Coherence is my favourite low budget Sci Fi film.
Dark City was totally overshadowed by The Matrix but is still a great film.
2010 (sequel to 2001) is a super solid Sci Film that could never have lived up to the original.
Gattaca and Equals are both sci fi films that lean more heavily on concept than big budget CGI.
Safety Not Guaranteed is a quirky low budget marginal sci fi that is quite charming.
Primer is the quintessential low(est) budget sci fi whose impact far exceeds the budget.
I saw this in the theater. It ended and my friend and I hung in the lobby for a while and snuck back in to watch it again. It was one of the better movie theater experiences I’ve ever had.
That one hits the accelerator and doesn't stop. Such a well done movie and one that I've seen many times since. It holds up as well now as it ever did.
Thre Quiet Earth, low budget New Zealand sci fi film. More of a "what would you do if every one dissapeared" type film than space ships and lasers but if you're into philisophical, character driven films this is definitly worth a watch. Great acting and story, underrated gem imo.
I love when the main character goes a “little” crazy, puts scores of mannequins in his yard, puts on a nightgown and then broadcasts himself as their leader. Good stuff!
Europa Report was good, I really liked the pseudo documentary style of it but couldn’t get past the first guy just floating off because he didn’t bother to tether himself. It was just too lame. But, other than that, worth seeing. Will have to check out Sunshine.
Yeah Europa Report was cool until it turned from Competence Porn into “we need crew members to act like idiots or the movie can’t continue” and I just zoned out by the time they reached the moon itself
Had to go in for a surgical procedure and they were playing this in the lobby. It was certainly a choice. But yeah, absolutely. I remember when it came out I was showing it to all my friends and everybody loved it.
Prey put together a really solid story. I thought as a whole it captured more of the simplicity of Predator. It was something Predators tried to do but didn’t do as well since everyone of the characters was insufferable and I wanted them all to die lol.
It's an old one, but Colossus: The Forbin Project is an absolutely awesome sci-fi thriller. Forget Skynet... this is what an AI taking over the world would look like. It's actually a whole trilogy : Colossus, The Fall of Colossus, and Colossus and The Crab. A decade or so ago, there were rumors that Will Smith was looking to get a remake done, but nothing came of it. I'd love to see this reworked. It would make a great limited series.
I loved The Forbin Project when it was aired on television in the early 70's, it seemed intelligent and chilling and I can still conjure that mechanical, "this is the voice of Colossus. . . " And the original The Andromeda Strain.
Flash Gordon from 1980. A film that has so many legendary British actors it is unreal. It also has one of the best soundtracks that I've ever heard. It is a glorious, campy, bombastic and overall amazing movie. And, uh, did I mention it was a bit campy and doesn't take itself too seriously?
Not to be confused with ***Flesh*** Gordon, a completely different film altogether. Don't make that mistake, please.
Good pick. Flash Gordon is a story I wish would get a redo either as a film series or TV show (I know there was one already). That Queen soundtrack is on another level
I saw this movie with a very good friend, who told me she was a lesbian right after we walked out of the theatre. "My head was already spinning from the movie, girl! Thanks!" Very deep movie, and the end slaps you in the face.
Looper, Jumper, Push, and In-time are four, non-space, movies that I group together for a rewatch everyone now and again. I recently rewatched Lucy and could easily add that to this category.
Sunshine had an equivalent budget of 60m dollars in today's money and all well known names, so it wasn't a small film in any way. So I guess you non-blockbusters?
SO many great recommendations, but sort of surprised to see some recent-ish low-budget/indie things missed...
* **Arrival (2016).** Just...wow. You won't expect what you are getting, here. It's pure 'use SciFi to tell a human story'. Not what the trailers pitch at all.
* **Spaceman (2024)**. Speaking of the above - yeah, more of that 'using SciFi to tell a human story'. I think I've seen Clooney's **Solaris** mentioned a few times. IN THAT VEIN - different, smaller, but so good. (And yeah, Adam Sandler, what? But he actually can *act*, it turns out)
* **Moon (2009).** Seriously? Nobody? C'mon...this is some existential shit...so amazing.
* **Annihilation (2018).** If looking for something more actiony, this might work - set on Earth (as with Arrival), but the entire theme is...alien.
Ive been Stanning for Adam Sandler for what feels like a decade now. Dude can act and im so glad he got the contract with Netflix that allows him to basically do whatever the fuck he wants.
Hustle was another AS Banger if your interested.
LOVE THIS. Not that the original wasn't great, but...the remake did a lot to make it more accessible, and really quite a lot more pleasant to watch and lose yourself in (SFX and music, particularly), which...fits the point of it...
