Or if he doesn't want to with the extra bonus that you don't have to keep checking that *both* hands are still disabled. I figured I'd check to see what I was missing by disliking military sci-fi and, with the exception of Enemy Mine, the answer seems to be "not a lot".
it's definitely underrated- I just love the idea of the different races of age+ technology, ST never quite got that right.. a part from the Borg.. everyone was around the same tech level.. which never really made much sense to me.
Right beside Star Trek and SG1, Babylon 5 is one of my all time favorite Sci Fi shows. Farscape is another of my favorites. I really wish we could get another show based in either of those universes.
HyperDrive The prime directive forbade any federation species from interacting with pre-warp civilizations. We also get to see a few of the more primitive civilizations in ST Voyager and TNG in " Who Watches the Watchers", The Q evolved beyond need for technology, and species 8472 weren't even humanoid, came from an alternate reality where space wasn't a vacuum/void but more like an ocean (Fluidic Space) and had some of the most advanced technology in existence, able to perfectly reconstruct Federation bases and vehicles and assume human form, they were also more than capable of fighting against the Borg and are the only species the Borg has run across which they couldn't assimilate. So the reasons we mostly see the same tech level across the different series is because only the same tech levels as the Federation are allowed to associate with one another or the higher tech levels have little to no interest in interacting with Federation type tech levels (or even exist outside of the same dimmension)
Yep, could not agree more, every time a cast member passes through the veil, I watch them all over again. It's a shame Crusade didn't work out for Michael Straczynski, B 5 was a hard act to follow. No mention of Battlestar Galactica? I was a big fan of B G, then that ending???!!! WTF were they thinking?
the real criticism of starship troopers is that it totally missed the chance to have power armor troopers bouncing around shooting nukes. On the bounce!!!!
Screamers is one of those movies that definitely deserves more love. I like Dan O'Bannon's screenplay character approach, which shows in items like Alien or in his directorial The Resurrected or even Return of... Christian Duguay's eye for action helps this out a lot, too, making it pretty enjoyable.
I'm so glad that you included Enemy Mine. Sometimes I feel like no one has heard of this movie, but it's so well made, it deserves to be a cult classic.
It's only a fair film, but it is an outstanding character study. Jason Isaacs plays the stereotypical snotty officer (and having seen him in other things, I know he capable of much more). Kurt Russell, however, got the character and did an outstanding job.
If I had seen "Starship Troopers" as a random movie with some other name, I might have considered it a somewhat cheesy, but fun movie. However, by calling itself "Starship Troopers" it claims relationship to one of the greatest sci fi books of all time. Since it did that, I can only consider it one of the worst movie adaptations of a book of all time. Until you actually Read the Book, you have no idea what Starship Troopers is really about.
So so true. Starship Troopers (the book) is a classic of MilSF, introducing what would eventually become standard MilSF tropes, and is also a powerful story about military esprit de corps, patriotism, duty and sacrifice. Verhoeven made an ultraviolent fascist joke out of it.
Watch the series called "Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles" it is about as close to the book as it can get. I love the book and read it now and again, it is by far one of the best SciFi books ever.
I feel like this close-minded attitude really robs lots of folks of the opportunity to enjoy things for what they are, rather than for what they are not. Imagine thinking "Blade Runner" is a terrible adaptation of the Alan E. Nourse novel "The Bladerunner" rather than a pretty good adaptation of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" (edited my comment because I forgot "The Bladerunner" was a book that had nothing to do with androids or bounty hunters for a moment there).
The differences are intentional. Paul veerhoven explicitly made the movie in order to satirize the book. Thats why the MI are cannon fodder and the federation are inept clowns.
I know that Verhoeven's intention was to make a satire of the original, but honestly I think he ended up putting more than a little of the message of the source material in the movie, perhaps unintentionally. The scenes meant to satirize the society aren't very effective in my opinion and feel more confused than satirical because that cynicism isn't found in much of the rest of the movie. So while the message is mixed, the dialogue is clumsy, and many of the performances are mediocre, ultimately the movie still delivers at least something of what Heinlein intended I think, even if only during the scenes where Rasczak is on-screen. I'm admittedly biased. I've loved the movie since I was a kid, and while I can see why people say it's awful I think it's got a lot of charm.
I love this channel because of the hidden gems this guy talks about. If it was filled with mainstream titles I wouldn't of found all these great movies. But I do agree.
Lot of great picks here. Screamers is great. I was sure I was the only person who saw it. lol. Forbidden Planet! Love this odd but awesome film with a serious Leslie Nielson. The Star Wars of it's day.
Lol, Forbidden Planet is fantastic, I love it when Robbie the Robot synthesizes a shit tonne of whiskey for one of the crew and there's so much he doesn't know what to do with it. Screamers is good fun, I always saw it (in my head) as part of the Terminator series. But the book it is based on 'Second Variety' is a short but INCREDIBLE read. Try it, maybe.
Btw, they did mistake. Screamers did not evolved to have mission of killing everything. That's their original mission! That's the part of meaning of the whole movie.
Ian moseley Some resemblance, yes. But it's actually based on older short story about USA/USSR conflict on the Moon. And have deep meaning packed in the story, about developing of sentient beings. In the movie it's particular heartwarming...
Coming from a military background I tend to believe that if you want to make a good military/sci fi movie. Remember which genre is first in the description. With that in mind, Battle Los Angeles is a good movie. It's a war movie except the enemy is aliens. Seeing a military react to an enemy force, that force using their tactics and the story which is grounded in a bit of realism, to me, makes me want to watch it.
Starship Troopers. The movie adaptation of this loses quite a bit of what made the book good. The book could be read as a mindless cheer-squad for the military, or it could be read as a stinging critique of it, or as a moderately balanced view of a world / society that was pretty much run by the military. It described (in the late '40s early '50s) some wild ideas of what sort of equipment a soldier of the future might have, and about 60 years after it was written, we do seem to be trying to make equipment that runs pretty damn close to what Bob Heinlein imagined. He was a whole lot more right than he was wrong. The subject matter of Troopers, was not fighting the Bugs, that was a literary device. The subject matter of Troopers was what would America be like in a couple of hundred years if it was run by the military? What effects would that have on society and life of the general population? In our world, the military serves the society. What would happen if you turned that around?
Yeah, the way I see it is that the movie made the story its own, paying homage to the book but not really adapting it. Both are great, but the book is a bit of a heavy weight piece of scifi where as the movie is just a bit of fun. I was impressed with the movie adaptation of a Scanner Darkly though. The movie is a cut down version of the book (as usual) but does it pretty well.... the book however is genius!
Satirizing the military or cheer leading for it? The movie was admittedly a shallow battle & babes flick where the aliens (somehow unable to use spaceships but...) were a threat to a star faring human race. The book was far deeper than that as Heinlein wrote this what if a society demands military service to earn citizenship. Cits paid higher taxes and could vote but had to serve Xyears in the armed forces to earn that responsibility. No one had to serve and the vast majority did not. Service was not white washed, recruiters were often older & crippled so recruits would see the possible costs first hand His idea was you'd have a conservative governing administration elected by people who understood what responsibility & service. I'm not sure if that's what you'd actually get but that's why it's sci fi, a speculative work on what could be.
Thank you Charles, exactly. Satire or cheerleading, I think it could be read as either. I read it in 1973, when I was 10, and it came across as cheerleading to me then. I read it again in the '90s, and that's not the way it seemed any more. I'd grown up, and the story had grown up with me.
