Rab’s World

Top Sci-Fi/Science Fiction of Bakari

Also can be read on ePinions.com

The Bottom Line: Watch Sci-Fi that requires you to put on a ‘thinking cap’. Keep an open mind that the Universe is vast..so anything is probable!

1. The Matrix - If I had to chose a number one ..Then this would be IT! Perfect combination of action, post -apocalyptic, human (Earth future). The warnings of technology. A little bit of spirituality. Very good acting. No corny Hollywood lines. Very believable! No extra-terrestrials but ingenious use of artificial intelligence. Way better than the AI called ‘SkyNet’ in the ‘Terminator’ joints. Very creative to use beings ‘bio-chemical reactions’ for energy to keep it going. Excellent post-apocalyptic future. Very good acting. One of the best ’super hero’ figures to come off believable in a sci-fi flick. No time travel involved. (I like a good time-travel story!) The sequels headed into a plot involving time-loops and casualty-effect scenarios. No corny romances to spoil a good film here. (Remember; we are looking at this film as a stand-alone; not part of a trilogy). I had to break out the ‘thinker’s cap’ a couple of times on this joint just to keep up. I like that in a film! The action fit right into the plot! The ’super-human’ moves had an acceptable explanation (all in the mind) for wanna be scientists like me! The sequels were peppered with Hollywood ‘kiddie -crap’. Thus shaking the notion that the Matrix was /is the ultimate Sci-Fi flick! I hate when Hollywood spoils a good story with a sequel (’Nightmare on Elm Street‘)

2. Contact - Breath-taking intro into Astrophysics and the biggest question on the minds of every human…’Is there intelligent life out there?’ Or better yet, Has Allah blessed only US with intelligent life or could there possibly be millions of other civilizations looking up and wondering the same exact thing! Make ya think about the vastness of the universe known to us and the incredible, unquestionable power of a Supreme Creator keeping all of this in order! I like the film because it is more science-FACT than fiction making it highly believable. Real references to SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence). Jodie Foster played the role to the tee! Some weak moments in the film. Story seems to drag! Wack scripting with this ’science vs. religion’. There is no battle as far as I am concerned. Just more proof to shore-up faith that we need to recognize something way higher than us..and I am not talking about stars! Zemeckis was kinda slick inserting former US President Bill Clinton and real TV personalities in. (CNN. Geraldo etc.) Obviously, if we had received and deciphered a message from outer space; This would be BIG news. I mean BIIIG!

3.The 12 Monkeys - Futuristic. The best time-loop I have ever witnessed in a film. Tightly woven seamless story. Perfect ending! Future affects past, present changes future. Superb acting by Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis. Believable that a virus can be spread like that! Not a bad ‘time-travel film’ Good story. You had to put on your propeller cap to figure this one out! Hard to predict moves in the film.

4. The Terminator- Brilliant chase scenes. No corny dialogue. Creative ‘flashbacks’ to the future to give us a glimpse of why that robot was really in 1984. Special effects with human skin coming off throughout the film until the climatic end. Clever use of AI (Artificial Intelligence).

5. T2 (Terminator 2 - Judgement Day) - Over-done Hollywood glitz and effects but nice continuity in reference of the first film. The savior terminator was little ‘too human’ for me. But I loved it because I had to think to follow the time references.

6. Gattaca - Best Sci-Fi on genetics that I ever seen. ‘The Fly‘ and ‘Hollow Man‘ have nothing..I mean nothing on this story! Very believable. A great ‘thinking film also! Good actors Ethan Hawke (lead).

A future very stylishly played out in this film. Not mention, space travel interwoven in the plot! Oh. No reference to an post-apocalyptic future!

7. Starship Troopers - Excellent ‘comic-book’ style film. ‘X-Men‘ could not even come close. Extraordinary set designs. Giant bugs, as the enemy was great but not believable. A wild ride! Effects?? Yo! You can’t front on the animations!! Characters were fun to keep up with. Inventive use of slipping media ‘war reports’ in! Futuristic! But no time travel. Silly romance but refreshing!

The flick had that ‘Back to the Future’ feel! But this one was way to ‘gory for the ‘whitebread’ holiday -crap viewers! Wicked flick!

8. The Abyss - I love intelligent, alien lifeforms! Believable! Why? The oceans make up 70 % of the Earth. It has not been properly explored. No corny lines. All in the name of science. Suspense! Good story. Plus.. No corny sequel to spoil the original story (as far as films) remember.. All of this has been touched in comic books already. Which makes it better to see it on film.

9. Alien - Original and Classic for the time it was released (1979). Brilliant acting! A whole lot of suspense (key aspect in Horror). The best part of all….alien life from another world! But no spaceship of their own. No plans to conquer the earth. Just raw nature trying to procreate, feed and defend itself! Very original alien also. Spawned many copycats! Good story. Futuristic!

10. Aliens - Even better than the first joint! Action. But made you think about how humans would handle such a situation on another world or on a spaceship. The idea of a Queen mother was an ingenious idea to insert in. Futuristic! Excellent designs of spacecraft. Believable military forces!

Of course, that suspense (a la James Cameron) kept me up!

Honorable mentions: BRAZIL; INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956); PLANET OF THE APES (1968); THE THING (1982) & THE CUBE