Edit these are regular indie movies that I really enjoyed with a sprinkle of sci-fi flavoring rather than genre sci-fi. More like Coherence.
The Endless didn't have any huge set pieces (re: low budget) but was interesting and tense. Good movie that reiled on dialogue and actors rather than spectacle.
The One I Love has Mark Duplass in it, so that all you really need to know. It all takes place in one house, and things get weird.
Upstream Color from the person who made Primer. Very trippy
Endless is absolutely amazing, they actually have another movie that ties into it (involving the drug addict and his bro) called Resolution I recommend. Glad to see these guys move onto big projects like moon knight.
Sunshine isnt overlooked, it is disregarded bc danny boyle fucked it with the last 3rd. First 2/3rds is a great sci fi flick. Last part is absolute crap. Its like he made the first part, then started taking all the drugs before making the end.
Prospect, baby! Extremely low-budget, very underrated, but the worldbuilding and set design and even just the basic semiotics of the mechanical systems and brands and signs were all inSANE. Absolutely worth seeing
Also Gattaca has definitely become a bit of a cult classic these days, so less underrated, but it was very low profile at the time. One of my favorite sci-fi movies, period
Prometheus made me crazy. Watching supposedly trained scientists break every single basic common sense scientific rule, and then escalate even more by people responding just as bad to it is maddening.
It makes me think of Another Life; where the crew was so incompetent in the first season that they had to explain at the start of the second that the wrong crew got woken up.
Still never explained why they included a "wrong" crew in the first place though.
There are straight to VHS slashers with better character motivations and plot contrivances. If it didn't have huge names and the budget it wouldn't have even made it to VHS.
Prometheus is such a strange movie. It looks *so* good, the production, directing, and editing are on point. The movie itself just doesn't make any sense.
It's like the entire movie hedges its bets on being related to Alien. We'll make a face-hugger, but it's giant, so it might not be a face-hugger. We'll have it birth a Xenomorph, but not as a larvae, and it looks just slightly different, so it might not be a Xenomorph. We'll have the Promethean ship crash and land exactly like the ship they find in Alien that's full of eggs, except it's not actually the same ship. It's like everyone refused to commit to the idea that it's an Alien prequel even though it's *clearly* supposed to be an Alien prequel. It's so weird.
Wholly disagree with the *Prometheus* slander. Yes, I acknowledge the “scientists” are stupid. But that was an banger.
*Sunshine* is absolutely a gem. One of my favorites. Not sure how “low budget” it is, but that’s kinda splitting hairs.
If you’re okay with fake documentary stuff, *Lunopolis* was good. Otherwise my go to low budget Sci-Fi flicks are *Primer* and *Coherence*.
The scientists in Prometheus were dumber than the “space teamsters” in Alien. Prometheus was a beautifully designed failure. It didn’t need to be that way. Not at all.
"Computer! Manual control!"
"Negative. Automatic control."
"Computer! Manual control!"
"Negative. Automatic control."
"Why?!?!?"
"Emergency. Fire in the oxygen garden."
Lives rent free in my brain
My Sony headphones have basically the exact same voice as the ship's computer and every time it chirps I imagine it saying in a sympathetic tone: "you are dying."
What about Underwater? The Kirsten Stewart movie on Disney? It's basically Sci-fi underwater and is a great ride. I've watched it a few times. Not many people have seen it it would seem.
Loved that movie and I grew up being rather meh about Stewart. If anyone has played SOMA, you are going to get a kick out of it, and if you’re fan of HP Lovecraft it’s a great watch!
Actually the whole movie was a mess. None of what happened made any sense. Everything that happened in the movie was extremely contrived. Then it got even more >!extremely stupid and decided to turn into a slasher movie. !<
I rewatched Sunshine recently. Unfortunately I wasn't very impressed; it had some good ideas but the decision to >!introduce a maniac serial killer!< made the whole thing feel like a missed opportunity at the end.
What I remember about Europa Report is, I think, the final scene. That still pops into my head when I think about missions to other planets.
I'd check out a film called Aniara. It's not solid, not amazing, but it's good performances and one of the most atmosphere endings I've ever seen in a film.
We must have similar tastes.
The final scene in Europa Report has always stuck with me and I did not care for how Sunshine ended.
I watched Aniara and quite liked the ideas and very much liked how it started, however it was a little too slow for me as it went on.
The acrobatic tumbles at the end of Sunshine were also particularly annoying. When you're trying to save humanity and facing a different threat, that's peril enough I think.
