Star Trek. District 9. Avatar. This was a far-out great year for serious and popular sci-fi flicks. The Producers Guild of America has recognized that fact by including those three aforementioned films–all box office smashes; all critically aclaimed–among its 10 nominees for Best Picture. If you’re a sci-fi fan like me, you’re probably also rooting for all three to get Oscar nominations, too. Our Oscar guru Dave Karger definitely thinks Avatar is certain to get a nod, though check out his analysis on how Avatar ‘s chances of winning might be affected if Trek and District 9 get nominated, too. Me, I’m just kinda glad I don’t have to fill out the ballot.
According to screenwriter John August’s illuminating peek into the new Oscar voting process, ballot casters not only have to choose 10 films, but they also have to rank those films, too, from best to… well, 10th best. He also notes that the rankings really do matter, so putting one film ahead of another means something, at least theoretically. Now, I’m pretty sure all three of those films would be among my 10 favorite movies of the year. They would certainly be in my top 15. But it would be tough for me to rank those three sci-fi flicks in relationship to each other. I was amazed by the technical achievement and visual pow of Avatar. I loved the grit and ingeunity of District 9. And Star Trek was just a well-rounded fun fest for me–and of the three, it’s the one I’m most interested in seeing more of (re: sequels). If I had to vote today, I’d say: 1. Trek; 2. District 9; 3. Avatar. But who knows? I’m watching District 9 again tonight, and planning to see Avatar again this weekend, so I might change my mind.
What about you, sci-fi fans? How would you rank these three films on your Oscar ballot?
It would be a toss up between Star Trek and D9.
Both were fun…and D9 had a sly message about apartheid and segregation….ST was just exciting and well written….it felt like a modern western.
well said Sally
I like Star Trek as well
Did I see the same Star Trek as you people?
Star Trek all the way. Avatar was good, but Star Trek had that…ZING factor to it.
I personally favor Star Trek. Yes, Avatar was visually stunning, but the story lacked the power I thought it needed. District 9 runs a very close 2nd to Trek. I liked the perspective of the story and the cinematography. But Trek just grabbed hold of me from the get go. I saw it at lest 7 times at the theater and have almost worn out the DVD player.
I think the best real science-fiction movie of 2009 is “Moon”. “Star Trek” & “Avatar” are sci-fantasies. “District 9″ is very good, but “Moon” gets to the core of what “hard” s-f is: What might be the effect on human beings of advances in technology. Plus, “Moon” has the best acting performance–not just CGI pixels.
Thank you. I saw the movie as soon as it was released and i took my parents. And lets just say we all thought and still think Sam Rockwell, hands down, deserves Best Actor this year. Thank you again. But after Moon its definately a D9, then Avatar, and lastly, but still great Star Trek. These 4 movies are my favorite of the year and im not even a sci-fi fan.
I wanted to see Moon, but it never played in any theaters in my area. It looked awesome though, and I’m sure if I had seen it it would be my number one pick too
Moon rocked! (Sorry about the pun. Because I’m serious — I love that movie!)
Touche. Moon is easily the most overlooked movie of the year. It was such a great change of pace for the genre.
Avatar made us dizzy and we left. Didn’t see any of the other two.
I can’t vote for Avatar because its story isn’t anything new. Sci-fi at its best is all about the story, pretty pictures can’t make up for a retelling of the same story we already saw in Pocahontas and Fern Gully and Dances With Wolves.
Star Trek was great, but it failed to capture the exploration angle that the tv show had – I’m sure it’ll get there in the sequels, and that this movie was all about the set-up, but I can’t say this one was the best yet.
Which leaves District 9, which was pretty great, but I think there are lesser known sci fi flicks that came out this year that offered a little more.
District 9 is my favorite amongst these nominees. Though, I liked all three. I thought Avatar was a wonderful visual spectacle, but its story was a bit boring. Star Trek was super fun, but it didn’t really get at the core of what Star Trek is, to me. District 9, IMO, was the most creative of this bunch.
District 9, of the three titles it was the most original in story– perhaps the most powerful in subject matter.
I’d rank them as…
1. District 9
2. Star Trek
3. Avatar
However I think Avatar will get a nomination for Best Picture and the others won’t.
I would say District 9 followed closely by Star Trek and then Avatar. Avatar story wise was average but it should be recognized for its astounding visual work. Star Trek made its already awesome story more accessible and it was executed with razor sharp precision. District 9 has the most creative story and emotionally hits home.
Hands down District 9!
I haven’t seen District 9 yet, but I would definitely rate Star Trek over Avatar. Avatar was fun, but the focus was definitely on the visuals, at the expense of giving the story or characters any depth – plus it badly needed editing (it seemed about half an hour longer than it needed to be). Star Trek, on the other hand, was built around compelling character arcs.
Star Trek is the BEST!!!!
This is a tough poll. I loved all three of these movies! District 9 hit me hard emotionally for the entire movie and Star Trek made me fall in love with a series I never thought I’d be interested in. Avatar of course is just plain beautiful and was more than a film to me. It was the only one of the three I saw three times within two weeks, so I had to choose that one.
I haven’t seen District 9 so I can’t comment on that, but I thought Star Trek was a better movie than Avatar all around. Don’t get me wrong – Avatar is visually beyond compare and I really enjoyed, but the tired plot and writing let it down a little for me. Star Trek had fantastic casting and was a really good movie that I want to watch over again and enjoy. I could watch Avatar again on mute and be just as happy with it.