Part I of a II part article

In this two part article, I look at ten science fiction and fantasy films that inspired me when I was a younger.  These films created my passion for science fiction and film as a whole, yet ten films isn't enough to tell you my thoughts on the genre.  I don't scratch the surface of science fiction but I look back to some of my earliest memories of these SF greats.

For Part II, CLICK HERE!

There is all different kinds of genres for all different kinds of people and each of us have our different niches that we cling to when watching television or film but there isn't anything more entertaining than the fantastical worlds of science fiction and fantasy. My love for television and film is based around the love of some early science fiction films from the 70s and 80s, mainly the 80s. As a young kid, these types of films created such a passion that 26 years later I'm running a website based on the genre of science fiction although I discuss several different genres including action, drama, and some comedy. Those of you who've stuck with me for the past year very well know about my love for the genre but what films created this passion? Here in this article I'm going to talk about several films from my early childhood that made me such a wide eye fan of escapism and the remarkable visions of their creators, whether it's epic or just a little small time adventure story.

The last several years has seen a major lack in original material, as you well know, but this article isn't going to be about remakes. The lack of original material, be it from book adaptions or whatever, is unfortunate but at least those of us who appreciate films that don't rely on past attempts or blockbuster explosions can always look back to what is now considered classics. Some can call them "film classics" or "cult classics", but when it comes down to it both are revolutionary in ways only you can understand. What makes them special to you? That is generally what film is about, its subjective nature for the viewer. It doesn't matter what the critical view is because even if the critical view says the film you love is garbage, your still entitled to love that film for whatever reason you have. In today's cinema we have big scifi action films like "Transformers", comic book movies like "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man", big fantasy epics like the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, but none of those make the impact the films of the 70s and 80s made on me, even if they're great and fantastic films. Today's movies are suficated with CGI based around stories that are usually hollow. It doesn't mean they're not good, it just means that there is less love put into making a movie. Whatever happened to beautifully crafted set design, or practical action and all of those things? It's becoming a lost art. Now everything is put in front of a blue or green screen. You know the saying - They don't make them like they use to. That what this article is about - the classics, but also the movies that opened my mind and eyes to worlds that are vast and different, that's why the eye from "Blade Runner" is always used when I make a personal post. It represents the way I look at science fiction and the way I'd like to look at the world.

As a side note, before I begin I should make it known now instead of writing it in every section, the scores that go with each film are fantastic and I love them.

Blade Runner - 1982

You can't be a full fledged SF fan until you see "Blade Runner", at least in my opinion. Directed by Ridley Scott and loosely based on the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", "Blade Runner" is the story about a Blade Runner named Rick Deckard, a cop that specializes on "retiring" (killing) Replicants - genetically manufactured beings that are indistinguishable from humans. Replicants are used for dangerous work on outer Earth colonies in space but are illegal on our planet, and if Replicants are found on Earth, that's when the Blade Runner is put to work. In this film, four Replicants come to a captivating vision of a future Los Angeles where they meet a retired Blade Runner who sets out to "retire" them, but this Blade Runner may not exactly be what he appears..... depending on which of the seven versions of the film you've seen. In this case, it's the final cut. "Blade Runner" stars Harrison Ford as Deckard with Rutger Hauer playing the memorable villain and lead Replicant Roy Batty. Also starring is, Edward James Olmos as Gaff, Daryl Hannah as Pris, Sean Young as Rachael and Brion James as Leon.

As a young kid, you can't help but be bored and confused while watching this film, however, when your obsessed with visual science fiction like I was and am, you won't be able to take your eyes off of Ridley Scott's vision of a dystopian future. As you get older, you can begin understanding and appreciating the story a lot more which was the case for myself. When it comes to a dystopia or a wild, rugged vision of the future "Blade Runner" has been the template for many films. With a lot of science fiction, the stereotype is that these films aren't "cool" or "mainstream" which honestly doesn't mean anything anymore because the entire summer blockbuster season is made up with scifi or fantasy films whether people realize it or not, but if there is one film that you can introduce to someone who doesn't watch science fiction, it's "Blade Runner". It's dark, gritty, visually revolutionary, and will probably make the person you give it to feel stupid because they, more than likely, wouldn't get it.

