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Recommend: Sci Fi. (TV/Film)
Fallingman
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, I'm in the mood for some Sci Fi.
I'm not a total Nub to the genre, but recently watched the "Forward Unto Dawn" series, and quite enjoyed it. It created an itch. So, I'm looking for some help. Here's the deal.
Generally, I like darker more arcing story lines. Classic totally episodic stuff kind of leaves me cold. What I have watched/enjoyed:
- BSG
- Firefly
- Babylon 5
- X-Files
I gather that Star Trek, SG (whichever), Farscape etc all get general kudos for being great. I've dabbled in each but never "caught the bug" and where I'm normally a bit of a completest, I'm thinking that sometimes the early episodes/seasons can be a little hit and miss. So I'm open to any "start from season three" style recommendations. Here's there I sit on these three.
- Trek. Obviously, I'm aware of all the shows and the characters. But I never really sat down to watch any with regularity. Any point of any show widely regarded as a highlight? (I respect the originals, but I'm probably not going to go there).
- SG. I tried season one of the TV show, and kind of lost interest... it was ok?
- Farscape. Watched season one (possibly all the way to the end?) It hinted at great stuff, but it was still a little cheesy for me.
So I'm probably coming off as a bit of a Philistine, but I'm genuinely interested in getting into a sci fi show again. I know a lot of these start as low budget concepts, hence wondering whether I'm just starting at the wrong point. Mini series'/webisodes etc. are fine if people think they're worthwhile.
Help me H&A. You're my only hope!
I'm not a total Nub to the genre, but recently watched the "Forward Unto Dawn" series, and quite enjoyed it. It created an itch. So, I'm looking for some help. Here's the deal.
Generally, I like darker more arcing story lines. Classic totally episodic stuff kind of leaves me cold. What I have watched/enjoyed:
- BSG
- Firefly
- Babylon 5
- X-Files
I gather that Star Trek, SG (whichever), Farscape etc all get general kudos for being great. I've dabbled in each but never "caught the bug" and where I'm normally a bit of a completest, I'm thinking that sometimes the early episodes/seasons can be a little hit and miss. So I'm open to any "start from season three" style recommendations. Here's there I sit on these three.
- Trek. Obviously, I'm aware of all the shows and the characters. But I never really sat down to watch any with regularity. Any point of any show widely regarded as a highlight? (I respect the originals, but I'm probably not going to go there).
- SG. I tried season one of the TV show, and kind of lost interest... it was ok?
- Farscape. Watched season one (possibly all the way to the end?) It hinted at great stuff, but it was still a little cheesy for me.
So I'm probably coming off as a bit of a Philistine, but I'm genuinely interested in getting into a sci fi show again. I know a lot of these start as low budget concepts, hence wondering whether I'm just starting at the wrong point. Mini series'/webisodes etc. are fine if people think they're worthwhile.
Help me H&A. You're my only hope!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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If you enjoyed The X-Files, I'd recommend you check out The Lone Gunmen if you enjoyed their characters and wouldn't mind seeing them fleshed out a bit. I have heard that Fringe is the spiritual sequel, but haven't checked it out yet.
If you're looking for arching storylines instead of individual episodes you could always check out the new Dr. Who or Lost. I have heard that Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles is pretty good if you're a fan of the franchise, but I don't know how arc heavy it is.
It's not exactly what you're looking for, but everyone should at least check out The Adventures Of Brisco County Jr. if they're into sci-fi/revisionist history.
Also Caprica might also be worth a shot. It's a kind of BSG prequel that only aired for a single season.
If you liked BSG, you might like Stargate Universe, since it was a departure from SG-1/Atlantis toward more of the BSG style (note that many of the episodes are reviled by Stargate SG-1 fans, and the overall grim-dark/dumb-relationships drama pretty much killed the franchise).
