The Top 10 Best Sci-Fi Movies You've (probably) Never Heard Of
Before we proceed to #1, first, the list until now:
#10: Renaissance
#9: Strange Days
#8: Outland
#7: A Wind Named Amnesia
#6: The Quiet Earth
#5: Sleep Dealer
#4: The Man From Earth
#3: Anna to the Infinite Power
#2: Dark Star
And without further ado, we're on to...
#1: The City of Lost Children (1995)
What It Is
The City of Lost Children (Fr: La Cite des Enfants Perdus) is the second film from the French filmmaking team of Mark Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who previously worked on Delicatessen and subsequently on...er...Alien Resurrection.
Moving along.
The movie is highly stylized science fantasy film that takes place in an undisclosed universe, in a strange city where children are being abducted regularly. We quickly find out who is doing the abducting: Krank, a wicked scientist who is trying to use the children to give himself dreams, because his own inability to do so is causing him to age rapidly. Assisting Krank are six identical clones, a dwarfish lady, and a brain in a mechanical fish tank that communicates through an apparatus of speakers and a camera. Together they employ the child-napping services of a cult of blind or partially blind thugs, nicknamed the Cyclops, who are able to see through the use of eyepieces and microphones supplied by Krank.
Unfortunately for Krank and co., they make the mistake of kidnapping the wrong child when the Cyclopes nab the adopted little brother of circus strongman One (played by Ron Perlman). One, a simple-minded giant, is aided in his quest to retrieve his brother Denree by Miette (Judith Vittet), a talented pickpocket and member of a group of orphan thieves (a la Oliver Twist).
Moving along.
The movie is highly stylized science fantasy film that takes place in an undisclosed universe, in a strange city where children are being abducted regularly. We quickly find out who is doing the abducting: Krank, a wicked scientist who is trying to use the children to give himself dreams, because his own inability to do so is causing him to age rapidly. Assisting Krank are six identical clones, a dwarfish lady, and a brain in a mechanical fish tank that communicates through an apparatus of speakers and a camera. Together they employ the child-napping services of a cult of blind or partially blind thugs, nicknamed the Cyclops, who are able to see through the use of eyepieces and microphones supplied by Krank.
Unfortunately for Krank and co., they make the mistake of kidnapping the wrong child when the Cyclopes nab the adopted little brother of circus strongman One (played by Ron Perlman). One, a simple-minded giant, is aided in his quest to retrieve his brother Denree by Miette (Judith Vittet), a talented pickpocket and member of a group of orphan thieves (a la Oliver Twist).
Why You've Never Heard of It
I'll freely admit that out of all the movies on my list, this is the one people are probably most likely to have heard of, even if only retroactively in the last few years. Nevertheless, it seems to remain uncomfortably sandwiched on the resume of well-known filmmaker Jeunet between his premiere project Delicatessen and subsequent international hit Amelie. It's a shame, really, because each film is very unique and although they exhibit a lot of the same trademarks - bizarre, dark and offbeat humour, stunning visuals, oddball characters - they tell very different tales and offer very different messages.
If I'm being completely honest, Delicatessen DOES actually end up on "best of" lists with fair regularity. But in my opinion, The City of Lost Children is actually the superior movie. I have a few theories for why it often gets overlooked.
For one, it's much more of a fantasy film than science fiction, almost a dark fairy tale. I suspect more than a few reviewers would knock this off their sci-fi lists for that reason alone.
For another, I think it was much more confusing. I'd be lying if I said I got this movie on the first go-round, when I saw it on TV (I was also much younger).
Lastly, and this is a weirdly specific point, but it starts off with a scene that climaxes in a full minute of non-stop screaming (yes, I timed it). Even though it's intended for comic effect, I can easily imagine this as being off-putting to a critic seeing the movie for the first time. It could sour their viewing of the rest of the film entirely.
Beyond these personal ideas, there's the points about it being in North America for being foreign-language, for being Steampunk before Steampunk was a thing, and for featuring children - and not just children, but toddlers as well - in threatening and disturbing situations, which North American audiences often react badly to.
