# Recommend good Sci Fi/Fantasy movies. Challenge: I've seem them all already. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 8, 2009, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459 "2009-12-08T15:51:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/41 "2009-12-12T02:45:56Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > I’m sorry, but as a fan of both of these directors, I have to point that BOTH of these movies are each respective director’s worst. I’d heard that there were people who liked A History of Violence, but until now I hadn’t known any. For people who recommended **Quatermass** : How do you get it in the US? I assume you mean the BCC versions, not the Hammer Film remakes/adaptations, and I’ve never found them in a non-PAL format…and I’ve looked because I’ve long wanted to see them. Got a source I couldn’t ferret out on my own? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/42 "2009-12-12T06:32:51Z")
I enjoyed both [Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0339291/) and [The Spiderwick Chronicles](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416236/) quite a bit more than I had expected. [Monster House](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385880/) was good fun too. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/43 "2009-12-12T12:36:30Z")
Thanks to everyone! Unfortunately, I _have_ seen about 90% of these, even the obscure and weird ones (Brazil, Star Wars). But I did dig through and find a few that I put on my Netflix queue. Of course, that doesn’t mean to stop posting. Please continue! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/44 "2009-12-12T18:25:42Z")
_Night Watch_ &\* Day Watch\* - a pair of Russian fantasy/occult films. Brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/45 "2009-12-13T01:02:44Z")
\*Trancers \* a young Helen Hunt and a great plot [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eg7OPwASvE8/hqdefault.jpg "Trancers trailer (1985)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg7OPwASvE8) _Robot Jox_ is a great fantasty flick. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8Kd642Ix5ks/hqdefault.jpg "Robot Jox Trailer") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kd642Ix5ks) _Robot Wars_ is good, maybe even a bit better than Robot Jox [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/IBAUacDVwJo/hqdefault.jpg "Robot Wars (1993)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBAUacDVwJo) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/46 "2009-12-13T06:50:24Z")
A fascinating but disturbing sci fi movie is “Strange Days” with Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett. If you can stomach graphic sexual violence, it is completely compelling. I liked “Solaris” and hated “2001: A Space Odyssey.” I recall being truly bored by “2001.” We just watched “Eragorn” today, and it wasn’t bad. No big surprises, but it kept us entertained for two hours. If you can get your hands on it, I’d recommend the miniseries of “The Stand” by Stephen King, too. There were a couple of casting mis-steps (Molly Ringwald, I’m looking at you), but overall I really enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/47 "2009-12-13T07:04:43Z")
Naw, Molly’s biggest problem was that she wasn’t as cute as she was five years prior. The biggest miscast in _The Stand_ was the woman who played Nadine Cross. I don’t think I ever saw a worse interpretation of a literary character than that one - she completely missed the point of the character. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/48 "2009-12-13T09:50:54Z")
Goonies Ghostbusters Gremlins Explorers Flight of the Navigator Weird Science Monster Squad Big Trouble In Little China Romancing the Stone National Treasure The Librarian Sneakers King Kong (2005) A Knight’s Tale Dinotopia Ewok Movies: Caravan of Courage/Battle for Endor Spy Kids Nim’s Island Muppet Treasure Island Treasure Planet Atlantis: The Lost Empire Titan AE Anastasia An American Tail ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/49 "2009-12-13T10:35:54Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > “Eragorn” Is that a movie about a ranger-king that changed one letter of its name, or a misspelling of a movie about a dragon who did the same? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/50 "2009-12-13T20:22:31Z")
“Science” and “fiction” but not really “science fiction”, [Sneakers](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105435/) was my first DVD purchase. Oh, and go see _Planet 51_ if you haven’t already. Nice homage to '50s Sci-Fi. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/51 "2009-12-13T20:25:31Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > If you can get your hands on it, I’d recommend the miniseries of “The Stand” by Stephen King, too. There were a couple of casting mis-steps (Molly Ringwald, I’m looking at you), but overall I really enjoyed it. > [@JohnT](#): > > Naw, Molly’s biggest problem was that she wasn’t as cute as she was five years prior. The biggest miscast in _The Stand_ was the woman who played Nadine Cross. I don’t think I ever saw a worse interpretation of a literary character than that one - she completely missed the point of the character. I remember seeing this series when it first came out, and was really missing it about this time last year. Nobody had it for rent, so I ended up buying a copy on Amazon. Boy, it didn’t age well. The first half was as good as always, but it really fell down in the second half. It was so dumb that I had to force myself to watch all of it, and I promptly sold it on Amazon Marketplace when I was done. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/52 "2009-12-13T20:59:40Z")
