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Future Funny: 10 Great Sci-Fi Flicks That Make Me Laugh!Aug 09 '07 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Sci-Fi doesn't have to be serious or violent --- it can be hilarious and irreverant. That's the way I'd probably prefer it...Ha, ha, ha! Most sci-fi flicks take themselves pretty seriously, but the genre is also a rich fertile farmland for growing up a whole crop of great comedy too. Rather than post a list of "straight" sci-fi movies, here's my list of the 10 funniest science fiction movies --- it's not exactly a pure 10 best science fiction movies list, nor is it exactly a 10 best comedy pictures list. It's a little of both, all rolled into one tasty smorgasboard of laughs in a future we can only dream about. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. - Mars Attacks (1996) Fave line: "Ack! Ack! Ack!" The cast has more stars than a crisp, clear winter night, but the movie is total parody. It spoofs on War of the Worlds, it spoofs on Independence Day, it spoofs on any alien movie that takes itself too seriously. In this flick, the martians aren't just malevolent, they're downright sadistic, zapping earthlings for sport and blowing up whatever they want to because it sure is fun (including the U.S. Congress)! Jack Nicholson makes for a great president (even if he does listen to dork advisors like Pierce Brosnan). In the end, Earth's only hope is to listen to the music of Slim Whitman...it sure beats having to listen to Tom Jones, though, don't it? 9. - Space Balls (1987) Fave line: "I'm a mog. Half man, half dog. I'm my own best friend." It's a mad camp Mel Brooks spoof on Star Wars, and its predictable as hell --- but its also a helluva lot of fun along the way. The plot is contrived and full of industry self-references. bit here's the gist: planet Spaceballs is running out of air, so King Scroob sends Dark Helmet to steal the air of rival planet Druidia. Meanwhile, King Roland of Druidia is dealing with his spoiled teen daughter, Vespa --- a typical Druish princess. Vespa flees. Dark Helmet captures her. Roland hires space mercenary, Lone Star, to save her. Hi-jinks ensue. Lots of great sight gags, including Lone Star's spaceship (a Winnebago), and earthy dialog. 8. - A Boy And His Dog (1975) Forgive me if I actually suggest watching anything with Don Johnson in it, but Don turns in a slyly dark performance in this seldom-seen flick of a post-apocalyptic world where the only things that really matter are finding food and women. Fortunately, young Vic (Johnson), has a great poon hound --- a dog who can sniff out a woman from miles away. But when the choice boils down to steady squeeze or man's best friend, how will Vic respond? Like any reasonable man would, I presume. 7. - Time Bandits (1981) Fave line: "Oh, so that's what an invisible barrier looks like." I absolutely loved this idiotically hilarious childrens fantasy time-travel spoof. I mean, seriously, how can you not love a flick starring the rejected Munchkin extras from the Wizard of Oz? Well, okay, so it's also got Sean Connery without a license to kill, and John Cleese and Michael Palin. The result is inventive, innovative, and of course, imaginitive. Qualities in short supply in a cinematic world afflicted by a diarrhea of soulless sequels and uninspired comic book ripoffs. 6. - Brazil (1985) Fave line: "This is your receipt for your husband... and this is my receipt for your receipt." I don't think this flick was ever all that popular, which is a real shame, because it's got a real sense of style that seemlessly blends a futuristic motif with a retro flair. It's also got a brilliant plot about the menace of big government: sort of a blend of Orwell's 1984, the Empire from Star Wars, and the evils of the Bush administration, all rolled into one dysfunctional totalitarian state. When a dreamy bureaucrat discovers a typo, he naturally tries to correct it. This leads to a comedy of errors that gets him branded a terrorist. The satirizations would seem even funnier if they weren't such an uncanny reflection of our own society and destiny. 5. - The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) Fave line: "Laugh-a while you can, Monkey Boy!" Space aliens are the funniest folks, aren't they? They sure are in this offbeat flick, in which modern rennaissance man Banzai is pitted against a veritable army of aliens --- all named John, and all employed by the same New Jersey defense contractor. When John Whorfin and John Bigbooty ("That's Big Boo-TAY!") try to steal Banzai's Overthruster, Earth's destruction seems imminent. 4. - Sleeper (1973) Fave line: "My brain! It's my second favorite organ! " One of Woody Allen's funniest flicks just so happens to be a sci-fi tale of cryogenic freezing to thwart the ravages of Father Time. Hey! You didn't think Austin Powers had dibs on the concept, did you? In most future worlds, the government seems to be run by fascists. Its almost a cliche. Sleeper is no exception, except that there are rebels who pull Woody out of his suspended state so he can help them to freedom. Unfortunately, Woody finds that in the future, nothing works (kind of like buying discount electronics over the internet). Along the way are hilarious antics, spoofs, and hi-jinks. Although nothing in the future works, Woody does find himself encountering a century-old Volkswagen Beetle in deep, deep storage. Woody hops in, turns the key, and it fires right up. In another scene, he's shown images of Charles DeGaulle and asked who the man is. Woody tells them DeGaulle is a celebrity chef with his own TV program. 3. - Back to the Future (1985) Fave line: "I have your car towed all the way to your house for you, and all you've got for me is LITE Beer!?!?!" In a very different take on temporal displacement, Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg team up to send the evil anti-Elvis, Michael J. Fox, back in time to the year 1955. The role is probably the best of Fox's career, IMHO, and the flick is so chock-full of sly humor with a fast-moving storyline, that I just can't help but want to watch it over and over. Love Fox telling baby Joey to "get used to those bars, kid", and love the attention to detail (sign for Twin Pines Mall flashes across the sign near end of movie as Lone Pine Mall). Great entertainment! 2. - Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) Fave line: "Gee, I wish we had one of them doomsday machines." Stanley Kubrick's comic vision of the end of the world in the very near future. When a psychotic U.S. general believes the Russians are trying to steal our bodily fluids, he orders his bomber wing to drop the bomb on the Russkis. Doing so will most certainly trigger "the doomsday device" --- a defense mechanism designed to destroy the world. Can Peter Sellers save the world? Can Slim Pickens? 1. - Men in Black (1997) Fave line: "No, Elvis is not dead. He just went home." Great flick with plenty of gross aliens, a whole lot of style, and plenty of sass and laughs. Not to mention the unlikely chemistry between cranky long-time intergalactic agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) and his new young, totally hip sidekick J (Will Smith). As if that weren't enough, the flick also has great weaponry, black suits, and both a sexy pathologist and a sexy sadistic alien bent on destroying the Earth. Man! This flick has it ALL! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, there you have it. My picks for 10 great sci fi movies that make me laugh --- got some favorites of your own? I'd love to hear about 'em!  |
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