I am excited to be taking part in this year’s OWS CyCon which is an online fair for books taking place from 17th-19th May. Please do check out their website for more details and full details of all the authors taking part. You can also find my booth for the fair here.
Over the coming weeks I will be participating in various events and on 18th May between 2pm-3pm EST I will be taking over the Fantasy and Sci-Fi Reader’s Lounge where I will be talking about book three in my Perfect World series.
Today I will be listing My Top 5 science fiction films.
5. Arrival
Synopsis from Amazon:
After mysterious alien spacecraft land on Earth, American linguistics professor Dr Louise Banks (Adams) finds herself working with the army to decode the aliens’ communications. Under the command of Colonel Weber (Whitaker), Louise and military scientist Ian Donnelly (Renner) try to learn more about the aliens’ language so they can communicate with them and discover why they have come to Earth, before someone else across the globe decides to attack first. But with the CIA and global leaders monitoring their interactions, will they be able to make their breakthrough without any unwanted interference?
Shari’s thoughts: This poignant and unconventional first contact movie is a very refreshing and different take on mankind’s first encounter with aliens. Rather than your standard aliens invading Earth, global-scale death and destruction of all the landmarks, Arrival examines how you go about communicating with a completely different species and how dangerous misinterpretation of language can be. Its gently paced with the key aspects of the plot subtly inserted throughout the movie and when it all fell into place to reveal the bitter-sweet ending I was left feeling sad but amazed by the intricacies and how beautifully everything had come together. A beautiful and very different alien movie.
4. Elysium
Synopsis from Amazon:
In the year 2154, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster) will stop at nothing to preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium – but that doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in by any means they can. Max (Matt Damon) agrees to take on a life threatening mission, one that could bring equality to these polarized worlds.
Shari’s thoughts: I’m a huge fan of sci-fi that has underlying currents of struggles that we can all relate to today. In Elysium’s case its a commentary on the divide of social class, but taken to the extreme. Raising some interesting and thought-provoking questions, combined with fast-paced action and special effects, Elysium is an very enjoyable dystopian sci-fi movie.
3. The Martian
Synopsis from Amazon:
During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return.
Shari’s thoughts: One of my favourite things about this movie is that whilst at the moment it is still in the realms of science fiction, it is a lot closer to becoming a reality than the other movies on my list. In recent years there has been a lot of talk about a manned mission to Mars and The Martian takes this and creates a brilliant and enjoyable sci-fi survival movie. The effects and visualisation of Mars are excellent and the plot gripping and engaging. For me what really made this movie was the humour that Watney interspersed into his situation. He made lightness of an extremely perilous and potentially fatal situation, but in a way that wasn’t annoying or too much. A movie that I can watch time and time again.
2. Interstellar
Synopsis from Amazon:
On a resource-depleted Earth in the near future, the discovery of a wormhole which can transport users through time and space unites scientists and explorers in the most important mission in human history. Among the potential travellers is a widowed engineer (Matthew McConaughey) who must decide whether to remain with his two children or to test the limits of human space travel, to see if there is a future for humanity out among the stars or whether the end of the Earth spells the end for humanity.
Shari’s thoughts: Interstellar is one of those sci-fi movies that really makes you think. It’s not what I would call a ‘light’ watch and you really do have to concentrate the first time that you do. Having said that it is one of the most gripping and emotional sci-fi movies I have seen in recent years. As well as the end of the world, space exploration, Interstellar also questions the bond between us, specifically in this movie a father’s love for his children. This is the real theme of the story; the love between them that spans billions of miles, decades and even time itself. A ‘heavy’ watch but very much worth it and one of those movies that will be with you long after it has ended.
1. Jurassic Park
Synopsis from Amazon:
A millionaire builds a theme park on a remote Pacific island where real dinosaurs have been grown from long-dormant DNA molecules. The millionaire’s two grandchildren, two dinosaur experts, a mathematician and a lawyer discover the power of nature: but it’s no longer a game when the dinosaurs run amok.
Shari’s thoughts: Jurassic Park is not only my favourite sci-fi movie but is a serious contender for being my favourite movie ever. Ground-breaking for its time in way of special effects (which still stand up pretty well today too!), its a classic movie and one that I can watch time and time again. It’s not just a ‘monster movie’ as its raises important questions such as the morals of the use of genetic science and the welfare and rights of animals created by this power. Undeniably dinosaurs are the one set of extinct prehistoric animals that everyone is fascinated by. Jurassic Park at first is the fantasy of dinosaurs coming back to life and being able to see them in a wildlife park type setting. Inevitably it all goes horribly wrong, but the characters struggle for survival against some of the most dangerous predators ever to exist makes a thrilling and action-packed sci fi movie!
Shari Sakurai 
OWS CyCon sounds pretty cool. I like your movie list, but I wouldn’t have been able to narrow it down to five. There are so many good science fiction movies, both contemporary and older.
Yeah it was really hard as there are so many good ones out there!