If you love action sci-fi movies, then check
these 8 out
What is Action sci-fi? Well techinically speaking
it isn�t a sub genre of science
fiction, but as long as a movie�s core element
is sci-fi then it can cross into
other genres such as drama or action.
Action sci-fi became very popular in the aftermath
of the Star Wars franchise
so from the 80s onwards we got spoilt, with
a great selection of good sci-fi
films with action and bad action movies with
a sci-fi skin.
So with that in mind, I�ve tried to hunt
down a collection of action films that
cover a wide variation of different & original
plots, that use science fiction
effectivly and not just for the sake of it.
And for those of you new to this channel,
I try to avoid picking obvious
movies, so in this case classics like the
matrix or Aliens won�t be appearing.
Nonetheless I will put in a few popular films,
just to keep people happy.
Director Norman Jewison action sport, Rollerball
1975,
In a futuristic world, crime, poverty and
war are all but extinct. Corporations
have now replaced countries, and the entire
world all watches an ultra violent
sport known as rollerball. The story follows
one the best rollerball players
who is out to defy the wishes of his corporation,
who want him to retire early.
Filled with action and an origianl story,
Rollerball is one of those cult classcis
with a great social comentary on corporations,
that�s become more relivant as
times goes on. It�s acting and filmmaking
do feel very 1970s, But they�re done
well, and the futuristic sport rollerball
is pretty violent and unique.
If your interested in something different
with a message, rather than random
violence for the sake of it, then give rollerball
a go.
Director Peter Hyams crime thriller, Outland
(1981)
In the future, humanity has the ability to
mine for resources on the moons of
Jupiter. When miners randomly start dying
due to suspicious events, the
installations brand new Marshal decides to
investigate these odd occurrences.
But for some unknown reason the outposts administrator
goes out of his way
to hinder the marshals efforts.
For an underrated space western, Outland is
a decent crime thriller which has
a pretty atmospheric set that�s combined
with ok visual effects for it�s time.
Sure it�s plot isn�t exactly the most
original and the side characters could�ve
been fleshed out a bit more.
However the acting overall is fairly solid,
where Sean Connery tries his best,
in these well setup claustrophobic environments.
Outland might not be
everyones cup of tea but if you�re in the
mood for a space thriller- you might
want to check it out
Director Paul Verhoven crime thriller, RoboCop
(1987)
Set in a violent dystopian Detroit where OCP,
an immoral corporation, has
taken control and privatized the city's policeforce.
In order to impress his CEO
an up and coming junior executive has a controversial
idea on how to control
crime in Detroit- all he needs is a human
test subject in order to get his plans
rolling.
A great action movie that has more depth than
you would expect, RoboCop is
a near perfect film with a fantastic combination
of cool, violence and cheese.
It�s political satire is first rate, with
those classic tv commercials � and its
black humor works so well without breaking
the tone of the movie.
As you may have guessed I�m a huge fan of
this film, so it would be no suprise
to you that I would thoroughly recommend it,
especially if you haven�t seen it
yet.
Director W.d.Richters Adventure comedy, The
adventures of buckaroo banzai
Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Neurosurgeon, nuclear scientist and rock�n�
roller Buckaroo Banzai is a modern
renaissance man. Who�s the only human to
have successfully traveled to the
8th dimension and come back sane. The story
kicks off when he and his team
�the Hong Kong Cavaliers� are called upon
to save the world from an alien
invasion.
Parodying both 80�s and classic sci-fi films,
The adventure of buckaroo banzai
is a movie that was way ahead of its time.
I�ll be honest, I really didn�t know
what to think, after my 1st time watching
this � to say it�s unique would be
one way to put it- off the wall and eccentric
would be a another.
One thing is for certian, it�s funny ridiculously
over the top and definitely
worth watching at least once for the experience.
Director Paul Michael Glaser action thriller,
The running man (1987)
In the year 2019 the world economy has collapsed
resulting in the united
states becoming a police state. The film follows
Ben Richards; an innocent
man who is framed and sentenced to particiaplate
in the running man, a live
broadcast puplic exectuion game show that�s
watched by millions.
Making a Stephen King novel into a film and
then putting an 80�s Arnie into the
mix only makes things better in my opinion.
The Running man is a fun sci-fi
flick with a very unsubtle theme of media
manipulation. It�s often very silly
and is filled with puns and one liners which
is exactly what you would expect
from a movie staring Arnie.
Sure it�s not exactly what I would call
original, but if you�re looking for a no-
brainer action film then look nowhere else.
Director David Lynch�s Action adventure,
Dune (1984)
In a distant future, the entire universe depends
on a spice that only exists on
the desert planet of Arrakis. Duke Leto, the
leader of house Atreides has
been given control of this planet by the emperor
of the known universe. But
unknown to House Atredies, the emperor's intentions
aren�t quite what they
seem.
The bold attempt by David Lynch to visualise
Frank Herbert�s Masterpiece,
Dune is a very imaginative and creeply fun
film. With it�s eccentric sets n
characters and cheesy 80s soundtrack n dialog.
I�m aware that this film has mixed feelings,
in which people with either love or
hate it as it can be considered difficult
to follow. But it does a great job of
combining quirky visuals wi h unusual ideas
for action and philosophy.
Director Guillermo del toro�s Action adventure,
Pacific Rim (2013)
For a long time humanity's cities have been
repeatedly attacked by enormous
sea monsters called Kaiju. The only know defense
against them that�s
effective comes in the form of giant Mecha
known as Jaeger. But the problem
with these large robots, is that they can
only be piloted by rare pairs of
neural-linked pilots.
For a well made robot vs monster movie Pacific
Rim succeeds at what it wants
to achieve. An action packed film experience
full of colourful visuals and ham-
fisted acting- this is one of those movies
that I really regret not going to see
in the cinema.
Sure some of it�s humor misses the mark
and its pacing is a poor in places, but
Pacifim Rim is still very entertaining for
a no brainer Mecha vs Monster movie.
Director Michael Crichton�s Western Thriller,
WestWorld (1973)
In the near future an amusement park for the
wealthy has the ability to cater
to its customers fantasies with one unique
solution. Using anatomically correct
robots instead of humans, to roleplay the
lifestyle of a person from that era.
Everything is status quo in the park, that
is, until a rogue robot gunslinger
starts stalking its guests.
Probably one of the most inventive films for
its time, Westworld is pretty
much the precursor to Crichtons Jurassic Park.
OK it does have it�s flaws, however Yul
Brynner preformance as the
very unsettling robot is first rate and the
films premise is clearly inspiration
for classic films like the Terminator. The
dialog might be cheesy, but
Westworld is worth checking out, it holds
up for its age and is still pretty fun.
If you love action sci-fi movies, then check
these 8 out