> [@](#): > > For people who recommended Quatermass: > How do you get it in the US? I assume you mean the BCC versions, not the Hammer Film remakes/adaptations, and I’ve never found them in a non-PAL format…and I’ve looked because I’ve long wanted to see them. Got a source I couldn’t ferret out on my own? Actually, I mean both. You can’t really get he first Quatermass serial – the whole thing doesn’t exist, so you have to get the film version (which has a very different ending) There werepeople who would supply you with the BBC serial versions – I’ve got Quatermass and the Pit. I thought you could get it on DVD as well, and recall seeing it on the internet, but I can’t find it now. there was a remake of the original serial in 2005, but I’ve never seen that, or seen it availoable. ---
**Author:** ![Anduinel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Anduinel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anduinel)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/53 "2009-12-13T21:03:49Z")
[Gormenghast.](http://www.amazon.com/Gormenghast-Celia-Imrie/dp/B000GIXLXE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1260738174&sr=1-1) Christopher Lee. Stephen Fry. John Rhys Meyers. Totally worth a watch. ---
**Author:** ![pmwgreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@pmwgreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmwgreen)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/54 "2009-12-13T23:35:43Z")
You might consider exploring Japanese sci-fi. Something by Miyazaki or … [Avalon (2001)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267287/) ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/55 "2009-12-14T00:38:04Z")
Some campy recommendations: [Virtuosity](http://www.amazon.com/Virtuosity-Denzel-Washington/dp/B00000ILBO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1260750976&sr=8-1) [Mario Brothers](http://www.amazon.com/Super-Mario-Bros-Bob-Hoskins/dp/B00008979N/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1260751006&sr=1-1) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/56 "2009-12-14T04:02:45Z")
Damn! I completely forgot: **The Hidden** ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/57 "2009-12-14T06:24:52Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Naw, Molly’s biggest problem was that she wasn’t as cute as she was five years prior. The biggest miscast in _The Stand_ was the woman who played Nadine Cross. I don’t think I ever saw a worse interpretation of a literary character than that one - she completely missed the point of the character. Oh yeah - I think I’d blocked out all memory of Laura San Giacomo as Nadine Cross out of my head. 🙂 It’s a shame that they got those two main characters so wrong, when they did such a stellar job of casting pretty much everyone else. **BigT** - I knew I should have looked up that name before I posted. Eragon, that’s it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/58 "2009-12-16T05:31:31Z")
campy: Latitude Zero Indy: Able Edwards ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/59 "2009-12-16T09:17:12Z")
Do they have to be good? [Acción Mutante](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106215/) is one of those movies so bad it’s good. It’s a pity Spain and France have no tradition of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” parties, because the writers for this one were that crazy. Alex de la Iglesia’s first work had a budget along the lines of “bring your own makeup;” after this one and [El día de la Bestia](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112922/) (horror) he’s been behaving himself. AM is his craziest by a couple Arkham Asylum’s worth (looking at Guerricaechevarria’s own list of credits, I think it’s probably G. who should get credited for the amounts of crazy on display, but that lastname is a handicap). ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459/60 "2009-12-16T10:57:35Z")
I came across this selection of old SF movies on DVD form Warner Brothers, unfortunately they are not remastered but still interesting if you enjoyed old SF films like **Genesis 2** with John Saxon, **Earth 2** from (1971), and **Countdown**. [http://www.wbshop.com/Countdown/1000095478,default,pd.html?cgid=](http://www.wbshop.com/Countdown/1000095478,default,pd.html?cgid=) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-challenge-ive-seem-them-all-already/520459.md?page=4)