Would it surprise you to know that almost everything in "Blade Runner" was shot practically? That's right, it wasn't made up by CGI and made to look cartoony. It was all real. This is one of those films that was worked on with hammer and nails. Everything you see was built, be it miniatures or Harrison Ford's apartment.

"Blade Runner" was released the year I was born; 1982. For that alone, it holds a special meaning to me but it's also one of the first films I can remember seeing which makes it even more special.

Excalibur - 1981

Everyone grows up learning the legends of King Arthur and his Knights. So many films, mini series, and television programs have been based around this legend or tried to retell the story of Arthur and Camelot but no film or television show did it better than "Excalibur". In this version of this legend, Excalibur shows the beginning and end of "the once and future king". Merlin, the mythical sorcerer, summons the Lady of the Lake to claim the "Sword of Power" as a gesture of kingship for Uther Pendragon, Arthur's father. After Uther becomes king of the land, his lust for the lady Igrayne puts him to war with Duke Cornwall but that lust creates a boy, a boy that would become king. Arthur wields Excalibur and unites his country creating a time of prosperity and peace but as in all things - there can be no good without evil. In a quest for revenge, Morgana and her son Mordred bring darkness to the land only to eventually find that the good in Arthur, his Knights, Merlin, and Excalibur, will be their end. Directed by John Boorman, "Excalibur" stars Nigel Terry as King Arthur, Nicol Williamson as Merlin, Helen Mirren as Morgana, Nicholas Clay as Lancelot, and Cherie Lunghi as the lady Guenevere.

I always loved a good Arthurian story. It was "Excalibur" that made me interested in those stories but it also ruined my experiences with other films about Arthur and his Knights. "Excalibur" was one of the first films I've seen that told this story - that means everything else that has come after it never matched up to what "Excalibur" did for me. It takes reality, with Knights, horses, battle, and gives it a mythological twist with the sword of power and Merlin. It does, however, stays Dark Ages like.

Nigel Terry is, in my opinion, the perfect King Arthur and he's also the first actor I've ever seen play the character. His performance over shadows all those who've come before and after the performed character. Above all things is the sword. All of the interpretations of Excalibur have never looked so amazing as it did in this movie and if you look at some places on the net, you might be able to find a replica for sale.

This will forever be the greatest Arthur story ever told on film, at least in my little world.

Krull - 1983

On the back of the DVD, Variety says, "Excalibur meets Star Wars" and those who've seen "Krull" can understand their quote. It's a film with a medival feel but in a world of fantasy and adventure. Before "Lord of the Rings", there was "Krull", there was The Beast, and one of the coolest SciFi/fantasy weapons of all time - The Glaive. Unfortunately, the Glavie isn't for sale... I've check many times. On the planet Krull, a powerful alien only known as The Beast invades with his army of Slayers to capture the Princess Lyssa. It is told that she would have a child that will rule the galaxy and The Beast wanted that prophecy to become true, but only the way he wanted it. After his Slayers attacked her palace, stopped her wedding with Prince Colwyn, and kidnapped her, Colwyn sets out with a group of bandits, criminals, a cyclops, a lame magician, and the "old one", to the Black Fortress to defeat The Beast and save the woman he loves. Directed by Peter Yates, "Krull" stars Ken Marshall as Colwyn, Freddie Jones as Ynyr, and Lysette Anthony as Lyssa. Also starring is a young Liam Neeson and Robbi Coltrane who you'll recognize as Hagrid from the Harry Potter franchise.

To be honest, I can't remember when I first saw this. It might have been on the SciFi Channel back during the days when SciFi was actually an awesome channel to watch. "Krull" is one of those movies that can catch you off guard as it did for me. It's modern in design yet it keeps a medieval tone as well as being alien enough for this world.

The one thing that I always wished we saw more of was the Glaive, the title weapon in the film. It wasn't used enough but the object alone glittered when I saw it. I thought it was, and I still do, one of the coolest weapons in film history. "Krull" is also a movie that was blessed with some pretty good cinematography, as shown when Colwyn was climbing the mountain to find the Glaive or at the end of the film which I won't spoil.

