Classic Sci-Fi Movies, Monster Movie Matinee, and the like...  

Hi! Do you mean to tell me you don't like the cheezy godzilla movies, so cheezy you can see the wires and strings? LOL Those are hilarious! My new fave is Jurassic Park, but I usually watch Aliens whenever it's on (the edited version, not because of the violence, but I can do without the language LOL). Please tell me he at least watches classic Star Trek? :-)

You know I think my definition of "classic" is also different from your boyefirends. My boyfriend also likes "older" sci-fi. But to me some of my favorites, and therefore my "classics" are:
Star Wars (only episodes 4,5,and 6-I think to pretend the most recent ones don't exist), Star Trek, Alien(s), Starship Troopers, The Last Starfighter, Blade Runner....
I know I'm probably forgetting some. I think I may be showing my age a little in what I consider a "calssic' :-)

I'd say the original war of the worlds would be on top of my list. I watched it when i was like preschooler and finally they remade it.

The original, original Star Wars qualify. Alien qualifies. Blade Runner is a classic, although I was kinda disappointed in it when I saw it. I've never seen Soylent Green, but according to everyone who has seen it, it's got the title of "Classic." Pretty much if Blockbuster has it and it predates 1982, it's probably good. Or awesomely bad. Plan 9 From Outer Space is worth watching, only because its suckiness is the stuff of legend.

now-a-days the sci-fi movies r coming very fast and there r playing a key role in movies.
I like the sci-fi is Jurassic park,Residence Evil .

You don't consider "The Day the Earth Stood Still" a classic? It's not only considered a classic, it's considered a masterpiece of its time by many reviewers and film buffs. But, to each his/her own. :)

I'd say at the top of any Sci-Fi movie list for me is 'The X-Files' movie. It managed that almost-impossible task of being a well-written sci-fi/action film, IMO. it's not the type of "classic" your bf appreciates, but it's smart, well acted, and it has David Duchovny with really good hair. A must for any film, I say.

Another film that probably doesn't fit your bf's definintion of classic but is a true classic is "The Body Snatchers." And, it's 1978 remake actually was good. I can only hope that the 2008 remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" will be as good. However, when it comes to most remakes of sci-fi movies, be afraid. Be very afraid.

For a cheesy, so-bad-it's-good sci-fi "classic" that I'm sure your bf has had to have seen, at least once, is the Mother of All Terrible Sci-Fi Flicks: "Plan 9 From Outer Space." Horrible dialogue delivered with the same level of acting ability. Nothing at all special about the special effects, which include a pie pan used to portray a flying saucer. As one reviewer said, Bela Lagosi had the good taste to die six weeks into filming. But who can resist any film directed by Ed Wood, the world's worst director who also happened to be a transvestite? A veritable treasure trove of bad cinema.

Another cheesy sci-fi-yet-not-really-it's-more-of-a-monster film is "20 Million Miles to Earth." A canister containing a beastie from Venus is found after the spaceship it was on (the first Earth to Venus space mission) crashes off the coast of Italy while returning to Earth from its mission. For some weird reason, I have seen this film 7 times and never in sequence from begnining to end. Five times I've tuned in on the film at the same precise moment: when the beastie (which grows up rather quickly) escapes and wreaks havoc, as quickly-grown-up, escaped alien beasties are wont to do. The beastie looks like a lizard with a moustache. Not a good look for lizards.

Also in the "cheesy sci-fi" catagory is "The Thing." NOT the 1980s remake, which is just a gore fest. (Hint: Never watch it while eating a bolonga sandwich. Why? That's for another mylot discussion.) The 1950s original features James Arness (before he became famous as "Gunsmoke's" Matt Dillon) in a role he'd probably like to forget. But how can you forget a space alien who looks a lot like a carrot? A rather slow-moving carrot, at that.

Anyway, I suggest adding the first two films to your classic list, and the rest to your bf's. :)

Hi, I love sci-fi, all types, all ages. From Nosferatu and Metropolis (silent movies) to Star Trek, Star Wars, Babylon 5, POTA. etc, and everthing in between. You know all those corny 1950's USA alien movies, have you seen any of the ones the Russians made about the same time? We get the occasional captioned treasure on SBS in Australia.

Wow! I'm with him on the Planet of the Apes thing! There's no beating the original with Charlton Heston!
He should try Plan 9 from Outer Space
The Trollenberg Terror
Quatermass and the Pit
I'd better stop as you may wish to decapitate me if he watches all of these!

the day the earth stood stil for sure and war of the worlds.I want to put the raven in here but i think that is a horror movie.
Firestarter? you asked for movies but some 30 min. ones I like are Twilght Zone adn outer limits

Reading through these responses, I can see the generational gaps of a person's definition of what is a "classic" science fiction film. While films such as Star Wars, Planet of the Apes, and even Godzilla, can be considered classics in their own right, it shows the wide diversity of what people consider as Classic Sci-Fi film.

So let's look at the history of Science Fiction and Movies. At the turn of the 20th century and the start of the industrial revolution, science fiction was very much in it's infancy. Earlier fictional stories were telling stories where results were accomplished 'magically', like with a magic wand or crystal ball. Suddenly, scientists and researchers were discovering ways to build machines which could do these magical things! Telephones, X-Ray machines, air planes! Things of myth and legend were becoming reality to many people of the time, and the imagination of the fictional writers were running rampant in this new field of science and technology. Hollywood, at the time, was mainly ignoring these stories though, perhaps the first and only science fiction story done on film prior to 1940 is "Metropolis", the silent film based upon George Orwell's book 1984. So many of these stories were published in pulp magazines, and even though these magazines had a wide circulation, producers of Hollywood didn't feel that draw for the general public.
Then the WWII came. All efforts of the nation were dedicated to the war, from fictional writing, film, industrial production, and advances in science and technology. Thus mankind discovered the means to harness the Power of the Atom!! From the 1930's, it's all theory, many proclaimed it as fantasy, but with the first nuclear test on July 16, 1945 at Alamogordo, New Mexico, theory and fantasy became fact! With the end of the war, America and the rest of the world pursued to regain the normalacy of before the war, but the genie was out of the bottle, so to speak. Hollywood producers started taking notice of these fantastical science fiction stories people were writing. All through the 1950's Hollywood started cranking out all types of different movies based upon Science and Technology!

In comics, they divided their classical description in three categories. The Golden Age, the Silver Age, and the Common Era. Perhaps with movies, we should do the same thing. The movies of the 1950's and early 60's would be the Golden Age of Science Fiction Films. The 60's, 70's, and early 80's would be Science Fiction Film's Silver Age, while the more modern movies of the 90's and the 21st century deemed the Common Era. Such classification would be about right, for many writers are finding harder and harder to write science fiction stories because they feel everything that science can possibly do has been written. Any new stories coming out now a days has already been done.

Of course now, in movies, there's also the A-list and B-list of movies, and Science Ficiton Films have had their share of those! Personally, for some, I feel they should write a C-list (or Z-list) because they are SO BAD!!! However, even these B-movies have made an impact upon our society and have a cult following. For some, such movies are in their 'classic' list.