Top Five Favorite Movies

Sadly, last week’s top five list did not fare as well as I had hoped it would. I guess I’ll go back to my now usual type of list.

This week I examine my top five favorite movies of all time! For those of you who know me and have been following my blog and work, you already know which movie is my top favorite. This should not come as a surprise to anyone.

I’ve always been a huge movie buff. I’ve gone to see movies in the theater since I was in grade-school, starting with Saturday Matinee’s. As the years progressed, my taste in various types of genres changed, and in the end, my favorite genres are Science Fiction (and I include Fantasy in that), and of course Action.

The result is it should come as no surprise that all my favorite movies are Science Fiction. Who knows – I’ll probably do a top five list of my favorite action movies next! It could lead to several more, such as favorite horror, comedy, you name it.

I typically state that my top five favorite lists are in no particular order. This time it is not the case. I will list my favorite movies in the order I enjoyed them the most (and probably have seen the most times in the theater). 

1. Alien & Aliens – Really? You’re surprised to see this is my favorite? Shame on you! I included both the original Ridley Scott masterpiece with the James Cameron sequel. I love both movies, and will not lie that I was horribly let down by the following sequels. At least with Alien 5 we will see the return of Ripley and Hicks! Both are classics in their own right – 50 years from now, they will be watchable even then (god forbid remakes!). I waited nearly 30 years to have a chance to own my own Pulse Rifle and Colonial Marine armor, and I finally do. It was costly though. No matter how you look at it, Alien was groundbreaking. It had, for its day, some of the most horrifying scenes. Today it’s considered mild, but back in the late 70’s… And then we have Aliens. This time Ripley has a chance to fight back, and kick some serious Xenomorph ass. It’s a real pity she wasn’t taken as seriously as she should have been. The marines were not prepared for what they encountered. I love both movies and always will!
2. Guardians of the Galaxy – This movie is not quite a year old yet, and it has made it to my number two spot. It had everything that I’ve been looking for in a movie ever since I saw the original Star Wars. Comedy, incredible effects, and actual CHARM! Something most movies today fail to capture. The interaction between the characters is really what made the movie for me, although I’m guessing there were quite a few changes from the comics – particularly Drax the Destroyer. I’m currently reading the comics and have spotted a few changes already. In some ways I almost don’t want a sequel, because more often than not the sequel is not as good as the original and I don’t want to be disappointed. At least I have the animated series, coming soon! Hmm… Since Marvel is owned by Disney, does that make Gamora a Disney Princess?
3. Avatar – Many of you will argue with me over this. I’ve stated this many times in the past, this is my list, and as such my choices. Some people see Avatar as nothing more than Pocahontas set in space. I honestly can see the similarities – and guess what? I don’t care! I enjoyed the action, the characterization, and the special effects. Yes, I know that SF does not a good movie make. It doesn’t matter to me. If this movie hits the theater again anytime soon, I will be going to see it! Supposedly we will be seeing 2 or 3 sequels in the upcoming future. You know, I honestly don’t care if we do or not. See my reasoning above.
4. Terminator – I include T2 here. The original was one of the greatest movies (next to Aliens) to have come out of the 80’s. Time travel, a future war where mankind is on the brink of extinction, killer and nearly indestructible robots, and even a little love thrown in for good measure. The effects were pretty dated by today’s standards, and only improved with each passing sequel (shame the stories didn’t after T2).  Terminator 2 ended up raising the bar dramatically and should have brought the series to an end. I would have been happy with that. Still, after all these years, a two season Television series, comics, video games, the franchise marches on. After all, Terminator 5 will be out this summer. Still, for me nothing will ever compare to Terminator and Terminator 2.
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark – Another venerable classic. I saw this when I was still in Junior High and despite the gore (there was quite a bit for its day), I was hooked on the adventures of Dr. Jones. It’s a shame the second and forth installments of this franchise were not the greatest. I loved the feeling generated by the original movie, hunting for holy relics and racing against the Nazi’s to obtain the greatest of them all, the lost ark of the covenant. Shame the short lived Television series was incapable of capturing the feel of the original movies. There have also been a string of novels continuing the movies, but in all honesty they fell short.