If you liked Babylon 5, you'll probably like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. There are some retarded episodes sprinkled throughout (especially at the beginning), but the show rises in quality steadily until Season 6, and kinda drops off at Season 7 (but that's the last season and they give the show a proper epic "ending", as it were).
If you decide to delve into Star Trek: The Next Generation, start with Season Three.
Firefly is basically live-action Cowboy Bebop, if you are into watching Anime at all.
I can second the recommendation for Brisco County Jr., although it's pretty short (only two seasons?).
If you want something with a bit more continuity than Doctor Who, you can check out Torchwood. It gets pretty dark and is a little less haphazard and fantasy-bound.
For X-Files-esque sci-fi, Fringe is probably your best bet.
For more humorous sci-fi in a modern context, Eureka is pretty good. It's the Andy Griffith show set in a weird town full of mad scientists.
But Gattaca is a good movie.
Also I might recommend sticking with Farscape for at least another season. It can be pretty campy but it has its serious/sad moments and season 1 is the least-good of its seasons IMO. Those first few episodes are pretty bad but the show grows on you.
edit: and yeah, stick with Farscape until Chiana and Scorpius show up.
That's given me some idea where to start with some of the longer running shows. I didnt get all the way to the end of the 1st season with SG, so I might give that a whirl... I'll probbaly try some ST:TNG (season 3) and Deep Space Nine.
Farscape... Season 2?
Fringe lost my wife and I early on with the monster of the week thing, but I was surprised to see that it continued on successfully - so maybe try that too? I really enjoy the Meta arcs (damn you Babylon 5!)
Heh, I seem to have gone from having no idea, to too many options!)
Space above any beyond - I should pick up too.
Hmmm, Maybe I'll try a smorgasbord of shows, and see what grabs me ;-)
If anyone's still keen to get your recommend on - lets try something more specific:
Reccommend your jumping on points! (nearish the beginning, but good samples of future awesomeness)
Yeah, Fringe really gets rolling when the meta plot starts for real.
Moon
Blade Runner
Solaris (1972)
THX 1138
District 9
2001: A Space Odyssey
Videodrome
Akira
Alphaville
Dark City (director's cut)
12 Monkeys
A Boy and His Dog
Ghost in the Shell (this also has a TV series associated with it)
Brazil
Solaris (2002)
One's I havent seen:
THX 1138
Videodrome
Alphaville
A boy and his dog
Ones I should check out again:
Dark City
12 Monkeys
Just know that the "Complete Series" boxset in the US actually leaves out the 4 episode tv movie/pilot/first season, but the Canadian set has them.
And Sliders was good for a few seasons from what I remember, think it stalls out, or gets a bit lame later on but it's been a while since I've seen it.
Is Eureka worth it? I think Warehouse 13 is great, but I barely managed to get through the first episode of Eureka.
First half. From the back half of season one on Fringe has pointed to the show that it wants to be and that fans like. The quality gets more consistent, but if you don't like the back half of one through the front half of season two, you won't like Fringe. (I like Fringe. But it took a week long case of strep, a laptop and muscles so achy that books were HEAVY to teach me so. The front have of season one just doesn't work).
Don't google it, don't wiki it, don't read shit about it, just watch it.
Jericho is an awesome idea wrapped up in the worst writing and execution ever. It is a story of a town filled with literal idiots starring an unlikable character who just so happens to be involved in every major event over the course of the show.
Primer is amazing. If you haven't seen it, Zoku is right, go in sight unseen.
Eureka has its moments, but it's very monster-of-the-week (well, super science experiment gone wrong of the week).
You'll want to keep in mind:
1. There are at least two incidents of "Time travel to soft reboot"
2. To keep the show going at one point, they have to start with embarrassingly obvious product placement.
Jeremiah is another post apocalyptic deal. Disease wiped out all of the adults in the US (whole world?), things fell apart, but Luke Perry and Theo Huxtable survived. Fairly episodic at first from what I remember, but gets bigger storylines going after the characters are established, especially in seasons 2 and 3.
