January 6, 2011
NASA Picks Best & Worst Sci-Fi Movies. What Are Yours?
Scientists attending a recent meeting at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory picked their top seven worst and best science fiction movies of all time. Their lists (clips can be seen here):
Scientists named 2012 the worst sci-fi movie of all time (via wikimedia commons)
The Worst:
1) 2012 (2009): Neutrinos from a solar flare heat up the Earth’s core, setting off the end of life as we know it. The plot conveniently ignores the fact that neutrinos pass straight through matter—even us—without doing much of anything.
2) The Core (2003): The Earth’s core has stopped rotating and scientists have to drill into it to start it back up. The moviemakers go nuts with basic geology, ending up with something the New York Times called “monumentally dumb.”
3) Armageddon (1998): A team of drillers is sent to an asteroid on its way to strike Earth to split it into two parts they say will fly safely past the planet, completely ignoring Newton’s First Law of Motion (“an object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force”), which says that all they did was make two asteroids that would hit the Earth.
4) Volcano (1997): Los Angeles is destroyed by a volcano that springs up in the city. Bad science mingling with cheesy dialogue and effects.
5) Chain Reaction (1996): Keanu Reeves. Bubble fusion. A government plot to prevent the spread of the technology. The perfect recipe for bad.
6) The 6th Day (2000): Arnold Schwarzenegger is cloned. Because one of him just wasn’t enough?
7) What the #$*! Do We Know? (2004): Read the synopsis on Wikipedia. It’ll make your head hurt.
And the Best:
1) Gattaca (1997)
2) Contact (1997)
3) Metropolis (1927)
4) The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
5) Woman in the Moon (1929)
6) The Thing From Another World (1951)
7) Jurassic Park (1993)
After looking at the lists, I think we can conclude that the last couple of decades has been both good and bad when it comes to sci-fi in the movies. Special effects can make our imagination come to life on the screen, as in “Jurassic Park,” but it’s no substitute for good storytelling, which is what the worst of the worst all seem to lack. It wasn’t that the science itself was bad—that can be ignored if there’s a payoff—but there wasn’t anything good to balance it out.
As for what the lists may be missing, I’d add to the “worst” list “The Day After Tomorrow,” the 2005 version of “The War of the Worlds” and “Jurassic Park 3,” the only dinosaur movie that made me wish the dinosaurs would eat the people and stop annoying me. As for the “best” list, there are plenty they missed, particularly in the modern era, but I particularly liked “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “WALL-E.”
What are on your lists of best and worst sci-fi films?
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The Best:
Blade Runner (1982)
In essence a modern retelling of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and a moral tale on the sanctity of life and the perils of tinkering with it. Stylistically and visually it set the tone for sci fi movies for the next 25 years.
runners up:
Moon (2009)- a mind-bender starring Sam Rockwell.
Alien (1979)- never been topped.
Primer (2004)- probably the only really good time travel movie ever made – and all on a budget of only $7,000.
The Worst:
Total Recall (1990)
There is air on Mars! Stop saying there isn’t!
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Alien visits from a distant civilization that has given up all decisions and freedom to their robot overlords and espouses the superiority of his way.
Um, hello? Skynet anyone????
Worst: Battlefield Earth.
I haven’t seen the whole thing, but it takes only a few clips to win this film a place on the list. Knowing that it was based on a book by Scientology guru L. Ron Hubbard makes it all the easier to despise.
The Bad:
I completely agree, Jurassic Park 3 was terrible. A cell phone goes through a dinosaur’s digestive system and works when it comes out the other end. I’m fine with suspension of disbelief, especially while watching a dinosaur movie, but some things are just too stupid.
It’s always bothered me in Superman how reversing the Earth’s rotation could turn back time. Actually, the whole science of Superman (and superheroes) is pretty frustrating.
There’s a painful movie version of Ray Bradbury’s A Sound of Thunder. The movie manages to completely misrepresent evolution, breaks its own established rules of time travel and totally wastes the talents of Ben Kingsley.
The Good:
I agree with Erik, Primer was brilliant. It’s a time travel movie that refuses to talk down to its audience and stars some really believable characters.
I’m sure there are other good examples but honestly I seem to only remember the bad ones.
