Science fiction films are too often overlooked by American audiences. Truly great science fiction movies don’t normally contain enough explosions or sexy A-list actresses to captivate the typical American moviegoer.
Here are five examples of science fiction movies that never caught on among the American movie-going public but should be a part of any list of movies to see before you die.
1. Sleeper (1973)
Woody Allen’s science-fiction / comedy hybrid is a time travel tale told with the tongue-in-cheek wit common among all of Woody Allen’s comedy classics, focusing more on one-liners than any actual science fiction narrative. Still, it is one of Allen’s least-appreciated films, and one of the best examples of time travel sci-fi from the 1970s.
2. The Valley of Gwangi (1969)
‘The Valley of Gwangi’ featured cowboys and dinosaurs.
Even fans of Ray Harryhausen’s work overlook this one. The Valley of Gwangi was Harryhausen’s final prehistoric creature film, part American Western part science fiction classic. Think of this film as a mash-up of The Lost World and King Kong with some Western themed awesomeness thrown in for good measure. This film is probably overlooked because it ushered in the end of the big creature films, though the effects and visuals are among the best of science fiction movies of the 1960s.
Harryhausen’s special effects don’t look very good compared to CGI but they were stunning and realistic visuals by the standards of the day. Many Ray Harryhausen fans grew up to become visual effects artists because of his ground-breaking work in analyzing and mimicking creature movements.
3. Time Bandits (1981)
Terry Gilliam, best known to Americans as being part of the Monty Python troupe, put together this epic science fiction fantasy film with Monty Python alum Michael Palin and executive producer George Harrison. Initially, critical and box office reception in America was positive, but you just don’t see this movie much anymore. Epic in scope, Time Bandits is essentially the story of Good vs. Evil, with an all-star cast and plenty of beautiful visual effects thrown in for good measure. If you call yourself a fan of science fiction movies and don’t own this masterpiece, your movie collection has a big piece missing.
4. Primer (2004)
If you’ve been following along, you can tell I have a soft spot for time travel movies. This modern classic was shot on a shoestring budget: director Shane Carruth made Primer for just under $7,000. The movie tells the story of a student who accidentally discovers how to travel through time, and Carruth famously chose not to dumb down the science and math used in the film to explain travelling through time. Primer’s status as a cult favorite is thanks in part to its complex structure and smart-guy dialogue, and its eventual box office take of nearly $500,000 makes Primer one of the most successful small budget movies ever made.
5. Dark City (1998)
I am on something of a personal mission to make sure everyone I know sees Dark City. Everyone goes nuts for The Matrix, released just one year later, but everything in that movie was done a year earlier and better by Dark City. This totally creepy, dystopian, dark fantasy was all but ignored when first released, but since the early 2000s it has been championed by Roger Ebert and other critics, and Dark City is starting to get some of the recognition it deserves. If you like your sci-fi dark and depressing, this creepy amnesia flick is right up your alley.
