# Sci-Fi Movie Riddle **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 13, 2007, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-movie-riddle/419025 "2007-09-13T04:15:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2007, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-movie-riddle/419025/1 "2007-09-13T04:15:07Z")
A friend posed this riddle to me, and I can’t find it for all the Google-fu in the world! Ok, here it is: One-Word Title of a sci-fi novel-turned movie (from the 80’s). If the letters of this one-word title are all shifted one letter, alphabetically, you get the name of another movie based on a novel. The shift is like NEAR=PIES. The Vowels are shifted separately. Hope this is easy to understand. Can you figure this out? ---
**Author:** ![Khadro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Khadro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadro)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2007, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-movie-riddle/419025/2 "2007-09-13T05:46:12Z")
1984 = 2010. Yeah, I know it’s not right, but you’ve got to start somewhere. How about Tron = The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension Also, is it an American film, or at least English Language? ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Martin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f475e1/32.png) [@Uncle\_Martin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Martin)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2007, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-movie-riddle/419025/3 "2007-09-13T06:00:28Z")
I tried TRON first and got nothing. I tried DUNE, first forwards, then backwards and got COMA. It wasn’t in the 80’s, but the question as worded doesn’t say the second film needs to be. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2007, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-movie-riddle/419025/4 "2007-09-13T06:17:16Z")
I think **Uncle Martin** got it. ---
**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2007, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-movie-riddle/419025/5 "2007-09-13T15:04:08Z")
Wow. Uncle Martin knocked that one right out of the park! I love the dope. Great job, **UM** ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Martin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f475e1/32.png) [@Uncle\_Martin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Martin)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2007, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-movie-riddle/419025/6 "2007-09-13T16:43:50Z")
Aw, shucks. I really just lucked out picking the right one to start with. It probably helped that the example was 4 letters. ---
**Author:** ![H3Knuckles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@H3Knuckles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/H3Knuckles)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-movie-riddle/419025/7 "2007-09-13T20:48:48Z")
Heh, doesn’t surprise me **Uncle Martin** ’s right. That was the first film that popped in my head upon reading the OP as well. PS. Was Tron based on a novel? Or did people just forget that part? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2007, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-movie-riddle/419025/8 "2007-09-13T20:50:20Z")
TRON was loosely based on Hardy’s “Jude the Obscure.” ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2007, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-movie-riddle/419025/9 "2007-09-13T21:27:45Z")
I first thought of DUNE also and was about to google the obscure czech sci-fi film EYPI, which surely exists. Right? ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2007, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-movie-riddle/419025/10 "2007-09-13T23:07:56Z")
[QUOTE=Leaper] I think **Uncle Martin** got it. [/QUOTE] What did you expect from a Martian ? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2007, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-movie-riddle/419025/11 "2007-09-13T23:10:30Z")
[QUOTE=DrFidelius] TRON was loosely based on Hardy’s “Jude the Obscure.” [/QUOTE] _ **Very** _ loosely. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2007, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-movie-riddle/419025/12 "2007-09-13T23:24:53Z")
[QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried] I first thought of DUNE also and was about to google the obscure czech sci-fi film EYPI, which surely exists. Right? [/QUOTE] Sometimes.