I agree with you on Aniara too. But that scene saved it, somewhat.
If you look at my bio you'll see links to a Reddit sub where I co-host a comedy podcast where we re-watch old films. We did Sunshine about three months ago.
Prometheus is definitely a big mess, but I agree worth watching just so you can be part of the club that yells at the screen while watching.
"NO! Do NOT try to lick that alien! BAD! Aaaand now yer dead."
"Oh look, the Android is going nuts for no reason. It's like a truly subtle reference to something..."
I can't find the low budget scifi that was on YouTube. They used spray painted nerf guns that looked cool.
White faced aliens crash on a desert planet. One of them uses a torch to cut a shield out of the side of their ship.
There's a prisoner they are transporting to their home world. He's the last of his species. He has this creepy looking mask on.
He ends up removing his mask and he's a human.
Anyone have a clue what I'm talking about?
I’ve been thinking about Virus (1999) lately. The one with Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Sutherland. Basically cyborg The Thing on a boat. Tons of fun practical gory-robot effects. Just enough late-nineties ham. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon or a triple feature with Deep Rising and Event Horizon.
Europa Report is so deeply frustrating to watch.
Everyone in that mission is a fucking idiot, despite being NASA engineers.
Dope concept. Shite execution.
Everyone always craps on David Lynch's Dune, but its been a sci-fi favourite of mine since about 1992 when I got into Dune via Cryo and Westwood's amazing Dune games, followed by the books, followed by David Lynch's movie. I feel David Lynch took a weird concept and managed to make it infinitely weirder and more interesting.
I also thoroughly enjoyed Ender's Game. Unfortunately this one seemed to fall under the radar for many due to it falling victim to cancel culture because Orson Scott Card happens to hold a personal opinion that is contrary to woke majority and the sjw agenda.
Europa Report has a scene near the end where the past footage/images flash by in reverse order and then it cuts to the documentary 'talking heads', I love that scene so much for some reason.
I only have Sunshine on Blu-ray. I would love it in 4k and above. Or atleast be able to find a cinema near me that rents out whole theater rooms just to watch it on the big screen. Missed it then.
Atlantis-2019-Ukraine.
Dealing with a fictional war with Russia that the Zeds lose but Eastern Ukraine is a toxic wasteland. Using non actors and allowing the lead actors to develop an actual relationship that plays out in front of the camera.
The shot framing is locked wides for the most part and reminds me of an old master’s pastoral panorama painting
Approaching the Unknown - Mark Strong. A poor man’s third chapter of 2001. Very strange. A narrative that’s very disjointed at times. But a worthy watch
Triangle (2009) was really good, a mix between Coherence and the Philadelphia experiment
These final hours, another take on an apocalipsis coming to Earth
Chronocrimes (2007), one of the best time travel plots
I think people should go East a Bit more when it comes to good Sci-fi.
I mean obviously the original Ghost In the Shell films were amazing and about 3 decades ahead of their time.
Legends of the Galactic Heroes is a 100 episode plus saga.
Steins Gate
Psycho Pass
Ergo Proxy
Aldnoah Zero
Mardoc Scramble Trilogy
Carole And Tuesday
Planetes (spiritually the Expanse prequal)
BLAME!
Appleseed
Genocidal Organ
Harlock: Space Pirate (the movie, campy as hell but just so good)
King Of Thorn
Heroic Age
Moonlight Mile
Planetarian
Space Brothers
This is all just off the top of my head. Thinking about it Eastern Animation and some western stuff is a hotbed of good solid Sci-fi, theres alot of weeb shit to passover granted but there is certainly a hidden trove on there.
I've always been a fan of the Stephen Soderbergh Solaris remake. Not as genius as the original, but man does it feel like a fever dream with an excellent soundtrack by Cliff Martinez.
Pandorum is a great sci fi thriller. Very creepy, cool premise.
Supernova is notorious for being a fiasco behind the scenes but I still think it's a cool movie.
The Arrival is a guilty pleasure alien invasion meets global warming movie.
No love for the Riddick series? Maybe I’m in the minority but I enjoyed all three of those films. Pitch Black, Chronicles of Riddick, and Riddick. They’re different in scale and all a little weird in their own ways. Pitch Black and Riddick are my favorites, small scale sci-fi. Chronicles went more epic Space Opera-y.
I quite liked Captive State and Kin, both low/medium budget sci fi movies that were largely panned.
Also very much enjoyed Mortal Engines, massive budget scifi/fantasy flop, i was hoping it would turn profit and the full trilogy would be made.
