My only comment because I have seen them all but Daz I have to say Michael Peña in Extinction was great and I was thrilled to see him for once take a lead roll. Never going to meet the lad, or ever have a chat, but he's been a sidekick in so many films it was good to see him take the lead. Proud of the stranger I will never know. You know what I mean.
I lied. You invoked me Daz. I have just spent today watching "The Last Man on Earth" 1964 with Vincent Price and also "The Day of the Triffids" 1963. Cracking old movies.
One of my first memories of being online was finding a movie discussion forum where a large number of folks were unaware that Starship Troopers was satire.
Oh... they're here in the comments already. Someone literally just commented "Starship Troopers is offensively purile. The movie, even more than the book, is clearly aimed at subnormal adolescents, with a cast that looks like it came out of the Mickey Mouse Club. Even worse, it includes Casper Van Dien as a wannabee Christopher Reeve. Truly vile."
@@DarrenVanDam if you like books, try armor. like starship, but goes different ways and would be a great flick. also i would've put spectral on this list as it does a lot with very little.
@@DarrenVanDam Wow. As a _huge_ Robert Heinlein fan, I feel that whoever said "The movie, _even more than the book_ , is clearly aimed..." only _knows_ that it was a book, & has never actually read it (or anything else by Heinlein), but wanted to try to add some pseudo-weight behind their comment to make it _seem_ more authentic (since they probably are banking on the idea that no one has read a book by the author who has *_won the most Hugo awards_* , & who has been nominated the most times). Anyone who reads Heinlein is absolutely aware that "subnormal" is not the insult that this person thinks it is. I have never had an author more thoroughly explain to me just how not smart I am by having the internal dialogue of every character be that of a thermonucleastromedicalbiophysimathematicianist who views səx as an amazingly fun, casual thing that everyone should be doing with everyone else. Starship Troopers - like most of Heinlein's stories - is very much not satire, but is rather a look into one of his more idealistic, but unrealistic expectations of civilization as a concept. Especially since most of the book seems to take place from the perspective of young soldier growing to define himself by his life in the military, and using that as a baseline for how everyone should be. (If memory serves. I am more a fan of his later works like Stranger, Luna, & the later books in the Long saga). _Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, & the series of novels that feature Lazarus Long & his family_ . This perspective of the author clearly changes in his later works. Even though he is still judgemental toward anyone who simply coasts along in life without being productive, he very much loses the idea of nationalism and floats more toward idealistic individualism than anything. I seriously don't remember Starship Troopers being anything other than a young man's praise of military life & a society based on militaristic elevation. (The movie, however, is _very much_ satire).
There's so much I like about your channel and the obvious amount of thought and work you put into it. The fact you list and timecode the films is great. The range and your critique of the films is terrific. Both of those are things so many other channels a mediocre job of. But then when you talk about the films, you're often careful to give additional context to your viewers, telling them that if they prefer this or that, then maybe this film isn't for them. That's so rare! I used to work in a video library and taking people's differing tastes into account when making recommendations was really import. I only found you channel recently, but it's fast become a fav. Thank you for all the time, love, and hard work you put in - it shows and it's appreciated.
You know what makes this informative video less enjoyable? The narrator demanding so much screen time for himself when describing the amazing action of the films.
I appreciate how accurate your subjectively _objective_ descriptions of movies are. There is no one better at describing *_who_* will enjoy certain movies, *_why_* they will, *_what_* they will, & *_how much_* they will. You are appreciated, sir. Thank you.
Warm bodies is a FANTASTIC movie. I loved this one. Had absolutely zero expectations going in to this one but it is so nice. Mostly from the main actors that make it work so well.
I remember watching What Happened to Monday on your recommendation...HOLY CRAP! I was hoping to see Spectral here but there is only so many spots. My Netflix list always expands when you do sci-fi or weird-WTF movies and I'll keep watching as long as you keep making them
I’m glad you included What Happened to Monday. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I’ve been telling people for years to check out this great movie.
I can't believe I forgot about this movie. I too was completely surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I truly thought it was going to be one of those generic, drab, try-hard-but-miss-the-point movies that goes too far on the artsy side with no substance behind the art that you just kind of put on at 3am when you can't sleep, and can't find anything you feel like watching. I was so glad to be wrong about this one.
@@drumbum3.142 if you mean recommendations that I will be pleasantly surprised by, yes please. ( _if you mean movies that you just throw on because you literally can't find anything else, then nah. I can do that myself._ ) 😜
There's one Netflix sci-fi I'm looking forward to. But, it's not out until the end of 2023. Rebel Moon. Pitch Black is a classic and I love Starship Troopers and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Such great movies.
List w/ IMDB ratings 20. Extinction - 5.8 19. Warriors of Future - 5.6 18. Tau - 5.8 17. Level 16 - 6.1 16. Vivarium - 5.9 15. Jung_E - 5.5 14. ARQ - 6.3 13. The Wandering Earth - 5.9 12. Beyond Skyline - 5.3 11. Project Power - 6.0 10. Underworld - 7.0 9. Mirage - 7.4 8. Warm Bodies - 6.8 7. Gamer - 5.7 6. Space Sweepers - 6.5 Honorable Mentions: Hardcore Henry - 6.7, Code 8 - 6.1, Sleight - 5.9 5. What Happened to Monday - 6.8 4. Pitch Black - 7.0 3. Starship Troopers - 7.3 2. Annihilation - 6.8 1. Terminator 2 - 8.6 The ratings remind me on why I haven't seen so many of these. I don't thiink I'd count Underworld or Warm Bodies as sci-fi, though they're both good (The Adam Project probably fits better here than either). I think the top 4 are super solid, the rest seem fine if you just want to watch some sci-fi.
My favorites are from China, Japan and Korea. Netflix needs to license more of them. Some watched for this year of Netflix, 65, Delete, Yakitori Soldiers of Misfortune, Ultraman, Unlocked (Horror), The Door into Summer (great), Unlock My Boss, Re/Member (Horror), My Holo Love, Mousa. yea, there are more.