I love Forbidden Planet, Screamers, Edge of Tomorrow, Starship Troopers (novel by a sci-fi classic, Robert A. Heinlein) and Enemy Mine (based on a great short novel by Barry Longyear). Nice selection.
Loved Edge of Tomorrow (underrated), good choices Sir. I suppose Star Trek/Wars are kinda military-esque, but you're right...everyone and their Mum knows about them. Akira is a possible one for the list ?
I love trek/wars where I plan to focus on them individually in the close future, but yeah putting them in the list is stating the obvious. I haven't decided if I'm going to mix Hollywood with Anime just yet. Where I'm working on dystopian & Cyberpunk .. and I'm thinking to myself.. should I add Ghost in the Shell or Akira? hmmm
Definitely Ghost in the Shell...it was way too influential not to include. Same goes for Akira really but GitS is even more essential Cyberpunk (And we are both talking about the Manga/Anime I presume...the recent Movie...was not as bad as I feared, but they got almost everything exactly wrong imo)
I agree with The Count above (Glad I typed that because my accent would suggest a different word), but maybe our contributions are a genre worthy a different post (also correct about 'they got almost everything exactly wrong imo'). He suggest's he might do a dystopian/cyberpunk post. I guess we got him and his Mum off to a good start. Soz mate ;) cheeky wink x Looking forward to 'it', and the posts from the more informed subscribers (Countuebles inc.) also. Glad I subbed now. Keep watchin' folks.
Ya I've got mum working hard on that list lol! I think I will keep anime separate for the time being, as they have enough content to make 100 videos on sci-fi and other genres. Will have cyberpunk out sometime this week and working on a comparison of Gits anime vs Gits hollywood! Just need that blueray to come out.
Horse racing.....Since you've been a little part of my world lately...I backed a horse a leopardstown called "Hyperdrive" it won @11-4...thanks...I owe you a pint
... if drones were completely self-guided, could attack anyone almost anywhere and used parts from their dead victims for self-maintenance you mean? ;) It's a well made movie, definitely worth watching, but some parts of it creep me out too much to ever being able to say I actually love that movie
Other Military Sci-fi titles that I like include, Wing commander(lol) Doom, Battle Los Angeles, Independence day, Predator, avatar and ofc Aliens! Let me know what's your fav! Want to support my channel, please go to www.patreon.com/user?u=5540784 Cheers!
The Kittydaw yes, Aliens (and the first film 🎥)... Predator, yes. There was a cool series... Space 2063 or something like that... and the new Battlestar Galactica
Duilio Pintagro: Yeah, Space: Above and Beyond. It only lasted for one season, but it was really well made and certainly influenced later Military Sci Fi shows like Stargate and new Battlestar. It also has R. Lee Ermey as a drill instructor in the first episode, which already makes it awesome.
The name of the video is try these 8 out, not the top 8. Chill, Aliens is top 8, this is just a recommend watch list to check out more movies you may like. Not to validate the movies you already like. Wu tang.
I saw the title on my recommended videos and had a moment of hope. I was ins search of a movie I used to love as a kid but have since forgotten its name. Lo and behold..... it was here. Many thanks for reminding of the name! That movie? Enemy Mine.
Did not expect to see 'Forbidden Planet', 'Enemy Mine' and 'Screamers' in there, but they are definitely worthy of being in the list. 'Enemy Mine' was surprisingly good, and I remember it fondly. 'Escape from New York' and 'Escape from L.A.', 'Ghosts of Mars' while technically sci-fi police shows, can be considered due to the paramilitary nature of the good guys(and Snake is a Green Beret), 'Ghosts' can be considered 'Zulu' or 'Black Hawk Down' in space. 'Deepstar Six', the entire crew and facility are military or connected to the military.
babylon 5, its 1st season was very raw, it gets better on the 2nd season where 3rd and 4th were excellent.unfortunately was filmed in average quality. still loved it though for its full 5 year story arc.
It's not actually difficult to have watched almost everything made within a genre these days. You've got to go REAL obscure to find shit that you haven't seen yet, lol.
Exactly, as I was watching and reading the write up. the first thing that popped into my head was, If you really like Sci-Fi military/action here's 8 films you've already seen.
If you want to see any scifi that is from an alternative perspective, or any other genre, then look to films in other languages. French, Japanese, German, Danish and Russian films stand out, then there are Czech and even Spanish films. Unfortunately not easy to find them subbed or dubbed to English.
Enemy Mine had an impact beyond what one would expect mostly due to Gossett's fantastic portrayal of the nonhuman. I bet his wife looked at him sideways after seeing the movie.
If the Starship Troopers movie came out with a different title I would have had a difficult time linking it with the book except for a few things where I'd be saying, "They stole that idea from Heinlein!" One of the more humorous aspects of their differences was the lack of the powered armor that Heinlein envisioned and the goofy and useless combat uniforms the infantry had in the movie. A book written in the '50s had superior technology and this predates the computer revolution also. I'd give your left arm if they'd make a true to the book movie with today's CGI.
Good choice of movies for the most part. Really happy that you included Babylon 5, it's one of my favorite movies of all time. Also forbidden Planet rocked.
Thanks for including Enemy Mine. I saw it in the 90s, having picked it up at a rental place and instantly fell in love with it, and I feel like there's not a lot of people who know about it. Very underrated. Also Stargate. Love that movie which I saw in the 90s too and just the whole SG franchise. The first SG TV series, Stargate SG-1, is my second favorite TV show of all-time. Also very underrated in my opinion.
That movie had the only realistic example of a computer-aided space battle I've ever seen: Tell the computer what the enemy looks like, press the button, and hold on until the computer is finished fighting.
@@ThreezeNiNja Umm the last starfighter is military, it's all about a guy getting recruited by an alien defense force to fight in an interstellar war. How is that not military? lol
If you like military Sci-fi and haven't watched B5 you are missing out. I watched it when it first aired, and it is still my favorite show of all time. However for the first suggestion on this list, Starship Troopers. Skip the Hollyweird slaughter of Robert Heinlein's story and just read the book. It is WAY better and and shows a MUCH more workable society than is in the movie.
Agreed. Verhoeven didn't understand the premise at all. Heinlein's idea was of a society whose leaders were veterans; a nod to Sparta, and the notion that by willing to risk your life in defense of your country, you have a better understanding of the cost of war. He was also quit clear that you couldn't vote while in the service, but only after you retired, thus an attempt at a check on the power of the military. I don't necessarily agree with Heinlein's premise. Verhoeven is against war, which if fine. However, the story certainly didn't deserve the mockery it received.
@@DTavona I think he understood quite well that Heinlein's system only works in fantasy. Or, as I like to call it-- " plot device." Heinlein assumed all the citizens would willingly protect the interests of the "non-citizen" and not at all abuse their power, despite the vote-less having no way to protect their own interests. This isn't at all realistic. In realityland, the people who didn't vote would become an underclass at the complete mercy of the electorate as has happened in every limited democracy in human history. A further problem with Heinlein's system is that by service guaranteeing citizenship (and therefore power), you create a feedback loop where the only point of view that matters is that of the government and military. Citizens are only ever those that are willing to go through and come out of government propaganda mills. The entire decision-making apparatus is literally a pyramid of government employees who are mostly ex military. Talk about a closed circuit. To be a citizen, you gotta be brainwashed by the military or some other "Federal service." The natural outcome of a society dominated by the military is pro military policies and attempts to bolster that power interest.