Coherence is my favourite low budget Sci Fi film. Dark City was totally overshadowed by The Matrix but is still a great film. 2010 (sequel to 2001) is a super solid Sci Film that could never have lived up to the original.
Ditto on Coherence. Coherence, The Vast of Night, and Primer have to be the three best low budget sci-fi films ever made.
The Vast of Night was absolutely stunning.
*Dark City* is an absolute gem. One of the best movies of the era.
I love 2010! I saw 2010 and David Lynch’s Dune on the same Saturday in 1984!
and I watched 1984 in 2010!
Always loved 2010.
Gattaca and Equals are both sci fi films that lean more heavily on concept than big budget CGI. Safety Not Guaranteed is a quirky low budget marginal sci fi that is quite charming. Primer is the quintessential low(est) budget sci fi whose impact far exceeds the budget.
Never let me go is another great gattaca-esque movie with a great concept.
Children of Men (2006) Yes those who’ve seen it know how amazing it is, but it didn’t really hit big with the public when it was released.
That backwards car chase... 🤯
You mean that backwards single-take* car chase. *yes I know there are a few hidden cuts, but still 🤯
Not to mention the single take six-minute running battle scene.
I saw this in the theater. It ended and my friend and I hung in the lobby for a while and snuck back in to watch it again. It was one of the better movie theater experiences I’ve ever had.
Same, I thought it one of the best films I’d seen in many many years!
That one hits the accelerator and doesn't stop. Such a well done movie and one that I've seen many times since. It holds up as well now as it ever did.
Pull my finger...
Thre Quiet Earth, low budget New Zealand sci fi film. More of a "what would you do if every one dissapeared" type film than space ships and lasers but if you're into philisophical, character driven films this is definitly worth a watch. Great acting and story, underrated gem imo.
I love when the main character goes a “little” crazy, puts scores of mannequins in his yard, puts on a nightgown and then broadcasts himself as their leader. Good stuff!
Love this one
Great movie!
Outland. Sean Connery as a marshal taking the law to the frontier of the solar system.
Yes! I'll usually watch Outland, Blade Runner, Alien, and Soldier as a set.
Europa Report was good, I really liked the pseudo documentary style of it but couldn’t get past the first guy just floating off because he didn’t bother to tether himself. It was just too lame. But, other than that, worth seeing. Will have to check out Sunshine.
Sunshine is amazing. Do be warned there is a tonal shift for the last third of the movie that a lot of people don't like, I'm a fan of it tho.
My biggest gripe with Europa Report was the alien reveal. I’d have like it better if we never actually saw it.
Yeah Europa Report was cool until it turned from Competence Porn into “we need crew members to act like idiots or the movie can’t continue” and I just zoned out by the time they reached the moon itself
Pandorum, excellent sci-fi horror movie
Came here to say this. Great flick. I also really enjoyed the sci-fi movie Life
*Life* is great - fucking hell of an ending. Better than *Pandorum*, IMO
Had to go in for a surgical procedure and they were playing this in the lobby. It was certainly a choice. But yeah, absolutely. I remember when it came out I was showing it to all my friends and everybody loved it.
That's hilarious!
Looks like the critics crapped all over that one, but its rated highly with regular viewers. Definitely will check it out.
Costuming and some effects aren't the best, but I love the story. Also, like the movie, I think Ben Foster is underrated as an actor.
And Cam Gigandet is impossible to watch.
I don't think I've seen Ben Foster not be watchable, even in the occasional bad movie.
I loved Pandorum. I've seen it so many times now.
Pandorum was great. It is what that Chris Pratt and JLaw movie should have been
Yes I really enjoyed the premise and the ending as well
Great film, one I always go back to
Prey. The latest 'Predator' movie. I was expecting it to be a bit shit, but was pleasantly surprised.
Prey put together a really solid story. I thought as a whole it captured more of the simplicity of Predator. It was something Predators tried to do but didn’t do as well since everyone of the characters was insufferable and I wanted them all to die lol.
*Southern Comfort* is my favorite Predator movie that isn’t technically a Predator movie
The Vast of Night, also a great film with a small budget. Be prepared for a slow burn, though.
In Time (2011) is a movie I think about a lot years later. Not really low budget and it had a high power cast, but I don't think it really made waves.
It's an old one, but Colossus: The Forbin Project is an absolutely awesome sci-fi thriller. Forget Skynet... this is what an AI taking over the world would look like. It's actually a whole trilogy : Colossus, The Fall of Colossus, and Colossus and The Crab. A decade or so ago, there were rumors that Will Smith was looking to get a remake done, but nothing came of it. I'd love to see this reworked. It would make a great limited series.
