For the wife, I recommend Her about a man who falls in love with his operating system. Love and romance, no spaceships or out-there technology, and an interesting “what if” (and way more believable than it sounds from the synopsis).
I know this is a legitimate and interesting theoretical question, but if you are serious about trying to “convert” her, I would ask yourself this question: Would I want her to sit me down and watch her collection of romantic comedies or Fred Astaire musicals or some other genre that you don’t care for? It’s like when someone says, “I know you don’t like liver and onions, but you haven’t tried my liver and onions! So that’s what’s for dinner tonight.” Just let her not like Sci-Fi. Lots of people don’t like Sci-Fi. Nothing wrong with that.
“‘Star Wars’ doesn’t pass - it’s just a war movie set in space,” said no one who ever actually watched Star Wars.
It’s a fantasy movie set in space, brah.
You’re right - there IS nothing wrong with that. A closer analogy, though, is “I know you don’t like French cuisine, but all you’ve tried is KFC French fries. They’re poorly prepared and they’re not even French. Before categorically dismissing the French cuisine, let me offer a sample some of the best, authentic dishes. Here, try the gigot d’agneau pleureur.”
For the record, I like liver and onions, and even (if the planets align) the occasional rom-com.
LOL - I stand corrected.
How about Robot and Frank?
12 Monkeys for thinkers open to Terry Gilliam surrealism.
Freejack if they like car chases and Mick Jagger.
P.S. Starship Troopers is the war movie set in space.
Freejack is an atrocious movie based on a pretty decent SF novel by Robert Sheckley – Immortality Inc. (AKA Immortality Delivered). As I’ve remarked before, Sheckley is probably one of the most ripped-off SF writers ever, but popular for his short stories with sardonic humor. Both Douglas Adams and Futurama acknowledge him as an inspiration.
And Brazil, but you might need to set them up with 1984 first.
This is a slight aside for people who know who Sybil Danning was. In the IMDB entry for this film, a trivia item notes :
Also - would The Fifth Element meet criteria?
BSG already mentioned, but in my opinion, should actually be BSG: Blood and Chrome for a stand alone Galactica experience.
Declan
For the wife, if romantic stuff is her thing, I recommend The Adjustment Bureau. Some might say more fantasy than SF, but who cares. Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, should suck her in.
Any of Tarkovsky’s:
Solyaris
Stalker
The Sacrifice
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Regarding Sybil Danning’s costume – you should know that two different “cuts” of the film exist. In one (obviously intended for TV) she has a skimpy costume. In the other, an even skimpier one. I’m sure your trivia site refers to the latter.
Fans of the film recall Danning’s line “I’ll show you how a Valkyrie goes down!”
Interesting things about Battle Beyond the Stars – Robert Vaughn essentially reprises the role he had played in The Magnificent Seven, the immediate inspiration for the film. The planet’s name, Akir, pays homage to director/writer Akira Kurasawa, whose Seven Samurai is the ultimate source for it.
Robert Vaughn was also in a Magnificent Seven TV series from 1998 as a judge.
Wild Wild West? One of the worst movies ever made?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a romantic sci-fi.
The Original Invasion of the Body Snatchers or The Day the Earth Stood Still
You could watch episodes of Black Mirror. (use of ‘future’ tech)
If you feel you must have something modern I’m sure they’ll enjoy MiB.
You could have them watch episodes of The Twilight Zone, or Star Trek.
I’m going to second Brazil – I don’t think it needs a setup.
1984 would be a good choice on its own.
I know twelve monkeys have been suggested, but how about La Jetée? To be honest I liked it a lot more than twelve monkeys, but maybe I’m in the minority on that one.
For a straight up action sci-fi movie without aliens or (non-human)monsters, I think Dredd was fairly good.
I’m not sure people who dislike sci-fi would like Tarkovsky, unless they’re movie-buffs in general. Don’t get me wrong, I love his movies, but most people I’ve introduced his movies to have either gotten bored or just fallen asleep. His movies requires quite a bit of patience to get through. Blade Runner on the other hand would be a good choice. Not only is it a great movie, but many of the actors are well known to most.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior?
It’s not exactly sci-fi, but I found Stranger Than Fiction to have a similar feel to soft sci-fi movies.
Dark City.