Keith_W
Master Contributor
Let's kick off this discussion with this video:
It's a straightforward list of the best 20 movies in the author's opinion. These are:
20. Metropolis (1927)
19. ET (1982)
18. Arrival (2016)
17. Alien (1979)
16. The Thing (1982)
15. Back to the Future (1985)
14. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
13. Total Recall (1990)
12. Dune Part 1 (2021)
11. Jurassic Park (1993)
10. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
9. The Terminator (1984)
8. Interstellar (2014)
7. Inception (2010)
6. Aliens (1986)
5. Blade Runner (1982)
4. The Matrix (1999)
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
1. Blade Runner: 2049 (2017)
I have watched every movie on that list except for The Thing. I think there are some movies that don't belong - Back to the Future was fun, but it wasn't great. And Metropolis hasn't aged as well as the author thinks. And more than a few of those movies have been ruined by their sequels, notably Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Terminator, and Aliens.
I would add two movies: WALL-E and Project: Hail Mary. The genius of WALL-E is that there is hardly any dialog, and the geniuses at Pixar somehow made you care about a trash compacting robot and his cockroach friend. The social commentary was pretty biting, humanity had devolved into a race of fat slobs whose every need was taken care of and all they did was fly around in space wheelchairs eating junk food and watching mindless entertainment.
As for Project: Hail Mary ... mark my words, this movie will one day be considered one of the greats. I was utterly blown away when I saw it, I didn't think such a movie was possible after years of Hollywood slop. I thought that all the talented writers were dead. Warning - spoilers ahead: There IS political messaging in it, but it's subtle and not shoved down your throat. To take one example: Eva Stratt has to make unpleasant decisions, even immoral ones. Like send a man to die against his will, and when he refuses, she has him sedated and sends him anyway. Do you think this was justified? She's not portrayed as a straight out villain, although her actions were certainly villainous. You can understand them, and maybe even justify them. Do extraordinary circumstances mean that we have to change our moral code? It is this kind of ambiguity that I loved about the old Star Trek, and I love about this movie.
What else would you put on this list, and why?
It's a straightforward list of the best 20 movies in the author's opinion. These are:
20. Metropolis (1927)
19. ET (1982)
18. Arrival (2016)
17. Alien (1979)
16. The Thing (1982)
15. Back to the Future (1985)
14. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
13. Total Recall (1990)
12. Dune Part 1 (2021)
11. Jurassic Park (1993)
10. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
9. The Terminator (1984)
8. Interstellar (2014)
7. Inception (2010)
6. Aliens (1986)
5. Blade Runner (1982)
4. The Matrix (1999)
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
1. Blade Runner: 2049 (2017)
I have watched every movie on that list except for The Thing. I think there are some movies that don't belong - Back to the Future was fun, but it wasn't great. And Metropolis hasn't aged as well as the author thinks. And more than a few of those movies have been ruined by their sequels, notably Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Terminator, and Aliens.
I would add two movies: WALL-E and Project: Hail Mary. The genius of WALL-E is that there is hardly any dialog, and the geniuses at Pixar somehow made you care about a trash compacting robot and his cockroach friend. The social commentary was pretty biting, humanity had devolved into a race of fat slobs whose every need was taken care of and all they did was fly around in space wheelchairs eating junk food and watching mindless entertainment.
As for Project: Hail Mary ... mark my words, this movie will one day be considered one of the greats. I was utterly blown away when I saw it, I didn't think such a movie was possible after years of Hollywood slop. I thought that all the talented writers were dead. Warning - spoilers ahead: There IS political messaging in it, but it's subtle and not shoved down your throat. To take one example: Eva Stratt has to make unpleasant decisions, even immoral ones. Like send a man to die against his will, and when he refuses, she has him sedated and sends him anyway. Do you think this was justified? She's not portrayed as a straight out villain, although her actions were certainly villainous. You can understand them, and maybe even justify them. Do extraordinary circumstances mean that we have to change our moral code? It is this kind of ambiguity that I loved about the old Star Trek, and I love about this movie.
What else would you put on this list, and why?
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