Boy sure glad you mentioned screamers, was trying to remember what the movie's name was recently to watch it again but couldn't for the life of me. Edge of tomorrow is another great, like groundhog day I can watch this repeatedly and discover more details with every watch, it's the kind of thing Cruise excels in. His other one, Oblivion could be in this list, it's after a war takes place and he and his companion remain to keep a watch on things, brilliant sci-fi right there. Cheers.
I love all of these, except for the ones that I haven't seen. I haven't seen Screamers, Enemy Mine, or the Babylon 5 movie. I remember wanting to watch Screamers when it came out, but I never got around to it. Thanks for the suggestions!
I realize you were focussed on movies, but one of the great military sci-fi stories was the anime Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It has multiple space battles featuring thousands of ships on each side, spans decades, there is no one set "good guy" and "bad guy" just various sides of different political conflicts that can only be resolved through warfare. (I am excluding the terrorists from that, as they are depicted as "bad" guys, but the bulk of the show is focused on other combatants.) The principle antagonists (though not the only ones) are the well-run, orderly and generally happy people of the Galactic Empire and an multiplanet, democratic, often politically inept to corrupt Coalition of Free Planets that split from the Empire centuries before. Major characters die (even ones who seem safe because, it's about war so no one is safe), there are dozens of well-fleshed out characters that you follow over the main 110 episode run. I am not sure why it never caught on the U.S., but those who have reviewed it tend to give it glowing reviews, and I think it merits them.
As a big anime fan (well up to around 2010 when I took a break from it) I plan to do quite a few anime lists- but I'm not sure how that will fit with my subscribers. LotGH is a great series and would go well in a Space Opera anime list lol. I'm working on one now, but it's just movies.. I haven't made my mind up if I should mix Hollywood+anime just yet.
I would not suggest you do a whole video on it, but I know I was glad it had been recommended to me (just a few years ago and so more than a decade after the original series had ended. If it fits whatever theme you are going for in future videos, you may be able to introduce people to it. If it doesn't fit, though, then it doesn't fit. It is odd in that the early seasons are in an early-90s anime style, that gets better and sharper as the seasons follow on, but it is definitely a 90s anime. Some kids today may just hate the non-computerized graphics.
+Kurt Yes! LoGH is one of my favorite anime of all time. Its political commentary on autocracy vs. democracy is amazingly nuanced (neither being perfect - especially played out over time). And the two opposing main characters are so well developed. Reinhart in particular.
I can't believe The Final Countdown wasn't on your list. That movie, in my mind, is the epitome of military Sci-fi. It flies under most peoples radar too (pun intended). Iit looks like Haldeman's "The Forever War" may be a thing at some point.
Screamers - a great call back. Edge of Tomorrow - pleasant surprise. Stargate is underappreciated as is Babylon 5. Babylon 5 deserves mention for truly accurate depiction of physics of its fighter - there are no swooping turns or banks.
I didn't think i liked "Military Scfi but your clever take on it makes me need to see all these films. I loved ur clip choice about Starship Troopers re the enemies hand. Just GREAT for so many metaphorical reasons.
Another fun military SF movie to check out is Ender’s Game. Not a great movie but just as good as, say, Stargate. Who doesn’t love an underdog showing up his tormentors?
Welcome to my world haah! I've pretty much watched every modern sci-fi to date. But I just wanted to make videos where the creator has actually seen them (+mini review), rather than Looper/screenrant etc who clearly just spam lists for the sake of it.
I’m glad you understood Starship Troopers was satiracle. Forbidden Planet was magnificent. Edge of Tomorrow was near perfect. Enemy Mine was touching. The first half of Stargate was amazing; I can watch it again and again. Lots of good recommendations here.
Ridley Scott has been working for years on producing a film from the great novel "Forever War." For whatever reason, he keeps ordering script rewrites. This has the potential to be one of the finest SF films ever. Just wish he'd make the damn thing.
Forbidden Planet is one of my all time favorite sci fi movies, along with The Day the Earth Stood Still. Of the others I have also seen and loved Stargate, Starship Troopers, Babylon 5, Edge of Tomorrow, Enemy Mine, and Screamers. I agree with Hyperdrive that Wing Commander, Independence Day, Predator, Avatar and Aliens should be included in a list of all time favorite military sci fi movies. Would love to know everyone's thoughts on Pacific Rim.... I thought the movie was pretty good, but of course, as with anything Idris Elba appears in, all he had to do was speak and I was hooked! REALLY looking forward to seeing him as Roland Deschain in Stephen King's The Gunslinger, from his Dark Tower series!
How do you put Starship Troopers on this list, and not mention Robert Heinlein? The film, while definitely entertaining, was a hollow farce of what the book was.
No worries dude. I must admit surprise at seeing B5 noticed at all. Its fans won't hold vejar against you. And if people get a kick out of Starship Troopers...might I suggest A Starship Trooper's Chronicles...the tv series done cgi style. Kinda dated graphics...but a story that just keeps on giving. The new flicks Kill Command, Spectral and Infini aren't bad either.
The important part about Babylon 5 is JMS ... because "one guy writing EVERY EPISODE of a series" is unique. The writer is the story ... and that is why it is so good. The director has a really easy job, because there wasnt really much to do for him.
Phelan I believe that he wrote every episode but one from season 3 through to the end (season 5) as well as a number of the ones before that. The one he didn't write was Neil Gaiman's "Day of the Dead" in season 5. And if you might not have guessed, I think that Babylon 5 was the best Science Fiction TV show *ever*. (And I've seen a number).
While I would put it in about the same class as Troopers Damnation Alley is worth a watch. EOT I hated. Probably because of Tom Cruise. I met him on a military transport back before Top Gun. He is a munchkin. I do not know if it just made him nervous being in a plane load of guys who would killed him if they tripped and fell on him or what, but he was a DICK. After we got on the ground and he was gone, we had a vote with unanimous results (including the pilots). Next time we fly with him we have an in flight accident and come home one passenger short. It was the only time that bunch was ever unanimous on anything.
@@Hyperdriveuk I also wonder if he is not afraid of flying. There are no bathrooms on those planes, there is usually just a bucket out in the open. That did not make him happy either.
Props for Fornbidden Planet! I don't generally kid myself that old films can compete with more evolved ones. But this film has immersive alien atmosphere, good script, rich set designs, and above all else a captivating plot. The effects while dated are NOT bad.
Londo's retelling of humanity losing the Earth-Minbari war is utterly haunting. The CGI hasn't aged well, but it's still used effectively to portray the sheer levels of desperation in the fighting, and backed by Christopher Franke's score, I still get goosebumps every time I watch it.
As a Sci-Fi buff, I've seen all except for one of these films. so great reviews. However, I take issue with the concept that "Soldier" lacks character development. Although Kirk Russel has very few lines, he manages to convey his character's development from a killing machine into a hero who cares for his new village. I saw emotion on his face throughout this film. 1. He's attracted (the 1st time in his life) to the wife in the family who takes him in, but because of the kindness of her husband-his 1st friend - & the soldier's (inexplicable) good moral character, doesn't act on it. 2. He learns how to interact with people, making mistakes now & then, but through interaction with others, learns forgiveness & community. 3. For the 1st time on his life, he interacts w/children & immediately feel protective, including understanding he can teach the child in the family self-protection. 4. He assumes military leadership, when the village is attacked. Identifying the new soldiers as a lethal threat to his adopted village, he musters his old team to protect them. 5. He learns to cry, after having his new friends taken away. He experiences lonliness. * My take-away is that even a brutally abused, PTSD-suffering man can heal & regain his humanity.This film also helped me heal from an emotionally abusive relationship, reminding me that there ARE kind men in the world.