Farscape was great and had a lot of awesome moments, but it definitely has a lot of silliness, so may not be what you're looking for. It took me 1-2 seasons to not want to punch the main actor in the dick every time he talked, but eventually I got used to his style.
I second the above "ST: DS9 is a great alternative to the planet-a-day zoom around the universe format of most ST" comment. You say you liked Babylon 5, so you might prefer DS9 over other Star treks. Having watched a few episodes here and there of ST:TNG makes DS9 better, too, *I* think.
For anime, I agree, definitely start with Cowboy Bebop. Then maybe try the Macross Plus movie. These are suggestions to ease yourself in when it comes to Anime. Also, never understood the attraction to Akira. Awful. Really Really Really awful (love it or hate it seem to be the main reactions to that film).
Also, AMG RED DWARF for the funniez. ; )
You have to watch Dr Who, and then Torchwood.
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"The power of the weirdness compels me."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperdrive_(TV_series)
I know this wont be popular - but I could never get into Dr Who *ducks-for-cover*. I dont know... just too light a tone, maybe?
So, would Fringe kick of at the end of Season one? or Season two?
Uhhh, I did. Second post.
Fallingman, which Doctor did you watch? As the doctor takes on different incarnations, the theme of the show tends to change slightly.
Eureka is awesome. LOST has been my favorite TV show of the last decade.
In terms of movies.
Event Horizon is crazy dark.
Fringe starts getting good midway through Season 1, so I'd probably watch... well, if you don't remember the pilot, I'd at least watch that. Really, just pushing though the first half season isn't too bad, I did that earlier this year. The conclusion of Season 1 has this utterly fantastic reveal that just sort of sets the stage for the awesomeness that's to come. Unfortunately, you won't really "get it" unless you've seen a fair bit of the rest of Season 1 too. And starting with Season 2 is probably a bad idea, because it takes for granted the reveal from the end of Season 1.
I will also second Warehouse 13 for the less serious side of sci fi. I'm not sure if it's worth trying to get started from the beginning... there's an overarching plot but it's not that big a deal. It's got the sort of "Burn Notice" type thing where there's usually a "B-plot" that is dealing with the crisis of the week, but there's an "A-plot" that takes up maybe 5-10 minutes per episode dealing with the overarching problems. Except for the season premieres and finales, those are always all "A-plot." But it very clearly doesn't take itself seriously so it's a good light sci fi that you don't usually don't have to think about too much.
Eureka is NOT grimdark/dark at all. There are a few tragic moments but by and large it is a light comedy and doesn't fit with the other shows you mentioned. I enjoyed Eureka but it's more comedy scifi than dark scifi.
I almost couldn't remember the name but i always remember 'hercules in space" which helped me remember kevin sorbo which led me to Andromeda. Andromeda is like a cheesy BSG. If you burn through all the other shows recommended you might find yourself actually enjoying it.
Someone mentioned Heroes but I wouldn't start that show because it ends up getting horrible fast. Instead you may get interested in Alphas, which is still airing but you can go through the content that's out already.
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Heroes is worth watching Season 1 of, but just stop there. I loved the whole first season, and while it ends with some cliffhanger teasers for Season 2 is a fairly decent self-contained story on its own. But the following seasons went downhill ridiculously fast and are not worth watching.
Regarding movies, do you like time travel? If so, you should watch Looper when you can get chance. If its playing at a cheap theater near you, or when it comes out on home video release. It is my favorite time travel story since 12 Monkeys.
Warehouse 13 is one of my faves too.
I'd definitely give it a shot.
Instead of starting with Christopher Eccleston of the first season of the new series try taste testing the first episode of the current Doctor (Matt Smith) which is "The Eleventh Hour", the first episode of the fifth series (season) from 2010.
Watch an episode or two of that and then if you're not interested you can leave off, but if it tickles your taste buds then go and start with Eccelston's Doctor Who season and maybe you have to soldier through the first season but after that it can't help but be awesome.