# Sugggest me some fantasy and sci-fi movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 2, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952 "2011-02-02T23:32:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/41 "2011-02-03T20:25:57Z")
> [@Lars\_Aruns](#): > > Allow me to expand the target a bit then, to include animation, both for adults and kids (_Coraline_ was really quite good!), and both Western and Japanese. Series are also OK, provided they’re not too long - a friend lent me _Trigun_ and _Outlaw Star_, and I’m having great fun watching them! Especially _Outlaw Star_, I got to run a role playing campaign based on that some time. Try _The Irresponsible Captain Tylor_ – my favourite anime series. It’s a space opera with a sense of humour. Perfect for your mood. ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/42 "2011-02-04T01:04:40Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > By bolding and coloring above. This was pretty funny. Oh. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/43 "2011-02-04T01:05:44Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > _Highlander_ but NOT THE SEQUELS But the TV series was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Kilmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@Kilmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilmore)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/44 "2011-02-04T01:12:28Z")
Hawk the Slayer It has a whip fishing dwarf, a rapid-fire elf, rubber bouncy ball spells, and most importantly, Jack Palance as the evil warlord. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/45 "2011-02-04T01:36:43Z")
I had fun watching both seasons of “Legend of the Seeker.” I’ve heard those who read the books it’s based on were disappointed, but I never read the books and enjoyed the two seasons. Complete with sword fights, wizardry, magic and romance. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/46 "2011-02-04T04:17:06Z")
If animated series’ are okay, I’ll suggest…_Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040_. Which is a remake of an earlier anime series, which is considered a classic, though I haven’t seen the whole thing. Odd title aside, it’s actually more like _Blade Runner_ than anything else (intentionally—they take a lot of inspiration, in story and setting, from Blade Runner). _BGC 2040_ is an old favorite of mine—neat story and setting, and it’s a non-comedy sci-fi anime that _doesn’t_ make me feel like mainlining prozac after the finale. For western animation, I’ll suggest _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ under the “fantasy” category (not the movie, though). It’s just superb, and it’s still being rerun on TV, so you can easily catch an episode to try out. (I mean, yeah, like it’s _hard_ to find a way to watch a video clip nowadays, right? 😉 ) ---
**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:** [February 4, 2011, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/47 "2011-02-04T10:46:46Z")
Not great animation, but I liked both \*Wizards \*and _Fire and Ice_, both Ralph Bakshi, the latter also with Frank Frazetta. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/48 "2011-02-04T13:12:44Z")
The 1980 film _Flash Gordon_ has already been nominated. Also worth a mention are the 1979 animated TV series _Flash Gordon_, and the three matinee serials starring Buster Crabbe: 1936 _Flash Gordon: Space Soldiers_ 1938 _Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars_ 1940 _Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe_. 1974’s _Flesh Gordon_ is cheesy but funny. 1989’s _Flesh Gordon 2: Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders_ has a few good moments, but is mostly bad. On the sword-and-sorcery front there is _Hearts and Armour_, a cheesy, low-budget tale of knights in shining armor. Plus, Tanya Roberts naked! ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/49 "2011-02-04T13:53:05Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Plus, Tanya Roberts naked! I wish every movie description could end with these words. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/50 "2011-02-04T17:18:21Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > The 1980 film _Flash Gordon_ has already been nominated. > > 1974’s _Flesh Gordon_ is cheesy but funny. The original. uncut Flesh Gordon (not available, alas) also had excellent stop motion effects and was better in every sense (except for the soundtrack) than the 1980 version. I’m not sure I’d recommend the version now out - it is quite inferior to the real thing. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/51 "2011-02-04T18:56:47Z")
In spite of the hate it often gets, I’ll suggest _The Golden Child_. Made back when Eddie Murphy was still funny, and I’ve always loved Charles Dance. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/52 "2011-02-04T20:36:19Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Real Genius, mentioned above, is a great movie but not really science fiction or fantasy. IMDb has it listed under comedy, romance, sci fi And it has LASERs! Besides, you have to watch it. It’s a moral imperative. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/53 "2011-02-04T20:50:02Z")