I'm so glad to see you give Pitch Black a good rating, it's one of my favorite movies. Great list Darren, theres a few on the list i havent seen yet so ill be cbecking them out this week
You have Great taste! Really appreciate how you quickly break all the movies down without giving anything away. And Love that my ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIE T2 made it to number 1. 🙌
Surprised you didn't have Spectral on here. For having a fairly ridiculous premise, it was surprisingly good. It involves Bose-Einstein Condensate, which is a real thing, though I think I can safely say it doesn't quite work like this in real life. Great sci-fi/horror/action movie.
I was just about to post that too. I don't understand how it's not on the list. It may very well be the best sci-fi Netflix original ever IMO. I seldom rewatch movies but that's one I revisited for sure!
I watched Sprectral because DVD recommended it. He switches up his recommendations over time so his lists aren't 80% the same all the time. Also, check the rusty metallic iron filings added to the flour -- just maybe the financiers are mocking us for being so gullible as to ingest rusty metallic filings as our chronic disease rates have skyrocketed from 4-6% of all people to 55% of children under 18 in about 80 years.
Such an uotstanding list. I really like that you introduce us to movies that are not the usual suspects. Per your recommendation, I watched "What happened to Monday" and I loved it. I have been putting it off, even though you have recommended before, but this time I watched it and I'm glad I did. It is pretty good and Noomi Rapace delivered as usual. Keep up the great work bro!
Came to the comments to ask why someone who has T2 and Starship Troopers and What Happened To Monday on their list (they are all on my list too) didn't have Spectral on it, and I'm happy to see lot's of other people beat me to it. A couple other movie's i've recommended to co-workers who end up liking them is I Am Mother, Anon, and Archive.
Saw Vivarium a few years back and it absolutely has stuck with me. I wouldn't describe it as a pleasant experience, but it is one that kept me thinking and I still think about it years later. It is a bit like an old sci-fi anthology series episode of Twilight Zone or Tales From the Darkside. I mention the latter because this one is indeed very grim.
A bit off-topic (and a bit honorable mention): There is as sci-fi novel that I am surprised was never made into a movie. Is anyone here, familiar with "Lucifer's Hammer"? It fits more into the disaster epic category, than sci-fi. Though it is a bit formulaic, it still would have made a great big-budget movie. Think of a sequel to "Armageddon" or "Deep Impact", if the efforts of the astronauts had been unsuccessful. Even more surprising, this novel was published back in the late 70's!
That was a good one. The same authors (Niven & Pournelle) also produced the excellent "Footfall" and "Mote in God's Eye". Any of those would probably need to be at least a season of TV to do them justice -- a lot happens.
Thanks for the list, but urghh for regional restrictions. I got excited seeing What Happen To Monday, then searched for it, and not available on Netflix Australia :(
I would like to add as a great Sci-Fi movie, if you don't mind CG animation: BLAME! Its based on a popular Japanese comic book (manga) and without spoiling it: It read/plays out like a classic western with a lone wanderer just passing through, ending up getting involved in a situation, helping out the locals in the process and learning something about humanity and maybe himself in the process. It also features some awesome designs in a cyberpunk-theme!
Blame! is one of my faves. For the purists, the manga is an awesome undertaking, yet the movie is a (tweaked) portion of that huge tome and it works really well, especially as it brings the larger Blame! to an audience that doesn't necessarily read manga. Personally, I love 'Polygon's Pictures' animation style and was so glad they rendered 'Knights of Sidonia' too, among so many others.
Your List it’s Spot on. I’ve worked on 4-movies in Special Effects and Love Science Fiction. I was on The Matrix Reloaded Set and was live on the Courtyard Fight Scene being filmed. It was Mind Blowing. My last Gig was I built the 80’ long Baby Conveyor in the “ Sky High “ movie and was hired and flown into Hollyweird from Eugene, Oregon to build it 80’ long and install it at the Northridge University Library Steps going into the back of a School Bus. Loved working with Brilliant people. You have a great list and I have Subscribed 👍🏻✌🏻😎🙏🏼
I just rewatched T2 after a few years and yeah, it holds up nicely. When I look at all the sequels I've missed since the 3rd one my head spins because to catch up they'd all have to be available at the same time and you'd have to have subscription to multiple services. They should do what Prime did with the Bond films or sometimes the Bourne movies (the trilogy before "Jason Bourne" Anyway, I'm gonna' check out "Bird Box: Barcelona tonight after rewatching"Birdbox " so I can get reoriented.✌️
Vivarium is a strange movie no doubt, but absolutely great at the same time. The movie ends with a awesome song by XTC’s Complicated Game. I thought it was a fairly recent song but when I looked it up, it came out over 40 years ago in 1979.
For T2, Cameron had a special type of laser printer developed that would allow them to print the digital imagery directly on the film in order to avoid the dreaded green-screen-border you often see around people and objects in older movies when merged with special effects. The amount of effort put into that movie was absolutely insane!
I know this is a movie list but I think it should be mentioned that Netflix also has Dark which is a fantastic Sci-Fi show, and The OA even though it didn't get finished.
Dark was fantastic, one of my favorite all-time limited series. Yes it was confusing, but I liked it so much that I ended up making an extensive mind-map type outline to follow the characters and events.
I was so pissed off finally watching the OA after years of it being in my list only to find it ending on such a huge cliff hanger and after such an exciting two seasons. Also, Dark is simply fantastic.
@@tp7886 I know it's likely delusional but I'm in the camp that hopes the OA will finish someday since the cancellation actually fits in the story line.
