"Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with the impact of imagined innovations in science or technology, often in a futuristic setting.[It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated laws of nature (though some elements in a story might still be pure imaginative speculation). Exploring the consequences of such differences is the traditional purpose of science fiction, making it a "literature of ideas". Science fiction is largely based on writing rationally about alternative possibilities. The settings for science fiction are often contrary to known reality, but the majority of science fiction relies on a considerable degree of suspension of disbelief provided by potential scientific explanations to various fictional elements."
I like that, "imagined innovations" well put. Working off this definition here are our lists:
Top Ten Sci-Fi Films
Mary's Top Ten
Mysterious Island
MICKEY: List are way too difficult . . . they're almost fun, but basically miserable and frustrating. I can't leave a list on it's own without explanation. First, there's no real order here . . . my most favorite come to my mind first and so may appear at the top of the list, but there's always a few that pop into my head and need to be inserted later, so, there's no real order. Plus, I don't like to overly populate any list with any particular favorite (actor, director, etc) but try to let any specific film represent the category (actor, director, etc0 it belongs to. For instance on this Sci-Fi list, I would like to have included 20 Million Miles To Earth but I already had two Harryhausen films on my list. I also would have included Planet Of The Apes on my list, but we've talked about that and had on lists so recently that i wanted to include something not yet referenced at Taking Pictures.
Now. as to Sci-Fi; I count Sci-Fi to be specifically distinct from fantasy or horror, etc, as it relates to mechanism, to fictional stories based, not on magic or the supernatural, but based on hardware. The Frankenstein films have a definite horror approach and flavor, but the essential concept is so rooted in the mad scientist scenario, and mad scientists are easily rooted in Sci-Fi, that it seems silly not to count Frankenstein as absolutely Sci-Fi. But then some standardly regarded to obviously be Sci-Fi, seem to me to rely so little on hardware and so heavily on aspects of fantasy, horror, even fairy tale, that I'm not too uncomfortable leaving them off the list to make room for more Sci-Fiy Sci-Fi.
I love the Star Wars films, but they play (to me) more like legendary fairy tales than like, say, Star Trek, which is a good bit more hardware and mechanism based. A Clockwork Orange is also a favorite - but again it just seems to play far more like a morality play than a Sci-fi film. The Terminator and Mysterious Island both seem to me more like a fairy tale (The Terminator) and a fantasy (Mysterious Island) to me, but both (however the story plays-out) are so dependent on the hardware, Sci-Fi mechanism basis for their setting and storyline, that they seem to have to be counted as Sci-fi. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is also very much a favorite of mine - but again, it has a Sci-Fi premise (alien lifeforms, etc) but has no hardware at all and plays very much like a horror film . . . as with Alien, it's really a haunted house movie in space - Aliens I would have included on my list (as it seems more Sci-Fi than Alien) if there were one or two more spots. District 9 I liked very much, but it's too new for me to add to an all-time list (yet I included I, Robot).
So, all that fully explains that I play with no real rules, I call them like I see them and like I feel them when I watch them.
MARY: I felt so much the same way, which to include, which to hold off on. It was absolutely frustrating and when I finished I looked at my list and had to rationalize to myself why I included them and how they fit into Sci-fi because so many of them as you said play to other genres. I then further confused myself by looking at several other peoples top Sci-fi movies and felt it hard not to include some. And now after reading your info I'm ready to go back and change most of them, but I won't.
District 9? Really, I can't believe you felt to mention that. I felt like Mom, I could barely even stay awake, and at the end just sat there saying, "seriously, what the heck was that." And not a 'what the heck' in a good way.
This has been our most differing list thus far, I like the shake up.
MICKEY: List are way too difficult . . . they're almost fun, but basically miserable and frustrating. I can't leave a list on it's own without explanation. First, there's no real order here . . . my most favorite come to my mind first and so may appear at the top of the list, but there's always a few that pop into my head and need to be inserted later, so, there's no real order. Plus, I don't like to overly populate any list with any particular favorite (actor, director, etc) but try to let any specific film represent the category (actor, director, etc0 it belongs to. For instance on this Sci-Fi list, I would like to have included 20 Million Miles To Earth but I already had two Harryhausen films on my list. I also would have included Planet Of The Apes on my list, but we've talked about that and had on lists so recently that i wanted to include something not yet referenced at Taking Pictures.
Now. as to Sci-Fi; I count Sci-Fi to be specifically distinct from fantasy or horror, etc, as it relates to mechanism, to fictional stories based, not on magic or the supernatural, but based on hardware. The Frankenstein films have a definite horror approach and flavor, but the essential concept is so rooted in the mad scientist scenario, and mad scientists are easily rooted in Sci-Fi, that it seems silly not to count Frankenstein as absolutely Sci-Fi. But then some standardly regarded to obviously be Sci-Fi, seem to me to rely so little on hardware and so heavily on aspects of fantasy, horror, even fairy tale, that I'm not too uncomfortable leaving them off the list to make room for more Sci-Fiy Sci-Fi.
I love the Star Wars films, but they play (to me) more like legendary fairy tales than like, say, Star Trek, which is a good bit more hardware and mechanism based. A Clockwork Orange is also a favorite - but again it just seems to play far more like a morality play than a Sci-fi film. The Terminator and Mysterious Island both seem to me more like a fairy tale (The Terminator) and a fantasy (Mysterious Island) to me, but both (however the story plays-out) are so dependent on the hardware, Sci-Fi mechanism basis for their setting and storyline, that they seem to have to be counted as Sci-fi. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is also very much a favorite of mine - but again, it has a Sci-Fi premise (alien lifeforms, etc) but has no hardware at all and plays very much like a horror film . . . as with Alien, it's really a haunted house movie in space - Aliens I would have included on my list (as it seems more Sci-Fi than Alien) if there were one or two more spots. District 9 I liked very much, but it's too new for me to add to an all-time list (yet I included I, Robot).
So, all that fully explains that I play with no real rules, I call them like I see them and like I feel them when I watch them.
MARY: I felt so much the same way, which to include, which to hold off on. It was absolutely frustrating and when I finished I looked at my list and had to rationalize to myself why I included them and how they fit into Sci-fi because so many of them as you said play to other genres. I then further confused myself by looking at several other peoples top Sci-fi movies and felt it hard not to include some. And now after reading your info I'm ready to go back and change most of them, but I won't.
District 9? Really, I can't believe you felt to mention that. I felt like Mom, I could barely even stay awake, and at the end just sat there saying, "seriously, what the heck was that." And not a 'what the heck' in a good way.
This has been our most differing list thus far, I like the shake up.
or Gattaca, but the rest of your list I very much agree with. I particularly like that we both have I, Robot on our lists - that's a favorite of mine . . . an old fashioned detective film set on top of a Sci-Fi premise with thought provoking issues introduced (the nature of person-hood and free agency, with one of the protagonists actually named "Dr. Calvin" . . . anyone who knows me and doesn't think I'd be a sucker for this doesn't know). I think I, Robot was a far better film than many around the same time that got far more attention.