Seven movies ... - Space Center Babylon 5 ... the pilot of the series (TERRIBLE sets but decent CGI; several "logic flaws" in the story though when compared to the series) - Babylon 5: In the beginning ... the story of the war between Humans and Minbari - Babylon 5: Thirdspace ... an "extra long episode" set during the time of the series - Babylon 5: The river of souls ... one episode of the series in longer version - Babylon 5: A call to arms ... the pilot movie of the not at all successful spinoff series "Crusade" - Babylon 5: The legend of the rangers ... an attempted spinoff pilot (?) which failed to be turned into a series; a bit too much character development and not really logical technology - Babylon 5: The lost tales ... two short stories bunched together to make a movie
I love Edge Of Tomorrow, Enemy Mine, and Stargate. Great picks. Another good one, though it isn't a movie, is the original Macross/Robotech Saga. Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is also another fantastic military sci-fi anime.
You started with my favourite Sci Fil Starship Troopers and finished with my favourite Sci Fi TV series Well done ! Oh and I have the DVD's of all the other shows as well Your taste is excellent
Ender's Game had so much potential but just threw it all away when it came to production. Maybe 10% of the story and character development from the book made it to the movie, it's pretty dumbed downed too.
For me it was a very moving and poignant ending, which they managed to convey in the Movie. They may not of filled in all the details but it had meaningful story and good actors. will have to try and get round to reading the book though since you seem to recommend.
if you think the movie had a powerful ending.. the book is like 5x as powerful. also if you read the other book called 'enders shadow' after, its the same events but from a different characters point of view. its very well done
Great list! 👍 I think the kids in Starship Trooper knew they would be at war with the bugs. They were bombarded with media about it, and even dissected bugs.
I agree completely. Verhoeven obviously projected his own fascism and totalitarianism onto the message Heinlein was trying to send, which Verhoeven deliberately misunderstood. I seem to recall reading somewhere that his widow, Virginia, sued to get Heinlein's name taken off the project.
+Jeff - Yes and yes - but that's completely irrelevant to my point. You criticized "Troopers" the movie as being fascist - but it isn't. At all. It's pointedly ANTI-fascist, and none too subtle about it. You were talking about the movie - as was I. In the matter of "Troopers " being fascist or anti-fascist, the source material is immaterial. It is what it is on its own merits...
I assume this isn't just a movie list seeing has how Babylon 5 is on it , so I'd like to give an honorable mention for The Expanse. A truly great scifi series (as were the books) with lots of military.
The enemy cannot push a button, if you disable his hand!
*MEDIC!*
Mr. Krabs was great ...
Or if he doesn't want to with the extra bonus that you don't have to keep checking that *both* hands are still disabled. I figured I'd check to see what I was missing by disliking military sci-fi and, with the exception of Enemy Mine, the answer seems to be "not a lot".
Except their enemy doesn't have hands.
Another Babylon 5 fan! One of the better Space Operas ever created. The effects haven't aged well, but the story is still really good.
it's definitely underrated- I just love the idea of the different races of age+ technology, ST never quite got that right.. a part from the Borg.. everyone was around the same tech level.. which never really made much sense to me.
Right beside Star Trek and SG1, Babylon 5 is one of my all time favorite Sci Fi shows. Farscape is another of my favorites. I really wish we could get another show based in either of those universes.
HyperDrive The prime directive forbade any federation species from interacting with pre-warp civilizations. We also get to see a few of the more primitive civilizations in ST Voyager and TNG in " Who Watches the Watchers", The Q evolved beyond need for technology, and species 8472 weren't even humanoid, came from an alternate reality where space wasn't a vacuum/void but more like an ocean (Fluidic Space) and had some of the most advanced technology in existence, able to perfectly reconstruct Federation bases and vehicles and assume human form, they were also more than capable of fighting against the Borg and are the only species the Borg has run across which they couldn't assimilate. So the reasons we mostly see the same tech level across the different series is because only the same tech levels as the Federation are allowed to associate with one another or the higher tech levels have little to no interest in interacting with Federation type tech levels (or even exist outside of the same dimmension)
Yep, could not agree more, every time a cast member passes through the veil, I watch them all over again. It's a shame Crusade didn't work out for Michael Straczynski, B 5 was a hard act to follow. No mention of Battlestar Galactica?
I was a big fan of B G, then that ending???!!! WTF were they thinking?
Steve White I was a huge fan of BG too, but it got sloppier in the later seasons and the ending was just atrocious.
the real criticism of starship troopers is that it totally missed the chance to have power armor troopers bouncing around shooting nukes.
On the bounce!!!!
But you can see Heinlein's powered armor in The Expanse! Jump jets and everything. The Expanse is all about Heinlein.
enemy mine, such an underrated movie.
I saw it some 25 years ago, and the only thing I remember is "Where would you be without me? - Home." :D
OMG Yes!!! Oscar worthy!
The book was better than the film.
I saw it as a sci-fi retelling of "Robinson Caruso", and I loved it.
"Dow-witch!"
Stargate - The Birth of a Legend
Screamers is one of those movies that definitely deserves more love. I like Dan O'Bannon's screenplay character approach, which shows in items like Alien or in his directorial The Resurrected or even Return of... Christian Duguay's eye for action helps this out a lot, too, making it pretty enjoyable.
"Edge of Tomorrow." is a fantastic film!!!! Needs to be re-rereleased. It deserves a wide audience.
Absolutely! I loved it. Totally underestimated.
I'm so glad that you included Enemy Mine. Sometimes I feel like no one has heard of this movie, but it's so well made, it deserves to be a cult classic.
Silent Running is one of my favorites, mainly because it was a paradigm shift from the 50/60's style of Sci/Fi to a more modern tech style.
Strangely 'Disney's "The Black Hole" is similar in that respect.Not terribly good execution in the original movie but the concept is pretty solid
Thank you for including "Soldier". It's such a departure for Kurt and he does it so well. It gets trashed a lot of the time.
It's only a fair film, but it is an outstanding character study. Jason Isaacs plays the stereotypical snotty officer (and having seen him in other things, I know he capable of much more). Kurt Russell, however, got the character and did an outstanding job.
I've always thought it was a great film!
If I had seen "Starship Troopers" as a random movie with some other name, I might have considered it a somewhat cheesy, but fun movie. However, by calling itself "Starship Troopers" it claims relationship to one of the greatest sci fi books of all time. Since it did that, I can only consider it one of the worst movie adaptations of a book of all time. Until you actually Read the Book, you have no idea what Starship Troopers is really about.
So so true. Starship Troopers (the book) is a classic of MilSF, introducing what would eventually become standard MilSF tropes, and is also a powerful story about military esprit de corps, patriotism, duty and sacrifice. Verhoeven made an ultraviolent fascist joke out of it.
Watch the series called "Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles" it is about as close to the book as it can get. I love the book and read it now and again, it is by far one of the best SciFi books ever.
