Science Fiction Double Feature Quiz

Answer: "The Thing From Another World"/"Invasion of the Body Snatchers"

The first movie to show after the trailers was "The Thing From Another World", a film by Howard Hawks and Christian Nyby released in 1951. Set in the North Pole, the movie involved a scientific research team which came across a creature able to regenerate via blood. A remake by John Carpenter (known as 'The Thing") was released in 1982. The original film, based on a novella by John W. Campbell, Jr. called "Who Goes There?", ended up becoming the top Sci-Fi film of the year and was added to the Library of Congress in 2001.

Likewise, Don Siegel's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" was a big hit in 1956 during the era of Joseph McCarthy. It was added to the Library of Congress in 1994. This movie followed a small town as its citizens slowly became replaced by alien creatures grown in pods and lacking emotions ,who looked exactly like them. This film also received its fair share of remakes.

Answer: "2001: A Space Odyssey"/"Planet of the Apes"

"2001: A Space Odyssey" was a classic from filmmaker Stanley Kubrick. Renowned by critics as one of the best science fiction titles in cinema, "2001" was based on a novel by Arthur C. Clarke and was followed by "2010" in 1984. Kubrick's film, however, was a film tracking a mysterious monolith from the time of primates and early man to the final frontier of space (and beyond). During the most famous portion of the movie, a man was assaulted by an artificial intelligence unit known as HAL 9000 on a scientific trip to Jupiter. This movie was added to the Library of Congress in 1991 and was awarded a Best Special Effects Oscar. Kubrick also filmed "A Clockwork Orange" in 1971.

The original "Planet of the Apes" directed by Franklin J. Schaffner starred Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowell and achieved similar popularity in its day. In this one, astronauts traveled through time and space only to crash land on a planet occupied entirely by talking apes (with humans as their slaves). In the end, it was discovered that they had returned to Earth, many years in the future. This movie was followed by four more in the original series and a remake by Tim Burton in 2001. Like "2001", "Planet of the Apes" headed to the Library of Congress though not until 2001.

Answer: "The Andromeda Strain"/"Westworld"

Michael Crichton's "Andromeda Strain" started out as a book in 1969 and ended up getting movie treatment in 1971. In fact, it was Crichton's first published novel; he would later go on to write "Jurassic Park", "Congo", and "Sphere", all of which became major films. "The Andromeda Strain" featured an alien disease nicknamed 'Andromeda' which killed almost all it came into contact with. The movie was directed by Robert Wise, also known for "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951) and it received a remake in the form of a miniseries in 2008 (produced by Ridley Scott).

"Westworld", on the other hand, was a directorial debut for Crichton in 1973 (though he also wrote the screenplay). Set in a futuristic vacation spot where visitors could act out their greatest fantasies with robots, the movie starred Yul Brynner and James Brolin. "Westworld", notably, was the first film to use CGI.

Answer: "Star Wars: A New Hope"/"Star Trek: The Motion Picture"

"Star Wars: A New Hope" was a classic soon after its release in 1977. Although it was the first to be released, it was later discovered to be the fourth film in the series, chronologically. "A New Hope" starred Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and others as Luke Skywalker, trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi, set out to fight the evil Darth Vader aboard the Death Star. This George Lucas-directed film became the top-grossing film of all time and was nominated for ten Oscars (including Best Picture) winning six. Of course, the 'Falcon' refers to the spaceship known as the Millennium Falcon.

The polar opposite, "Star Trek", was originally released as a TV show in 1966 while the first film in the canon showed up in 1979. Starring William Shatner as James Kirk, the Captain of the USS Enterprise, and Leonard Nimoy as the half-Vulcan Spock, it had the best opening weekend in movie history (at the time) and was nominated for three Academy Awards.

Answer: "Altered States"/"Scanners"

Directed by Ken Russell, "Altered States", released in 1980, starred William Hurt and Blair Brown. When a scientist under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs entered a sensory deprivation tank, he found that the horrors of his mind started a process of de-evolution. The idea behind "Altered States" was also be seen in aspects of the J.J. Abrams TV show "Fringe", which also starred Blair Brown. This movie was also the first to feature Drew Barrymore in its credits.