One of the funniest lines ever in a sci fi movie;
From “Forbidden Planet (1956) –
“In the final decade of the 21st century, man finally landed rockets on the moon…”
Two Fritz Lang films made the “best of” list, so I am a happy camper. Have been a huge Metropolis fan since middle school. I’ve yet to see The Woman in the Moon in full—have only seen the scene that depicts the rocket firing off in stages, and it’s amazing that this visual was conjured up in 1929, decades before this was a scientific reality.
Bad movies that I haven’t mentally blocked: Starship Troopers, Robot Monster and Santa Claus vs. The Martians. Although Robot Monster is interesting to watch for its depiction of artificial life trying to cope with moral questions. Pity the film’s idea of a robot is a gorilla in a diving helmet.
Starship Troopers doesn’t work as sci-fi, but its campiness makes it a pretty good comedy.
I’ve enjoyed many science fiction films in my life. The one that blew my mind the first time I watched it was Matrix.
One Sci-Fi movie that I have never seen but have no desire to see is Soylent Green (1973). The only reason I know about the movie is that my husband will occasionally ask a waiter if “soylent green” is on the menu!:)
The best sci-fi movie and perhaps the best movie ever made is “They Live” (1988). Starring Roddy Piper the wrestling guy. It is about a world of declining economy and a culture of greed and consumptionism. The ruling elite send subliminal messages to control you and are aliens. I am pretty sure this is a microcosim of our real life. Unfortunately, I do not have any of those special sunglasses.
Among the best: Idiocracy – It’s more of an economics movie
than strictly sci-fi, but it sticks with me. Its dire predictions
for the failing of humanity as we all dumb down due to uneducated
people out-procreating literate ones just keeps coming up
(especially given opinions of many in congress). And some of its
tropes of corporations taking over the world seem
not-so-speculative.
We have to tip the hat to the Star Trek movies at some point. There have been enough physicists consulting on ST (at least, the later ones) that they get enough of the science right to be interesting.
On the other hand, if you have not heard a song by Voltaire called “The USS Make $#it up”, making fun of Star Trek science, look it up!
[...] few months back I read an article about people at NASA listing their favorite science fiction movies. Surprisingly, there were a few that I hadn’t seen. To Netflix! I just [...]
Nice list-
I have a more historical persepctive-
1) Frankenstein (1931)
2) The Invisible Man (1933)
3) Monkey Business (1952)
4) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
5) 4D Man (1959)
6) Village of the Damned (1960)
7) Late for Dinner (1991)
8) Unforgettable (1996)
9) Primer (2004)
10) District 9 (2009)
These are always on my own ‘faves’ list.
[...] In The Moon (1929) was the third movie on NASA’s best sci-fi movie list that I hadn’t seen. The other two were Metropolis (1927 ) and The Thing from Another World [...]
you all forget the roidshiner of all time. . . .
of course:
~L A S E R B L A S T ~
Hm…good movies. I was under the impression that “Blade Runner” nearly always topped lists of sf fan favorites. It’s wonderfully deep and dark. Anyone remember “Batteries Not Included?” Cute movie with von Neumann probes. I like sf that takes an idea (a change in tech, the implications of a theory, etc) and speculates how people would deal with it.
And “The Matrix” ought to be on the list of the worst. Not because it’s bad overall, but because the mythos is so fundamentally stupid. The “machines” are using humans as batteries. Please. Because humans “scorched” the sky. Please.
Speaking of stupid: Autobots. Deceptacons. Somebody shoot me.
I disagree with the statement, “It wasn’t that the science itself was bad—that can be ignored if there’s a payoff—but there wasn’t anything good to balance it out.” In my opinion, if the science is bad enough the movie becomes a fantasy, not science fiction. It doesn’t matter how good the story telling was, at least as far as whether it’s a good sf movie or not. Good sf needs a good story, good story telling, and science that doesn’t break the first law of thermodynamics, among other basic laws.
My top 5 SF films, so far, would be (in alphabetical order, not rank):
A Boy and His Dog
Blade Runner
Dark City
Primer
Silent Running
I’m dumbfounded that anyone could place the classic THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL on a worst list. Any true sci-fi film fan has it in their top ten of all time. Get real!
