It was a hard list to make but here are my top ten movies of the decade. The criteria are that I have to have seen the movie, it has to be science fiction (no fantasy or horror) and it had to be released between the years 2000 – 2009.
[:::[FAVES]:::]
10. Transformers (2007)
What can I say? I have a weakness for robots in disguise. I played with the toys as a kid and they’ve always been cool to me. Even with the sequel being a disappointment, I’m still excited that Transformers was made at all.
9. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
I love retro-futurism. I still wish the future would look the way they envisioned it in the 50’s and 60’s. The retro robots and ray guns were so much fun to see on the big screen. Angelina Jolie did an amazing job. I was also impressed with HOW this film was made.
8. Minority Report (2002)
Very pretty movie. The tech was memorable and the story was phenomenal. We got to experience pre-couch jumping but post Scientology Tom Cruise. This movie will always be the sexy touch screen movie for me.
7. The Prestige (2006)
I was taken off guard by this movie. I didn’t think it was going to be science fiction at all. This film had so much to offer in the way of story and settings. The steampunk style of this movie just worked.
6. X-Men (2000)
This was the first and best X-Men. I loved seeing how the characters of them movie came alive. They are a decent portrayal of the comic book characters. Hugh Jackman is divine!
5. Hellboy II (2008)
I liked the sequel better than the first movie. It had a bigger budget and had more of a grand adventure feel to it.
4.5 The Dark Knight (2008)
Heath Leger. That is all.
4. Batman Begins (2005)
Liam Neeson. That is all.
3. Serenity (2005)
We made this movie happen! I love it when fans whine and cry, kicking and screaming until we get “them” to makes something that is good and that we actually want. It was a kick-ass movie too. I WANT MORE.
2. Iron Man (2008)
I’m not going to get into any of the deviant details but the gadgets in this movie made me swoon. I didn’t care about the Iron Man series before this movie but Robert Downey Jr. really brought to life.
1. Star Trek (2009)
This movie made Star Trek cool again. Any film that can do that is the best film ever.
[:::[FLOPS]:::]
10. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
I didn’t hate this movie. I thought it was funny and the SFX were clean and beautiful. The general fan response to this movie was extreme disappointment.
9. Blade: Trinity (2004)
It just wasn’t as good as the previous movies. I’m not sure what went wrong but it didn’t cut it.
8. Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
While not as disappointing as Insurrection, this movie was all marketing and no delivery. Shinzon was a great character but the whole movie felt like an exercise in WTF?
7. AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)
This was another film I didn’t mind. The fan reaction was… I believe… disgust. It got the job done. There was some decent mythology. I thought Sanaa Lathan made a great heroine. I still want an action figure of her from this movie with the alien head shield and the Predator spear weapon.
6. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
I’ve only seen this once and I remember being really bored. It was the same old, same old with a blond Terminatrix added for good measure.
5. Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
This movie had so much potential but was squandered on… well I’m not entirely sure what happened here.
4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
This movie had a lot of things to like. Shia LaBeouf was funny. It was good to see Harrison Ford as a cranky, old but exceptionally spry Indiana Jones. The aliens didn’t work for me. The film threw a lot at me but nothing stuck. I wish this film was never made or at least it should get a do-over.
3. The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
What WAS this??? I general idea behind a remake or re-imagining is for it to be better than the original. What were they thinking? It felt like they were trying to not step on the toes of the original movie. Major things that made the movie a classic were left out. How could they leave out “klaatu barada nikto”?
2. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
I liked Attack of the Clones more than Revenge of the Sith. The story was right. The special effects were there. The universe was full and enriched. Hayden Christensen just was the wrong guy for this. Before George Lucas thrust the prequels on us, the story of Anakin and how he turned to the Dark Side seemed like a straight forward tale. I’m not sure how everything went so wrong. Why wasn’t this as good as it was supposed to be?
1. Matrix Revolutions (2003)
I wasn’t that excited about Matrix: Reloaded but it was still a fun movie. I will still watch it every once in awhile but Matrix 3? Hell NO! I remembered being super pumped up for this film. I bought the Animatrix and watched that DVD often. I bought the Matrix game for XBox. I was all about Matrix: Revolutions. I went to an IMAX showing on opening day. I still remember it like it was yesterday. The sheer trauma and all-around SUCK of this movie has left me scarred to this very day. I was EXTREMELY disappointed in the way the Neo story unfolded. The war was stupid. What did Trinity do again? She frakkin’ died! What was with the train? Why didn’t they just make an animated binary version of The Oracle? …or make her a disembodied voice? Merovingian? Why??? They had nothing to do with the historical Merovingian dynasty. Why did they just call them something else? Why was the… What? How did? I’m going to stop here because I don’t want to upset myself any further. I HATED this movie.
Honorable mention: Jumper (2008)
Why was this even made? Great scenery, decent plot but Hayden Christensen was in a paper bag in this movie. Seriously guys, tell this man that he needs to act his way OUT of the paper bag. Samuel L. M.F. Jackson didn’t even save it this film. I still kinda want my money back on this one.
I seriously hope that none of the actors or crew ever read this entry.
Nice list! Glad to see that I’m not the only one who liked Sky Captain and Minority Report.
Sorta feels like we’re the only ones who like those films though. lol!
My top 13 would be:
13. The Time Traveler’s Wife
12. X2: X-Men United
11. Watchmen
10. The Prestige
09. Children of Men
08. Serenity
07. Spider-Man (1)
06. Wall-E
05. Batman Begins
04. Spider-man 2
03. Iron Man
02. Star Trek
01. The Dark Knight
Honorable Mention: The Lake House (borderline fantasy)
As for the flops… The only ones from your list I didn’t see were The Day the Earth Stood Still and Jumper. I highly agree with your inclusion of Matrix Revolutions. The only reason I don’t dislike that movie more is that it’s easier to pretend it doesn’t exist. I ignore Matrix Reloaded, by association. I also agree with Nemesis, what seemed to be the final nail in the Star Trek coffin until the reboot this year. Hitchhikers had some redeeming qualities but probably more problems, the more I think about it.
I’m more forgiving of the other six, considering them mediocre or better, rather than outright flops. In fact, I actually like T3 and Blade: Trinity. Star Wars 3 had a lot of problems (such as Darth Vader’s first steps being clumsy & invoking laughter from the audience rather than awe & nostalgia), but I still thought it was the best of the prequels.
Flops I would include would be Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones, Push, Fantastic Four 1 & 2, Transformers 1, and of course, Transformer 2.
Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen is a travesty of movie making and an insult to science fiction, the 1980s, my childhood, children in general, small dogs, the English language, and everything that is good and decent in the world. I’m pretty sure that when it came time to make the toys for Skids, Mudflap, and the movie’s horrendous version of Devastator… Santa Claus wept. And, so did the elves. And, so did I. And, so did the angels in heaven. After seeing that movie, the sun doesn’t shine as bright, flowers aren’t as colorful, and the songs of birds don’t sound as sweet. The world is a darker, sadder place to live in knowing that movie exists.