When you said great Sci-Fi on Netflix I was just holding my breath for Space Sweepers. I saw that one a while ago and I still think about it. It's just so much damned FUN! It is a wild ride about salvage operators in a very crowded Low Earth Orbit that just presents so many new and interesting features and is a high-action hoot! But ultimately with a LOT of heart! Starship Troopers was an early Robert Heinlein novel from the mid-'50s and follows the usual 'space marines vs. space aliens' theme that was so popular in those days. Fortunately, Robert Heinlein could certainly write so the story holds together much better than the rest of that ilk. Paul Verhoven studied the films of Lili Reifenstahl to get the pure fascist uber-alles look he wanted. The political satire is just delicious! Annihilation is an absolute mind trip and definitely NOT what I was expecting. Yeah, it's a pretty deep think piece but with plenty of really weird eye candy. It really does deserve a second watch. Yes, Pitch Black is by far the best of a very good bunch of Riddick movies, maybe because it doesn't feature Riddick quite so prominently. T2 -- what can I say? Sarah Conner never looked better. I'm a long-time Linda Hamilton fan and I was delighted to find that she was in Terminator. She is absolutely at the very top of her game in this movie. The tension is high throughout, and yes, the CGI was groundbreaking at the time. As an old Atari Computer fan I really enjoy the way young John uses an off-the-shelf Atari Portfolio hand-held computer to jack ATMs. That thing ran on AA batteries and had DOS 2.2 in ROM (DOS 3 needed to update the disk too often to be able to be used in ROM) and could definitely do everything the kid has it do in the movie.
If you have read Heinlein, then you know he hated Fascism. He believed that each individual was responsible for his actions. If you could not understand Starship Troopers, then you should read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. The concepts about freedom and politics are so clearly laid out that no one can misconstrue the points he was making. Because most people really have no understanding of what Fascism, Socialism, and Communism are, they mistake they mistake the concept of individual responsibility as oppression.
@@mikek2598 Of course he hated faschism. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a veritable libertarian rant. I’ve heard it said that he describes and helps establish a libertarian revolution on the Moon, but instead of that they just they just complain about the resulting government on libertarian principles. He gets closer to a libertarian ideal at the end of Farnham’s Freehold.
@@lorensims4846 They don't complain about government, the lead character notes how as time passes, those running the government forget why they fought to establish a government of their own. The people in charge who paid the price are no longer the leadership. Some of those are like the official who was concerned that we were dropping nuclear weapons on our enemies. First, he really had no idea what he was talking about. Second, was a useless drone that most certainly hid during the fighting. Third he was dealing with people who had made great sacrifices. Just as today, politicians cater to two types of people. Those who want handouts and those who believe they know best and want to control what everyone else does. The professor's goal was the same as our founding fathers. To create a government with minimal ability to run the lives of its citizens. The professor was a rational anarchist. A person who believed that he was responsible for the choices he made. All of Heinlein's beliefs are centered around personal responsibility. The disappointment is that they were not able to create a long-term solution to the weaknesses of human beings. One of my favorite moments in the book is when Manual comes back the next day after the confrontation with the useless drone of a politician. He comments that he never saw that man again, never. The upshot is that the jerk was thrown out an airlock without a suit. He had forgotten how a polite society deals with people who aren't. In today's American that would consider awful, personally, I think it was totally justified. A panel of his peers judged him and acted on their judgement. I could go on forever, but you are probably not interested in my rambling. I will close with the thought that to understand Heinlein, you must all of his books. It was unfortunate that he got carried away with the last few books.
I love Space Sweepers it shows you don't need a huge budget to make a good sci-fi film.. he does get one it wrong though as Space Sweepers is NOT a Netflix original and no money from Netflix was used to make it as it was made to be a theatrical release but due to covid was sold to Netflix...plus calling it a big budget release is a joke as its budget was $26m which is less than a lot of the others... I also love Starship Troopers its a fun film to watch but its not Heinlein`s Starship Troopers there's very very little of the book in the film plus the whole idea and concept of the political system and the actual troopers is wrong...grunts wearing very little body armour ISN'T what he wrote...
No liquid metal robots in Terminator 2 without The Abyss, a James Cameron movie that just seems almost impossible to find these days and possibly the best Sci Fi movie ever made in my opinion.
Annihilation was utterly terrible. Four unqualified women wander into an alien effect (which has eaten several teams already) with no protective gear or useful instruments. They wander around, look at the weird scenery, talk a lot, and then they all die except Padme, who has a weird encounter with what may be either an alien or a hallucination. Then she goes home. Meanwhile, her boyfriend back home might be an alien, or insane, or something, but we never find out. And apparently we're supposed to care that she cheated on him, even though neither he nor she seems to care. This is the worst sort of "girly stereotype" writing. Nothing happens, nobody learns anything, nothing is resolved. And these are alleged to be "strong female characters"? Someone doesn't know what "strong" or "character" means.
I love your lists...especially Sci-fi or horror ones. Only one I was hoping to see on here was The Tomorrow War. I think I liked it more than most people😂 I added 8 more to my list and Annihilation is definitely a fave of mine!
I agree with you for Tomorrow War, probably better than most on this list! Unfortunately is not a Netflix original and probably will never be on Netflix since its an Amazon Original.
Not sure why Annihilation didn't do better. Female lead sci-fi, which folks were asking for at the time. But did not get supported. Watched it twice. Probably will again. Nice list. Thanks for sharing.
I really, really like how you give pro's and cons... People rarely do, and if they do, they don't separate it properly like you do, there's a clear line between where you give a pro and a con, and you give valuable information rather than just same thing over and over.
Darren, love your channel. However, I couldn't in good conscience keep paying for NF subscription and supporting the garbage they continually push out. Keep up the good work, I know you work hard and I will continue to support your content!
Wandering Earth done properly is called "Earthsearch 1", "Earthsearch 2" and "Mindwarp" by James Follett and is a multi part radio adventure I thoroughly recommend. The books are great too...
Yes! I thought the same ! I've watched that movie twice AND recommenced it to others! Thank you for your thoughts on this movie! I was hoping to find others who thought this movie was intriguing and had a unique story !
It's not on this list, but Prospect is probably my 2nd favorite sci fy movie of all time. The Signal is third. My #1 favorite sci fy movie is Galaxy Quest. Absolute gold.
Thanks for listing Annihilation. Hands down the most alien/psychedelic moments ever put on film, especially the final scene in the lighthouse with the mimicking entity. Great film.
