The sixties were a turning point in American culture and science fiction.
For sci-fi movie buffs, it's been a decade since Stanley Kubrick's groundbreaking. 2001: A Space OdysseyAn adaptation of the beloved HG Wells Time machineAnd one of the greatest twists of all time Planet of the Apes.
Unfortunately, most of the decade's other great science fiction films haven't stuck with modern audiences and are slowly being forgotten. Not if there is anything we can do!
Let's step back in time and go back to a time when the ideas were bigger and better than most of the special effects that still left their mark on film history. These are the 1960s science fiction movies that are still worth watching.
Doctor Who and the Daleks (1965)
do you know Doctor Who As a television show, but in 1965, The Good Doctor got a big screen feature film Doctor Who and the Daleks. It was the first time the doctor was seen in color.
Best of all, the Doctor is played by Star Wars' own Grand Moff Tarkin, Peter Cushing.
The film is an adaptation of one of the originals. Doctor Who Series, “The Daleks. It features Dr. Man and his three young companions traveling to the planet Skaro to battle the evil Daleks.
In this continuity - always intended to be separate from the show - the Doctor is actually called Dr Who. And he's not a Time Lord, he's a human inventor who built the TARDIS instead of stealing it. Most of the other changes are cosmetic in nature, but this is still a unique piece of sci-fi history that any fan will want to see.
The Last Man on Earth (1964)
Before Richard Matheson's amazing novel I am a legend It turned into Will Smith's blockbuster and Charlton Heston's cheesy delight, starring the legendary Vincent Price in the original adaptation; The last man on earth. After a plague turns the population into vampiric undead, Robert Morgan digs holes and tries to survive as the world changes.
The last man on earth A poor, small film that is surprisingly effective because of its excellent value performance. It would be George Romero's game-changing inspiration. Night of the living deadSo if you want to see where that movie came from The last man on earth It's a must-see refrigerator.
Barbarella (1968)
Barbarella Steam's Space Baby is not the movie it's reputation would lead you to believe.
Sure, the movie does contain some nudity, but it's done in such a gentle and innocent way that you can tell at times.
Barbarella Jane Fonda stars as a lone space pilot who travels to the cosmos in a distant future where she experiences brutal things like violence and war. They also replaced sex with pills.
With that context, Barbarella is sent to track down a galactic criminal with plans to bring back violence and war. Early on in her journey, she discovers that this non-human sex thing is actually pretty cool. And the more she does, the more likely it is that the person she marries comes with a higher level of motivation. Barbarella literally helps an angel get his wings by making love to him.
That sounds pretty tricky, doesn't it? But see what one of those sex scenes looks like, completely uncensored, in the video at the top of the article.
Sex all happens off-camera, and what you're actually watching is a series of beautifully constructed sci-fi movies with actors of various talents lovingly crafted and wearing completely outlandish costumes. It's clear that their goal is to create something more than a space movie. They were trying to create a very '60s kind of free-love visual art.
Will they succeed? That will only be up to you, but we can say for sure that there is no other movie like it Barbarella And it's a staple of the decade for a reason.
Planet of the Vampires (1965)
Italian genre maestro Mario Bava has had a huge impact on psych-fi cinema Planet of the Vampires. The story involves astronauts responding to a distress signal on an unknown planet and discovering the remains of a long-dead giant. Alien Species.
It certainly sounds like another sci-fi movie you might be familiar with, doesn't it? Planet of the Vampires Definitely inspired A foreigner But it's more of an alien zombie movie than a vampire. Mario Bava's usual colorful design and poppy tone make it a fun and worthwhile sci-fi film.
The First Men in the Moon (1964)
Shortly before humans landed on the moon and found out what it was like, Hollywood produced this HG Wells adaptation, which is a great framing device to hold it all together.
Imagine if Neil Armstrong took a small step forward and found a note from 1899 stating that he was not the first person to write it.
The first men in the moon He soon returns to that original, mysterious mission of 1899 and explores what it would have been like if humans had gone to the moon in Victorian times. The answer may be that they ended up underground and encountered a mysterious lunar interior full of amazing Ray Harryhausen stop-motion monsters. Oh, and who doesn't love some Ray Harryhausen's Stop Monsters?
The film was never a box office hit, but soon became a cult success. It is now considered one of the best adaptations of HG Wells' work. George Pal Time machine It gets much deserved love and attention, though The first men in the moon It's another classic 60s sci-fi adaptation you won't want to miss.