At any rate, it certainly seems to have gained a lot of traction, especially in recent years with Steampunk hitting the mainstream.
If I'm being completely honest, Delicatessen DOES actually end up on "best of" lists with fair regularity. But in my opinion, The City of Lost Children is actually the superior movie. I have a few theories for why it often gets overlooked.
For one, it's much more of a fantasy film than science fiction, almost a dark fairy tale. I suspect more than a few reviewers would knock this off their sci-fi lists for that reason alone.
For another, I think it was much more confusing. I'd be lying if I said I got this movie on the first go-round, when I saw it on TV (I was also much younger).
Lastly, and this is a weirdly specific point, but it starts off with a scene that climaxes in a full minute of non-stop screaming (yes, I timed it). Even though it's intended for comic effect, I can easily imagine this as being off-putting to a critic seeing the movie for the first time. It could sour their viewing of the rest of the film entirely.
Beyond these personal ideas, there's the points about it being in North America for being foreign-language, for being Steampunk before Steampunk was a thing, and for featuring children - and not just children, but toddlers as well - in threatening and disturbing situations, which North American audiences often react badly to.
At any rate, it certainly seems to have gained a lot of traction, especially in recent years with Steampunk hitting the mainstream.
Why It's Worthy of Inclusion
Ok, so let me get this out of the way right off the bat: I swear I am not just putting this movie at the top because it is Steampunk. No, really! The reviews I've read of this movie, including the late great Roger Ebert's, primarily center around the stunning visuals but I promise there's more here than meets the eye.
I will say this about the visuals, though: to paraphrase Ebert, if we were to judge this movie solely on the basis of its technical merits, it would receive universal acclaim. Every shot in this movie is beautifully crafted and thought out. The colour palette they use is dark and atmospheric, conjuring an alien world that is both believable and fantastic all at once. There's so much imagination crammed into this film you have to picture Jeunet and Caro joshing each other on, yelling "Oui! Oui! Oui!" to every idea the other came up with. It's a movie that hard work went into, and it pays off in so many ways.
For starters, the acting in this movie is superb. Perlman is effective and likeable as the strongman One (I leave it to the reader to sort through the chicken-egg story about Perlman's inability to speak French causing rewrites to the character, or the character being written simple so they could cast Perlman), Vittet is easily one of the best child actresses I've seen in any film, and Daniel Emilfork is brilliantly physical and vocal in his portrayal of Krank. Fans of Jeunet will probably recognize many of the supporting cast members from Amelie: Dominique Pinon, Serge Merlin and Ticky Holgado are all returning collaborators.
What really lies at the heart of this movie, for me at least, is the idea of everyone being a child at one point or another. Almost every character in this movie acts in a way that belies their physical appearance. Krank has aged rapidly in such a short span that he is a child in an old man's body, subject to tantrums and material envy. One is simple-minded; he calls Denree his little brother because he could never call him son, not with his limited understanding. Miette was deprived of her childhood by a harsh environment, forced to grow up in a short span for her own survival. In this sense, everyone in the movie is a "lost child", seeking a place to call home. For Miette especially, that home is found in family.
Family units are never seen in The City of Lost Children, not in the traditional sense. Krank's clones and dwarf assistant, Mademoiselle Bismuth (never named in the movie, only in the credits), try to keep up the pretext of a family. They refer to the brain in the fishtank as "Uncle" Irvin. Mlle. Bismuth calls the six clones Krank's "brothers" and affectionately refers to Krank as "my little one". It's played up for comedy, but in a way it's quite tragic. Krank especially comes off as sympathetic in many scenes, the deranged creation of science gone wrong.
This thesis of people born into the wrong body or the wrong age is crucial to understanding the film's climactic dream sequence, but I think that regardless of how you interpret the film there's plenty to enjoy and sink your teeth into.
The thing that keeps me coming back to the film over and over though, what truly defines what The City of Lost Children means to me, is the relationship between One and Miette. The scenes between Vittet and Perlman are undoubtedly the film's strongest moments, and also the most touching. I compare it favourably to the relationship in another movie by a french filmmaker, Leon: The Professional. The difference here is that where that movie struggled against undercurrents of perversity, there is never a moment where we feel that something untoward is going to happen between One and Miette.