Equally egregious are the comments about THEY LIVE. Calling it perhaps the best movie ever made is simple-minded. Fun for a view or two, yes. Best sci-fi movie ever made, hardly.
My Top Ten:
1. Forbidden Planet (1956)
2. The War of the Worlds (1953)
3. Star Wars (1977)
4. The Time Machine (1960)
5. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
6. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
7. This Island Earth (1955)
8. Terminator II (1991)
9. Invaders from Mars (1953)
10.Aliens (1986)
My Bottom Ten:
1. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
2. Plan Nine from Outer Space (1958)
3. Fire Maidens from Outer Space (1956)
4. Star Crash (1979)
5. Dune (1984)
6. Robot Monster (1953)
7. Creation of the Humanoids (1962)
8. King Dinosaur (1955)
9. The Creeping Terror (1964)
10.Mesa of Lost Women (1953)
The Best:
2001: A Space Odyssey
Primer
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Solaris
Alien
Jurassic Park
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Robot Stories
The Minority Report
Gattaca
Dark City
Moon
The Worst:
2012
The Core
Supernova
The Day After Tomorrow
What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?
Volcano
Independence Day
Armageddon
(Any movie in which the hero outruns an earthquake or a volcanic eruption or light)
The Best: 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY
Made before we even landed on the moon.
As realistic as any movie before or after.
No “Worst of Sci-fi” list would be complete without the miserable and laughable The Lost World: Jurassic Park. My friends and I had a game at the time to name the most stupid plot element from this movie. The choices are almost endless. My personal favorite is the scene where the characters save the baby T-Rex and gently give it back to momma, or is it when the tiny product-placement Mercedes SUV pulls the huge motorhome back up the cliff with spinning tires in the mud, or perhaps when the bad ol’ monsters are located on the ship after eating the crew and then miraculously manage to lock themselves back into the hold of the ship for a post-dinner snooze. What a mess. Is there a rating lower than one star that can be reserved for “Lost World” and its only equal, “Snow White and the Three Stooges?” At least that last one was supposed to be a comedy.
Well, the worst shame ever is on Walt Disney’s “The Black Hole”. Even worse than “The Core”. Probably everybody decided to completely erase it from memory. A disgrace.
Top
1. 2001 A Space Odyssey
2. Star Wars (Pure fun)
3. The Matrix
4. Inception
5. Alien
6. Terminator
7. Predator
8. Minority Report
9. The 13th Floor
10. Forbidden Planet
The 27th Day was tops. The concept was excellent. The acting was above par for a sci-fi film. Gene Barry was good as the lead.
I don’t normally, comment on comments, but…STAR WARS IS NOT SCIENCE FICTION. IT’S A FANTASY A LA LORD OF THE RINGS. And, yes, you’ve touched a nerve :)
BEST:
The war of the worlds (1953)
2001 A space odissey
Blade Runner
Alien
Moon
District 9
WORST:
Starship Troopers
I know a lot are missing in both lists, but those arised in my memory immediately. I realized that “Close encounters of the 3d kind” that so much excitement created at the time I’ll not include in any lists. And “Stars Wars” (impossible not to love it) I think shouldn’t be considered “Sci-Fi” but “Fantasy” and I still do not understand why the 2 genres are mixed so often (as on Netflix).
Attack of the killer tomatoes!
Armageddon (1998) had a budget of US$140,000,000 and in its opening weekend it grossed $36,089,972.[1] Throughout its release, it grossed $201,578,182 in the United States and Canada and $352,131,606 in foreign markets for a total of $553,709,788 worldwide.
The film was nominated for four Oscars at the 1998 Academy Awards: ‘Best Sound’, ‘Best Visual Effects’, ‘Best Sound Effects Editing’, and ‘Best Original Song (I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing performed by Aerosmith)’. The film received the Saturn Awards for Best Direction and Best Science Fiction Film (where it tied with Dark City).
……………….
The Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 American science-fiction disaster film that depicts the catastrophic effects of global warming in a series of extreme weather events that usher in global cooling which leads to a new ice age. The film did well at the box office, grossing $542,771,772 internationally. Domestically, it is the sixth highest grossing movie not to be #1 in the US box office (behind My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Alvin and the Chipmunks and its sequel, Sherlock Holmes, and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs), but worldwide, it is third behind only Ice Age 3 and Casino Royale. The movie was filmed in Montreal, and is the highest grossing Hollywood film in history to be filmed in Canada (if adjusted for inflation).
