Its that time of the month where I give my Top Ten on ANYTHING!
This month's theme of the month is the new Star Trek movie. After 10 films and a couple of years of absence, the Star Trek franchise comes back with a reboot and prequel treatment. I'm not entirely a Star Trek fan. Though I have seen some of the films and TV episodes. But even for someone who is not a "Trekkie", I'm so looking forward watching this film, based on what everyone have said about it. So on this list, I will be counting down my most favorite space films.
To qualify as an entry, the film has be set in space or in other planets and cannot be set mostly on Earth. So if a film spends %60 on Earth and 40% in space, it does not qualify.
Remember these are listed as most favorite, not the best. It's like my view on Spider-man and Batman. Batman is a better (and probably the best) superhero, but Spider-man is my favorite. In the end, its MY list.
10.
PITCH BLACK
At first I didn't expect much from this movie, but after watching this in the theater, I love the whole concept, setting and even the characters. While the plot is kind of typical horror monster film, it is saved by the characters, element of suspense and even the horror factor. You really feel that no one is safe from the creatures, except for the main male protagonist. I mean he is one cool male protagonist. If you're f*ckin Vin Diesel with night-vision eyes, you're pretty much invincible. And there is nothing more scarier than being alone in the dark in the desert, surrounded by creatures who live in the dark. They really shouldn't have made that "Chronicles of Riddick" movie.
9.VOICES OF A DISTANT STAR
Its really much a short film, but a well-animated, well-directed, well-emotional driven short film. Makoto Shinkai is pretty much named "The next Hayao Miyazaki" and you can pretty much see why. His art design, animation and timing so fit the emotion in all of the sequences and the two characters. And its really a sad film to watch. A little synopsis tells of a young couple separated by a space war and the girl is drafted in to pilot a mecha and fight, while the boy is left behind on Earth. The battleground is light-years away and the only thing they can communicate through is by cell-phone texting, in which their messages takes a real long time to recieve. The fact that Makoto animates the ENTIRE film really amazes me and should be seen by animation lovers.
8.
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN
I will admit I have just seen this somewhat recently, considering I'm not entirely a Star Trek fan. And I can totally see why this is so loved by most. Some parts in the film are timeless and some aren't, but anyone who is not a fan or don't have a knowledge of the franchise can go in and enjoy this movie. Its half of Star Trek and half of a self-contained movie. The only thing you can explore on this movie is from an episode of the original series, "Space Seed". There are some corny stuffs that doesn't ruin the plot and its a film that is both serious and fun.
7.COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE
I know I'm cheating on this, but you should know that the entire film is set on MARS, not Earth. It looks and feels like Earth, but its not. And hell, what can I say about an animated film of my most favorite anime show? Spike is cool, Faye is hot, Ed is weird and Jet is Jet. Also plot is good, badguy is badass, other girl is also hot, music is damn cool and action is awesome. Again space battles with fighter ships set to jazz/bebop music = freakin awesome.
6.TOTAL RECALL
FYI, the most half of the film takes place on Mars. What I liked about this is that it is a hybrid of your typical Schwarzenegger action and a grand sci-fi adventure with a tiny hint of complexity. And I mean tiny. But what do you get from a typical Schwarzenegger film? You get over-the-top asskicking action with cheesy one-liners. And the film's vision of the future was very interesting to look at from the X-ray Screens to the Johnny Cabs. There are many great moments and I could watch this over and over again.
5.
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
Going into this first time, it was slow in the beginning, it REALLY picks up as it goes along. And who could ever doubt Stanley Kubrick? His name really defines art. Looking at space in a whole new different and epic way is as breathtaking as ever. Such magnificant cinematography and composition. Its like watching and listening a full-set orchestra event, protraying something as epic as space. And hell, HAL is creepy as f*ck.
4.
SPACEBALLS
Choosing this over 2001: A Space Odyssey? Hell yeah! As much as I love Kubrick, I f*ckin worship Mel Brooks. And its so hard to choose between this as "History of the World: Part I" as my most favorite Mel Brooks film. But this film is just so f*ckin funny, its among my favorite comedies on my list. The gags and writing are brilliant, witty and totally absurd. Such great performances from Rick Moranis and Mel Brooks and the jokes just never get old. It is a parody of everything sci-fi from Star Wars to Star Trek to Alien.
3.
ALIENS
As much as I love the original Ali
en, this one is just amazingly awesome. Probably I'm more favorable of a fast-paced action than the slow, claustophobic atmosphere. And it is just nice to see a strong powering female protagonist, enabling to take on probably the most vicious and horrific creatures in space. She is developed even more in this film and it's just awesome to see her doing a one-man rescue into the alien colony. And her fight with the Queen in a mecha.... OH YEAH!
2.
STAR WARS EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
I said to myself, "one episode from a franchise", so I picked the most favorite out of the series. And it is so obvious that The Empire Strikes Back is the one. While A New Hope sets up the entire mythology, Empire gives more into the story and goes into darker territories. The space battles, such as the one in Hoth, were so great to look at and the characters were developed more. And there are new and interesting characters introduced when I first saw it, like Yoday and Boba Fett. Darth Vader is still a badass to be feared (if you could ignore the prequels) and his revelation to Luke is still one of most memorable scenes to everyone and even to me.
1.WALL-E
Not only it is my most favorite space/sci-fi film of all time, but it is among my most favorite films in general. There is something epic of how one small robot's love with a female counterpart could affect the entire galaxy and humanity. I'm a grown man and everytime I see Wall-E doing one small action, I just go "AWWWWWW".. He (and everyone already confirmed its a he) is such a geniune and lovable character and the great thing about him is that he can't communicate through structured and clear language, yet you know him entirely just by his movement, quirks and behavior. He's a robot Charlie Chaplin and this film is his City Lights. As much as it is harmless and fun, it does provide such a grim look into the future such as corperation, human health and knowledge and appreciation to humanity and our planet. Though the biggest focus is the chemistry between Wall-E and his girl, EVE and I couldn't think of such lovable couples as those two. You really wish they can never be torned apart. Like the Dark Knight, it transcend from its initial genre and became something more than that. Hey, you can't do no wrong from Pixar.
So thats my Top 10. What's your opinion?
