Fantastic Planets, Forbidden Zones, and Lost Continents: The 100 Greatest Science-Fiction Films Hardcover – Illustrated, October 20, 2015

All the stats, the stars, and the plots of the best sci fi films made thus far. Use this book as a check list for what you might want to look for, collect, or just haven't seen yet. It is a great reference book and an enjoyable read.

I like the topic and the movies selected for this book but the reviews are really brief and not much is discussed that you haven't already heard.

Excellent overview and resource book.

I recently read two books back-to-back: Mr. Brode’s Fantastic Planets, Forbidden Zones, and Lost Continents, and Ms. De Forest’s Must-See Sci-Fi. In his, Mr. Brode rates “the 100 greatest science fiction films” while Ms. De Forest discusses “50 movies that are out of this world”. Both works are very good and definite reading for anyone interested in science fiction movies.Rating movies is a fool’s errand, so I’m not going to talk about why 2001: A Space Odyssey is over-rated and Fantastic Voyage is under-rated. Arguing about the merits and deficiencies of movies is one of the great pleasures of books like Mr. Brode’s. Ultimately, his book is detailed, if a bit dry with lengthy credits and cast lists. It’s also a bit of a cheat since, though he claims 100 movies under discussion, with doubling (all 3 original Star Wars movies are equally good? Really?) and fully 10 appendices with 10 movies each, he manages to discuss well over 200 movies. And yet he still manages to completely ignore Logan’s Run, which I couldn’t find at all in this book, though it should easily rank in the top 25. Still, one can’t help but admire his—almost—completeness.Ms. De Forest, on the other hand, working under the umbrella of TCM, sticks close to her 50 choices and doesn’t rank them. Her book, however, is filled with color photography, movie posters, and sidebars. (It also includes Logan’s Run and Arrival, which came out after Mr. Brode’s book.) It is a real pleasure to read and should interest even those whose knowledge of sci-fi movies is not extensive. Still, someone with knowledge of the field can’t help notice everything that’s missing here. Personally, my love of movies like Damnation Alley, The Black Hole, Omega Man, Soylent Green, Gattaca, and Minority Report seem very underserved.Let it be said, however, that it is great to have two books like these on the shelf. Once shunted strictly to genre geeks, sci-fi has become mainstream. Many people are now becoming interested in the history of these movies which is a great thing. Books like these will hopefully move many people to seeking out and watching some of these great films.

This volume is a fun reference of the best of science fiction movies in history. The films are arranged in the book by the date the movie first appeared to help readers with the history of the art form. That’s a little confusing because the first chapter in the book is about the 10-minute movie “A Trip To The Moon/Le Voyae Dans La Lune (1902)” is ranked 100 out of 100. It's not the top best film. The second chapter in the book concerns “Metropolis (1927)” which is ranked number 1 of 1. The third plot discussed is “Woman In The Moon/Frau IM Mond (1929)” which is ranked number 94th of 100. As far as the best films over-all, “”2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is the second ranked film. “The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)” is third. “ The first three movies of “Star Wars” tied for number 4. “Perhaps no one has so succinctly captured the heart, soul, and mind of the sci-fi genre as author Gregg Rickman. In a phrase that, by the beauty of its sheer simplicity, makes perfect, fundamental sense. Rick defined sci-fi as ‘fiction about science.’” Once the reader gets the hang of the listing order, the individual movie reviews, short discussions and photos are fun and interesting. It’s nice to be reminded of the details and cast members of the individual flicks. This is a nice reference work for avid SyFy and some horror films fans.

There have been a number of "100 Greatest Sci-Fi Films" books published over the years. Douglas Brode's FANTASTIC PLANETS, FORBIDDEN ZONES, AND LOST CONTINENTS is the latest volume devoted to the subject. A University of Texas Press release, it will appeal to film enthusiasts.The films are presented in chronological order by date of production. The first flick covered is A TRIP TO THE MOON (1902); the last, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014). All the 'usual suspects' are here including JUST IMAGINE, THINGS TO COME, THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, FORBIDDEN PLANET, FANTASTIC VOYAGE, STAR WARS I-VI. E.T., ALIEN & ALIENS, TERMINATOR, STARGATE, THE MATRIX, AVATAR, etc. Each rates a four-six page write-up which includes sections on its Ranking, Credits, Cast, Background, Most Memorable Line, Plot, Theme, Trivia, etc. Each has an accompanying photograph.Given the number of similar books, there's not a lot new in Brode's book but film fans will enjoy this latest trip down memory lane. Recommended.

I bought this book from my film geek - or rather my science fiction geek - stepson who absolutely devoured it... and now many times over. Brode is a film master and that is quite obvious. But there is a special joy with this one as it is possible to debate Brode's choices, and the order that he puts these films in. he put 2001 as the second best sci-film of all time... so you have to winder what comes first and why.This book is an absolute treasure.

Any book that has collations like the 100 Greatest leads you to wonder whose “100 greatest.” I was surprised how Douglas Brode’s list overlaps mine almost 100%The only drawback or negative is the stills form the movies are all black and white.The movies are organized chronologically. Each movie’s information is divided into credits, cast, most memorable line, background, the plot, the film (technical information), theme (genre), and trivia. All in one or two pages.For sci-fi movie lovers this book does rings around reading reviews.Some people will read it to see what they missed.Some people will read it to see what Douglas Brode missed.