I feel like this close-minded attitude really robs lots of folks of the opportunity to enjoy things for what they are, rather than for what they are not. Imagine thinking "Blade Runner" is a terrible adaptation of the Alan E. Nourse novel "The Bladerunner" rather than a pretty good adaptation of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"
(edited my comment because I forgot "The Bladerunner" was a book that had nothing to do with androids or bounty hunters for a moment there).
The differences are intentional. Paul veerhoven explicitly made the movie in order to satirize the book. Thats why the MI are cannon fodder and the federation are inept clowns.
I know that Verhoeven's intention was to make a satire of the original, but honestly I think he ended up putting more than a little of the message of the source material in the movie, perhaps unintentionally. The scenes meant to satirize the society aren't very effective in my opinion and feel more confused than satirical because that cynicism isn't found in much of the rest of the movie. So while the message is mixed, the dialogue is clumsy, and many of the performances are mediocre, ultimately the movie still delivers at least something of what Heinlein intended I think, even if only during the scenes where Rasczak is on-screen. I'm admittedly biased. I've loved the movie since I was a kid, and while I can see why people say it's awful I think it's got a lot of charm.
No Aliens??? Probably the best military Sci-Fi ever...
I love this channel because of the hidden gems this guy talks about. If it was filled with mainstream titles I wouldn't of found all these great movies. But I do agree.
Soldier is one of my favs, and Enemy Mine is fantastic. Great list!
As a very old scifi junky I approve of your choices and very good narration. Great job!
thanks!
'good' Military scifi has quickly become my favorite science fiction book genre
Gawk Thimm have your read books by David Weber?
@@gawkthimm6030 You might want to look at Jerry Pournelle's stuff. Prince of Mercenaries, King David's Spaceship, Falkenburg's Legion, etc.
I enjoyed Outland, far from perfect but a solid attempt at gritty scifi.
Wish they'd make a movie on the Forever War.
Best book I ever read, there's a imdb page but I think the project is dead.
The problem is it can't match the book.
I heard they were going to make something with it...
maybe one day soon... hollywood has pretty much ran out of ideas so that will help it along....
read the book. totally doable. actually it's not that good. the plot is great but lots of filler.
Lot of great picks here. Screamers is great. I was sure I was the only person who saw it. lol. Forbidden Planet! Love this odd but awesome film with a serious Leslie Nielson. The Star Wars of it's day.
Yeah Forbidden Planet had those early transporters and other great ideas, I think it's aged amazingly well.
Lol, Forbidden Planet is fantastic, I love it when Robbie the Robot synthesizes a shit tonne of whiskey for one of the crew and there's so much he doesn't know what to do with it. Screamers is good fun, I always saw it (in my head) as part of the Terminator series. But the book it is based on 'Second Variety' is a short but INCREDIBLE read. Try it, maybe.
Btw, they did mistake. Screamers did not evolved to have mission of killing everything. That's their original mission! That's the part of meaning of the whole movie.
Imperative Games Sounds like a version of Saberhagen's "Berserker" books
Ian moseley
Some resemblance, yes. But it's actually based on older short story about USA/USSR conflict on the Moon. And have deep meaning packed in the story, about developing of sentient beings. In the movie it's particular heartwarming...
Coming from a military background I tend to believe that if you want to make a good military/sci fi movie. Remember which genre is first in the description. With that in mind, Battle Los Angeles is a good movie. It's a war movie except the enemy is aliens. Seeing a military react to an enemy force, that force using their tactics and the story which is grounded in a bit of realism, to me, makes me want to watch it.
Starship Troopers. The movie adaptation of this loses quite a bit of what made the book good. The book could be read as a mindless cheer-squad for the military, or it could be read as a stinging critique of it, or as a moderately balanced view of a world / society that was pretty much run by the military. It described (in the late '40s early '50s) some wild ideas of what sort of equipment a soldier of the future might have, and about 60 years after it was written, we do seem to be trying to make equipment that runs pretty damn close to what Bob Heinlein imagined. He was a whole lot more right than he was wrong.
The subject matter of Troopers, was not fighting the Bugs, that was a literary device. The subject matter of Troopers was what would America be like in a couple of hundred years if it was run by the military? What effects would that have on society and life of the general population? In our world, the military serves the society. What would happen if you turned that around?
Yeah, the way I see it is that the movie made the story its own, paying homage to the book but not really adapting it. Both are great, but the book is a bit of a heavy weight piece of scifi where as the movie is just a bit of fun. I was impressed with the movie adaptation of a Scanner Darkly though. The movie is a cut down version of the book (as usual) but does it pretty well.... the book however is genius!
good comment. thanks.
In my opinion, the book was satirizing its contemporary military culture, while the movie was satirizing its contemporary military-industrial complex.
Satirizing the military or cheer leading for it? The movie was admittedly a shallow battle & babes flick where the aliens (somehow unable to use spaceships but...) were a threat to a star faring human race.
The book was far deeper than that as Heinlein wrote this what if a society demands military service to earn citizenship. Cits paid higher taxes and could vote but had to serve Xyears in the armed forces to earn that responsibility. No one had to serve and the vast majority did not. Service was not white washed, recruiters were often older & crippled so recruits would see the possible costs first hand
His idea was you'd have a conservative governing administration elected by people who understood what responsibility & service. I'm not sure if that's what you'd actually get but that's why it's sci fi, a speculative work on what could be.
Thank you Charles, exactly.
Satire or cheerleading, I think it could be read as either. I read it in 1973, when I was 10, and it came across as cheerleading to me then. I read it again in the '90s, and that's not the way it seemed any more. I'd grown up, and the story had grown up with me.
I love Forbidden Planet, Screamers, Edge of Tomorrow, Starship Troopers (novel by a sci-fi classic, Robert A. Heinlein) and Enemy Mine (based on a great short novel by Barry Longyear). Nice selection.
Loved Edge of Tomorrow (underrated), good choices Sir. I suppose Star Trek/Wars are kinda military-esque, but you're right...everyone and their Mum knows about them. Akira is a possible one for the list ?
I love trek/wars where I plan to focus on them individually in the close future, but yeah putting them in the list is stating the obvious. I haven't decided if I'm going to mix Hollywood with Anime just yet. Where I'm working on dystopian & Cyberpunk .. and I'm thinking to myself.. should I add Ghost in the Shell or Akira? hmmm
Definitely Ghost in the Shell...it was way too influential not to include. Same goes for Akira really but GitS is even more essential Cyberpunk (And we are both talking about the Manga/Anime I presume...the recent Movie...was not as bad as I feared, but they got almost everything exactly wrong imo)
I agree with The Count above (Glad I typed that because my accent would suggest a different word), but maybe our contributions are a genre worthy a different post (also correct about 'they got almost everything exactly wrong imo').
He suggest's he might do a dystopian/cyberpunk post. I guess we got him and his Mum off to a good start. Soz mate ;) cheeky wink x Looking forward to 'it', and the posts from the more informed subscribers (Countuebles inc.) also. Glad I subbed now. Keep watchin' folks.
Ya I've got mum working hard on that list lol! I think I will keep anime separate for the time being, as they have enough content to make 100 videos on sci-fi and other genres. Will have cyberpunk out sometime this week and working on a comparison of Gits anime vs Gits hollywood! Just need that blueray to come out.
Horse racing.....Since you've been a little part of my world lately...I backed a horse a leopardstown called "Hyperdrive" it won @11-4...thanks...I owe you a pint
I loved screamers kinda where drone technology's at right now if you decide to give them a horror element to it instead of hellfire missiles...
