Official Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge (January 2022)

[flavo5000]

Welcome, folks!


Goal
Watch as many movies as you can that fit into the Sci-Fi and/or Fantasy genres. If you are in doubt whether a movie counts or not, just ask.

Rules:
- All movies tagged as science fiction or fantasy on IMDB are eligible.
- Each feature film (over 40 minutes) counts as one entry.
- 80 minutes of short films or miniseries/TV episodes counts as one entry.
- Rewatches are allowed and are good for your internal AI code or inner anima.

Official Lists
IMDb's Sci-fi Top 50
IMDb's Fantasy Top 50
The 100 Greatest Sci-Fi Movies
100 Science Fiction Films (BFI Screen Guide)
Fantasy Cinema: Impossible Worlds on Screen

Unofficial Lists

Unofficial Lists

iCM Forum's Favorite Sci-fi Movies
Time Out London's The 100 Best Sci-fi Movies
DigitalDreamDoor's 200 Greatest Sci-fi Movies
AFI's Top 10 Sci-Fi: The Nominations
OFCS Top 100: Top 100 Sci-Fi Films
Total Film's 50 Greatest Sci-Fi Movies Ever
Fantastic Cinema (Peter Nicholls) 700 fantasy/horror/sci-fi films
The 100 Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time (Popular Mechanics)
Darkweb Online's Top 100 Sci-fi Movies of All Time
Science Fiction/Fantasy sublist from 501 Must See Movies
Jonathan Rosenbaum's Ten Neglected Science Fiction Movies
Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film
List of Science Fiction Films
Weinberg's Top 100 Science Fiction Films of All Time
The Top 20 Horror Science-Fiction Films of All Time!
AFI's Top 10 Fantasy: The Nominations
Fantasy 100 TV Shows
Fantasy 100 Movies
Jonathan Rosenbaum's Ten Overlooked Fantasy Films on DVD (and 2 that should be!)
Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film
Haapsalu Horror & Fantasy Film Festival: 2010-2013
Top 100 Fantasy Movies Gary Gerani
DigitalDreamDoor 100 Greatest Fantasy Movies
Rolling Stone Top 50 Science Fiction Films of the 1970s

Previous Challenges of this Theme

Previous Challenges (& Winners)

• Unofficial Sci-Fi Challenge 2012 (won by Mochard {98})
• Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge August 2013 (won by ChrisReynolds {29})
• Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge August 2014 (won by ataraxic {20})
• Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge January 2015 (won by flavo5000 {96})
• Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge January 2016 (won by flavo5000 {140})
• Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge January 2017 (won by flavo5000 {74})
• Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge January 2018 (won by flavo5000 {166})
• Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge January 2019 (won by albajos {200})
• Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge January 2020 {won by psychotronicbeatnik {211})
• Scii-Fi/Fantasy Challenge January 2021 (won by flavo5000 {230})

**Nearly all the above crassly stolen straight up from Kublai Khan's 2021 OP.

Leaderboard

Rank	Participant	Count
1	gunnar	230
2	flavo5000	203
3	jdidaco	88
4	Blupain	61
5	AB537	55
6	sol	54
7	ororama	46
8	LoneWolf2003	45
9	VincentPrice	43
10	OldAle1	41
11	peeptoad	37
12	ChrisReynolds	35
12	beasterne	35
14	vortexsurfer	30
15	blocho	26
16	toromash	24
17	silga	21
17	klaus78	21
19	Kublai Khan	20
20	zzzorf	19
21	Harco	17
22	marienbad	12
22	DudeLanez	12
24	hurluberlu	11
25	Minkin	9
26	Mochard	8
27	maxwelldeux	6
28	AssonFire	2
29	Onderhond	1
29	ckfilm88	1

With another Flavo-hosted challenge comes a delightful SCAVENGER HUNT BONUS CHALLENGE!!