The Day After Tomorrow premiered in Mexico City on May 17, 2004 and was released worldwide from May 26 to May 28 except in South Korea and Japan, where it was released June 4 and June 5, respectively. The film was originally planned for release in summer 2003. The film made $110,000,000 in global DVD sales, bringing its total film gross to $654,771,772.
While NASA may have placed Armageddon on a worst list, and this blog would like to add “The Day After Tomorrow” to the list of worst, just remember, there disaster films.
Not necessarily scientifically possible, but these two movies were both major hits, and very good films.
It’s hard to argue with Theater Gross, and DVD Sales.
Independence Day (Film)
combined domestic and international box office gross is $816,969,268, which at one point was the second-highest worldwide gross of all-time. It holds the 31st highest worldwide gross of a movie all-time, and was at the forefront of the large-scale disaster film and science fiction resurgences of the mid-to-late-1990s. It also won the Academy Award for Visual Effects.
Another Great film
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armageddon_%281998_film%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_After_Tomorrow
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_%28film%29
@Norm
it is called advertisement and it is why so many people watched these movies. hasn’t anything to do with how good was the movie. sometimes good movies do well @ box office. others not…
TOP
Star wars
.
.
.
.
.
.
other
Best:
2001
Solaris (the 1972 Russian version)
District 9
Andromeda Strain
Worst:
Solaris (2002)
War of the Worlds (2005)
Then there needs to be a separate category for the campy “B” movies that are so bad they’re great.
my best list, 1) the Rocky Horror Picture Show, 2) Little Shop of Horrors, 3) Harry Potter, 4) Twilight 5) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie), ^) The matrix
My worst list, 1) attack of the Killer Tomatoes, 2) the jabberwock, 4) Birds of war
Best:
The Matrix
Empire Strikes Back
Fifth Element
Dark City
Worst:
Both Matrix Sequels (tie)
All three Star Wars prequels (tie)
Anything with Bruce Willis that isn’t Fifth Element, esp. Armageddon
I may be missing something, but why does the nuclear explosion in Armageddon not count as an external force? It wasn’t that they were drilling to cut the asteroid in half, they were drilling to explode it with the biggest man-made external force we know of.
I’m not saying it was a good film. Or that it was good science. Or that the first law of motion would mean that what happened would have happened. But to deride a film for ignoring the first law of motion on the basis that there was no external force, takes a very odd non-scientific approach to the concept of external force (“it wasn’t external, the nuke exploded inside the asteroid, so it’s an internal force!”)
I am skeptical about the claim that NASA prepared this list.
Primarily because of the comments made about “Armageddon” …
An explosive charge in the center of an asteroid , splitting it in two, will actually add an unbalanced force perpendicular to the axis of the split .
sooo basically Newton’s law was actually followed in the movie. The person writting this article has a very limited understanding of physics …
the problem with Armageddon, is the fact that they controlled the line axis of the split with only 1 charge ! In reality with 1 charge it would be almost impossible to induce a perfect split on the correct axis required !
It should have blown the asteroid into a million bits small enough to burn up in the earth’s atmosphere ..
but, Newton’s 1st law was actually perfectly followed !
I think the reason why Armageddon is on the bad list for NASA people is because it is… so very totally wrong about the science it is painful to watch. This is true for me, and my only qualification is that I lived in NM for 10 years.
I’m stunned that NO ONE has mentioned EVOLUTION as a bad movie. IT was supposed to be funny– but the science was SO bad that that it was just painful. There were some scenes they could have made funny– but they missed them! It is a shame that David Duchovny had to bow that low to get some air time. Save yourself and don’t watch it. IT really is that bad.
Oh, and while it’s not a science-fiction or science-fantasy movie, the worst movie of all time is Zandalee. It was so bad that a group dedicated to watching bad movies had to turn it off due to boredom/disgust. I’d much rather watch anything that Edward D. Wood, Jr. ever made.
AFAIK, good movies are a matter of taste. Bad movies are more universal.