... if drones were completely self-guided, could attack anyone almost anywhere and used parts from their dead victims for self-maintenance you mean? ;) It's a well made movie, definitely worth watching, but some parts of it creep me out too much to ever being able to say I actually love that movie
Self-repairing is enough actually, and self-repairing war robots are in future for sure.
as i was a youth and i saw screamers first time, ... it was a great film!
Other Military Sci-fi titles that I like include, Wing commander(lol) Doom, Battle Los Angeles, Independence day, Predator, avatar and ofc Aliens! Let me know what's your fav! Want to support my channel, please go to www.patreon.com/user?u=5540784 Cheers!
They are two of my all time favourites
The Kittydaw yes, Aliens (and the first film 🎥)... Predator, yes. There was a cool series... Space 2063 or something like that... and the new Battlestar Galactica
Have you ever heard of the 1980 film The Final Countdown? It's about an aircraft carrier that travels through time.
Tylo a good one, too!
Duilio Pintagro: Yeah, Space: Above and Beyond. It only lasted for one season, but it was really well made and certainly influenced later Military Sci Fi shows like Stargate and new Battlestar. It also has R. Lee Ermey as a drill instructor in the first episode, which already makes it awesome.
The genre-specific "space marines" sci-fi movie subgenre.
If Babylon 5 is included, then I call for the inclusion of Space Above & Beyond. Let's deal up The Wild Cards!
Apparently he's just talking about movies and this is like a prequel movie to the series - no part of it.
.
that wasnt a movie, just a very good one season wonder.
@1DNEZ Yep. a more "polished" storyline than the original. The casting was spot-on for the remake.
My own personal favourite is ALIENS.
Ofc the best of the best!
@@Hyperdriveuk and yet where is it in your video?
The name of the video is try these 8 out, not the top 8. Chill, Aliens is top 8, this is just a recommend watch list to check out more movies you may like. Not to validate the movies you already like. Wu tang.
I’ve watched all of those, several times with the exception of Screamers which I have never seen once. A very good selection.
Cheers, thanks for watching.
I was waiting for screamers in one of your lists! I am not a huge scifi fan yet I absoloutely fell in love with that film.
Great list. Thanks for reminding me how much I liked Soldier. :)
I saw the title on my recommended videos and had a moment of hope. I was ins search of a movie I used to love as a kid but have since forgotten its name. Lo and behold..... it was here. Many thanks for reminding of the name! That movie? Enemy Mine.
Did not expect to see 'Forbidden Planet', 'Enemy Mine' and 'Screamers' in there, but they are definitely worthy of being in the list. 'Enemy Mine' was surprisingly good, and I remember it fondly. 'Escape from New York' and 'Escape from L.A.', 'Ghosts of Mars' while technically sci-fi police shows, can be considered due to the paramilitary nature of the good guys(and Snake is a Green Beret), 'Ghosts' can be considered 'Zulu' or 'Black Hawk Down' in space. 'Deepstar Six', the entire crew and facility are military or connected to the military.
babylon 5, its 1st season was very raw, it gets better on the 2nd season where 3rd and 4th were excellent.unfortunately was filmed in average quality. still loved it though for its full 5 year story arc.
Gutting. I have seen all of these. The search continues. Thank you for putting this list together.
It's not actually difficult to have watched almost everything made within a genre these days. You've got to go REAL obscure to find shit that you haven't seen yet, lol.
Exactly, as I was watching and reading the write up. the first thing that popped into my head was, If you really like Sci-Fi military/action here's 8 films you've already seen.
If you want to see any scifi that is from an alternative perspective, or any other genre, then look to films in other languages. French, Japanese, German, Danish and Russian films stand out, then there are Czech and even Spanish films. Unfortunately not easy to find them subbed or dubbed to English.
Try Alien Outpost. All military
Check out Battlestar Galactica
th-cam.com/video/q2x14ZhEc9k/w-d-xo.html
Screamers is an incredibly underrated movie. Great job on including it!
Enemy Mine and Babylon 5 are GREAT. Good choices
Enemy Mine had an impact beyond what one would expect mostly due to Gossett's fantastic portrayal of the nonhuman. I bet his wife looked at him sideways after seeing the movie.
Not true
The only 2 I haven't watched yet.
Outlander with jim caviezel and Pandorum with dennis quaid are worthy mentions. Both outstanding sci fi flicks that flew under the radar
Edge of tomorrow is one of the best sci-fi movies I’ve ever watched. It’s just so good.
If the Starship Troopers movie came out with a different title I would have had a difficult time linking it with the book except for a few things where I'd be saying, "They stole that idea from Heinlein!" One of the more humorous aspects of their differences was the lack of the powered armor that Heinlein envisioned and the goofy and useless combat uniforms the infantry had in the movie. A book written in the '50s had superior technology and this predates the computer revolution also.
I'd give your left arm if they'd make a true to the book movie with today's CGI.
Screamers is very much like the Berserkers from Fred Saberhagen's Berserker series.
Good choice of movies for the most part. Really happy that you included Babylon 5, it's one of my favorite movies of all time. Also forbidden Planet rocked.
Uhhhh, Aliens would like to have a word about your list...
,,,as would 'Predator'. Possibly, he's assuming "everyone's seen them, this is a list of lesser known films you should check out".
Thanks for including Enemy Mine. I saw it in the 90s, having picked it up at a rental place and instantly fell in love with it, and I feel like there's not a lot of people who know about it. Very underrated.
Also Stargate. Love that movie which I saw in the 90s too and just the whole SG franchise. The first SG TV series, Stargate SG-1, is my second favorite TV show of all-time. Also very underrated in my opinion.
One movie I would like to mention is The Last Starfighter, that movie needs a remake so i can get the original movie on Bluray damnit!
That movie had the only realistic example of a computer-aided space battle I've ever seen: Tell the computer what the enemy looks like, press the button, and hold on until the computer is finished fighting.
Can't get?
www.amazon.com/Last-Starfighter-25th-Anniversary-Blu-ray/dp/B0025VLELQ
i have the blue ray version
I also enjoy The Last Starfighter, however this list is focused on military sci-fi.
@@ThreezeNiNja Umm the last starfighter is military, it's all about a guy getting recruited by an alien defense force to fight in an interstellar war. How is that not military? lol
If you like military Sci-fi and haven't watched B5 you are missing out. I watched it when it first aired, and it is still my favorite show of all time.
However for the first suggestion on this list, Starship Troopers. Skip the Hollyweird slaughter of Robert Heinlein's story and just read the book. It is WAY better and and shows a MUCH more workable society than is in the movie.
Starship Troopers needs a new remake, one more faithful to the book.
Agreed. Verhoeven didn't understand the premise at all. Heinlein's idea was of a society whose leaders were veterans; a nod to Sparta, and the notion that by willing to risk your life in defense of your country, you have a better understanding of the cost of war. He was also quit clear that you couldn't vote while in the service, but only after you retired, thus an attempt at a check on the power of the military. I don't necessarily agree with Heinlein's premise. Verhoeven is against war, which if fine. However, the story certainly didn't deserve the mockery it received.
They tried to make it closer to the books with the third one however the animated movies aren't that bad as entries into the series.
@@DTavona fools edit.
It's a nod to Rome.
