Fifth Films Update: SciFi

It hasn’t been long since my last films post. I picked a few science fiction films for this update.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

I really liked this movie because of the idealism; instead of a paranoid warmongering response, the major encounters were a positive thing. There was the child abduction and the marriage split, but mostly the conflicts seemed very minor. Richard Dreyfuss looked really young, with a side of extra sideburns. I now understand the shape of the mountain at the end of the movie Paul; it’s a reference to the mountain in this movie.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Wow, did this one go on forever! The time-jump at the end was probably marvellous special effects during it’s time (and when the viewer is high), but it went on for way too long. The extra length in many places had little meaning, and that time could have been  better used to link the sections. The Wikipedia article provided more interesting detail, including that this film paved the way for future big-budget science fiction films, while at the same time killing the genre by being too good. At least I now know what the fuss is about.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

This movie also suffered from an overly-long computer graphics section, though it was probably ground-breaking (or at least a novelty) when it was first screened. I liked the plot and really enjoy anything Star Trek, so I’m not as harsh on this film as 2001: A Space Odyssey (above). We then watched and enjoyed Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which had a much faster plot and a shorter computer graphics section; watching this second film also allowed me to get a reference in a recent Audi ad. We’ll probably continue on through the Star Trek movies, as I recall enjoying the later ones, many years ago.

The above three films have replaced a few films on the original list. I cut out Rear Window and North by Northwest for being surplus Hitchcock films, and axed Saving Private Ryan due to an allergic reaction to American patriotism and war movies.

If there are further movies that family, friends or I believe deserves to be on the list, I’ll make the tough replacement decisions on a case-by-case basis.

Hurrah for a few more movies down and a dilemma solved. Only a few more films left to watch!