NASA names daftest sci-fi films ever

[SFF Chronicles News]

5th January 2011 03:54 PM

Darren Allan

What do you think the daftest sci-fi movie ever made was? NASA has apparently named its top absurd sci-fi flicks of all time, at least according to a report in the Sunday Times.

So what was the worst and silliest sci-fi film ever made? 2012, on account of the fact that it has led NASA’s postbag to be stuffed with queries from folks who are worried that they only have two years to live.

We’d agree 2012 was an awful movie, if nothing else, and an insult to our backsides to have to sit through two hours of utter pap and some of the most unrealistic special effect “close escapes” we’ve ever witnessed.

Number two was The Core (a disaster film about drilling to the centre of the Earth), and number three Armageddon (an asteroid heading for Earth). Volcano was next, followed by Chain Reaction, The 6th Day, and then What the Bleep Do We Know.

NASA also named its most realistic sci-fi flicks, which was topped by Gattaca, a film about a future society which practices liberal eugenics. Jurassic Park was voted the seventh most realistic film, mind you (really?).

 

[WaylanderToo]

I wonder if this has been up-dated for some of the absolute howlers we've had in the intervening 3 years? I'll agree that you'll have to go some to be top (bottom?) 2012 or The Core but some I've seen must be in with a good (bad) shout

 

[DZara]

Do you have a link to that list? I'd be curious to see it.

 

[J-Sun]

Do you have a link to that list? I'd be curious to see it.

You can find a lot of links that talk about it but none to the list itself (which is suspicious enough) and The Guardian indicates that it was a spoof. Somebody wanted to give their opinions more credibility by pretending the opinions came from NASA, I guess.

It's also interesting that, while whoever started this could easily pick out the turkeys, they seem to have a harder time picking out scientific ones. The seven "most plausible" which are supposed to counterbalance the seven "least plausible" from the OP are

1. Gattaca (1997)
2. Contact (1997)
3. Metropolis (1927)
4. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
5. Woman in the Moon (1929)
6. The Thing from Another World (1951)
7. Jurassic Park (1993)

 

[Phyrebrat]

I avoided 2012 when it came out on the strength of the poor reviews in the Guardian etc. I got to watch it a couple of months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Yes it's unrealistic but those 'unrealistic close escapes' were so much fun! And it was refreshing to see a disaster movie with an actual disaster!

Some of these reviewers might be happier in life to remember they're commenting on popcorn movies, not Ingmar Bergman's. How cynical!

Back on topic though, I'm surprised Contact was below Gattaca. I suppose they're both a bit pie in the sky but Contact just seems more plausible. And less nihilistic

I'm just relieved Event Horizon didn't manage to get on the most realistic list

pH