Sci-Fi/Fantasy Scavenger Hunt Bonus Challenge

When the word "film" is used, it implies any combination of films, shorts or TV that comprise a point. For instance, for the Ray Bradbury task, 4 episodes of Ray Bradbury Theater could be used to claim the bonus point.

Tag	Challenge
#Hugo	Watch a Film based on a Hugo-award nominated novel
#Nebula	Watch a Film based on a Nebula-award nominated novel
#PostNuke	Watch a post-apocalyptic film
#LookADragon!	Watch a film featuring a dragon and post a screenshot of it
#SpeculativeSilence	Watch a silent sci-fi or fantasy film released before 1930.
#Animation	Watch an animated sci-fi/fantasy film.
#OutsidetheBubble	Watch a non-Marvel/DC film based on a comic book.
#DeadSpace	Watch a sci-fi horror film.
#WitchyPoo	Watch a fantasy horror film.
#SoundOfThunder	Watch a film based on the work of Ray Bradbury
#Foundation	Watch a film based on the work of Isaac Asimov
#StrangeLand	Watch a film based on the work of Robert Heinlein
#IAmLegend	Watch a film based on the work of Richard Matheson
#20000Leagues	Watch a film based on the work of Jules Verne
#Russia	Around the World: Russia
#Asia	Around the World: Japan, China, Korea
#Africa	Around the World: Africa
#Europe	Around the World: Europe
#SouthAmerica	Around the World: South America
#Australia	Around the World: Australia
#NorthAmerica	Around the World: Canada/Mexico
#TimeAfterTime	Watch a film involving time travel
#LivingIn5D	Watch a film with alternate dimensions
#LookAWizard!	Watch a film with an evil wizard
#Hilarious	Watch a sci-fi or fantasy comedy
#RforRocket	Watch a film involving rocket travel
#LookAUnicorn!	Watch a film with a unicorn. Include screenshot
#MagicalRealism	Watch a film that would be classified as containing "magical realism"
#DoubleUp	Watch a film that also qualifies for the 1000 < 400 challenge
#ICantDoThatDave	Watch a film that features an evil supercomputer

Bonus Leaderboard

Rank	Participant	Count
1	gunnar	***1ST TO FINISH!!!!***
1	sol	2ND TO FINISH!!!
3	flavo5000	3RD TO FINISH!!
5	peeptoad	4TH TO FINISH!
5	jdidaco	5th to Finish!
6	ChrisReynolds	23
7	Blupain	16
8	LoneWolf2003	12
9	marienbad	9
10	zzzorf	8
10	silga	8
10	Mochard	8
13	Kublai Khan	7
13	DudeLanez	7
15	ororama	6
15	Harco	6
15	AB537	6
18	Minkin	5
19	maxwelldeux	3
20	vortexsurfer	2
21	hurluberlu	1
21	ckfilm88	1

[Torgo]

Cool collage [3x3 mashup image], flavo!

[flavo5000]

Let me know if there are any questions/feedback on the bonus challenge. I tried to have a variety of stuff on there to encourage more than just "watch Dune and Marvel movies" (although having said that, I'll probably watch Dune and a couple Marvel movies... ).

[gunnar]

The bonus challenges say "watch a film'. Would a tv series by acceptable as well? For example, the Wheel of Time series was nominated for the Best Novel Hugo award and Amazon has a tv adaptation.

[flavo5000]

The bonus challenges say "watch a film'. Would a tv series by acceptable as well? For example, the Wheel of Time series was nominated for the Best Novel Hugo award and Amazon has a tv adaptation.

Yes, I actually just put a note in there. So basically anything comprising a total point. So 80 minutes of TV episodes or shorts would count as long as all 80 minutes meet the requirement.

[gunnar]

The bonus challenges say "watch a film'. Would a tv series by acceptable as well? For example, the Wheel of Time series was nominated for the Best Novel Hugo award and Amazon has a tv adaptation.

Yes, I actually just put a note in there. So basically anything comprising a total point. So 80 minutes of TV episodes or shorts would count as long as all 80 minutes meet the requirement.

