2011 SF Movies Coming Up: Any Winners Here, D'ya Think?

[saundby]

We've got quite a few SF films coming this year, it looks like. What are you looking forward to (or dreading)? Any of them look to be Traveller-ish?

I'm asking in all seriousness. I've heard some titles but I don't really know a thing otherwise.

The titles I've heard of with SFnal themes, at least, are:
Adventures of Tintin
Cowboys and Aliens
Sanctum
Source Code
Sucker Punch
Super 8
Thor
World Invasion:Battle L.A.

 

[Madarin Dude]

To me Sanctum is the only one that holds promise to me. J.J. Abrams and Steven Speilberg need to get out of the Science fiction business. (sorry after the last War of the Worlds and new Star trek I find them unpalatable)
Sucker punch could be fun mindless entertainment hey everyone needs a bit of that.

Cowboys and Aliens could be more fun as a cheap low budget film than a high production film. High production values with ridiculous premise is weak but if it is a cheesy B movie you can park your brain and have fun with it.

 

[Thoth-Amon]

This is probably stretching what scifi is, but the prequel to The Thing is coming out later this year. I have high hopes for it.

As far as what the Mandarin Dude had to say, I completely agree with him concerning The War of the Worlds. It was complete garbage. Star Trek, on the other hand, I was very pleased with and am looking forward to the next installment come 2012/13.

Cowboys and Aliens, at first glance looked to be a terrible movie; then, when I looked closer to all those involved, including actors, perhaps this movie may have promise. Well, I hope so anyway.

Personal comment: There really is no good reason why all scifi movies shouldn't be great. There are just so may great scifi books written over the years that need/should be made into movies that are simply ignored by screenwriters, producers, and everyone else involved in the biz.

 

[far-trader]

...There are just so may great scifi books written over the years that need/should be made into movies that are simply ignored by screenwriters, producers, and everyone else involved.

So true, even more sadly so of some of those self-same great books that were turned into movies where the story was "simply ignored by screenwriters, producers, and everyone else involved" in order to make a "blockbuster" movie...

 

[HG_B]

So true, even more sadly so of some of those self-same great books that were turned into movies where the story was "simply ignored by screenwriters, producers, and everyone else involved" in order to make a "blockbuster" movie...

I'll 2nd, 3rd & 4th this sentiment.

 

[Jame]

So true, even more sadly so of some of those self-same great books that were turned into movies where the story was "simply ignored by screenwriters, producers, and everyone else involved" in order to make a "blockbuster" movie...

Well, True Grit was quite close to the book. And I say that having seen the movie twice first, before borrowing it from the library.

I plan to run the Linkworlds campaign, and if it gets far enough True Grit will inspire a scene.

 

[coliver988]

...
Cowboys and Aliens could be more fun as a cheap low budget film than a high production film. High production values with ridiculous premise is weak but if it is a cheesy B movie you can park your brain and have fun with it.

See Outworld (I think) - a very cheesy (intentionally so I hope!) cowboy & alien movie. With cyborgs, aliens, cowboys, and women with whips. There was a sequel I;ll have to rent one of these years I found out a few weeks ago...

 

[Dragoner]

I'll try to see as many as possible if I can, I'm a sucker for sci-fi. Tron was great, just saw that.

 

[far-trader]

See Outworld (I think) - a very cheesy (intentionally so I hope!) cowboy & alien movie. With cyborgs, aliens, cowboys, and women with whips. There was a sequel I;ll have to rent one of these years I found out a few weeks ago...

ohh, Outworld, yeah, funny I first read that as Outland and was thinking "no, I think they were serious, waaait... cyborgs, aliens, cowboys, and women with whips?! Ohh, right, Westworld!" lol

Still, as cheesy as it was I don't think it was meant to be a spoof or anything. The sequel (Futureworld) was worse* iirc...

"Hey, our amusement park robots killed all the guests. What should we do?"

"Build a bigger one!"

"What if it happens again?"

"Come on, what are the odds of that."

(in the movies? yeah, 100% lol)

* and maybe they were going for campy spoof in that on some level, I really can't recall it much at all, tortured is the way I feel when trying to remember it...

 

[BillDowns]

I'm not sure what is supposed to come out in 2011. Nothing I particularly recall from previews.

Mostly, I am waiting, somewhat impatiently, for 2012 and he release of the new Star Trek, and John Carter of Mars. Mostly the latter.

 

[far-trader]

Back on topic

I'm not sure what is supposed to come out in 2011. Nothing I particularly recall from previews.

Yeah, same boat here, which is odd. I usually have some long advance knowledge of coming sci-fi movies but seem to have lost that knack of surfing the web.

Of the ones listed:

• Adventures of Tintin - SF?? OK (I do recall at least one of the books dealing with rocket of some kind in some way) At least I had heard this one was in the works.
• Cowboys and Aliens - Well, with Aliens one hopes it's SF, but I wouldn't trust Hollywood that far, see a recent Western with Ninja's for example (Cowboy's and Ninjas - not what it was called, but could well have inspired Cowboy's and Aliens, what's next? Cowboys and Vikings?). I had not heard a peep about this one.
• Sanctum - Sounds vaguely familiar but too fuzzy, probably heard the name, sounds more Fantasy than SF (I hate that the two are lumped together).
• Source Code - Another I'd not heard of before now.
• Sucker Punch - Again, not heard of, doesn't really ring SF
• Super 8 - Oh. Come. On. Now. You're pulling my leg right? That's a motel chain in the USA (and maybe Canada).

