30. The Thing
Hailed as one of the greatest creature feature films of all-time, The Thing is John Carpenter at his best. The terrifying premise of the enemy hiding among its victims is brilliantly executed with phenomenal practical effects and superb pacing allowing for paranoia to set in as much as possible only to unleash unimaginable body horror upon an isolated group of unfortunate researchers. Kurt Russell is certainly the face of the film but the story never lets on that anyone is safe from the entity’s wrath. So much of the runtime feels hopeless that even if they somehow defeat it, they can never truly be certain it’s dead without exterminating everyone present. The only true way of knowing is for everyone to perish and how harrowing is that?
This is undoubtedly one of the biggest surprises in cinema of the last twenty years. In an age of mindless remakes, this team of extraordinary creators were brave and brazenly brilliant as they concocted one of the most bizarre, wonderfully bonkers, amazingly warm science fiction fever dreams ever made. Daniels, as they call themselves, are a duo who approach cinema as if the last hundred years or so of film never happened and structure and rules of progression never existed. They ask why not more than why would we. They create first and question it second. In the midst of such audacious creativity is a controlled view of what it is they want to achieve and by the end credits, you either went along willingly or were dragged and left without inspiration or enlightenment. It’s as funny as it is poignant with amazing characters played with such conviction, despite its absurdity, by a cast of incredible actors that realized this would only work if they found it within themselves to believe every second of it. The fact that the Oscars saw the brilliance of it only adds to its newly formed mythos. Some movies are simply moments in pop culture and what a moment this was.
28. Minority Report
Aside from the times Steven Spielberg delves into the uglier side of human history, this is him at his most unsentimental. Rather than trying to bridge the gap between alien and mankind or finding humanity in artificial intelligence, with Minority Report he embraces the darkness of man’s more unspeakable urges. He then adds in elements of sci-fi body horror by taking the familiarity of Tom Cruise’s face and completely distorts it and does so in filthy conditions executed by less than trustworthy individuals. This is one of Spielberg’s more tragic leading characters as he drowns in addiction and immense, violating loss. In Edge of Tomorrow, Cruise is built into the hero mankind needs. Here it is the complete opposite as manipulated circumstances take a city’s shining hero and break him down to a shell of his former self. Combine his tragedy with a brilliantly realized futuristic Washington D.C. and you have yourself a classic science fiction thriller that only gains momentum the longer it rages on.
Before pondering future murder, Spielberg looked to the skies for the very first time with Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This was the first time we really got to experience his tendency for the more sentimental side of human curiosity. What if aliens not only existed but finally made contact? Basic but extremely key questions would arise. What is their purpose? Perhaps most importantly, do they come in peace? All of this is pondered through the unassuming eyes of a simple man plagued by foresight and premonition through a distressing first encounter. A once simple man, he is suddenly burdened with purpose to find answers as something historic is just over the horizon.
26. Ad Astra
This movie makes me wonder if it would have resonated with me like it does had my own father not died. So much of this journey is introspective, illuminating human experience in such unfamiliar conditions such as deep space. But more specifically it highlights the complexities of father/son relationships set in the farther reaches of our solar system. The dangers of Roy McBride’s solo mission to find his dad make him contemplate the ramifications of trying to find his father who was every bit as absent when he was there as when he was isolated in deep space. For the greater good, he pushes forward questioning his own determination and prowess to achieve the seemingly impossible. When movies choose to look inward as much as propel outwardly, it can come across as cheesy and forced. Luckily through gorgeous imagery, extraordinary constraint by Brad Pitt and controlled chaos shaped perfectly by director James Gray, Ad Astra successfully ponders what it means to be human and to strive for something as intangible and potentially scarce as love itself.
25. The Martian
This could have been the most dramatic movie of the year and it would have made complete sense. I’m just not so sure it would be as renowned as it is had they decided to take a more solemn approach. Make no mistake, the drama is abundant and the adventure is continuous and affecting. Solving the survival of the lone astronaut on Mars is imperative but seemingly impossible to do so. Despite the enormity of his undertaking, astronaut Mark Watney takes on his burden to survive with an unexpected amount of humor. Through his confidence and unwillingness to give up, he makes contact with Earth and begins his journey to hold on just long enough for a rescue mission two excruciating years away. His crew are capable but face an unprecedented mission and risk their own lives to save one. It’s refreshingly funny, unbelievably thrilling and visually stunning. This is one of Ridley Scott’s best. And that’s saying something.
24. Sunshine
This is one of the most underrated, unknown science fiction masterpieces in modern cinema. Danny Boyle directs what is all in one a space adventure, a disaster epic, an existential discovery, an operatic horror, a triumphant human collaboration and a disturbingly raw, mortally damaging introspection on the human experience. It is a realization that if the human race were to disappear tomorrow, the universe and all that it encapsulates would remain wholly unaffected. It makes you feel small but comforts us in the idea that we may be small, we are anything but alone if we so choose. We have each other. The characters in Sunshine begin to lose themselves as the notion of Earth dying seems to matter less to them the closer they get to the center of our galaxy, and yet out of duty, they continue on. It’s exciting, it’s scary at times, it’s gorgeously shot, it is at times morose, mirroring its character’s feelings of hopelessness. It’s also about the indomitable human spirit and in the face of such insurmountable odds, it’s an inspiring thing to watch a few put the continuance of humanity at the forefront. All the pretentious critic talk aside, it’s just a damn thrilling space quest.
23. Jurassic Park
The year Spielberg had in 1993 should be studied because few can say they had a better consecutive 365 days than him. In one year, he was responsible for one of the biggest blockbusters in history with Jurassic Park as well as one of the most impacting, unflinching dramatic horror stories with Schindler’s List. He conquered all at once the summer movie season and the awards season. If there were any doubt of who he is as a creator or his legacy in this world, this was the year all doubt was silenced. With Jurassic Park he created an adventure unlike anything anyone had ever experienced before. With cutting edge computer technology and beautifully crafted practical effects, animatronics and fully realized sets, Jurassic Park set a precedent that all others have strived to reach ever since. It is, in many ways, the quintessential adventure film that will remain as one of the best to ever do it. Cast and crew alike combined efforts to create a genuine, one-of-a-kind masterpiece. In this world, dinosaurs are very much alive.
22. Gravity
Director Alfonso Cuarón went on hiatus from feature films after the masterful Children of Men (to be mentioned later) in 2006. Then, in 2013, he returned with a ferocity bringing the world the most intense space experience ever put to screen with Gravity. Visually stunning, thrillingly nightmarish and unimaginable, perfectly paced and accurately portrayed, it is, at the lead of Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, an epic of space exploration and human determination. It’s scarily close to home and yet feels lightyears away. The IMAX experience was unbelievable and something I won’t soon forget. It is, quite simply, something to be seen to be believed.
21. The Terminator
We became used to the idea of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role of hero. Whether he was a hero father or hero secret agent or hero soldier, he was the man to save the day. The Terminator posed the question of what it would look like if he went the other way. Often talked about as if the authority on actual time travel, it is complex mythos meets simplistic survival thriller. Schwarzenegger is the villain, a literal unstoppable killing machine, Linda Hamilton is the carrier of our future and Michael Biehn is the only obstacle standing between our future and its potential demise. It’s the beginning of something still talked about and mirrored to this day.
So that's Part 3. Thoughts? Hatred? Let me know! If you like my list, my name is Chase. If you hate it, my name is Jimmy Palmquist.
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