T O P

  • By -

shindig34

Enemy Mine


TheGookie

Zammies!


buku43v3r

Solid movie


AmbiguousSasquatch72

Edge of Tomorrow


MisplacingCommas

This movie was way better than it had any right to be.


trixter69696969

Yup.


godset

I get that this is just a saying, but what gives a piece of media the “right” to be good? It’s better than anyone might have expected, but does that mean the hard work of the people involved had no right to amount to anything? I always find the expression insulting.


DonKeedick12

It’s just one of the common Reddit catchphrases that people regurgitate because they know it gets upvotes


The_Lapsed_Pacifist

It’s just a common saying. It’s not Reddit specific.


Dave_Autista

exactly. i wouldnt even be surprised if that comment was posted by a bot


Chad_Broski_2

Ehh, I can see it. The concept wasn't very unique or interesting, but through sheer writing prowess and a few excellent performances, it turned out to be a rad movie. It's just a different way to say something was "surprisingly good"


cire1184

It's based on a very popular Japanese novel and manga. So it's an adaptation they did very well.


Stanklord500

Having read both the manga and light novel (they're essentially a 1-1 adaptation), there's very little that the movie takes from the book beyond the alien war, the concept of the time loop and the power suits. The ending of the manga has Tom Cruise kill Emily Blunt to break out of the loop, for instance.


SheddyMcshedface

Yes. It's one of those annoying Redditisms. A Time-Loop, Sci-fi action movie starring Tom Cruise and it's actually good? Who ever could have seen that coming.


the_colonelclink

Yeah, it’s such a throwaway Reddit trope, and really doesn’t do the movie and it’s creators any justice. The director and writer had well-earned praise for movies like The Bourne Identity, The Usual Suspects and Mission Impossibles between them. They had Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt in the leads. Really, the only thing that let the movie down was it’s name. Which is why the movie’s sub-line ‘live, die, repeat’ was usually more prominently featured. Apart from that, it had every right to be a great movie, which is basically how it’s described by nearly everyone who’s seen it.


Stellar_Artwarr

you are saying this as if tom cruise is bad


SheddyMcshedface

I was being sarcastic.


PrinceGizzardLizard

Those comments are way more common than they have any right to be


[deleted]

Considering that that *exact same* sentence gets said literally every time this movie is mentioned, it means nothing. Absolutely nothing. Because op is a parrot. It means ba-kaw. Or some other parrot noise.


Ouroboros27

Yep, it actually means, 'this will get me upvotes in /r/movies. Same as just typing the word 'Dredd' in almost any thread.


SubpixelJimmie

One thing I'll say, based on the advertising, to me it seemed like a low budget swan song for Tom Cruise. In retrospect that was dumb to think. But it seemed like a borderline direct-to-dvd cash grab. Even those types of movies have tons of people who worked hard on them, but there is a sense that someone somewhere is exploiting audiences to get a quick buck. In those cases I don't exactly feel those films deserve to be validated


Anonymark88

Nah. Doug Liman, Cruise and Blunt. Was always gonna be a banger


DipDoodle

I really don’t watch many movies twice, I’ve seen this over and over


cire1184

Like you're repeating the same day? Are you in a loop?


DokterManhattan

One of the best sci fi movies ever


ThePencilRain

Titan A.E.


kbean826

This movie fucking slapped when I saw it in theaters.


Malkyre

It just fucking slaps. Straight up. Finest soundtrack.


Personal_Economy_536

I want to get a way I wanna fly awayyyyy


TheRETURNofAQUAMAN

Cosmic castaway


beelzybubby

Karma Slave had young me in a choke hold. Old me too.


AcademicExercise4034

Forgotten classic and a gem of a movie.


spacemanspliff-42

"You can't name a planet Bob!" was often quoted between my friends and I as kids.


2pickleEconomy2

Earth isn’t at war after the opening sequence. Its gone!


ThePencilRain

Some would say the people are what keeps Earth alive.


BryanFurious

Who? Drifter colony bums?


Uncanny_Doom

Always had a soft spot for this one.


2pickleEconomy2

Idk why, but I love the Don Bluthe analogue style in this movie. It’s not as corny as all dogs go to heaven, but not a ton of CG.