@@glennsmith3303 yeah, my supposedly jaded 21 and 22 year old son and daughter, who claim to have never seen a horror movie that scared them, truly scared them, tell me they still have nightmares about the mutant bear. But as someone who actually did psychedelic studies and a lot of experimentation when I was young, I can say that the last 15 minutes are as close to a psychedelic experience while sober as one can get.
I met Arnold in New London CT where he was the Ambassador for the Special Olympics and they had it there the year after T2 (and the following year) when the Summer Special Olympics was hosted there. He was a GIANT of a man. It’s my number 1.
Fantastic thank you so much for my new movie list...I fell in love with Sliders with Jerry O'Connell and havent looked back since....Crimes of the future didnt make the list, have you seen it? Do you feel Cronenberg has missed the mark on this one?
Will go through all of your list because I've been pleasantly surprised by Extinction which received mixed reviews. Where they saw a cheap action movie, I've seen more of a metaphor of what's being a human feeling disconnected from his present. Like, if you don't accept to go through therapy to confront your demons, here's what's going to happen... Lose your wife, your kids, your world is goong to crash and burn... But maybe I'm wrong in my reading of things😅
Congratulation for this amazing journey through Netflix SyFy movies. Really enjoyed how you made it and how you presented it. Instant subscribe. Keep posting.
It’s great that you added warm bodies and starship troopers, another good little sci-fi movie which stars Casper Van Dien from Troopers is called Thrill Seekers. Great little Low budget time travel movie.
Tau and Level 16 are absolutely amazing plotwise, I really enjoyed them . The plot definitely makes up for the lower budget aspect of the movies. Watch them
Stumbled on this video. Don't usually watch Top List they don't usually match my likes but love Sci-fi and agree and have seen a lot of these and quite a few on my queue. Will have to check out the others that I didn't know about till this video and will have to check other if ur videos.
SCI-FI on Netflix:
20. Extinction
19. Warriors of Future
18. Tau
17. Level 16
16. Vivarium
15. Jung_E
14. ARQ
13. The Wandering Earth
12. Beyond Skyline
11. Project Power
10. Underworld
9. Mirage
8. Warm Bodies
7. Gamer
6. Space Sweepers
Honorable Mentions: Hardcore Henry, Code 8, Sleight
5. What Happened to Monday
4. Pitch Black - Riddick
3. Starship Troopers
2. Annihilation
1. Terminator 2
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My only comment because I have seen them all but Daz I have to say Michael Peña in Extinction was great and I was thrilled to see him for once take a lead roll. Never going to meet the lad, or ever have a chat, but he's been a sidekick in so many films it was good to see him take the lead. Proud of the stranger I will never know. You know what I mean.
I lied. You invoked me Daz. I have just spent today watching "The Last Man on Earth" 1964 with Vincent Price and also "The Day of the Triffids" 1963. Cracking old movies.
I have 18 out of 20 here. Not a bad score.
@@martyburgess341 You have a couple of cracking films to watch. What two are missing ?
@@Lee.Willcox spectral is a solid flick.
In my opinion "Spectral" should have been on your list. One of my favorite movies of all time and i believe a Netflix original.
Yes, I agree. Should have been top 1 easily.
I made a similar post and his response was that he recommended Spectral too many times before.
@@pmpowalisz And he has! ;-)
He should add a list of good movies left off because of frequent previous recommendations.
@@pmpowalisz That's fair enough. bloody good movie.
Came here to say this. It's an amazing film, easily topping anything on this list.
One of my first memories of being online was finding a movie discussion forum where a large number of folks were unaware that Starship Troopers was satire.
Oh... they're here in the comments already. Someone literally just commented "Starship Troopers is offensively purile. The movie, even more than the book, is clearly aimed at subnormal adolescents, with a cast that looks like it came out of the Mickey Mouse Club. Even worse, it includes Casper Van Dien as a wannabee Christopher Reeve. Truly vile."
@@DarrenVanDam if you like books, try armor. like starship, but goes different ways and would be a great flick. also i would've put spectral on this list as it does a lot with very little.
@@craiglortie8483 Armor is a fantastic book.
@@DarrenVanDam Wow. As a _huge_ Robert Heinlein fan, I feel that whoever said "The movie, _even more than the book_ , is clearly aimed..." only _knows_ that it was a book, & has never actually read it (or anything else by Heinlein), but wanted to try to add some pseudo-weight behind their comment to make it _seem_ more authentic (since they probably are banking on the idea that no one has read a book by the author who has *_won the most Hugo awards_* , & who has been nominated the most times).
Anyone who reads Heinlein is absolutely aware that "subnormal" is not the insult that this person thinks it is. I have never had an author more thoroughly explain to me just how not smart I am by having the internal dialogue of every character be that of a thermonucleastromedicalbiophysimathematicianist who views səx as an amazingly fun, casual thing that everyone should be doing with everyone else. Starship Troopers - like most of Heinlein's stories - is very much not satire, but is rather a look into one of his more idealistic, but unrealistic expectations of civilization as a concept. Especially since most of the book seems to take place from the perspective of young soldier growing to define himself by his life in the military, and using that as a baseline for how everyone should be. (If memory serves. I am more a fan of his later works like Stranger, Luna, & the later books in the Long saga).
_Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, & the series of novels that feature Lazarus Long & his family_ . This perspective of the author clearly changes in his later works. Even though he is still judgemental toward anyone who simply coasts along in life without being productive, he very much loses the idea of nationalism and floats more toward idealistic individualism than anything. I seriously don't remember Starship Troopers being anything other than a young man's praise of military life & a society based on militaristic elevation. (The movie, however, is _very much_ satire).
Started reading Heinlein when I was a 12 or maybe 13 year old, and was instantly hooked.
There's so much I like about your channel and the obvious amount of thought and work you put into it.
The fact you list and timecode the films is great. The range and your critique of the films is terrific. Both of those are things so many other channels a mediocre job of.