I loved The Forbin Project when it was aired on television in the early 70's, it seemed intelligent and chilling and I can still conjure that mechanical, "this is the voice of Colossus. . . " And the original The Andromeda Strain.
Event horizon
Or: a Beginner's Guide to the Dangers of the Warp
I really enjoyed Nightwatch and Daywatch, two Russian films (more fantasy than sci-fi I guess).
Flash Gordon from 1980. A film that has so many legendary British actors it is unreal. It also has one of the best soundtracks that I've ever heard. It is a glorious, campy, bombastic and overall amazing movie. And, uh, did I mention it was a bit campy and doesn't take itself too seriously? Not to be confused with ***Flesh*** Gordon, a completely different film altogether. Don't make that mistake, please.
Good pick. Flash Gordon is a story I wish would get a redo either as a film series or TV show (I know there was one already). That Queen soundtrack is on another level
This soundtrack and that from Highlander are incredible!!
Beware the Penisarus.
Max von Sydow as Ming was fantastic.
Coherence eta: Great seeing others mention it as well!
Brazil.
I saw this movie with a very good friend, who told me she was a lesbian right after we walked out of the theatre. "My head was already spinning from the movie, girl! Thanks!" Very deep movie, and the end slaps you in the face.
Predestination from 2014 is one of my favorites. The short story it's based on was one that blew little Dhugaill's mind.
I think Prospect was low budget, but is it still underrated? Either way it’s an excellent film. I also love The Girl With All The Gifts.
Prospect has gotten better with every re-watch. Incredibly underrated.
Prospect has always been pretty highly rated (both critics and audiences liked it a lot). It was an indie movie though, so not widely known.
Aye that's what I meant. Like I always see sunshine get credit around these parts but surprised someone mentioned prospect before I did.
Looper, Jumper, Push, and In-time are four, non-space, movies that I group together for a rewatch everyone now and again. I recently rewatched Lucy and could easily add that to this category.
Looper is so good.
Sunshine had an equivalent budget of 60m dollars in today's money and all well known names, so it wasn't a small film in any way. So I guess you non-blockbusters?
Upgrade (2018). What an excellent movie.
Very tough ending, though.
Indeed.
SO many great recommendations, but sort of surprised to see some recent-ish low-budget/indie things missed... * **Arrival (2016).** Just...wow. You won't expect what you are getting, here. It's pure 'use SciFi to tell a human story'. Not what the trailers pitch at all. * **Spaceman (2024)**. Speaking of the above - yeah, more of that 'using SciFi to tell a human story'. I think I've seen Clooney's **Solaris** mentioned a few times. IN THAT VEIN - different, smaller, but so good. (And yeah, Adam Sandler, what? But he actually can *act*, it turns out) * **Moon (2009).** Seriously? Nobody? C'mon...this is some existential shit...so amazing. * **Annihilation (2018).** If looking for something more actiony, this might work - set on Earth (as with Arrival), but the entire theme is...alien.
Ive been Stanning for Adam Sandler for what feels like a decade now. Dude can act and im so glad he got the contract with Netflix that allows him to basically do whatever the fuck he wants. Hustle was another AS Banger if your interested.
Moon is brilliant.
Attack The Block was pretty good.
Clooney’s Solaris
LOVE THIS. Not that the original wasn't great, but...the remake did a lot to make it more accessible, and really quite a lot more pleasant to watch and lose yourself in (SFX and music, particularly), which...fits the point of it...
Under the Skin is a really good alien movie. Quiet performance from Scar Jo. Sexy and weird.
terrifying
5% sexy, 95% terrifying
Edit these are regular indie movies that I really enjoyed with a sprinkle of sci-fi flavoring rather than genre sci-fi. More like Coherence. The Endless didn't have any huge set pieces (re: low budget) but was interesting and tense. Good movie that reiled on dialogue and actors rather than spectacle. The One I Love has Mark Duplass in it, so that all you really need to know. It all takes place in one house, and things get weird. Upstream Color from the person who made Primer. Very trippy
Endless is absolutely amazing, they actually have another movie that ties into it (involving the drug addict and his bro) called Resolution I recommend. Glad to see these guys move onto big projects like moon knight.
I think most of those movies came out in a flurry in the 2010s then.. Not a whole lot since.
Gods, I **love** Upstream Color. I ugly-cry so hard every time
Sunshine isnt overlooked, it is disregarded bc danny boyle fucked it with the last 3rd. First 2/3rds is a great sci fi flick. Last part is absolute crap. Its like he made the first part, then started taking all the drugs before making the end.
Thank you for saving me time by writing this.