EDIT: Oh hey wait a minute. Dating myself here but it just clicked another reference. Super 8 movies. Wow, that takes me back. And I seem to recall a movie about that, something with a ghost theme? Anyway...

• Thor - Yeah, think I've heard it was coming <yawn> another Comic Book boredom fest. Movies can't do Comic Books worth a darn in my opinion, almost every one (and I only say that to cover my ass forgetting one that might have been good) has been overhyped and underwhelming. And no, imo, not SF again.
• World Invasion:Battle L.A. - I hope that's a working title, cause it sure isn't working for me. Sounds SF at least. And no I'd not heard of it.

None of them sound particularly Travellerish from the titles

 

[Thoth-Amon]

I'm not sure what is supposed to come out in 2011. Nothing I particularly recall from previews.

Mostly, I am waiting, somewhat impatiently, for 2012 and he release of the new Star Trek, and John Carter of Mars. Mostly the latter.

http://io9.com/5723075/55-science-fictionfantasy-movies-to-watch-out-for-in-2011 <-- Science Fiction Movies

http://www.horror-movies.ca/upcoming-horror-movies.php <-- Horror Movies

http://io9.com/5714039/the-14-best-speculative-fiction-books-of-2010?skyline=true&s=i <-- Fiction Books, mostly Science Fiction

Sad to admit but 99% of it looks to be crap. Oh well, with expectations low, the odds of my being pleasantly surprised is higher.

 

[Spinward Scout]

For those that don't know what Super 8 is about, here's a page for you:

http://super-8.movie-trailer.com

Looks very interesting.

Don't forget The First Avenger: Captain America comes out on July 22 (Why they didn't go for the obvious July 4th release, I have no idea - that's just dumb) - and The Avengers movie is slated for summer 2012.

 

[Shonner]

Waiting for Mute. May never be though.

 

[BillDowns]

http://io9.com/5723075/55-science-fictionfantasy-movies-to-watch-out-for-in-2011 <-- Science Fiction Movies

http://www.horror-movies.ca/upcoming-horror-movies.php <-- Horror Movies

http://io9.com/5714039/the-14-best-speculative-fiction-books-of-2010?skyline=true&s=i <-- Fiction Books, mostly Science Fiction

Sad to admit but 99% of it looks to be crap. Oh well, with expectations low, the odds of my being pleasantly surprised is higher.

99% of of a lot stuff is crap, so that's not unexpected

I am not into horror, per se, so a bunch of those are eliminated right off. Just not my thing. Likewise, anime.

A lot of those movies being tagged as "science fiction" do not qualify, IMO. FOr example, Season of the Witch, though I am interested in that one. I don't consider Super Hero movies to be science fiction, either, so Thor, Green Hornet, etc, so fall into that category. Of the , what 56, movies mentioned on that first link, only a few I consider to be science fiction, an even fewer interest me.

 

[far-trader]

Oh gods, Green Hornet looks so bad and butchered from the previews. Pass, with extreme prejudice!

 

[ShapeShifter]

When I looked into the John Carter movie my blood began to boil like a maddened zitidar. Ye Gods, they're going to ruin another classic!

 

[BlackBat242]

Sanctum isn't a Sci-Fi movie... nor a Fantasy (genre) movie.

It is listed as "Action-thriller", and appears (from the trailer) to be a "real-world, current-day" movie.

The 3D action-thriller "Sanctum," from executive producer James Cameron, shows a group of underwater cave divers over a dangerous expedition to the largest, most breathtaking and the very least reachable cavern system on the planet. When a tropical thunderstorm pushes them deep down into the caverns, they have to struggle raging water, dangerous terrain and creeping panic while they try to find an unknown escape path to the ocean.

Master diver Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh) has explored the South Pacific's Esa-ala Caverns for several months. However when his exit is shut down in a flash flood, Frank's team including 17-year-old son Josh (Rhys Wakefield) and financier Carl Hurley (Ioan Gruffudd) are pressured to drastically change plans. Having diminishing resources, the team must get through an underwater labyrinth to really make it out. Before long, they are up against the inevitable issue: Can they stay alive, or will they be stuck for good?

 

[Colonel Mac]

Adventures of Tintin: Not Sci-fi. Sorry. Ain't gonna happen.
Cowboys and Aliens: One of two sci-fi themed films in the list. Very little resemblance to Firefly only in that it is a "space western". Ford might help it out. He usually doesn't take trash roles especially at his costs.
Sanctum: Adventure film.
Source Code: Deja Vu meets the Matrix. Both good in their own right but....
Sucker Punch: Anime meets women in chains "B" flick. Trash.
Super 8: Big scary train wreck with cargo that forgot to take it's prozac.
Thor: Comic con nerd fest (no offense meant to anyone)
World Invasion:Battle L.A.: sci-fi but same ol' same ol' plot devises.

I think Hollywood is hard up for storylines.

 

[Shonner]

Adventures of Tintin: Not Sci-fi. Sorry. Ain't gonna happen.
Cowboys and Aliens: One of two sci-fi themed films in the list. Very little resemblance to Firefly only in that it is a "space western". Ford might help it out. He usually doesn't take trash roles especially at his costs.
Sanctum: Adventure film.
Source Code: Deja Vu meets the Matrix. Both good in their own right but....
Sucker Punch: Anime meets women in chains "B" flick. Trash.
Super 8: Big scary train wreck with cargo that forgot to take it's prozac.
Thor: Comic con nerd fest (no offense meant to anyone)
World Invasion:Battle L.A.: sci-fi but same ol' same ol' plot devises.

I think Hollywood is hard up for storylines.

I'd rather see ALIEN and Bladerunner remakes.