But then when you talk about the films, you're often careful to give additional context to your viewers, telling them that if they prefer this or that, then maybe this film isn't for them. That's so rare! I used to work in a video library and taking people's differing tastes into account when making recommendations was really import.
I only found you channel recently, but it's fast become a fav. Thank you for all the time, love, and hard work you put in - it shows and it's appreciated.
You know what makes this informative video less enjoyable? The narrator demanding so much screen time for himself when describing the amazing action of the films.
I appreciate how accurate your subjectively _objective_ descriptions of movies are. There is no one better at describing *_who_* will enjoy certain movies, *_why_* they will, *_what_* they will, & *_how much_* they will. You are appreciated, sir. Thank you.
Warm bodies is a FANTASTIC movie. I loved this one. Had absolutely zero expectations going in to this one but it is so nice. Mostly from the main actors that make it work so well.
Teresa Palmer..................
really good movie
Too right, it is amazingly good.
love and monsters has similar vibes
I remember watching What Happened to Monday on your recommendation...HOLY CRAP! I was hoping to see Spectral here but there is only so many spots. My Netflix list always expands when you do sci-fi or weird-WTF movies and I'll keep watching as long as you keep making them
I’m glad you included What Happened to Monday. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I’ve been telling people for years to check out this great movie.
I can't believe I forgot about this movie. I too was completely surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I truly thought it was going to be one of those generic, drab, try-hard-but-miss-the-point movies that goes too far on the artsy side with no substance behind the art that you just kind of put on at 3am when you can't sleep, and can't find anything you feel like watching. I was so glad to be wrong about this one.
@ilshaguides
Let me know if You ever want some approximately similar recommendations.
Sounds like a good movie, but I don't understand what makes it science fiction. - As noted, China already did this.
@@drumbum3.142 if you mean recommendations that I will be pleasantly surprised by, yes please. ( _if you mean movies that you just throw on because you literally can't find anything else, then nah. I can do that myself._ ) 😜
@@drumbum3.142 also... why to 4 digits, and why rounded?
Pitch Black is a well-deserved number one pick. Awesome movie.
There's one Netflix sci-fi I'm looking forward to. But, it's not out until the end of 2023. Rebel Moon. Pitch Black is a classic and I love Starship Troopers and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Such great movies.
I bet you're disappointed now.
@@carlosoliveira-rc2xt No
@@danielwilliamson6180 Seriously? Rebel Moon sucked.
@@carlosoliveira-rc2xt Part 1 was good, not great. I enjoyed Part 2 more.
List w/ IMDB ratings
20. Extinction - 5.8
19. Warriors of Future - 5.6
18. Tau - 5.8
17. Level 16 - 6.1
16. Vivarium - 5.9
15. Jung_E - 5.5
14. ARQ - 6.3
13. The Wandering Earth - 5.9
12. Beyond Skyline - 5.3
11. Project Power - 6.0
10. Underworld - 7.0
9. Mirage - 7.4
8. Warm Bodies - 6.8
7. Gamer - 5.7
6. Space Sweepers - 6.5
Honorable Mentions: Hardcore Henry - 6.7, Code 8 - 6.1, Sleight - 5.9
5. What Happened to Monday - 6.8
4. Pitch Black - 7.0
3. Starship Troopers - 7.3
2. Annihilation - 6.8
1. Terminator 2 - 8.6
The ratings remind me on why I haven't seen so many of these. I don't thiink I'd count Underworld or Warm Bodies as sci-fi, though they're both good (The Adam Project probably fits better here than either). I think the top 4 are super solid, the rest seem fine if you just want to watch some sci-fi.
My favorites are from China, Japan and Korea. Netflix needs to license more of them. Some watched for this year of Netflix, 65, Delete, Yakitori Soldiers of Misfortune, Ultraman, Unlocked (Horror), The Door into Summer (great), Unlock My Boss, Re/Member (Horror), My Holo Love, Mousa. yea, there are more.
I second that!
Can't believe I Am Mother is not on this list. Also Pitch Bkack is a classic. And Aliens is the best Si Fi thriller of all time.
I'm so glad to see you give Pitch Black a good rating, it's one of my favorite movies.
Great list Darren, theres a few on the list i havent seen yet so ill be cbecking them out this week
You have Great taste! Really appreciate how you quickly break all the movies down without giving anything away. And Love that my ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIE T2 made it to number 1. 🙌
Im still saying " WTF" whenever i think of Vivarium. I watched about a year ago.
Thanks for keeping the name of the film onscreen the entire review. It makes it so much easier to find the movie I’m interested in.
Surprised you didn't have Spectral on here. For having a fairly ridiculous premise, it was surprisingly good. It involves Bose-Einstein Condensate, which is a real thing, though I think I can safely say it doesn't quite work like this in real life. Great sci-fi/horror/action movie.
I was just about to post that too. I don't understand how it's not on the list. It may very well be the best sci-fi Netflix original ever IMO. I seldom rewatch movies but that's one I revisited for sure!
Spectral is a great flick!
I was going to say that as well. lol
Spectral is a great movie!
I watched Sprectral because DVD recommended it. He switches up his recommendations over time so his lists aren't 80% the same all the time.
Also, check the rusty metallic iron filings added to the flour -- just maybe the financiers are mocking us for being so gullible as to ingest rusty metallic filings as our chronic disease rates have skyrocketed from 4-6% of all people to 55% of children under 18 in about 80 years.
Glad you mentioned Warriors of Future, Hardcore Henry, Pitch Black and Starship Troopers.
100% agree with your list!
Such an uotstanding list. I really like that you introduce us to movies that are not the usual suspects. Per your recommendation, I watched "What happened to Monday" and I loved it. I have been putting it off, even though you have recommended before, but this time I watched it and I'm glad I did. It is pretty good and Noomi Rapace delivered as usual. Keep up the great work bro!
No list is ever going to be all-inclusive, but another fantastic Netflix original sci fi is Spectral... very much worth a watch
All of these movies are great. There's something on this list for everyone. One that I was a bit surprised wasn't on this list is Spectral.