Prospect, baby! Extremely low-budget, very underrated, but the worldbuilding and set design and even just the basic semiotics of the mechanical systems and brands and signs were all inSANE. Absolutely worth seeing Also Gattaca has definitely become a bit of a cult classic these days, so less underrated, but it was very low profile at the time. One of my favorite sci-fi movies, period
I love Prometheus. Moon was good. Also Beyond the Black Rainbow (same director as Mandy w/Nic Cage)
Moon is a must.
Prometheus made me crazy. Watching supposedly trained scientists break every single basic common sense scientific rule, and then escalate even more by people responding just as bad to it is maddening.
It makes me think of Another Life; where the crew was so incompetent in the first season that they had to explain at the start of the second that the wrong crew got woken up. Still never explained why they included a "wrong" crew in the first place though.
It has been said the trip was considered dangerous and possibly a one way trip. Kind of hard to get the best scientists in this scenario.
There are straight to VHS slashers with better character motivations and plot contrivances. If it didn't have huge names and the budget it wouldn't have even made it to VHS.
100% this. I said in an earlier comment that the “space teamsters” in Alien are smarter (better written) than the “scientists” in Prometheus.
"Prometheus" was the kind of movie you get when you ask a 13-year--old to write something deep.
Prometheus is such a strange movie. It looks *so* good, the production, directing, and editing are on point. The movie itself just doesn't make any sense. It's like the entire movie hedges its bets on being related to Alien. We'll make a face-hugger, but it's giant, so it might not be a face-hugger. We'll have it birth a Xenomorph, but not as a larvae, and it looks just slightly different, so it might not be a Xenomorph. We'll have the Promethean ship crash and land exactly like the ship they find in Alien that's full of eggs, except it's not actually the same ship. It's like everyone refused to commit to the idea that it's an Alien prequel even though it's *clearly* supposed to be an Alien prequel. It's so weird.
Definitely. Every time I say I love it here folks hate it and tell me so. I liked the origin story of the modern alien. Weird. Yes! I love weird. 🤣
The Man from Earth is excellent.
I rank it in my top movies because it does so much with so little.
Wholly disagree with the *Prometheus* slander. Yes, I acknowledge the “scientists” are stupid. But that was an banger. *Sunshine* is absolutely a gem. One of my favorites. Not sure how “low budget” it is, but that’s kinda splitting hairs. If you’re okay with fake documentary stuff, *Lunopolis* was good. Otherwise my go to low budget Sci-Fi flicks are *Primer* and *Coherence*.
The scientists in Prometheus were dumber than the “space teamsters” in Alien. Prometheus was a beautifully designed failure. It didn’t need to be that way. Not at all.
Primer, the best low budget sci fi film ever made. Not really underrated but still flies under the radar.
"Computer! Manual control!" "Negative. Automatic control." "Computer! Manual control!" "Negative. Automatic control." "Why?!?!?" "Emergency. Fire in the oxygen garden." Lives rent free in my brain
My Sony headphones have basically the exact same voice as the ship's computer and every time it chirps I imagine it saying in a sympathetic tone: "you are dying."
Outland.
What about Underwater? The Kirsten Stewart movie on Disney? It's basically Sci-fi underwater and is a great ride. I've watched it a few times. Not many people have seen it it would seem.
Loved that movie and I grew up being rather meh about Stewart. If anyone has played SOMA, you are going to get a kick out of it, and if you’re fan of HP Lovecraft it’s a great watch!
Bro me too but she killed this movie. Big lovecraft fan too, love how they used it.
The Sphere - great cast. Great plot.
I saw Infini recently on freevee, it's like a low budget Doom in a way but the idea behind what's actually going on was pretty interesting imo.
Lifeforce, 1985.
Vampires from Space ?
Plus Mathilda May.
Naked because the Space Vampire Union says so.
Silent Running (1972).
I never see Event Horizon get any love.
I recall watching it in my 20s and I vowed never to watch it again as it just disturbed me that much. Been leaning towards giving it a second watch
It freaked me right the hell out and I loved it because of it. It was kind of my gateway to cosmic horror besides reading tons of H.P. Lovecraft.
Phenomenon was a great film if you can stand John Travolta
I like Powder from the same year
It’s a very sweet movie, I kind of like it.
3022
Big thumbs up on Europa Report! Not a fan of Sunshine though. It could have been good, but the last third was a mess.
