💥10 Overlooked Sci-Fi Movies Rogert Ebert Loved💥
010 Overlooked Sci-Fi Movies Rogert Ebert Loved
Checking out overlooked sci-fi movies Roger Ebert loved is a good way to find obscure, forgotten, or underrated entertaining films. Ebert was largely regarded as the greatest film critic of all time, and much of this was due to his exemplary taste for quality movies. For decades, Ebert single-handedly dominated public perception on quite a number of films. At the same time, like any critic, Ebert's subjective points of view didn't always agree with most viewers' experiences.
Indeed, there are terrible movies that Roger Ebert loved, and some of the films he didn't like have actually aged well. However, even though his reviews moved against the tide from time-to-time, Ebert's opinions held weight because of his sheer passion. Even if he hated certain movies, he made sure to also write about the reasons why others might enjoy them. This is why - although Ebert had no specific preferences in terms of genre - his review style aligned deeply with those who love science fiction. While Ebert's movie reviews weren't always agreeable, audiences and industry professionals alike consistently looked forward to his critical reading of new sci-fi worlds.
Roger Ebert praised Cloud Atlas for its ambitious narrative structure and visual spectacle, describing it as a daring cinematic experiment. Ebert appreciated Cloud Atlas' interconnected storytelling and the actors' versatile performances across different timelines and characters. While acknowledging its complexity, he also recognized that it can be challenging to follow. "On my second viewing, I gave up any attempt to work out the logical connections." Despite his reservations, Ebert called it "a demonstration of the magical, dreamlike qualities of the cinema." Notably, Ebert also gave Cloud Atlas all coveted 4 stars, even though it was a box office disaster that's typically categorized alongside movies that are too complicated to enjoy.
Although Dark City is a cult sci-fi movie with very little mainstream appeal, Roger Ebert commended director Alex Proyas for creating an immersive world that blended sci-fi and film noir. Impressed by Dark City's intricate plot and captivating visuals, he described it as "not only a beautiful film but a generous one, which supplies rich depth and imagination and many more details than are really necessary to tell the story." While acknowledging the influence of other pivotal works, Ebert appreciated the film's unique take on existential themes and the nature of reality, and even noted how it accomplished what The Matrix also achieved but "earlier and with more feeling."
Roger Ebert's review of the 2012 adaptation of Total Recall leaned towards criticism. He noted that Colin Farrell is objectively a better actor than Arnold Schwarzenegger - but also that "Schwarzenegger is more of a movie presence and better suited for the role of a wounded bull stumbling around in the china shop of his memories." While recognizing the advancements in special effects, Ebert believed that the film ultimately fell short of expectations. At the same time, while Ebert said that the remake didn't resonate with him "the way the 1990 film did," he still appreciated it as a successful and worthwhile Philip K. Dick adaptation that deserved 3 stars.
While it's one of the best Michael Crichton sci-fi movies, The Andromeda Strain remains one of the most overlooked entries in the genre. This didn't stop Roger Ebert from celebrating The Andromeda Strain's realism, production design, and its successful attempts "to create a plausible environment" for astronauts in deep space. At the same time, he felt that it lacked in terms of creating a more emotionally engaging experience due to its focus on scientific processes. Yet, Ebert also noted how The Andromeda Strain is a film with "buried levels," urging viewers to look beyond the plot and engage with its interpretations of artificial intelligence and human dwellings in the future.
Despite Roger Ebert's mixed feelings about Equilibrium, he saw it fit to confer the film with 3 full stars. Ebert noted the clear influence of other dystopian classics like 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, but suggested that Equilibrium didn't bring much new to the table. However, like many viewers, Ebert was impressed by the movie's visual aesthetics and stylistic action scenes. Though he had reservations about the movie, Ebert fully resonated with Equilibrium, particularly loving "the sneaky way Kurt Wimmer's movie advances its philosophy in between gun battles." Overall, Ebert saw Equilibrium's "pure kinetic energy" as an appropriate vehicle for depicting socially relevant dystopia.