Re: 90s Sci Fi Movies Discussion Thread
 

In the end, I found the Stargate movie novelization book was much easier to go through than watching the actual movie.

There were several sequel novels to the Stargate movie, which deviated significantly from how the SG1 show played out. (IIRC, these sequel novels were originally meant to be sequel movies which were never made).

Re: 90s Sci Fi Movies Discussion Thread
 

I never saw the bottom two, but I need to add Predator 2 to the list of franchise appearances in the 90s (there were more franchise appearances than I thought in the 90s). The Rocketeer is still a cute little gem of a Disney movie. Fire in the Sky is freaky as fuck.

It's so weird how the early 90s sci fi movies seem so radically different from the late 90s sci fi. It's probably because of the switch from analog to digital and practical effects to also digital. I mean look at Total Recall and The Matrix. TR looks downright campy compared to the Wachowski's magnum opus. The writing also seems different. Terminator 2 seems like a deeply human drama, while Jurassic Park onward, sci fi movies seemed downright artificial in their characters and writing in general. (There are a few exceptions like Gattaca)

Re: 90s Sci Fi Movies Discussion Thread
 

Totally disagree on Total Recall. I caught it on TV the other night and thought it still looked great. It may help that I'm a fan of retrowave music and aesthetics in general. Meanwhile, I find The Matrix difficult to enjoy in some parts (mainly the lobby scene) due to the endless parodies that have been made. I'd also argue Jurassic Park and Terminator 2 are somewhat similar in characterization, but their themes examine human achievement versus human nature, respectively. I would say Independence Day is the moment that really solidifies and exacerbates what you're talking about, in terms of characters and writing.

Re: 90s Sci Fi Movies Discussion Thread
 

I remembered the original Total Recall quite well, though more for the philosophical / technical questions it raised than anything to do with special fx. At the time when I first watched it, I was independently reading about "false memories". The original PKD story the movie was based on, was also a good read.


In contrast, the Total Recall movie novelization book by Piers Anthony wasn't that good. Apparently it included (or inserted?) in details which either sounded outlandish or it "answered" lingering questions in a very mundane manner.

Re: 90s Sci Fi Movies Discussion Thread
 

I can buy that.

The best compare and contrast that comes to mind would be the difference between Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection when it comes to early 90s and late 90s sci fi.

Re: 90s Sci Fi Movies Discussion Thread
 

Another example would be the differences between Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country at the beginning of the 90s and Star Trek: Insurrection at the end of the 90s. Just the differences in levels of dramatic gravitas is mind-bendingly different. (and I like Insurrection, but the differences are staggering)

Re: 90s Sci Fi Movies Discussion Thread
 

Except for First Contact, I thought the TNG era movies felt like a two-part episodes edited together into a "movie".

Re: 90s Sci Fi Movies Discussion Thread
 

I'm afraid I'd have to agree. I've never understood how they pulled it off with that one movie, but not the other three. It doesn't make sense.

Re: 90s Sci Fi Movies Discussion Thread
 

You're not going to find any scenes with this kind of dramatic intensity in late 90s sci fi. (And possibly after that)

Re: 90s Sci Fi Movies Discussion Thread
 

I'm surprised no one mentioned Contact. It's largely underrated and somewhat forgotten. It does what great science fiction should do and make us look at our relationship with science and discovery and what possible effect on humanity such a revelation could have.

Re: 90s Sci Fi Movies Discussion Thread
 

Contact is great! In fact, it's the last Robert Zemeckis movie I actually care about. It's a solid movie and one of the 90s best.

Re: 90s Sci Fi Movies Discussion Thread
 

A head's up: This and the other threads on different decades of sci-fi have inspired a series of articles I plan to publish in September. This is also tangentially related: https://www.dvdtalk.com/features/the_5_most_infl.html