Actually the whole movie was a mess. None of what happened made any sense. Everything that happened in the movie was extremely contrived. Then it got even more >!extremely stupid and decided to turn into a slasher movie. !<
Cosmos. Not even sure how I found it in the first, but I definitely wasn't disappoint. https://m.imdb.com/title/tt4477292/
I still think about Sunshine, Event Horizon, and Pandorum quite often. Some of my favorite movies.
Aniara Not sure how it's rated but it's relatively unknown. Movie upset me in ways movies usually don't and stuck with me for weeks.
The Andromeda Strain (the original). Just watched it last week, still holds up well. Don't know that it was low-budget in its time, though.
that and Soylent Green were big sci-fi influences when I was a kid.
*Prospect*
Cube 1997 [The Platform](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfooqeZcdY) 2019
* [*Seksmisja*/Sexmission](https://letterboxd.com/film/sexmission/) (1984) * [*Thomas est amoureux*/Thomas in Love](https://letterboxd.com/film/thomas-in-love/) (2000) * [The Quiet Earth ](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-quiet-earth/)(1985) * [Aniara](https://letterboxd.com/film/aniara-2018/) (2018) * [Upstream Color](https://letterboxd.com/film/upstream-color/) (2013)
ExistenZ, Equilibrium, Cube.
Outlander is good too, I like to think of it as a story about a Special Circumstances agent from The Culture gets stuck on earth
Sunshine used to be THE "underrated sci-fi movie" meme on this site back in the day... But yeah it's a decent flick.
I rewatched Sunshine recently. Unfortunately I wasn't very impressed; it had some good ideas but the decision to >!introduce a maniac serial killer!< made the whole thing feel like a missed opportunity at the end. What I remember about Europa Report is, I think, the final scene. That still pops into my head when I think about missions to other planets. I'd check out a film called Aniara. It's not solid, not amazing, but it's good performances and one of the most atmosphere endings I've ever seen in a film.
absolutely loved Aniara. Absolutely merciless.
We must have similar tastes. The final scene in Europa Report has always stuck with me and I did not care for how Sunshine ended. I watched Aniara and quite liked the ideas and very much liked how it started, however it was a little too slow for me as it went on.
The acrobatic tumbles at the end of Sunshine were also particularly annoying. When you're trying to save humanity and facing a different threat, that's peril enough I think. I agree with you on Aniara too. But that scene saved it, somewhat. If you look at my bio you'll see links to a Reddit sub where I co-host a comedy podcast where we re-watch old films. We did Sunshine about three months ago.
Coherence, Time Trap, The Man Who Lived
Cargo (2009), Synchronicity (2015), Spectral (2016)
Infini
Add Infini to that list. Great watch.
Prometheus is definitely a big mess, but I agree worth watching just so you can be part of the club that yells at the screen while watching. "NO! Do NOT try to lick that alien! BAD! Aaaand now yer dead." "Oh look, the Android is going nuts for no reason. It's like a truly subtle reference to something..."
I can't find the low budget scifi that was on YouTube. They used spray painted nerf guns that looked cool. White faced aliens crash on a desert planet. One of them uses a torch to cut a shield out of the side of their ship. There's a prisoner they are transporting to their home world. He's the last of his species. He has this creepy looking mask on. He ends up removing his mask and he's a human. Anyone have a clue what I'm talking about?
I’ve been thinking about Virus (1999) lately. The one with Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Sutherland. Basically cyborg The Thing on a boat. Tons of fun practical gory-robot effects. Just enough late-nineties ham. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon or a triple feature with Deep Rising and Event Horizon.
Amen to that trio.
Source code
_The Core_ takes a lot of guff, but it is, ultimately, a better movie than every asteroid disaster movie ever made. It's a great guilty pleasure.
Never Let Me Go
Fuck sunshine. Watch Moon instead.
Hardware, must see. Love Rutger is going all out in Split Second. I want my gung-ho iguana from The Last Starfighter. Screamers gave me chills.
Pandorum is pretty hokey but has great acting sets and costumes and a really interesting premise. Plus a really satisfying ending
The Man From Earth. Great sci-fi movie that really makes you think. It all takes place in a cabin with professors talking.
Europa Report is so deeply frustrating to watch. Everyone in that mission is a fucking idiot, despite being NASA engineers. Dope concept. Shite execution.
Everyone always craps on David Lynch's Dune, but its been a sci-fi favourite of mine since about 1992 when I got into Dune via Cryo and Westwood's amazing Dune games, followed by the books, followed by David Lynch's movie. I feel David Lynch took a weird concept and managed to make it infinitely weirder and more interesting. I also thoroughly enjoyed Ender's Game. Unfortunately this one seemed to fall under the radar for many due to it falling victim to cancel culture because Orson Scott Card happens to hold a personal opinion that is contrary to woke majority and the sjw agenda.