I've watched Spectral several times, it's solid. I too am surprised it's not on here.
It nearly was and if I had included it I might have even had it in the top 10.
Thanks!
Came to the comments to ask why someone who has T2 and Starship Troopers and What Happened To Monday on their list (they are all on my list too) didn't have Spectral on it, and I'm happy to see lot's of other people beat me to it. A couple other movie's i've recommended to co-workers who end up liking them is I Am Mother, Anon, and Archive.
Saw Vivarium a few years back and it absolutely has stuck with me. I wouldn't describe it as a pleasant experience, but it is one that kept me thinking and I still think about it years later. It is a bit like an old sci-fi anthology series episode of Twilight Zone or Tales From the Darkside. I mention the latter because this one is indeed very grim.
Movie is so damn weird
It's one of the best mindf#%k movies out there. I hate it and love it.
We watched that on our family night the other night and none of us had any positive things to say about it lol.
I agree. Watched it a couple of times. I have a love/hate attitude towards it.@@Leandro-X.2024.Alkebulan
i wish we got to see the parents of you know who....still bugs me
I watched every single one of these movies and you are right they are all fantastic
A bit off-topic (and a bit honorable mention): There is as sci-fi novel that I am surprised was never made into a movie. Is anyone here, familiar with "Lucifer's Hammer"? It fits more into the disaster epic category, than sci-fi. Though it is a bit formulaic, it still would have made a great big-budget movie. Think of a sequel to "Armageddon" or "Deep Impact", if the efforts of the astronauts had been unsuccessful. Even more surprising, this novel was published back in the late 70's!
That was a good one. The same authors (Niven & Pournelle) also produced the excellent "Footfall" and "Mote in God's Eye". Any of those would probably need to be at least a season of TV to do them justice -- a lot happens.
Thanks for the list, but urghh for regional restrictions. I got excited seeing What Happen To Monday, then searched for it, and not available on Netflix Australia :(
Simmilarly for me, top one is Warm bodies... alas not available in my region.
Underworld is definitely just a badass movie🤘🔥and I agree it’s the best one of the series👍🏻
Killer list! Netflix ramping up the library, but I'm biased. I love scifi. "Tau" was excellent, watched it when it originally released.
That was a great FLICK CONNECTION, Darren. Particularly as you have Terminator 2 as your #1. Many thanks for sharing with us 👍👍👍
What happened to Monday is fantastic. Thanks for the list, there are a few I'm going to check out.
I would like to add as a great Sci-Fi movie, if you don't mind CG animation: BLAME! Its based on a popular Japanese comic book (manga) and without spoiling it: It read/plays out like a classic western with a lone wanderer just passing through, ending up getting involved in a situation, helping out the locals in the process and learning something about humanity and maybe himself in the process.
It also features some awesome designs in a cyberpunk-theme!
Blame! is one of my faves. For the purists, the manga is an awesome undertaking, yet the movie is a (tweaked) portion of that huge tome and it works really well, especially as it brings the larger Blame! to an audience that doesn't necessarily read manga. Personally, I love 'Polygon's Pictures' animation style and was so glad they rendered 'Knights of Sidonia' too, among so many others.
Your List it’s Spot on. I’ve worked on 4-movies in Special Effects and Love Science Fiction. I was on The Matrix Reloaded Set and was live on the Courtyard Fight Scene being filmed. It was Mind Blowing. My last Gig was I built the 80’ long Baby Conveyor in the “ Sky High “ movie and was hired and flown into Hollyweird from Eugene, Oregon to build it 80’ long and install it at the Northridge University Library Steps going into the back of a School Bus. Loved working with Brilliant people. You have a great list and I have Subscribed 👍🏻✌🏻😎🙏🏼
Terminator 2 never gets old.
I just rewatched T2 after a few years and yeah, it holds up nicely. When I look at all the sequels I've missed since the 3rd one my head spins because to catch up they'd all have to be available at the same time and you'd have to have subscription to multiple services.
They should do what Prime did with the Bond films or sometimes the Bourne movies (the trilogy before "Jason Bourne"
Anyway, I'm gonna' check out "Bird Box: Barcelona tonight after rewatching"Birdbox " so I can get reoriented.✌️
I'd also add Anon, a visually stunning cyberpunk crime thriller. The score remains on high rotation in my electronica listening list.
Vivarium is a strange movie no doubt, but absolutely great at the same time. The movie ends with a awesome song by XTC’s Complicated Game. I thought it was a fairly recent song but when I looked it up, it came out over 40 years ago in 1979.
For T2, Cameron had a special type of laser printer developed that would allow them to print the digital imagery directly on the film in order to avoid the dreaded green-screen-border you often see around people and objects in older movies when merged with special effects. The amount of effort put into that movie was absolutely insane!
Thanks man never miss ur show awsome 👍👍👍👀
Have u ever seen hardware it's a 90s killer robot insane bloody crazy .. think that's what it's called or m.a.r.k 13
just signed up again to see these. practically none of them come up on the sci fi genre, so have to type names in search, so TY for finding them!
Mirage is excellently amazing !! The ending is a typical for Spanish fares, which is a good thing.
It's not Sci-Fi but if you love Mirage, check out "The Invisible Guest" also from Spain.
@@DarrenVanDam will do !!!
I skipped watching a few of these Chinese movies but now I think I'll give them a try. thanks!
I know this is a movie list but I think it should be mentioned that Netflix also has Dark which is a fantastic Sci-Fi show, and The OA even though it didn't get finished.
Dark was so freaking confusing but brilliant I loved it and was happy how it ended but was sad it was done
Dark was fantastic, one of my favorite all-time limited series. Yes it was confusing, but I liked it so much that I ended up making an extensive mind-map type outline to follow the characters and events.
I was so pissed off finally watching the OA after years of it being in my list only to find it ending on such a huge cliff hanger and after such an exciting two seasons.
Also, Dark is simply fantastic.
@@tp7886 I know it's likely delusional but I'm in the camp that hopes the OA will finish someday since the cancellation actually fits in the story line.
