Obscure Sci-Fi

[PlipO]

I watched about 25 minutes of A Scanner Darkly but did not get into it because the story did not grip me and the acting was forgettable. I was also tried so I fell asleep, I will probably try to watch it in a few months.

I watched a few episodes of Life On Mars (British version), it is ok but too politically correct. I will try to watch the American version.

I have heard of Jericho but did not take any notice of it, I have seen a trailer and I am interested to see the first episode.

As with many Sci-Fi, Gattaca has and appealing premise however poor acting and a lack of good sub plots lets it down. The person who wrote it, does not have the skills to flesh out such a big concept.

 

[Jimmyjames]

As with many Sci-Fi, Gattaca has and appealing premise however poor acting and a lack of good sub plots lets it down. The person who wrote it, does not have the skills to flesh out such a big concept.

WHAT?!? I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with that.

 

[Bofore13]

Not at all obscure but 2001: A Space Odyssey is good if you can handle extended periods of silence and five lines of duologue over the course of an entire movie

But really obscure and good is the Incredible Petrified World

But the greatest obscure Sci-Fi movie that I have ever seen is "Santa Claus Conquers The Martians" and yes it is real and totally awesome

Also I personally avoid British Sci-Fi it lacks a deep story line and tends to be far too predictable, also the cgi is not nearly as goof as the ggi in American and Canadian shows there is no real good cgi in their programming many things have awkward motions and are too obviously drawn in later

 

[cobra_ky]

Babylon 5 is the only sci-fi series i'll ever need.

 

[timax]

As with many Sci-Fi, Gattaca has and appealing premise however poor acting and a lack of good sub plots lets it down. The person who wrote it, does not have the skills to flesh out such a big concept.

A lot of people who feel like they know a lot about movies, but don't really use that phrase. Or, people who specifically dislike a actor/actress. Either way, it's a cop out. Gattaca isn't a perfect movie, it's a very solid sci fi story though, with very solid acting.

Reading your complaints about a scanner darkly doesn't add to your credibility...

Obscure sci-fi? Hit up Firefly(show, and Serenity (movie), both good, neither serious though, although they do deal with some serious topics.

 

[wolfskin]

Life On Mars: Having seen both, I prefer the American version, and it just came out on DVD. Trippy series about a cop who gets shot and finds himself in 1973. The accuracy of the time period coupled with the very odd time-warpy elements make this a great series. And though it was canceled, they at least gave it a real conclusion.

If you like Life on Mars, they made a spin-off of the English version called Ashes to Ashes. Instead of a guy going back to 73 it's a woman going back to the 83. She works with the same cops from Life on Mars (minus the main guy). I found it interested to see the same characters 10 years on.

 

[Agema]

Also I personally avoid British Sci-Fi it lacks a deep story line and tends to be far too predictable, also the cgi is not nearly as goof as the ggi in American and Canadian shows there is no real good cgi in their programming many things have awkward motions and are too obviously drawn in later

I agree that the special effects are pretty weak in British TV, but that's a case of them being much lower budget.

However, I think that saying British SF is inferior in storytelling is hopelessly wrong. Look at a lot of American SF - Star Trek, The Invaders, X-files, Lost In Space etc., and effectively you've got the same plot repeated every episodes. This is not deep, and it's certainly predictable. If you don't think British SF hasn't produced work every bit as well scripted as the best American stuff, you haven't watched that much.

 

[Sebass]

How is it possible that nobody has mentioned the new Battlestar Galactica yet? Okay, it's not obscure, but it is a pretty gritty, serious and rather dark sci-fi show. Word of warning tho: the quality of the big storyarc starts falling in season 3, to ultimately crash in a worthless finale in season 4.



(The rebellion arc was pretty good though in S4)

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

Sunshine (movie), Babylon 5 (series), Dr. Who (not really obscure but the older versions are), Blake's 7 (really old series) or Battlestar Galactica (original + 1980 remake)

 

[BuckminsterF]

Believe it or not, Metropolis is fairly unknown. Unless you're in your 60's.

The anime or the german movie?
ot: The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307109/

 

[Vrex360]

I haven't quite finished watching it but I gotta say, 12 monkeys is pretty damn good.

 

[Erja_Perttu]

Sunshine (movie), Babylon 5 (series), Dr. Who (not really obscure but the older versions are), Blake's 7 (really old series) or Battlestar Galactica (original + 1980 remake)

Ah! Someone who remembers Blake's Seven! What a good series that was.

Also, as for Doctor Who, you kind of have to watch the old stuff with an extreme suspension of disbelief because of it's pace and tone, but there are some real diamonds in the rough there.

And BattleStar Galactica. There's nothing I can add to what people have already said apart from a good recommendation.

 

[dukethepcdr]

Anybody see Outlander when it came out last year? The movie barely made a blip in the press. I thought it was a clever blend of dark ages hack and slash epic mixed with alien encounter sci-fi. It has James Cavrazel in it too who was really good. It also has lots of vikings. Gotta love Vikings.

Speaking of Vikings and aliens, I think they should make a movie (maybe live action, maybe animated, not sure which would be better) based on the game The Lost Vikings. If they made the Vikings and their world really serious, historicly accurate and believable then made the aliens as wacked out and weird as in the video game, it would be a good movie. They should do it while Stellan Skarsgaard is still acting. He makes a great Viking. He was fantastic in the movie Beowulf and Grendel. They should get the guys who played Vikings in The Thirteenth Warrior too. They were good.

 

[afaceforradio]

Space Mutiny! See how many names YOU can come up with for David Ryder!

 

[high_castle]

I watched about 25 minutes of A Scanner Darkly but did not get into it because the story did not grip me and the acting was forgettable. I was also tried so I fell asleep, I will probably try to watch it in a few months.

I watched a few episodes of Life On Mars (British version), it is ok but too politically correct. I will try to watch the American version.

I have heard of Jericho but did not take any notice of it, I have seen a trailer and I am interested to see the first episode.

As with many Sci-Fi, Gattaca has and appealing premise however poor acting and a lack of good sub plots lets it down. The person who wrote it, does not have the skills to flesh out such a big concept.

The American version of LoM was definitely less politically correct and more appropriate to its time frame. I have relatives who were in law enforcement at that time and my uncle even commented on how real the show was. Aside from that, sorry you were disappointed in the other recs. But you might also want to try:

The Man Who Fell To Earth: David Bowie. As an alien (so basically himself). It's a little slow at first, and I don't know if you're familiar with the book or not, but it's very intriguing, and I happen to like it quite a bit.

The Order: Alright, so this is more horror-esque than SF, but I'm including it because not very many people know of it. One of Heath Ledger's lesser known roles, he plays a Catholic priest/exorcist. Interesting take on Christian myth (this coming from an atheist).

Sunshine: This movie is a little schizophrenic about the softness of its science. Some of it's well-thought out (like how to generate enough oxygen on a starship for a long voyage) and some of it's not (what exactly's making the sun die and what are we doing to stop it again?), but it's not really about the science. It's about the people, and what they (i.e. you) would do on such a mission. More psychological than anything else, but a good film.

 

[Tri Force95]

I read an article talking about how House is Sci-Fi, and they put a good argument up. So good, I actually consider it Sci-Fi/Drama now.