr., and a whole slew of people, it was great! The aliens were creepy/scary, too!
Favorite line: Will Smith flying an alien fighter plane for the first time, "I've GOT to get me one of these!"
The shower scene has some socially redeeming qualities but the attack scenes (like in "Edge of Tomorrow") with troops going in without air support, looks stupid.
Well, since Badfish posted some movie trailers, I thought I should, too...
The Day After does not have an official movie trailer, but this one is pretty good!
The Final Countdown
Independence Day
Hope you enjoy!
Unfortunately I'm unable to open the video postings by Badfish and Dowser (YouTube is blocked in China) so I'm unable to comment on them.
I don't know the song, being stuck, as I am, in the 60s, 70s, and 80s... I loved the movie!
I am very sorry Buzz, but they are not available anywhere else.
Don't fret Dowser, it's ok.
Thanks for the info, badfish.
I remember that one Dowser. That same year PBS did one called 'Threads" that made that one look like a Grimm fairy tale.
Love Independence day. So much fun! My favorite quote:
President Thomas Whitmore : What do you want us to do?
Captured Alien : Die. Die.
Hey... where is War of the worlds?
I also really like 'Enemy Mine"... though it was more like if we got to know who we are fighting...
I've been thinking of adding "Enemy Mine" as well Perrie. Great treatment of how a war comes down to those who fight it.
Buzz, if you haven't caught "Enemy Mine" perhaps you've seen "Hell in the Pacific" with Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune, (of "The Seven Samurai" fame).
Both movies are pretty much the same dam good war story.
Is "Enemy Mine" a remake of "Hell in the Pacific", sort of like "The Magnificent Seven" is of "Seven Samurai"?
Not really a remake per-say Buzz.
The basic elements are similar, two strong protagonist starting out trying to kill each other, then working together to try and survive and finally developing a strong mutual respect each for the other.
The trials the movie put the men through and the story arch are very different, (Mifune doesn't get pregnant wink, wink
but both developed the characters and story very well.
Speaking of JoBeth Williams, I also like "Poltergeist."
Did someone speak of JoBeth Williams - a name I haven't seen since "The Big Chill"?
Dowser; "...but The Day After was good. Starring Jason Robards, John Lithgow, and JoBeth Williams, it..."
I happen to be one of the (apparently few) fans of Avatar, though I wouldn't necessarily classify it as a 'war movie' per se. Unlike the article's author, I thought the Tom Cruise remake of 'WOTW' just totally sucked.We're supposed to overlook the idea that the Martians planted their high-tech war machines on Earth during Paleolithic times, and then waited like half-a-million years to take over the planet???
Personally, I'm still waiting for someone to do an accurate period-piecefilm of War of The Worlds... just do a good adaptation of Wells' original novel for god's sake, why keep trying to 'improve' on a classic???