Great list. Thanks for putting Starship Troopers in; so many people can it but I love it.
When you said great Sci-Fi on Netflix I was just holding my breath for Space Sweepers.
I saw that one a while ago and I still think about it. It's just so much damned FUN!
It is a wild ride about salvage operators in a very crowded Low Earth Orbit that just presents so many new and interesting features and is a high-action hoot! But ultimately with a LOT of heart!
Starship Troopers was an early Robert Heinlein novel from the mid-'50s and follows the usual 'space marines vs. space aliens' theme that was so popular in those days. Fortunately, Robert Heinlein could certainly write so the story holds together much better than the rest of that ilk. Paul Verhoven studied the films of Lili Reifenstahl to get the pure fascist uber-alles look he wanted. The political satire is just delicious!
Annihilation is an absolute mind trip and definitely NOT what I was expecting. Yeah, it's a pretty deep think piece but with plenty of really weird eye candy. It really does deserve a second watch.
Yes, Pitch Black is by far the best of a very good bunch of Riddick movies, maybe because it doesn't feature Riddick quite so prominently.
T2 -- what can I say? Sarah Conner never looked better. I'm a long-time Linda Hamilton fan and I was delighted to find that she was in Terminator. She is absolutely at the very top of her game in this movie. The tension is high throughout, and yes, the CGI was groundbreaking at the time.
As an old Atari Computer fan I really enjoy the way young John uses an off-the-shelf Atari Portfolio hand-held computer to jack ATMs.
That thing ran on AA batteries and had DOS 2.2 in ROM (DOS 3 needed to update the disk too often to be able to be used in ROM) and could definitely do everything the kid has it do in the movie.
If you have read Heinlein, then you know he hated Fascism. He believed that each individual was responsible for his actions. If you could not understand Starship Troopers, then you should read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. The concepts about freedom and politics are so clearly laid out that no one can misconstrue the points he was making. Because most people really have no understanding of what Fascism, Socialism, and Communism are, they mistake they mistake the concept of individual responsibility as oppression.
@@mikek2598 Of course he hated faschism. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a veritable libertarian rant.
I’ve heard it said that he describes and helps establish a libertarian revolution on the Moon, but instead of that they just they just complain about the resulting government on libertarian principles.
He gets closer to a libertarian ideal at the end of Farnham’s Freehold.
@@lorensims4846 They don't complain about government, the lead character notes how as time passes, those running the government forget why they fought to establish a government of their own. The people in charge who paid the price are no longer the leadership. Some of those are like the official who was concerned that we were dropping nuclear weapons on our enemies. First, he really had no idea what he was talking about. Second, was a useless drone that most certainly hid during the fighting. Third he was dealing with people who had made great sacrifices. Just as today, politicians cater to two types of people. Those who want handouts and those who believe they know best and want to control what everyone else does. The professor's goal was the same as our founding fathers. To create a government with minimal ability to run the lives of its citizens. The professor was a rational anarchist. A person who believed that he was responsible for the choices he made. All of Heinlein's beliefs are centered around personal responsibility. The disappointment is that they were not able to create a long-term solution to the weaknesses of human beings. One of my favorite moments in the book is when Manual comes back the next day after the confrontation with the useless drone of a politician. He comments that he never saw that man again, never. The upshot is that the jerk was thrown out an airlock without a suit. He had forgotten how a polite society deals with people who aren't. In today's American that would consider awful, personally, I think it was totally justified. A panel of his peers judged him and acted on their judgement. I could go on forever, but you are probably not interested in my rambling. I will close with the thought that to understand Heinlein, you must all of his books. It was unfortunate that he got carried away with the last few books.
I love Space Sweepers it shows you don't need a huge budget to make a good sci-fi film..
he does get one it wrong though as Space Sweepers is NOT a Netflix original and no money from Netflix was used to make it as it was made to be a theatrical release but due to covid was sold to Netflix...plus calling it a big budget release is a joke as its budget was $26m which is less than a lot of the others...
I also love Starship Troopers its a fun film to watch but its not Heinlein`s Starship Troopers there's very very little of the book in the film plus the whole idea and concept of the political system and the actual troopers is wrong...grunts wearing very little body armour ISN'T what he wrote...
@@mikek2598 My fave character was Mike and he wasnt even Human..
Warm bodies is way underrated. This is such a great film.
No liquid metal robots in Terminator 2 without The Abyss, a James Cameron movie that just seems almost impossible to find these days and possibly the best Sci Fi movie ever made in my opinion.
I have “the Abyss” on DVD with a theatrical version and extended addition on it. Great movie!
Probably the most well put together movie countdown type of video I’ve ever seen, good job and thanks for the recommendations! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
This is an excellent list. A few of these I've never heard of. Thanks for the groundwork.
Thanks
Dude I love you put pitch black where you did. Great picks all around I wrote down several I havent seen or didnt even know about.
Annihilation was utterly terrible.
Four unqualified women wander into an alien effect (which has eaten several teams already) with no protective gear or useful instruments. They wander around, look at the weird scenery, talk a lot, and then they all die except Padme, who has a weird encounter with what may be either an alien or a hallucination. Then she goes home.
Meanwhile, her boyfriend back home might be an alien, or insane, or something, but we never find out. And apparently we're supposed to care that she cheated on him, even though neither he nor she seems to care.
This is the worst sort of "girly stereotype" writing. Nothing happens, nobody learns anything, nothing is resolved. And these are alleged to be "strong female characters"?
Someone doesn't know what "strong" or "character" means.
Screamy bear
I've been "thinking" about Annihilation for the last 5 years later. And still don't know what the hell was going on in that movie.
I love your lists...especially Sci-fi or horror ones. Only one I was hoping to see on here was The Tomorrow War. I think I liked it more than most people😂 I added 8 more to my list and Annihilation is definitely a fave of mine!
I agree with you for Tomorrow War, probably better than most on this list! Unfortunately is not a Netflix original and probably will never be on Netflix since its an Amazon Original.
those movies were horrible
Annihilation sucked
Great recommendations Darren; I'm going to go do a double feature of "Space Sweepers" and then "What Happened to Monday" right now! Thanks!!