@@DTavona I think he understood quite well that Heinlein's system only works in fantasy. Or, as I like to call it-- " plot device." Heinlein assumed all the citizens would willingly protect the interests of the "non-citizen" and not at all abuse their power, despite the vote-less having no way to protect their own interests. This isn't at all realistic. In realityland, the people who didn't vote would become an underclass at the complete mercy of the electorate as has happened in every limited democracy in human history.
A further problem with Heinlein's system is that by service guaranteeing citizenship (and therefore power), you create a feedback loop where the only point of view that matters is that of the government and military. Citizens are only ever those that are willing to go through and come out of government propaganda mills. The entire decision-making apparatus is literally a pyramid of government employees who are mostly ex military. Talk about a closed circuit. To be a citizen, you gotta be brainwashed by the military or some other "Federal service."
The natural outcome of a society dominated by the military is pro military policies and attempts to bolster that power interest.
@@steelman296 The producers of the animated version must have actually read the book.
Boy sure glad you mentioned screamers, was trying to remember what the movie's name was recently to watch it again but couldn't for the life of me.
Edge of tomorrow is another great, like groundhog day I can watch this repeatedly and discover more details with every watch, it's the kind of thing Cruise excels in.
His other one, Oblivion could be in this list, it's after a war takes place and he and his companion remain to keep a watch on things, brilliant sci-fi right there. Cheers.
Delenn "How will this end?"
Kosh "in a big fire"
(Retranslated from the german version)
German
I love all of these, except for the ones that I haven't seen. I haven't seen Screamers, Enemy Mine, or the Babylon 5 movie. I remember wanting to watch Screamers when it came out, but I never got around to it. Thanks for the suggestions!
I realize you were focussed on movies, but one of the great military sci-fi stories was the anime Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It has multiple space battles featuring thousands of ships on each side, spans decades, there is no one set "good guy" and "bad guy" just various sides of different political conflicts that can only be resolved through warfare. (I am excluding the terrorists from that, as they are depicted as "bad" guys, but the bulk of the show is focused on other combatants.) The principle antagonists (though not the only ones) are the well-run, orderly and generally happy people of the Galactic Empire and an multiplanet, democratic, often politically inept to corrupt Coalition of Free Planets that split from the Empire centuries before. Major characters die (even ones who seem safe because, it's about war so no one is safe), there are dozens of well-fleshed out characters that you follow over the main 110 episode run. I am not sure why it never caught on the U.S., but those who have reviewed it tend to give it glowing reviews, and I think it merits them.
As a big anime fan (well up to around 2010 when I took a break from it) I plan to do quite a few anime lists- but I'm not sure how that will fit with my subscribers. LotGH is a great series and would go well in a Space Opera anime list lol. I'm working on one now, but it's just movies.. I haven't made my mind up if I should mix Hollywood+anime just yet.
I would not suggest you do a whole video on it, but I know I was glad it had been recommended to me (just a few years ago and so more than a decade after the original series had ended. If it fits whatever theme you are going for in future videos, you may be able to introduce people to it. If it doesn't fit, though, then it doesn't fit. It is odd in that the early seasons are in an early-90s anime style, that gets better and sharper as the seasons follow on, but it is definitely a 90s anime. Some kids today may just hate the non-computerized graphics.
+Kurt Yes! LoGH is one of my favorite anime of all time. Its political commentary on autocracy vs. democracy is amazingly nuanced (neither being perfect - especially played out over time). And the two opposing main characters are so well developed. Reinhart in particular.
Anthony Smith "focused" is the US misspelling - would sound like "fokewzed". There is a 'cuss' in focussed
Another great military sci-fi-fi in the anime world is the original Macross/Robotech Saga.
I can't believe The Final Countdown wasn't on your list. That movie, in my mind, is the epitome of military Sci-fi. It flies under most peoples radar too (pun intended).
Iit looks like Haldeman's "The Forever War" may be a thing at some point.
Screamers - a great call back. Edge of Tomorrow - pleasant surprise. Stargate is underappreciated as is Babylon 5. Babylon 5 deserves mention for truly accurate depiction of physics of its fighter - there are no swooping turns or banks.
I didn't think i liked "Military Scfi but your clever take on it makes me need to see all these films. I loved ur clip choice about Starship Troopers re the enemies hand. Just GREAT for so many metaphorical reasons.
I eventually saw Edge of Tomorrow and liked it a lot. I would have seen it in theaters had it not starred Tom Cruise.
Another fun military SF movie to check out is Ender’s Game. Not a great movie but just as good as, say, Stargate. Who doesn’t love an underdog showing up his tormentors?
You know what sucks? I click on these type of lists in the hopes of finding something new to watch but never do. I love almost all these films though.
Welcome to my world haah! I've pretty much watched every modern sci-fi to date. But I just wanted to make videos where the creator has actually seen them (+mini review), rather than Looper/screenrant etc who clearly just spam lists for the sake of it.
I’m glad you understood Starship Troopers was satiracle. Forbidden Planet was magnificent. Edge of Tomorrow was near perfect. Enemy Mine was touching. The first half of Stargate was amazing; I can watch it again and again. Lots of good recommendations here.
Starship Troopers is the best. I just love it
That movie really is marmite- either you really love or hate it.
Very good !!! Seen all these movies and series. These recommendations are superb !!
Screamers is surprisly good
I just watched it. It wasn't bad at all.
Ridley Scott has been working for years on producing a film from the great novel "Forever War." For whatever reason, he keeps ordering script rewrites. This has the potential to be one of the finest SF films ever. Just wish he'd make the damn thing.
Forever War sucked, IMAO. Haldeman didn't set out to tell a story, but no make a point. Always a recipe for bad fiction.
Seen all of these.
Thumbs up for including something Babylon 5 related. Insanely rare.
Forbidden Planet is one of my all time favorite sci fi movies, along with The Day the Earth Stood Still. Of the others I have also seen and loved Stargate, Starship Troopers, Babylon 5, Edge of Tomorrow, Enemy Mine, and Screamers. I agree with Hyperdrive that Wing Commander, Independence Day, Predator, Avatar and Aliens should be included in a list of all time favorite military sci fi movies. Would love to know everyone's thoughts on Pacific Rim.... I thought the movie was pretty good, but of course, as with anything Idris Elba appears in, all he had to do was speak and I was hooked! REALLY looking forward to seeing him as Roland Deschain in Stephen King's The Gunslinger, from his Dark Tower series!
How do you put Starship Troopers on this list, and not mention Robert Heinlein? The film, while definitely entertaining, was a hollow farce of what the book was.
What a perfect list ... why is your channel not famous yet?
michael vejar's babylon 5? what about j michael straczynski?
He directed it, I was thinking that didn't come off very clear.. I should have said director, my bad.
No worries dude. I must admit surprise at seeing B5 noticed at all. Its fans won't hold vejar against you. And if people get a kick out of Starship Troopers...might I suggest A Starship Trooper's Chronicles...the tv series done cgi style. Kinda dated graphics...but a story that just keeps on giving. The new flicks Kill Command, Spectral and Infini aren't bad either.
The important part about Babylon 5 is JMS ... because "one guy writing EVERY EPISODE of a series" is unique. The writer is the story ... and that is why it is so good. The director has a really easy job, because there wasnt really much to do for him.
Phelan I believe that he wrote every episode but one from season 3 through to the end (season 5) as well as a number of the ones before that. The one he didn't write was Neil Gaiman's "Day of the Dead" in season 5.
And if you might not have guessed, I think that Babylon 5 was the best Science Fiction TV show *ever*. (And I've seen a number).