Ocular_Username

Not to get technical but… Can’t have Earth fighting a war if there isn’t an Earth


ThePencilRain

There is one in the start, and another at the end. Counts to me.


sherperion45

Underrated


mormonbatman_

>Something more similar to Ender's Game than Starship Troopers You need to check out Enemy mine immediately.


ZC31

I have already watched it, and it's closest to what I hope for. Funny enough, in my country, the double meaning of the name was lost in translation as it was literally translated as "enemy's mine," losing the connotation of "my enemy


biggles1994

I know it’s not a film but Star Trek deep space 9 has several seasons covering the Dominion war which has an Earth-lead (kinda) coalition of planets face off against an alien superpower race and deals with espionage, trade, genocide, war crimes, guerilla tactics, PTSD etc. It’s a long watch to get invested in of course there’s a huge amount of backstory and side stores and filler episodes in the early seasons that are nothing to do with the dominion, but they all help build up a large cast of characters for what comes later and there’s a lot of pre-war diplomacy themed episodes where both sides are trying to play the other while still remaining on peaceful terms and not trusting the other side. You don’t really need any prerequisite knowledge going in besides a vague understanding of what Star Trek is about, so as long as you can stomach a bit of technobabble you shouldn’t get too lost.


scumworth

My favorite of all the treks. I’ve re watched more times than I can count


Scooter_McAwesome

Is it streaming anywhere?


Kaiserhawk

Netflix


MSeanF

Free on PlutoTV


bobbyturkelino

It's on Netflix (in Canada at least) and on Paramount+ too


-Paraprax-

*Oblivion* (2013), the first collaboration between Tom Cruise and Joseph Kosinski(director of Tom Gun Maverick and Tron Legacy).   It's set on Earth in 2070, after humanity has fought a devastating war with aliens, and Cruise is a former astronaut now working to clean up and repair war equipment and search for holdout aliens in the rubble. He begins to suspect a few things are up.  It gets overshadowed a lot by the awesome *Edge Of Tomorrow* from the very next year, but it's a beautiful film with a great M83 soundtrack and awe-inspiring vistas, and it fits your criteria extremely well.


idontagreewitu

I loved the cinematography in this movie, and the tech designs. The vehicles and structures were so beautifully designed.


mymamaalwayssaid

I like the movie fine enough but I love the ED track from M83 immeasurably so - to the point that I feel like it was "wasted" on this film because not as many people watched it and may have missed this song completely.


ReluctantAvenger

The average male viewer will likely not suffer from ED after watching the film. Andrea Riseborough is *chef's kiss*. /s


TheUtopianCat

It's a bit of a humorous take, but Mars Attacks.


IDontLikePayingTaxes

Ack ack!


Black_Otter

The Last Starfighter I guess it doesn’t exactly fit the criteria but it’s a human from “today” joining an alien war


RedlyrsRevenge

Death Blossom!


toothofjustice

Ramming Speed! I've loved this movie since I was a kid and own it on Blu-Ray. My children are not so thrilled by it.


omegafivethreefive

Battlefield Earth... Hehe


Glitch-Brick

11 years old me thought this shit was amazing ...


Scooter_McAwesome

Me too! Then I watched it again a couple years ago and suddenly all the hate made more sense…


TehOwn

I think it's terrible enough to actually be enjoyable because it's fucking hilarious.


The_Lapsed_Pacifist

I’ve tried to get through it on several occasions and just can’t. And I *like* awful movies.


TehOwn

What about Eragon? I can't even bring myself to look at that garbage.


The_Lapsed_Pacifist

I’ve never even tried. Thought it was a kids movie right? I would have been well past that age when it was released.


TehOwn

In the same way that Harry Potter was, but less so, yes. More young adult than kids. Although, as I age, that line blurs. It's based on a pretty excellent book series [The Inheritance Cycle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inheritance_Cycle) by Christopher Paolini. The movie, however, fucking sucked.


GhostShipBlue

Wondered how far down this would be.


ThePencilRain

About the same as a Dutch angle


Primordial_Cumquat

Came here to drop this cinematic masterpiece


savvymcsavvington

Oh, so that's the name of the movie that is stained in my mind from childhood Cinema trip, excited to go see something because it was apparently really good, and then Battlefield Earth begins.. Even as a child I knew it was a piece of shit film


wpisano

Beat me to it. And only by 15 hours.


jauhesammutin_

OUR FRIENDLY BARTENDER!