"Scanners", on the other hand, was released in 1981 and was directed by Sci-Fi mainstay David Cronenberg. This film involved immense psychic powers possessed by beings known as scanners and one company's plan to exploit them for their own personal gain. Starring Patrick McGoohan and Michael Ironside, the movie received two sequels in the early 1990s. Cronenberg also created the sci-fi films "Videodrome" (1983), "The Fly" (1986), and "eXistenZ" (1999).

Answer: "The Running Man"/"Total Recall"

Coincidentally, both of these films were based on books by famous authors. "The Running Man" was originally written by Stephen King under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman, in 1982. Although the film featured many differences, its story followed a similar basis. In this film, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Marķa Conchita Alonso became contestants on a deadly game show and were forced to survive encounters with professional killers. The game show was hosted by none other than Richard Dawson.

"Total Recall" was based on Philip K. Dick's "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" and it grossed over $260,000,000 in the box office. This one starred Arnold, Sharon Stone, and Michael Ironside. Director Paul Verhoeven would later make "Starship Troopers" in 1997. In "Total Recall", Arnold's character, Quaid, headed to Mars after a memory implant gone wrong and much of the film questioned what his reality actually was.

Answer: "Stargate"/"Independence Day"

Roland Emmerich, much like Michael Bay, is a man who likes his large-scale destruction. "Stargate" appeared in theaters shortly before his fascination with debris. Starring James Spader and Kurt Russell, the film followed a handful of people who, after entering a wormhole known as a 'stargate' came across a hostile, otherworldly race and were unable to return to Earth. The movie launched several TV shows in the "Stargate" series.

"Independence Day", released in 1996, was credited by many critics as the sci-fi film to launch a thousand more in the 1990s. After a dry spell, "Independence Day" earned over $850,000,000 in the box office appearing near the top of all-time highest gross charts. It starred Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Randy Quaid, and others as they dealt with aliens and their spacecraft which terrorized and wiped out the world's major cities. Destroying world cities would be a recurring theme in Emmerich's future works (including "The Day After Tomorrow", "Godzilla", and "2012").

Answer: "The Fifth Element"/"Surrogates"

"The Fifth Element" became a cult classic for Willis after its release. Also starring Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, and Chris Tucker (as Ruby Rhod), it earned over $260,000,000 in the box office and became a major hit despite its eccentricities. In the film, a prophecy foretold the inevitable destruction of Earth by way of a giant asteroid and only the five elements could stop it. Corbin Dallas was asked to step in, fly to a vacation planet, and retrieve the elements to save humanity. In 1997, this film opened the Cannes Film Festival.

"Surrogates", released in 2009, received less fanfare. A new take on surrogate avatars used by futuristic, plugged-in citizens of the world, it starred Willis as an investigator trying to determine how a person in their surrogate body was killed. The movie was based on a graphic novel series released four years earlier. It also starred Radha Mitchell.

Answer: "I, Robot"/"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

"I Robot", based on the Issac Asimov work of the same name, was released in 2004 and starred Will Smith in the main role (not as a robot, of course). The movie followed a detective trying to solve a homicide committed by a robot. This seemed absurd however, as robots had been programmed never to harm another human being. Director Alex Proyas also directed the neo-noir cult classic "Dark City" and "The Knowing" starring Nicolas Cage. "I, Robot" was a financial success taking in almost $350,000,000 worldwide.

In "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", based on Douglas Adams' hilarious novel, Arthur Dent (played by Martin Freeman) escaped Earth with alien Ford Prefect after its demolition by the Vogons. This led him on a journey aboard the Heart of Gold with the President of the Universe, another Earth survivor, and a depressed robot named Marvin (played by Alan Rickman). The movie earned over $100,000,000 and, like the books, received a cult following.

Answer: "The Adjustment Bureau"/"Source Code"

The directorial debut of George Nolfi, "The Adjustment Bureau" released in 2011 to relatively good reviews and it earned over $125,000,000 in the box office. The movie, based on Philip K. Dick's "Adjustment Team", followed a congressman (played by Matt Damon) and a dancer (played by Emily Blunt) as they tried to stay together despite a mysterious group of peoples' attempts to have them follow 'the plan'.

"Source Code" was directed by David Bowie's son, Duncan Jones, who also directed Sam Rockwell in "Moon" in 2009. This particular movie starred Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, and Vera Farmiga and it earned over $120,000,000 in the box office receiving critical praise. The movie involved a man working for the government to stop a terrorist plot by reliving the same eight minutes on a train and discovering the bomber.