Back to the Future (1985)

 

In the year 1985, teenager Marty McFly goes to visit his eccentric friend Doc Brown. Brown has managed to build a time machine in a DeLorean with plutonium that he has stolen from terrorists. When the terrorists come to kill Brown, McFly runs away and is transported to 1955. He meets younger versions of his parents and Brown. He enlists Brown’s help in returning to his own time all while trying not to change the past. The first and last movies are the best ones in this franchise. I never much cared for the second one.

Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999)

 

I really have mixed feelings about the prequel series. On the one hand, I grew up on the original trilogy so I know what happens. I know that the adorable little Anakin Skywalker becomes one of the most notorious villains in science fiction history. I feel that the special effects are subpar to the original series because Lucas relies too much on early CGI instead of the great practical effects that they had in the original. But there are some good things too. I really like Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. I like Qui-Gon Jinn as a character. And It was wonderful to once again dive into that galaxy far far away. I recently rewatched Phantom Menace with a friend. Because I knew that it did not compare to the original trilogy, I was able to enjoy it for what it was. The prequel trilogy along with the show The Clone Wars is essentially Darth Vader’s origin story. It shows the decisions and circumstances that corrupted the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and led him to give into the Dark Side of the Force to become Darth Vader. We know the outcome, but it is interesting to see the path that led there.

Enjoy this song by Weird Al that gives you the entire plot in 5 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEcjgJSqSRU

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

 

Based very loosely on Ray Bradbury’s The Fog Horn, the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms was one of the first giant monster movies. It was also one of the first movies with special effects by the master Ray HarryHausen. In the movie, scientists set off an atomic bomb in the arctic and wake up a Rhedosaurus, a fictional dinosaur created for the picture. The intrepid scientists need to destroy the dinosaur and save humanity. This movie also inspired the original director of Godzilla and we all know where that franchise has gone! 

Stargate (1994)

 

This was everyone’s first introduction to the Stargate universe. The movie starts in 1928 where Catherine Langford’s father first digs up what would come to be known as the Stargate. 66 years later Catherine invites Dr. Daniel Jackson, Egyptologist, linguist, and conspiracy theorist to examine the Gate. He determines that it creates an artificial wormholes between planets. Going through the wormhole, Jackson, Colonel Jack O’Neill and a group of Air Force personnel arrive on the planet Abydos where a version of Ancient Egyptian society still exists. Our characters learn that the earth was invaded millennium ago by the Egyptian god Ra who is actually an alien being who possessed humans to extend his own life. The people on Abydos are the descendents of those people that Ra abducted so long ago. When Ra returns to the planet, it is up to our heroes to overthrow him once and for all. A fitting pilot to a great franchise.