Not sure why Annihilation didn't do better. Female lead sci-fi, which folks were asking for at the time. But did not get supported.
Watched it twice. Probably will again.
Nice list.
Thanks for sharing.
You are the best movie reviewer and the only one I trust. Subscribed of course.
One of the best Sci Fi movies I have ever seen was INTERSTELLAR
I really, really like how you give pro's and cons... People rarely do, and if they do, they don't separate it properly like you do, there's a clear line between where you give a pro and a con, and you give valuable information rather than just same thing over and over.
Darren, love your channel. However, I couldn't in good conscience keep paying for NF subscription and supporting the garbage they continually push out. Keep up the good work, I know you work hard and I will continue to support your content!
Wandering Earth done properly is called "Earthsearch 1", "Earthsearch 2" and "Mindwarp" by James Follett and is a multi part radio adventure I thoroughly recommend. The books are great too...
What about Spectral? I thought that was an interesting concept.
Yes! I thought the same ! I've watched that movie twice AND recommenced it to others! Thank you for your thoughts on this movie! I was hoping to find others who thought this movie was intriguing and had a unique story !
Good list. LOVE the Riddick character and franchise. Great banter in those as well.
It's not on this list, but Prospect is probably my 2nd favorite sci fy movie of all time. The Signal is third. My #1 favorite sci fy movie is Galaxy Quest. Absolute gold.
its sadly not on Netflix right now. yea, its also a keeper
Spectral 2016 needs to be on your list!!!!!!!
Yes! Spectral is super underrated and unknown
so happy to hear there is a sequel to skyline. didn't know that, thanks. great list, i've seen most of these already
Thanks for listing Annihilation. Hands down the most alien/psychedelic moments ever put on film, especially the final scene in the lighthouse with the mimicking entity. Great film.
Yeah, I loved that too. I think you and I are the only ones. No one I know saw it.
@@glennsmith3303 yeah, my supposedly jaded 21 and 22 year old son and daughter, who claim to have never seen a horror movie that scared them, truly scared them, tell me they still have nightmares about the mutant bear. But as someone who actually did psychedelic studies and a lot of experimentation when I was young, I can say that the last 15 minutes are as close to a psychedelic experience while sober as one can get.
In my opinion The Old Guard should be on that list. I think it's a great Netflix original
I like thought provoking movies or”thinky” 😂! I’ve never heard of such a word?
Thank you for making this list Herr Flick. Subscribed.
I've watched almost all these movies and there are some new ones I'll check out. Thanks!!😊
Great list, but I really would think Spectral would have made the list as well. I loved it. Maybe could be added as honerable mention.
Thanks for the suggestions. I will definitely watch them. Some I’ve seen already
HELP !!! I'm being held hostage by my vacuum cleaner!
I enjoyed your picks , presentation , and nice hair 😊
Absolutely agree wrt What Happened to Monday. Such a well made film
65 is also out on netflix now, pretty fun watch.
I met Arnold in New London CT where he was the Ambassador for the Special Olympics and they had it there the year after T2 (and the following year) when the Summer Special Olympics was hosted there. He was a GIANT of a man. It’s my number 1.
S always Darren your reviews and recommendations continue to shine
Fantastic thank you so much for my new movie list...I fell in love with Sliders with Jerry O'Connell and havent looked back since....Crimes of the future didnt make the list, have you seen it? Do you feel Cronenberg has missed the mark on this one?
Ed Skrein was great in Game of Thrones. He is an underrated actor.
Another that I really enjoyed was "I Am Mother". But great selection and I'll have to check a few of those out. Thanks for the suggestions!
Bro because of u I have watched so many fantastic movies of different genres that I can't thank u enough of ... Keep going ... Cheers
nice list. I was expecting to see Outside The Wire and Spectral in there. But what you gave us was really good.
Terminator 2 and Aliens are two of my favorite moves, sorry when I hear Terminator 2 I automatically think about Aliens. Sci-Fi moves are the best.
Will go through all of your list because I've been pleasantly surprised by Extinction which received mixed reviews. Where they saw a cheap action movie, I've seen more of a metaphor of what's being a human feeling disconnected from his present. Like, if you don't accept to go through therapy to confront your demons, here's what's going to happen... Lose your wife, your kids, your world is goong to crash and burn... But maybe I'm wrong in my reading of things😅
Congratulation for this amazing journey through Netflix SyFy movies. Really enjoyed how you made it and how you presented it. Instant subscribe. Keep posting.
sweet list man. i'm a sci-fi junkie and haven't seen lots of your list.
It’s great that you added warm bodies and starship troopers, another good little sci-fi movie which stars Casper Van Dien from Troopers is called Thrill Seekers. Great little Low budget time travel movie.
Superb list! It definitely hit many of my favorite movies in my absolute favorite genre.
the skyline series is so underrated , the first movie is so good
T a u was a fantastic movie and it blew my mind because it was an original movie. Most of these movies I've seen and they are all fantastic
I was very pleasantly surprised by Extinction, and I thought Michael Pena was very good. As a serious dramatic lead I couldn't fault his performance.
Warm bodies is a zombie take on Romeo and Juliet. It works soooo well.
Tau and Level 16 are absolutely amazing plotwise, I really enjoyed them . The plot definitely makes up for the lower budget aspect of the movies.
Watch them
“Every Plate” would be a sci-fi experience in my house.
You’re really good at this. I know that’s not specific or descriptive, but I just love watching your videos!
I know it was a series, but I liked "Lost in Space". I wish they could have gone further with it.
I cannot believe they do not have Equilibrium on this list. That is an awesome low budget sci-fi!
Its presently not on Netflix (US), but yea, its worth a watch.
Stumbled on this video. Don't usually watch Top List they don't usually match my likes but love Sci-fi and agree and have seen a lot of these and quite a few on my queue. Will have to check out the others that I didn't know about till this video and will have to check other if ur videos.