Fantastic Voyage (1966)
Long before Mrs. Frizzle took the magic school bus to one of her students. Futurama The sailors traveled to the Free Guts, A wonderful trip He explored the interior of a Soviet refugee. The film has won numerous awards, features a star-studded cast, and has provided a visual language for every movie or television show that runs through its bloodstream.
It was released in 1966. A wonderful trip Modern technology is amazing. The film's first trailer heralded it as a "new kind of movie-going experience," and for once, that wasn't pretentious. It was true.
Isaac Asimov, one Great sci-fi authors He wrote the novelization of the film, which came out before the film.
today, A wonderful trip It stands out as a turning point Sci-fi Films explore a new setting that has never been seen before in this scale. It still holds up as a technical advance and an epic adventure.
Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964)
Think Matt Damon The Martian In the year If it was filmed in the 1960s and paired with a space monkey. You would have. Robinson Crusoe on Mars.
The film's main character isn't named Robinson Crusoe, but other than that it's a pretty straight-forward adaptation of Daniel Dafoe's classic novel set in space.
Most of them Robinson Crusoe on Mars It was filmed in Death Valley, but you'd never know it. The production design is excellent for its time, and does its best to achieve a level of realism that fits science's limited knowledge of what it might look like on Mars. And even the unrealistic parts are fun.
Check out the nimble way these alien spaceships move in the video. i love it.
As a bonus, Adam West makes a brief appearance in the film as a cocky astronaut. It's long enough to make you wonder why he wasn't cast as the film's lead. still, Robinson Crusoe on Mars It was popular enough to be restored and released by the Criterion Collection. That should tell you that this is a worthy watch.
Seconds (1966)
in SecondsScreen icon Rock Hudson gives one of the best performances of his career as an aging stoic who is lured by a secret company that can change his identity and make him young in search of irresponsible happiness.
In his new identity, he soon falls in with a group of nudist hippies and finds himself attached to an unstable woman who has fled her boring life. And still not happy.
Seconds Adapted from the novel by David Ely and directed by the legendary Hollywood legend John Frankenheimer, he aimed to use off-kilter compositions to give the film an unsettling feel, and he certainly succeeded.
Seconds It plays like a good class The Twilight ZoneAnd it's always worth watching The Twilight Zone. Seconds It is no different.
X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes (1963)
Roger Corman is responsible for many sci-fi flicks of the past, and it's one of the best of all time. X: The man with X-ray eyes. Ray Milland plays a scientist who wants to try to expand the power of human vision. First, he developed eye drops that gave him controllable x-ray vision. But soon he can't sleep because he can see through his eyelids, and things only get worse from there.
Thanks to Milland's complete commitment and the genre of fantasy that the film revolves around X: The man with X-ray eyes It takes what was a horrible gag premise and spiced it up with serious sci-fi and horror.
Nutty Professor (1963)
Steve Urkel tried to flip it.
Eddie Murphy He tried to raise it.
But Jerry Lewis' original 1963 classic nerd-turned-cool, crazy science fiction is still the best version.
Lewis plays a geek who does everything he can to stop being a geek. He even tries to work. It was so bad that the doctor told him to leave it.
But the man of science never gave up. He finds the chemical formula that transforms him into the confident man he always wanted to be. Unfortunately, all that confidence quickly turns into stupidity.
Jerry Lewis both co-wrote and directed the film. He used video replays after each scene to carefully review what he had done. That is now commonly used, but in He was one of the first to do so in 1963.
The result was an immediate hit. The Nutty Professor It is now considered one of Lewis' best films and one of the best comedies of the decade. Not a bad way to spend less than two hours.
Quatermas and the well (1967)
as released Five million years to the earth In America, Quatermas and the well It's actually part of the sci-fi horror classics around the character of Professor Bernard Quatermass, but this is the best of the bunch.
An ancient Martian spaceship has been discovered in London, and inside it are remains that look like insects. Foreign citizens. Discoveries about the history of human evolution are revealed, and finally, the psychic power of Mars is driving civilization into an apocalyptic frenzy. It's one of the most amazing and influential sci-fi films ever to hit the screen, and for almost the entire time you spend it, you'll be waiting for that epic ending. You won't regret it.
In the year Do you have any favorite sci-fi movies from the 1960s? Leave your picks in the comments and be sure to subscribe to Giant Freakin Robot's YouTube channel for more videos here.
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