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Comment RSSTop 10 Sci-Fi Movies Of 2011
31.12.10 # Sci-Fi # 26 CommentsIn Time
Starring: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Muphy, Olivia Wilde, Alex Pettyfer
Director: Andrew Niccol
Release Date: 30 September 2011
In the not-too-distant future the aging gene has been switched off to avoid overpopulation. Time has become the currency and the way people pay for luxuries and necessities. The rich can live forever, while the rest try to negotiate for their immortality. A poor young man who comes into a fortune of time ends up on the run from a corrupt police force known as ‘time keepers’. The movie sounds extremely silly, even for sci-fi, but it’s written and directed by the man who brought us Gattaca and Lord Of War, so he’s probably got a way of making this world seem some way plausible. After The Social Network, Timberlake’s acting career is on the rise, Seyfried is fresh acting talent and Cillian Murphy is always fantastic in villain roles.
[Critics - 38%] [Public - 6.7] {Ranked: 7th Best}
Real Steel
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goyo, Kevin Durand, Anthony Mackie
Director: Shawn Levy
Release Date: 7 October 2011
Set in a world of next-generation boxing, a washed-up fighter (Jackman), who lost his chance at a title when 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring, reluctantly teams up with his estranged son to build and train a championship contender. It’s inspired by Richard Matheson’s (I Am Legend) short story ‘Steel’, which was once adapted into an episode of The Twilight Zone in ’63. Sugar Ray Leonard serves as an adviser here for the robotic boxing sequences. It’s from the director of Night at the Museum and Date Night, naturally.
[Critics - 59%] [Public - 6.7] {Ranked: 6th Best}
The Thing
Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Eric Christian Olsen
Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.
Release Date: 14 October 2011
Prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 classic. There’s still so much mileage in this concept (if they are smart filmmakers), the setting and idea haven’t really been revisited by other movies since, and seeing my favourite horror movie ‘prequelised’ decades later has a big curiosity appeal. But the prequel has already dropped the ball on two unconventional, but key, elements that helped make the original so unique – the all male cast has gone (the lead is now a hot female who’s helicoptered in), and the large cast of 12 mostly older character-actors has been replaced by the conventional 7 younger characters. It’s asking a lot, but if The Thing prequel turns out to be the smart, well written whodunit mystery it should be, and it stays away from cgi for its creature fx, this could be something special.
[Critics - 33%] [Public - 6.6] {Ranked: 10th Best}
The Darkest Hour
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Rachael Taylor, Max Minghella, Joel Kinnaman
Director: Chris Gorak
Release Date: 23 December 2011
A 28 Days-like sci-fi horror/thriller following four American tourists traveling through Moscow when an alien invasion occurs. It’s not clear yet if it’s a found footage movie, but it is being shot in 3D, which suggests not. Chris Gorak, director of the effectively-made Right At Your Door is well suited to the material. Being filmed in Russia will immediately give it a unique look. Producer Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) is Russian, and it’s shooting at his studio there. It has a fairly large budget of $44m, which means a lot of big fx. Emile Hirsch (Into The Wild) is an exciting actor, so all the signs are good.
Another Earth
Starring: Unknown Actors
Director: Mike Cahill (first timer)
Release Date: TBC 2011
Intense drama that qualifies, barely, as sci-fi. It’s a profound love story and philosophical meditation, set in a not-really-any-different future world. On the night of the discovery of a duplicate planet in the solar system, an ambitious young student on MIT’s astrophysics program and an accomplished composer cross paths in a tragic accident. The movie went down well at Sundance, but this is indie, very low-budget, and not a place to go if you’re looking for fx or action thrills.
The Divide
Starring: Milo Ventimiglia, Michael Biehn, Ashton Holmes, Peter Stormare, Rosanna Arquette
Director: Xavier Gens
Release Date: TBC 2012
In the near future, New York City is destroyed by an apocalyptic event; eight survivors hide in the basement of their large apartment building which has now been reduced to rubble. Before long paranoia sets in, and with it savage in-fighting, then a team of armed men in hazard suits attack, forcing them to choose between escape and death. Written by first timers, directed by the man behind the Hitman movie, and with a not-especially-hard-to-get cast, signs are this isn’t as interesting as the striking image above suggests, but we’ll see.