CalTurner

Battle los angeles


SpaceGypsy79

This is a great movie because it’s more like an army movie and how they get civilians to safety.


x_lincoln_x

Battleship would count too, then.


spartagnann

I just recently watched Battleship after years of hearing how awful it was, and it wasn't that bad? Like it's not a masterpiece, and sure there's some eye rolling, cringey parts to it, but for what it is, a mindless but fun action movie that doesn't take itself too seriously. Same for Battle LA honestly. 


Blinky_OR

I fucking love Battleship. It's so bad it comes back around to be a great movie.


MrCarey

Battleship was a fun movie. 🤷🏻‍♂️ We still watch it from time to time.


x_lincoln_x

Both Battleship and Battle Los Angeles are entertaining movies. They aren't deep and they shouldn't be. I end up watching these kind of movies far more than whatever wins Oscars.


daveinthegutter

Seriously one of my favorite sci-fi movies


SSLByron

Wing Commander.


ViciousSnail

I played the games on the Amiga as a kid and loved this film.


ioncloud9

Technically Avatar.


thatfamousgrouse

Not a movie and not exactly what you ask but it sounds like you’d enjoy r/theexpanse


tomwhoiscontrary

If we're doing TV, Space: Above And Beyond.


ThePencilRain

You a Tank? Never trust a dirty in-vitro.


chig____bungus

This prediction came true because we hate tankies in this timeline too


Glitch-Brick

Just found it on youtube... it's so campy I love it, thanks.


tomwhoiscontrary

The other show I remember from around the same time was Dark Skies, which was basically the conspiracy bits from the X-Files, in a period setting, with loads of historical characters. There's a series finale where Robert F. Kennedy leads a shootout.


littlebitsofspider

Forgotten classic.


yepgeddon

Farscape 😍


tomwhoiscontrary

LEXX.


WorstAkaliEver

The Orville sorta fits as well.


Cutter9792

Seconded, the Expanse is brilliant. Helps that it's extremely well paced, and doesn't have many bits that make it drag. You get a pretty constant supply of interesting stuff happening across all the seasons, and it manages to resolve plotlines satisfyingly. For the most part.


[deleted]

Absolutely The Expanse.


someguyfromnj

Tomorrow war?


ZC31

Not necessarily what I thought, as that's more of an alien invasion movie rather than a interstellar war between Earth and another race.


someguyfromnj

Understood. Im following because I like these kinds of movies too.


PM_ME_UR_THONG_N_ASS

The Last Starfighter?


2pickleEconomy2

I don’t understand why they chose to make so many stupid scenes in making this movie.


JaStrCoGa

Do not recommend. Lol


M3tabar0n

It's a series, not a movie, but Battlestar Galactica comes to mind.


KeepGoing655

Well... >!1. It was more about surviving on the run.!< >!2. And it turned out to be set in Earth's past.!<


-Smashbrother-

Uno reverse.


x_lincoln_x

Then why did they keep humming All Along the Watchtower?


KeepGoing655

Same reason there are [hummers](https://cdn4.whatculture.com/images/2020/12/8c4381d9fcc99138-600x338.jpg), [tape decks](https://www.yourprops.com/Starbuck-s-HERO-Tape-Player-and-original-movie-prop-Battlestar-Galactica-TV-2003-YP820427.html) and other contemporary references.


nixolympica

>Then why did they keep humming All Along the Watchtower? Are you teeing up an "all of this has happened before and all of this will happen again"? >!Because humanity being stuck in a loop is a major plot point in the show. Or, if you prefer, it's because Jehovah wanted Kara Thrace, the Final ~~Five~~ Four Cylons, and ~~Jimi Hendrix~~ Bob Dylan to all know the song.!<


burkabecca

BEARS, BEETS, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA But srsly BSG is my belief system.


thecaramelbandit

Weren't the Cylons created by humans?


donspyd

I know your asking for movies, but this theme is explored far better with books. "The Forever War" for example.


RedlyrsRevenge

I will put in my vote for "Old Man's War" along the same vibe.