I clearly missed that. Thanks!

[sol]

It starts! First in.

1. Island of Lost Souls (1932)



This is very talky in its initial stages and it takes a bit too long for our hero to discover things. From the moment he works out what is going on though, the film never lets up, transforming into a living, breathing nightmare with shadowy black and white photography and glorious camera glides to match. The film was shot by Karl Struss - who shot Sunrise - and it looks just as gorgeous as the Murnau movie. Lots of crazy, expressionist shadows too (see above).

[gunnar]

Second in.

1 - Palm Springs (2020) - 8/10 - #TimeAfterTime - Nyles is stuck in a time loop and wakes up every day at a motel where there is a wedding happening that night. Sarah is also there for the wedding and accidentally gets dragged into the time loop as well. This was recommended to me a year and a half ago and I finally got around to watching it. It was a lot of fun. I still like Groundhog Day more, but this is a good riff on the theme.

edit - I'm assuming that a time loop counts for time travel. If not, please advise.

[VincentPrice]

1. Impostor-2001: 4/10

[Kublai Khan]

1. House of Dracula (Erle C. Kenton-1942) USA 727 checks #DeadSpace

The was from when the Universal Monsters franchise was lurching to an end. No more new monsters, just re-using the same old classic monsters and coming up with excuses for why they are all converging. There are some good parts, though: A spooky discordant version of Moonlight Sonata plays as a nurse is enthralled, Lon Chaney Jr. is too good for the material, and I kinda liked the scientific explanations of the monster's ills, even if they made no sense.

[VincentPrice]

2. The Colossus of New York-1958: 7/10

Spoiler

1. Impostor-2001: 4/10

[sol]

Spoiler

1. Island of Lost Souls (1932)

2. Mr. Nobody (2009) #Livingin5D



While this sounded like the Zhuangzi butterfly conundrum or a Slaughterhouse-Five variant, it is actually a lot more complex than that as the protagonist dreams of various alternative realities based on Sliding Doors moments. If intriguing, I thought that the film had trouble juggling both its pseudoscience and drama in the main character's life: too much romance and family moments and not enough sci-fi therorising or weirdo future-set scenes for my taste.

[Blupain]

1. All-Star Superman #Animation

[flavo5000]

1. All-Star Superman #Animation

This is your first challenge, right? Welcome! I hope you have fun with it!

[Blupain]

Yup, first challenge for me. Let me know if I am making any newbie mistakes. Especially around how to count TV episodes-run time calculations.

[Blupain]

#2 - Green Lantern: Emerald Knights.

[Mochard]

1. Eragon (2006) - 4.5/10 #LookADragon!

Films watched - 1

1. Eragon (2006) - 4.5/10 #LookADragon!

[Mochard]

2. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010) - 5.5/10 #LookAWizard!

Films watched - 2

1. Eragon (2006) - 4.5/10 #LookADragon!
2. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010) - 5.5/10 #LookAWizard!

[peeptoad]

Thanks for hosting, flavo

1. Tanin no kao (1966) The Face of Another 8+ #Asia

[blocho]

1. Don't Look up (2021)
An intermittently funny satire that doesn't actually feel like a satire. Among the odder notes here are Mark Rylance playing basically the same role he did in Ready Player One (the moment where he sniffs the hair of the scientist was a good laugh) and Meryl Streep playing a president whose last name is Orlean (Streep also played a character named Orlean in Adaptation, and that Orlean is a real person, so I'm not sure what the message is here).

2. Predator 2 (1990)
Gloriously over the top. Danny Glover's character steps into this movie almost directly from Lethal Weapon, Bill Paxton and Gary Busey show up in absolutely top form, and the Predator comes to Los Angeles. You get it? From rainforest jungle to an urban jungle. Good fun, even if it lacked any of the tension of its predecessor.

[Blupain]

#3 - Fire and Ice (1983)
Didn’t know it was animation, so that was a surprise. It was like He-man against cavemen with a woman being chased around wearing a thong thrown in for good measure.

