My top ten films that have themes that fall under the classification of “hard” science fiction (based on real scientific ideas):
10. Back to the Future (1985)
9. Armageddon (1998)
8. 2012 (2009)
7. Bicentennial Man (1999)
6. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
5. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
4. Blade Runner (1982)
3. I, Robot (2004)
2. Planet of the Apes (1968)
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Isaac Asimovs Foundation
I know it has been a couple of years since any news came out about this, but I want to comment on it anyway: a film adaptation of Isaac Asimov‘s Foundation has been in the works for some time, but after a bidding war left it in the hands of Sony, the front-runner to direct is Roland Emmerich, director of such thinkers as Independence Day, The Day after Tomorrow, and 2012. How would a director known for making things blow up direct a story with no action in it such as Foundation? It doesn’t make any sense to me.
The depressing thing about the whole situation is that Warner Bros. choice to direct was Alex Proyas, best known for directing I, Robot and Knowing (I, Robot also being based on an Asimov story). In exactly the opposite fashion as Emmerich, Proyas specializes in movies that make you think; Emmerich would use too much action and special effects to keep the main idea of the story. Foundation needs a director that can do the psychological aspect justice, a staple in any Asimov story.