BEST:
1st: X-Men: First Class 2nd: Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes 3rd: Source Code
4th: Super 8 5th: Paul 6th: Real Steel 7th: In Time 8th: Cowboys & Aliens
9th: Transformers: Dark Of The Moon 10th: The Thing
WORST:
1st: Apollo 18 2nd: Battle: Los Angeles 3rd: Green Lantern 4th: I Am Number Four
What are your top 3 picks?
I disagree, In Time sounds like the best Harlan Ellison rip-off since Terminator. I think the premise rocks but it’s all in the execution.
Also pumped for Cowboys and Aliens.
In Time hat a good idea, but the people acted all stupid and unrealistic. Wasn’t good acting either. Apollo 18 was more intresting to watch. And I had more fun watching Green Lantern because it didn’t take itself so seriously.
Source Code is really good – maybe the best for story and acting.
Apollo 18 was awful. It’s one of the worst movies of the year (i.e. it sucks donkey balls). “In Time” and “Source Code” were both good movies with original ideas. Cowboys vs. Aliens was a huge disappointment. I couldn’t watch all of “I am number 4″ or I would have died of boredom. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was a great movie. “Super 8″ and “Limitless” were worth a watch. – Apollo 18 was worst sci-fi movie on this list… Period.
OH, and despite the horrible title, Source Code looks INCREDIBLE.
I want to see Battle: LA but think the trailer will be much better than the finished movie. Also, Apollo 18 is such a ridiculous/fun premise I can’t stay away.
I think the best sci-fi movies of 2011 will be -
Green Lantern, Cowboys & Aliens and The Darkest Hour
Gonna see Battle: LA on Friday! Let the Sci-Fi begin.
Awesome, wish I was seeing it. Review would be cool if you feel like it. I reckon they could have marketed the movie slightly better.
@Sheridan
If you market maneur, its still manuer…
Yeah it was terrible in the end. But at the time of the discussion there was blissful ignorance.
What about Thor?
It’s an action-adventure fantasy rather than sci-fi.
Super 8
Limitless
….and how about Limitless? Great sci fi and human condition comment.
We put it in the thrillers list. Seemed to fit better there.
Great guys!!!!!!!!!
This list lost all credibility when Transformers and The Thing were on the best list and Battle Los Angeles was on the worst. Just backwards a** list making there
The ranking is not based on my opinion is it done purely by combining the critics’ average score with the public’s average score. Unfortunately the majority of critics and the public thought Battle Los Angeles was not very good. Having seen it I happen to agree with them, but the ranking doesn’t include my perspective.
how are all the lame kid appropriate movies higher than the bad ass scary explosion and blood filled movies ??
These are not sci fi movies. Just because a movie has aliens in it or stuff that seems sciency, doesn’t make it sci fi
Transformers3: Worst. Movie. Ever.
I just saw Super 8. One of the worst movies ever produced. It was more like a Lifetime TV movie. The scifi part was actually the subplot.
I actually liked Battle Los Angeles. Apollo 18 wasnt bad – even if it was somewhat farfetched.
I’ll be seeing ‘Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes’ soon. Hopefully it’ll be good
I’ll be honest, I didn’t like Super 8 either. I think we’re in the minority though.
LOL! I got confused (Sorry). The pitiful movie I was referring to was called “Monsters” not Super 8. It was about journalist traveling thru an alien infested region along the US-Mexican border.
Super 8 wasn’t bad. It was a bit “Walt Disney” – with kids solving the town’s problems but overall I thought it was OK.
That’s alright, I didn’t mean Super 8, I meant Superman 4.
Or did I…
I think that The Divide is high underrated. It is such an intense movie that really let the dark side of human nature emerge. When dealing with human emotions it comes down to the acting and they really did an amazing job. PS: the army-hazard-suits guys are AWESOME LOOKING!.
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Post By Sheridan Passell
31st Dec
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