[gunnar]

2 - The Matrix Resurrections (2021) - 7/10 - For all the high tech special effects, this felt like a less ambitious and relatively minor film compared to the earlier trilogy, though I did like it a lot more than either of the other sequels. It wasn't as bad as some of the reviews I saw indicated and it certianly isn't great, but it was watchable and fun in places.

3,4 - Ghosts (2020) Episodes 103-110 (168 minutes with 8 to carry forward) - #Hilarious - This is a fun show about a couple who inherit an old mansion and estate which happen to be inhabited by the ghosts of a number of people who died there - a viking, a Lenape, a jazz singer, a scout leader, etc. An accident gives the wife the ability to see and hear the ghosts. It's a nice comedy and I'm glad that it seems to be doing well. It's based on a British show that has also received good reviews so I'll likely check that one out as well.

Spoiler

1 - Palm Springs (2020) - 8/10 - #TimeAfterTime

[toromash]

1. Daredevil (2003) 2/10
Official check you know. Sucked for many reasons, which is probably stated in many previous reviews.

[Mochard]

3. The Black Cauldron (1985) - 5/10 #WitchyPoo



4. Encanto (1985) - 6.5/10 #MagicalRealism

Films watched - 4

1. Eragon (2006) - 4.5/10 #LookADragon!
2. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010) - 5.5/10 #LookAWizard!
3. The Black Cauldron (1985) - 5/10 #WitchyPoo
4. Encanto (1985) - 6.5/10 #MagicalRealism

[ororama]

1. Electric Dragon 80.000 V (2001) * 54 min. #DoubleUp
Wild mix of sci-fi (don't try this at home), electric guitars, fighting and lizards. Loosely plotted, fast and fun.

*First time viewing

[Blupain]

#4 - Two episodes from Apple series “Foundation”.

Episode 3: The Mathematician’s Ghost (50 minutes)
Episode 4: Barbarians At The Gate (45 minutes)

[beasterne]

/in for this challenge!

1. Don’t Look Up 6/10
2. The Matrix: Resurrections 7/10
3. South Park: Post COVID - The Return of COVID 4/10

the list!

1. Don’t Look Up 6/10
2. The Matrix: Resurrections 7/10
3. South Park: Post COVID - The Return of COVID 4/10

[Kublai Khan]

“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” - Isaac Asimov

1. House of Dracula (Erle C. Kenton-1942) USA 727 checks #DeadSpace

2. The Mitchells vs the Machines (Michael Rianda-2021) USA/Canada/Hong Kong 1,402 checks #ICantDoThatDave

It's fun, it's quirky, it has a lot of heart, but after hearing that it's by the makers of Lego movie and Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, it just felt really conventional. It's perfectly fine, but a bit of a letdown in that it doesn't try to really break new ground.

[Blupain]

#5 - Rabid (1977) #DeadSpace

[sol]

Spoiler

1. Island of Lost Souls (1932)
2. Mr. Nobody (2009) #Livingin5D

3. Dolls (1987) #WitchyPoo



The first half here is spent on build-up with much unease established before the dolls attack - and when they attack, we eerily do not even see them at first. This renders the doll attacks even more WTF when they are shown; there is also a delightfully insane imagined teddy bear attack on the stepparents. And where the film succeeds best is as a satire on how "parenting is a privilege" with the parents getting their just desserts for neglecting their daughter.

[VincentPrice]

3. Puzzlehead-2005: 6/10

Spoiler

1. Impostor-2001: 4/10
2. The Colossus of New York-1958: 7/10

[gunnar]

5-8 - Doctor Who Season 13 Episodes 1-6 (2021) (328 minutes with 8 to carry forward) - #Europe - This season started out okay with the first couple of episodes, but I thought it got pretty bad in the third episode, before slowly improving and getting good in the last couple of episodes. Inconsistent, but more good than bad.

