Science Fiction/Futurist Movie Reviews

Almost everybody has a favorite genre of movie subject matter. If you or someone you know has more than a passing interest in an area of science fiction sometimes labeled futurist, then here are some movie choices you might find enjoyable and useful.

The futurist area of sci-fi is sometimes defined by an urban setting, usually trying or having tried to forge a better society, but coming up short.This description can be better defined as a "dystopia".

While most sci-fi is futuristic, these particular stories describe urban societies and not outer space per say. One movie, particularly, called "Outland" might be considered otherwise.

There are movies you might have seen or heard of, and others not, that you could put on your list but for one reason or another passed on. These are worthwhile movies and offer a unique perspective on the altered society theme of things.They are: 12 Monkeys, Brazil, Trancers, Scanners, Total Recall, and Wild Palms.

The darker, and usually agreed upon favorites include: 1984(w/R.Burton), A Clockwork Orange, Fahrenheit 451, Blade Runner, Dark City, Soylent Green, The Matrix Trilogy, Rollerball(w/J.Caan), Animal Farm(the animated version), Metropolis, and a few others made within the last decade.

There are probably a few that have escaped your list or were'nt known to you at all. These include, The Illustrated Man, Quintet, Zardoz, Tin Man, Logan's Run, The Omega Man(w/C.Heston), Damnation Alley(more of a post disaster film) and Pi.

Horror movies generally depict a kind of speculative reality while movies of late have tried to get closer to real life situations. But as a reminder, dystopias are somewhat more of a collective. Society overall is generally the subject.

Planet of the Apes is amovie that in some ways crosses the barrier between horror & sci-fi. While everybody most likely agrees that the society depicted is'nt a probability and has'nt happened, it can still be considered dystopic.

The second installment in the franchise,Beneath the Planet of the Apes also more than qualifies as do the other 3 movies as they at the very least demonstrate a society transformed.

Finally the movies Fortress, Death Race 2000, THX 1138, The Monitors, and a made-for-tv ABC movie of the week at the time called The Last Child should not be missed if you can find it. It was made in the early 70's and starred Ed Asner and Michael Cole. Dickens Video in Los Angeles might be able to find it for you.

This has been a list functioning as an article of dystopic futurist movies in the sci-fi genre. This list would be incomplete without the mention of the television series The Prisoner. You can actually go to the AMC television network website at AMC.com and watch episodes of this variation on a theme epic series. An all- new mini-series of The Prisoner should be available to watch on AMC in 2009. It stars Sir Ian McKellen & Jim Caviezel.