I love fun adventure films like this and when it's mixed in with monsters, big space ships, and swords, it becomes one of my favorite films to watch. I look at "Krull" as a film for the novice science fiction viewer and if your going to see more scifi films, "Krull" is a movie that should be on your starter list for it's sheer fun and epic nature. Besides, it's not like we see many Cyclopses with tridents in movies today, now do we...

The Last Starfighter - 1984

Today, many of us complain about the over saturation of CGI in films and rightfully so. When George Lucas made his Star Wars prequels into nothing but computer generated images, all other filmmakers decided that was now the way to go which was truly unfortunate. Not many people today realize, however, that it wasn't George Lucas who first made his environments in the Star Wars universe all CGI. Yes, the 80's use CGI but it was in the very early stages yet at the same time, they turned out to be better and more enjoyable films than today's movies. In this very case, "The Last Starfighter" is among one of the first to use all CGI environments.

The Last Starfighter is a dreamers story. Everyone of us as children, at least at one point in our lives, always imagined what it would be like if we could go into space and live the adventures that our favorite science fiction characters went through. Alex Rogan is a teenager living in a trailer park in the middle of no where. All his life, all he wanted to do was get out of his little trailer park, head out to the big city, go to collage, and live a life that's better than what he has, sadly, he hasn't been able to get a collage loan which forces him to stay right where he is. That is, until he was "recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada."

The clip above is one of the only clips on Youtube - trust me, the actual film looks better and is cleaned up more.

I love this movie for so many different reasons and to just name a couple, it's fun, fun, and more fun. The visual effects may not stand up to today's visuals but when looking back at "The Last Starfighter", you can't help but miss the simple nature of 80s filmmaking. If it was up to Lance Guest, they'd shoot a sequel right now and if it was up to me, I would shoot it right now too.

"The Last Starfighter" is one of those movies that you can really use the term "they don't make them like they use to" because you won't see this kind of fun adventure story anywhere today. I've been sitting here thinking about what I could compare it to, whether it be a feature film, TV movie or a direct to DVD, and I can't think of one. That's because Hollywood has lost the special quality of science fiction fun and we all have known that for some time. There are hopeful creators like Joss Whedon and JJ Abrams but we'll never see something like "The Last Starfighter" again and that's too bad. That I suppose is what makes it a special classic.

Total Recall - 1990

Without a doubt, a majority of film goers have seen "Total Recall" at one time or another. It's one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's most popular films and for a young kid, one of the coolest. Set in the year 2084 a construction worker, Doug Quaid, goes on an adventure that leads him to Mars. The question throughout the film is if his experiences on Mars are real. Quaid had been having dreams about Mars, dreams of adventures with a brunette. After seeing a commercial from the Rekall company, who specializes in false memories, Quaid decides to go on a "vacation" as a spy, however, things appear to go wrong because Quaid is apparently a real spy and the memory implant unblocked his cover. On the other hand, is this the actual start of his "vacation".....? That answer is left up to you. Directed by Paul Verhoeven "Total Recall" stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Quaid, Rachel Ticotin as Melina, Ronny Cox as Cohaagen, Sharon Stone as Lori, and Michael Ironside as Richter.

Who doesn't love Schwarzenegger action films? If you really don't, then you shouldn't be watching movies. "Total Recall" is probably my first hard R, hard for the time, movie considering i was only 8 when it came out in theaters. Who can ever forget the chick with three tits?

What's not to love about "Total Recall" - The cast, the visual and special effects, the mutants, the story, and the climatic ending, it's all amazing stuff mixed in with kick ass action. This is one of those movies for guys who love movies. I love the whole idea of a colony on Mars, and deep beneath the surface is an alien device left by beings who lived on Mars long before the human race existed. Of course, the direction of Paul Verhoeven is iconic. He's also the director for such films as "RoboCop" and "Starship Troopers", both films that SF fans love.

The fact that this is probably my first R rated film is a major development in my life and that evolution deserves a place on this list. I try to watch "Total Recall" at least once or twice a year and even almost 20 years later, this film holds up against some of the summer's biggest action films

Come back tomorrow for Part II of this II Part article and find out what the other 5 films are that inspired me.

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