Spoiler

1 - Palm Springs (2020) - 8/10 - #TimeAfterTime
2 - The Matrix Resurrections (2021) - 7/10
3,4 - Ghosts (2020) Episodes 103-110 (168 minutes with 8 to carry forward) - #Hilarious

[Mochard]

5. Damnation Alley (1977) - 6.5/10 #Hugo

Films watched - 5

1. Eragon (2006) - 4.5/10 #LookADragon!
2. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010) - 5.5/10 #LookAWizard!
3. The Black Cauldron (1985) - 5/10 #WitchyPoo
4. Encanto (1985) - 6.5/10 #MagicalRealism
5. Damnation Alley (1977) - 6.5/10 #Hugo

[VincentPrice]

4. Beast in Space-1980: 2/10

Spoiler

1. Impostor-2001: 4/10
2. The Colossus of New York-1958: 7/10
3. Puzzlehead-2005: 6/10

[sol]

Spoiler

1. Island of Lost Souls (1932)
2. Mr. Nobody (2009) #Livingin5D
3. Dolls (1987) #WitchyPoo

4. Alien (1979) REVISION #DeadSpace



The gradually appearing title is rightfully iconic and the slow-gliding initial shots of the spaceship devoid of human movements are perfectly eerie here. Revisited during Covid times, it is chilling to hear the characters talk about - and blatantly ignore - quarantine procedures. It is as a pure horror experience that the film succeeds the most though. The cat's reactions sometimes tell all as Scott gives only the barest glimpses of his monster, which makes it scarier.

And here's the gif that I wanted to use. Thought I'd share this since one for peep's benefit - I know it's her #1 film - and anyone else interested.

Spoiler

[sol]

Spoiler

1. Island of Lost Souls (1932)
2. Mr. Nobody (2009) #Livingin5D
3. Dolls (1987) #WitchyPoo
4. Alien (1979) REVISION #DeadSpace

5. Aliens (1986) REVISION



Whereas the creature was the real star of the first film despite hardly ever being seen, Aliens (true to the title) multiplies the aliens and instead develops Ripley into a complex protagonist with an acute surrogate mother/daughter angle. The macho supporting characters are nowhere near as likeable as the original crew, but they boost oodles of charisma, while the film takes further sharp stabs at corporate greed, plus Carrie Henn is a great Jones substitute.

And again, this is a gif that I wanted to use but thought I couldn't (it's a plot spoiler BEWARE but a really funny board game gag)

Spoiler

[peeptoad]

And here's the gif that I wanted to use. Thought I'd share this since one for peep's benefit - I know it's her #1 film - and anyone else interested.

love it, sol. Those opening credits really are perfection in my book

[flavo5000]

1. Zack Snyder's Justice League (Zack Snyder, 2021)
Nothing like starting off a challenge with a self-indulgent 4-hour superhero movie... Yes, it was better than the theatrical cut. But damn, 4 hours...


2. La flûte à six schtroumpfs a.k.a. The Smurfs and the Magic Flute (Peyo, 1976) #Animation
Kinda neat that this was actually directed by the original creator of the Smurfs, but oh my smurf, it was so smurfin' annoying. Even more smurfin' than the TV smurf.


3. Free Guy (Shawn Levy, 2021) #Hilarious
Light, breezy and entertaining. The computer programmer side of my brain kept bugging me though with all the inaccuracies in how software development works.

Spoiler

1. Zack Snyder's Justice League (Zack Snyder, 2021)
2. La flûte à six schtroumpfs a.k.a. The Smurfs and the Magic Flute (Peyo, 1976) #Animation
3. Free Guy (Shawn Levy, 2021) #Hilarious

[Blupain]

#6 - PK (2014)
As a Sci-Fi movie I would give it a (1/10), It’s a romantic comedy with a few Bollywood dance scenes.

[gunnar]

Query:

Charlie Jade is a co-production between Canada and South Africa with filming mostly in South Africa. Can I count it as African for the Bonus Challenge?

Also, I noticed that for the South America bonus challenge, the hashtag says #SouthAfrica