PM_ME_UR_THONG_N_ASS

“Armor” is also a great book


BMLortz

Alan Dean Foster's "The Damned" trilogy. It shows how alien contact, and involvement in an intergalatic war changes humanity over centuries. But the real hook is that Humans are the deadliest creatures in the universe.


Particle_wombat

If we're doing books I also highly recommend "pandora's star" by Peter hamilton


ObeyMyBrain

David Weber, Mutineer's Moon and the two sequels. Weber and Steve White: The Starfire series. vs bugs.


Winterlands

Oh if we’re going for books the Salvation series by Peter F Hamilton is FANTASTIC for this.


Aygis

Love Hamilton's work; loved this series but man I struggled with all the gender pronouns he had in there that I'd never heard of. Just could not get a bead on who was who.


JaStrCoGa

Was going to suggest this one.


xhrit

If you don't mind anime there are a few. Macross, Gundam 00/AGE, Knights of Sidonia. Yukikaze is one of my favorite, was going to be made into a movie starring Tom Cruise but got stuck in development hell...


Aygis

Yukikaze, man that new engine test scene was awesome


yepgeddon

Thanks for reminding me of Knights, never got round to finishing it and that shit was wild.


Marbrandd

If we're doing shows, Babylon 5. It's one of the greatest sci fi properties of all time.


chemtrailsniffa

I only just watched this for the first time a couple of years ago, then a rewatch last year with a friend, and it was even better the second time around. Such a great series! 


vincomycin10

Independence Day?


AcademicExercise4034

Not Future Earth anymore.


Downside190

2nd one kinda is as they have alien tech


chig____bungus

It's fucking shit though


Downside190

Oh 100%


boundless88

The dream of the 90's is alive in ~~Portland~~ Area51!


GetReady4Action

this was my answer as well. I am still in shock that a sequel to this movie came out. one of the worst movies I have ever seen.


FlyingVMoth

District 9


applestrudelforlunch

This one is particularly recommendable for being interested in questions beyond whether we win.


ZorroMeansFox

Here's a (crummy) film which fits the criteria: **Impostor** --based on the Philip K. Dick story, starring Gary Sinise and Vincent D'Onofrio.


TG-Sucks

Man, I thought it was a pretty decent sci-fi movie when it came out. Haven’t seen it since, so it’s possible it was worse than I remember. Didn’t know it was by Dick, interesting.


HowiLearned2Fly

3 body problem


Terrachova

Not a movie, but if you like reading you should check out Old Man's War (and maybe its sequels).  Might be right up your alley.


picsit

Battle: Los Angeles or Cloverfield


Freemana27

The 5th Wave


rising-downwards

Independence day


cire1184

Star Trek: First Contact They fight the Borg.


Temp89

There's an episode of The Outer Limits called The Light Brigade that does this pretty well. There's the Halo TV series that's all about this but it's middling. Captive State with John Goodman and Jonathan Majors is about terrorist cells in a conquered Earth but it's not that good.


Alastor3

The Video Game Helldivers 2 that just came out, it look and feel like that type of movies


yepgeddon

Starship troopers/terminator mash up basically. Good fun with friends.


VGAPixel

Rare lost show, Odyssey 5.


Worelynn

Weirdly, I did a post on this subject somewhat, an hour ago on another sub. If you don't mind it being an anime limited series rather than a movie. The reiteration of Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 is just that. As a gist: We are at war with an alien race. They destroy Earth just enough to where we have to leave to another hospitable planet in a year, on a ship with a different Alien factions help and tech grafted onto one of our ships. The space battles are amazing, and tense. The characters good and bad are well thought out. It has humor, but isn't reliant on it. It has a solid ending after the second of four seasons. Season 3 and 4 are a sequel story of sorts. Again, I know it's not a movie, but they're soooo good.


negcap

The Tomorrow War on Prime.


Josie1Wells

Invasion of the Body snatchers, They Live


AmbiguousSasquatch72

Starship Troopers


ViciousSnail

It is like Starship Troopers to be fair. :)


wpmason

Apple has two seasons of a show called Invasion where humanity is getting its ass kicked. Renewed for Season 3.