Certainly gonna keep your channel in my sights if you keep up content like this.
While I would put it in about the same class as Troopers Damnation Alley is worth a watch.
EOT I hated. Probably because of Tom Cruise. I met him on a military transport back before Top Gun. He is a munchkin. I do not know if it just made him nervous being in a plane load of guys who would killed him if they tripped and fell on him or what, but he was a DICK. After we got on the ground and he was gone, we had a vote with unanimous results (including the pilots). Next time we fly with him we have an in flight accident and come home one passenger short. It was the only time that bunch was ever unanimous on anything.
Oh kool thanks for sharing that! Yeah he's not a big guy, and I can imagine him been a complete douche especially when he was younger.
@@Hyperdriveuk I also wonder if he is not afraid of flying. There are no bathrooms on those planes, there is usually just a bucket out in the open. That did not make him happy either.
He helped unite you!
Another fantastic list. Earned yourself a new subscriber.
4:14 Groundhog Day: Military Sci-fi
99% repetition 1% boom boom
Props for Fornbidden Planet! I don't generally kid myself that old films can compete with more evolved ones. But this film has immersive alien atmosphere, good script, rich set designs, and above all else a captivating plot. The effects while dated are NOT bad.
Old films? Dated? You must be young. Keep watching this new unimaginable crap.
" O'Neill ! With two 'L's ! "
I really like that you mentioned Screamers. Truly underrated movie.
Farscape- Peace keeper wars. Very good stand alone from the series.
Londo's retelling of humanity losing the Earth-Minbari war is utterly haunting. The CGI hasn't aged well, but it's still used effectively to portray the sheer levels of desperation in the fighting, and backed by Christopher Franke's score, I still get goosebumps every time I watch it.
I like ALL the mentioned movies
Nice tips, plenty to add to the watch list
Dune had to be on this list
F yeah
As a Sci-Fi buff, I've seen all except for one of these films. so great reviews.
However, I take issue with the concept that "Soldier" lacks character development. Although Kirk Russel has very few lines, he manages to convey his character's development from a killing machine into a hero who cares for his new village. I saw emotion on his face throughout this film.
1. He's attracted (the 1st time in his life) to the wife in the family who takes him in, but because of the kindness of her husband-his 1st friend - & the soldier's (inexplicable) good moral character, doesn't act on it.
2. He learns how to interact with people, making mistakes now & then, but through interaction with others, learns forgiveness & community.
3. For the 1st time on his life, he interacts w/children & immediately feel protective, including understanding he can teach the child in the family self-protection.
4. He assumes military leadership, when the village is attacked. Identifying the new soldiers as a lethal threat to his adopted village, he musters his old team to protect them.
5. He learns to cry, after having his new friends taken away. He experiences lonliness.
* My take-away is that even a brutally abused, PTSD-suffering man can heal & regain his humanity.This film also helped me heal from an emotionally abusive relationship, reminding me that there ARE kind men in the world.
I had no idea Babylon 5 made a movie! It was an awesome show for it's time.
tere are actuaally 3 or 4 movies, helps to have seen all the seasons
Seven movies ...
- Space Center Babylon 5 ... the pilot of the series (TERRIBLE sets but decent CGI; several "logic flaws" in the story though when compared to the series)
- Babylon 5: In the beginning ... the story of the war between Humans and Minbari
- Babylon 5: Thirdspace ... an "extra long episode" set during the time of the series
- Babylon 5: The river of souls ... one episode of the series in longer version
- Babylon 5: A call to arms ... the pilot movie of the not at all successful spinoff series "Crusade"
- Babylon 5: The legend of the rangers ... an attempted spinoff pilot (?) which failed to be turned into a series; a bit too much character development and not really logical technology
- Babylon 5: The lost tales ... two short stories bunched together to make a movie
I love Edge Of Tomorrow, Enemy Mine, and Stargate. Great picks. Another good one, though it isn't a movie, is the original Macross/Robotech Saga. Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is also another fantastic military sci-fi anime.
Babylon 5 is brilliant series
You started with my favourite Sci Fil Starship Troopers and finished with my favourite Sci Fi TV series Well done ! Oh and I have the DVD's of all the other shows as well Your taste is excellent
Where is "Battle: Los Angeles"?
ussling Severely underrated movie!
Serious?
Great list.
Love every one of them.
What about the movie : "Enders Game" staring Harrison Ford. One of the best Sci fi military Movies I have seen.
the problem is, compare it to the book, and its shite. its a generic sci-fi movie at best. amazing visuals, but thats it..
Ender's Game had so much potential but just threw it all away when it came to production. Maybe 10% of the story and character development from the book made it to the movie, it's pretty dumbed downed too.
For me it was a very moving and poignant ending, which they managed to convey in the Movie. They may not of filled in all the details but it had meaningful story and good actors. will have to try and get round to reading the book though since you seem to recommend.
if you think the movie had a powerful ending.. the book is like 5x as powerful. also if you read the other book called 'enders shadow' after, its the same events but from a different characters point of view. its very well done
same with Starship Troopers The book was actually more violent, and aged very well, given it was written in the 50s
Great list! 👍
I think the kids in Starship Trooper knew they would be at war with the bugs. They were bombarded with media about it, and even dissected bugs.
Military Sci Fi Games:
Mass Effect
Crysis
Starcraft
all 3 are classics!
FTL
Half Life
XCOM
Excellent. Couple there I've not seen and a couple I'd forgotten about. Time to get on Amazon
Starship Troopers movie was crap. They took a great book and made a B-movie out of it. Skip the movie, read the book.
I agree completely. Verhoeven obviously projected his own fascism and totalitarianism onto the message Heinlein was trying to send, which Verhoeven deliberately misunderstood. I seem to recall reading somewhere that his widow, Virginia, sued to get Heinlein's name taken off the project.
+Jeff - "Troopers" is an ANTI-fascist allegory - if you can't see that, your criticism has no basis...
Have you ever read the book?
Are you even aware there was one?
+Jeff - Yes and yes - but that's completely irrelevant to my point. You criticized "Troopers" the movie as being fascist - but it isn't. At all. It's pointedly ANTI-fascist, and none too subtle about it. You were talking about the movie - as was I. In the matter of "Troopers " being fascist or anti-fascist, the source material is immaterial. It is what it is on its own merits...
The book was mediocre.
Have seen almost all. Nice list
i've seen all the movies in the list, the list is awsome and it brings back memories...thanx and keep it up.
You hit the Jackpot Man! Got them right!
I assume this isn't just a movie list seeing has how Babylon 5 is on it , so I'd like to give an honorable mention for The Expanse. A truly great scifi series (as were the books) with lots of military.
I hear FrankJavCee in the end! Nice music choice as well, my dude.
What a great list!!!!! I can't believe someone else loved Screamers & Soldier :-)
Things to Come and Battle Los Angeles come to mind. I really would like to see Forever War made into a movie or mini-series.
Oh man, thank you so much! I have been trying to remember the Screamers franchise, I watched it as a kid, and forgot the title.
I saw Screamers as a kid and forgot the name of this movie albeit trying to remember it for years now. Thank you haha, great sci-fi classic indeed.
YOU SMASH THE ENTIRE AREA YOU KILL ANYTHING THAT HAS MORE THAN TWO LEGS YOU GET ME?!
I saw Forbidden Planet only a few years ago for the first time, and I was surprised how well it holds up when you consider it's age