It is an incredibly tender, beautiful friendship that culminates in a wonderful scene where the two huddle together under a sackcloth on the docks, with no home to go to. In a display of surprising vulnerability, as they lie facing away from each other Miette asks One : "What does it mean to have a little brother?"
One answers: "It means...running."
Miette: "Well, he can't say that he's not wanted."
One turns over to face her: "Denree...little brother. Miette...little sister."
Ok, so let me get this out of the way right off the bat: I swear I am not just putting this movie at the top because it is Steampunk. No, really! The reviews I've read of this movie, including the late great Roger Ebert's, primarily center around the stunning visuals but I promise there's more here than meets the eye.
I will say this about the visuals, though: to paraphrase Ebert, if we were to judge this movie solely on the basis of its technical merits, it would receive universal acclaim. Every shot in this movie is beautifully crafted and thought out. The colour palette they use is dark and atmospheric, conjuring an alien world that is both believable and fantastic all at once. There's so much imagination crammed into this film you have to picture Jeunet and Caro joshing each other on, yelling "Oui! Oui! Oui!" to every idea the other came up with. It's a movie that hard work went into, and it pays off in so many ways.
For starters, the acting in this movie is superb. Perlman is effective and likeable as the strongman One (I leave it to the reader to sort through the chicken-egg story about Perlman's inability to speak French causing rewrites to the character, or the character being written simple so they could cast Perlman), Vittet is easily one of the best child actresses I've seen in any film, and Daniel Emilfork is brilliantly physical and vocal in his portrayal of Krank. Fans of Jeunet will probably recognize many of the supporting cast members from Amelie: Dominique Pinon, Serge Merlin and Ticky Holgado are all returning collaborators.
What really lies at the heart of this movie, for me at least, is the idea of everyone being a child at one point or another. Almost every character in this movie acts in a way that belies their physical appearance. Krank has aged rapidly in such a short span that he is a child in an old man's body, subject to tantrums and material envy. One is simple-minded; he calls Denree his little brother because he could never call him son, not with his limited understanding. Miette was deprived of her childhood by a harsh environment, forced to grow up in a short span for her own survival. In this sense, everyone in the movie is a "lost child", seeking a place to call home. For Miette especially, that home is found in family.
Family units are never seen in The City of Lost Children, not in the traditional sense. Krank's clones and dwarf assistant, Mademoiselle Bismuth (never named in the movie, only in the credits), try to keep up the pretext of a family. They refer to the brain in the fishtank as "Uncle" Irvin. Mlle. Bismuth calls the six clones Krank's "brothers" and affectionately refers to Krank as "my little one". It's played up for comedy, but in a way it's quite tragic. Krank especially comes off as sympathetic in many scenes, the deranged creation of science gone wrong.
This thesis of people born into the wrong body or the wrong age is crucial to understanding the film's climactic dream sequence, but I think that regardless of how you interpret the film there's plenty to enjoy and sink your teeth into.
The thing that keeps me coming back to the film over and over though, what truly defines what The City of Lost Children means to me, is the relationship between One and Miette. The scenes between Vittet and Perlman are undoubtedly the film's strongest moments, and also the most touching. I compare it favourably to the relationship in another movie by a french filmmaker, Leon: The Professional. The difference here is that where that movie struggled against undercurrents of perversity, there is never a moment where we feel that something untoward is going to happen between One and Miette.
It is an incredibly tender, beautiful friendship that culminates in a wonderful scene where the two huddle together under a sackcloth on the docks, with no home to go to. In a display of surprising vulnerability, as they lie facing away from each other Miette asks One : "What does it mean to have a little brother?"
One answers: "It means...running."
Miette: "Well, he can't say that he's not wanted."
One turns over to face her: "Denree...little brother. Miette...little sister."
Apologies. I seem to have something in my eye.
This is a movie that I think everyone should see. I don't think I can say more than that.
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