[Highway to Hell](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104418/)-The film was released in 91 but it’s 80s schlock in a good way. It’s got a weird selection of cameos (Amy, Ben, and Jerry Stiller with Anne Meara, Gilbert Gottfried as Hitler and Lita Ford too). The plot is nicely summed here: > [@](#): > > Charlie and Rachel run away from home to get married in Las Vegas. But they get attacked by a zombie who takes Rachel with him to hell, where she will become one of Satan’s brides. The movie is so stupid it makes the way around to being fun. ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/54 "2011-02-04T21:33:53Z")
This time I read your post more carefully. If you want epic adventure, swords and sorcery, be aware that HBO is about to begin showing the first season of “A Game of Thrones,” the epic sword and sorcery novel by George RR Martin. Many people think “A Song of Ice and Fire,” of which this is the first book, is the best fantasy series ever written. Since I haven’t read every fantasy series, I can’t comment on that. What I can tell you is it’s the best I’ve ever read, and I’ve read many of them. ---
**Author:** ![Crackrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Crackrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crackrat)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/55 "2011-02-04T22:03:42Z")
I’ll second Legend of the Seeker. I was a huge fan of the books, and once I got past being pissed off about the changes, I was able to enjoy it as a show, too. ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/56 "2011-02-04T22:50:27Z")
Thanks for the additional suggestions, keep them coming! Going over the list, however, I wonder why it looks like there are so many shlocky, cheesy C-grade movies compared to higher quality ones in science fiction and fantasy. I know that there are just as many mediocre movies in other genres - drama, comedy and whatnot - but there are so many more good ones in those categories, while there are so _few_ really good sci fi and fantasy titles, and I can’t understand why. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/57 "2011-02-04T23:04:05Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > IMDb has it listed under comedy, romance, sci fi > > And it has LASERs! So does your CD player. 😛 > [@](#): > > Besides, you have to watch it. It’s a moral imperative. Now this I agree with. I know it is set in CalTech, but I knew people at MIT just like many of the characters. Plus, just before I showed up some of them convinced the Boston press that they had made snow in our hall shower. ---
**Author:** ![Sin\_Serially](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Sin\_Serially](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sin_Serially)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/58 "2011-02-05T01:50:30Z")
> [@brocks](#): > > After you see it, you will want to somehow obtain the DVDs of Firefly, the TV series it was based on. Sometimes they’re on sale pretty cheap on Amazon. I’d hate to derail, but is there a pattern or something so I can know when to get said DVDs? They were (maybe still) available on Hulu but I sure wouldn’t mind a decent hard copy. Already have Serenity by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Sin\_Serially](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Sin\_Serially](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sin_Serially)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/59 "2011-02-05T01:57:31Z")
> [@brocks](#): > > If you want epic adventure, swords and sorcery, be aware that HBO is about to begin showing the first season of “A Game of Thrones,” the epic sword and sorcery novel by George RR Martin. Many people think “A Song of Ice and Fire,” of which this is the first book, is the best fantasy series ever written. > > Since I haven’t read every fantasy series, I can’t comment on that. What I can tell you is it’s the best I’ve ever read, and I’ve read many of them. Agreed. The beginning of “Game of Thrones” is strangely (for the author) poorly written. Specifically a certain dwarf doing some sort of handspring. Always bugged me. As a series, it’s awesome. It’s also unfinished, and may not be finished. The author is taking his time for sure. So, invest your time in an awesome fantasy series at your own caution. You may be like me, forced to wait forever for the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952/60 "2011-02-05T03:30:39Z")
> [@Lars\_Aruns](#): > > Going over the list, however, I wonder why it looks like there are so many shlocky, cheesy C-grade movies compared to higher quality ones in science fiction and fantasy. I know that there are just as many mediocre movies in other genres - drama, comedy and whatnot - but there are so many more good ones in those categories, while there are so _few_ really good sci fi and fantasy titles, and I can’t understand why. Hmmm…my guess? It’s easier to make a shlocky, c-grade movie in one of those genres, and harder to make a good one? Actually, it might be more basic than that. It is/was easier to make a _profit_ with a shlocky, c-grade movie in one of these genres, so they crowd out the market? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugggest-me-some-fantasy-and-sci-fi-movies/569952.md?page=4)