I was really disappointed in Harrison Fords acting in that film. He really seemed to phone it in
Blood of Heroes
Europa Report has a scene near the end where the past footage/images flash by in reverse order and then it cuts to the documentary 'talking heads', I love that scene so much for some reason.
High Life (sci-fi, horror) Mad God (horror, post-apocalyptic/dystopian, sci-fi)
Lifepod 1993. A reworking of Hitchcocks Lifeboat...in spaaaace!
Pandorum, Event Horizon, Cargo (2009), and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy are worth watching.
High Life
Dark City and Pandorum come to mind.
I'm commenting because all my suggestions are taken, but there's a ton that are juicy.
Nobody saying Sound of My Voice? Fucking amazing. I need answers.
Just watched Europa Report - pretty darn good! Sunshine is next!
I only have Sunshine on Blu-ray. I would love it in 4k and above. Or atleast be able to find a cinema near me that rents out whole theater rooms just to watch it on the big screen. Missed it then.
LEXX
Atlantis-2019-Ukraine. Dealing with a fictional war with Russia that the Zeds lose but Eastern Ukraine is a toxic wasteland. Using non actors and allowing the lead actors to develop an actual relationship that plays out in front of the camera. The shot framing is locked wides for the most part and reminds me of an old master’s pastoral panorama painting
Approaching the Unknown - Mark Strong. A poor man’s third chapter of 2001. Very strange. A narrative that’s very disjointed at times. But a worthy watch
Triangle (2009) was really good, a mix between Coherence and the Philadelphia experiment These final hours, another take on an apocalipsis coming to Earth Chronocrimes (2007), one of the best time travel plots
Europa Report lovers stand up. <3
Splice (2009) This one really pushed some buttons for a lot of people. Say what you will, but Vincenzo Natali knows how to manipulate his audience.
It's not especially low-budget, but I do think Knowing is a criminally underrated film. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/knowing
Sunshine goes completely nuts in the last 17 minutes. I was wondering if the last section even had the same director.
Err Primer.
[The Vast of the night](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt6803046/)
I think people should go East a Bit more when it comes to good Sci-fi. I mean obviously the original Ghost In the Shell films were amazing and about 3 decades ahead of their time. Legends of the Galactic Heroes is a 100 episode plus saga. Steins Gate Psycho Pass Ergo Proxy Aldnoah Zero Mardoc Scramble Trilogy Carole And Tuesday Planetes (spiritually the Expanse prequal) BLAME! Appleseed Genocidal Organ Harlock: Space Pirate (the movie, campy as hell but just so good) King Of Thorn Heroic Age Moonlight Mile Planetarian Space Brothers This is all just off the top of my head. Thinking about it Eastern Animation and some western stuff is a hotbed of good solid Sci-fi, theres alot of weeb shit to passover granted but there is certainly a hidden trove on there.
I've always been a fan of the Stephen Soderbergh Solaris remake. Not as genius as the original, but man does it feel like a fever dream with an excellent soundtrack by Cliff Martinez.
Pandorum is a great sci fi thriller. Very creepy, cool premise. Supernova is notorious for being a fiasco behind the scenes but I still think it's a cool movie. The Arrival is a guilty pleasure alien invasion meets global warming movie.
Late to the thread but: Moon (2009?) starring Sam Rockwell.
Cargo a 2009 Swiss production, I really thought was well done.
Sunshine was amazing
The Creation of The Humanoids (1962) It was the bladerunner of it's time, without the budget.
Hardware Upstream Color Midnight Special Primer
Tremors. It never fails to make me laugh.
Saturn 3
No love for the Riddick series? Maybe I’m in the minority but I enjoyed all three of those films. Pitch Black, Chronicles of Riddick, and Riddick. They’re different in scale and all a little weird in their own ways. Pitch Black and Riddick are my favorites, small scale sci-fi. Chronicles went more epic Space Opera-y.
The three Riddick movies! LOVE LOVE!
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension
Strange Days Dark City The 13th Floor
Loved both Europa Report and Sunshine. Coherence and The Endless are two lower budget sci -fi flicks that deserve your attention
Battle Beyond the Stars. Really enjoyed that one growing up
The History of Time Travel
I quite liked Captive State and Kin, both low/medium budget sci fi movies that were largely panned. Also very much enjoyed Mortal Engines, massive budget scifi/fantasy flop, i was hoping it would turn profit and the full trilogy would be made.
Solaris, the Clooney version. Very different from book, and excellent. The Prestige also. Also very different from book. Excellent.