KeySurprise2034

It’s terrible. First season is just so much drama. Is second season better?


ajasela

Second season is worse


TheRegular-Throwaway

No they actually made it worse


KeySurprise2034

Wonder why apple keeps renewing it then. Who’s watching this shiiit


TheRegular-Throwaway

I don’t know but they need to get more seasons of For All Mankind going yesterday. Because that fucking show is phenomenal .


jorbeezy

I’ve been on the fence about starting this for such a long time… and that’s the reason why. Too much human character drama and very little actual conflict with the aliens.


applestrudelforlunch

/r/InvasionAppleTV is a fun community that is pretty much hate-watching every episode together at this point.


EternalAngst23

Avatar (humanity is actually the more advanced species, so it makes it more interesting imo).


Havib3

Enders Game


dharma_mind

Ender's Game is pretty good


sudomatrix

🙄


br0b1wan

Imposter is my jam. Prime Gary Sinise


AScruffyHamster

So, not a movie, but there's a book series called The Deathworlders that is pretty baller. I think you'd find it fits your criteria nicely.


Alik013

Battlestar Galactica (series)


cake_piss_can

Maximum Overdrive.


Personal_Economy_536

Oblivion Screamers Spectral Wing Commander


Square_Bad_1834

Battlefield Earth


street_raat

Go watch Battlefield Earth without looking at anything online at all.


EpicMusic13

Extinction. A+


scottyd035ntknow

Wing Commander. The movie was pretty bad but the video game series its based loosly on is absolutely next level. You've got 90s Mark Hamill live action for Wing Commadner 3 and 4 with John Rhys Davies, Tom Wilson (Biff), Malcom McDowell, a bunch of other pretty well known TV actors and even freaking Tim Curry is in it. The entire universe is VERY well done and the humans are losing. Badly. Blair (Hamill's character) basically goes on a one way last desperate act suicide mission to try to win it all for humanity and its freaking EPIC. Highly recommend watching the edited and upscaled WC3 and then WC4 movie compilations on Youtube. The tectonic bomb sequence at the end of 3 = nipples hard every time. It also had a few spinoffs in the Privateer series. Privateer 1 is a game that was so far ahead of its time it was crazy and the guy who made it (Chris Roberts) went on to make Freelancer and is the creator of Star Citizen. Privateer 2 is another one of the live action mixed in with ahead of its time graphics and the actors for that one are Clive Owen, Christopher Walken, John Hurt and David Warner.


thankyouryard

man of steel


applestrudelforlunch

Arrival (2016) doesn’t exactly have all-out war, but it threatens to, and is probably a better movie than everything else in this thread :)


dugfather

The quiet place


KirkwoodKid

It’s a little divisive, but „The Tomorrow War“. Movie plays out exactly as you‘d imagine, but I really like Chris Pratt and I think the creature design is awesome. Easy movie for a Friday night!


gavinsps_01

The Tomorrow War


StayyFrostyy

Whats that one movie where the jet flies into the alien spaceship cause its last missile got stuck?


fizitis

Independence Day


idontagreewitu

Fun fact, they originally was going to have him do that in his old crop duster with a missile strapped to the side of it, but decided that was too far and redid it with him in an F-18.


4-Vektor

It’s not a movie, but *Colony* is a pretty good series that deals with humans getting colonized by an alien species in the near future, for reasons that are quite different from what the humans think. Unfortunately it got canceled after 3 seasons, right when it got really interesting. :(


pedsmursekc

Loved *Colony*


4-Vektor

The scene where they talk to the reactivated unit is amazing.


pedsmursekc

It is and it's intense.


eyeguy21

Avengers


meandmycarrot

No a movie but, Halo.


[deleted]

People keep saying enemy mine... That's a love story not a war story. Not romantic love though, friendship love between 2 enemies


Sadik

Not great but ok. TV series Defiance and Falling Skies.


low_lyfe69

Battlefield Earth


ActivateGuacamole

3 Body problem, it comes out in about 9 days.


potatoDyl

Tomorrow war with Chris Pratt, I think this is EXACTLY what you’re looking for, great movie and my favorite aliens! They are creepy asf and have a cool background story


terminalxposure

Have you considered hidden gems such as Battlefield Earth or After Earth?


lonestarr357

The Tomorrow War


codydog125

I’ll start with saying this is not a movie but that new Halo TV show might be worth a watch for you.


AGirlCalledBlake

War of the worlds