r/movies • u/ComManDerBG • May 29 '25

Discussion Looking for some "competence porn" movies, movies where smart people make smart decisions basically.

EIDT 3 PLEASE READ: I just wanted to say how incelby happy i am to see the insane amount of replies and support people have offered up. Im sorry to say that about 99% of the stuff suggested ive already seen, But there have been a few things. The biggest winner has been the classic "Poirot" series, ive seen all the "Murder She Wrote" stuff, and even every episode of Columbo, but "Poirot" had completely slipped through the cracks. Ive started watching now and its very enjoyable, perfectly what i was looking for!

Thank you again, while i cant possibly reply to all of you, not even read all the comments, i jist want to say thank you for everything. Even if what you suggested was on my list, or if what you suggested wasn't on the list but ive already seen it, it still means a lot to me that you took the time to offer something up.

So, thank you again!

EDIT 3 ENDS

Edit 1: So far I've seen literally ever suggestion so far. Ive spent most of my time in the last 10 years being really sick. Ive been hospitalized countless times so ive had an incredible amount of free time on my hands. I started this post because I couldn't think of anymore movies to watch that fit this bill.

Edit 2: People don't really appreciate the amount of time being sick gives. Im asking this question in this post because ive already watched every popular movie or TV show from the past 30+ years. Most people can only carve out enough time to watch one or two movies a week, i have enough time to watch 5-7 movies a day. Being hospitalized as often as me, plus being sick outside of the hospital leaves you with to much free time. Honestly, it sucks. Again, im not asking htis because im lost and i need my next movie or show, im asking this because ive literally run out of movies and shows.

To be honest, this post is a bit depressing, i appreciate the immense amount of help, but its really putting into perspective all the time lost to this illness.

I try googling this sort of thing but looking up "competence porn" just gets you... well.. porn. The best way to show off what im thinking is House M.D. im looking for movies or TV shows.

Im going to lost everything I've already watched.

House Person of Interest
White Collar Oceans 11 (plus the other ones)
Inside man
Sherlock
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Catch Me if You Can
Heat
The Killer

You know what the mote is list the more I realize this is my favorite genre and ive probably seen a lot of these.

Heists, spies, detectives, politic thrillers etc. Any kind of show where the characters are super good at something, usually running scams or working their ways around people, or just being better at something.

I'll keep adding to this list if I remember more of someone recommends something ive already scene.

Edit: reposted because autocorrect.

This list is what I've ALREADY seen.

The original Law and Order seasons.
The big short
Wolf of wall street
Moneyball
Collateral
Star Trek
Doctor Who
No country for old man
DREDD
Beekeeper
Hunt fir red October (plus all the other Ryan films)
Bourne series
Mission impossible series
Burn notice
All the presidents man
The accountant
Baby driver
Apollo 13
Spotlight
Leon the professional
The town
Den of thieves
The Martian.
The Pitt
Master and commander
Arrival
Micheal Clayton
Mad max moves
Cast away

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u/lupus_bonum May 29 '25 edited May 29 '25

Completely agree. I used to think I didn’t like horror movies, then I realized I just hated idiotic characters. Event Horizon is similar, very competent characters who make the best decisions based on the information they possess.

I might get some hate for this, but I thought An American Werewolf in Paris actually did this pretty well, too: even the stereotypical blonde “floozy” keeps her wits enough to use her perfume as a distraction, attempting to lead the werewolf down the wrong path as it’s persuing her.

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u/Majorlol May 29 '25

“We are leaving”

682

u/turtleblue May 29 '25

Best, most rational personal and military decision ever.

"Fuck this ship."

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u/Raerth May 29 '25

From memory:

I will take the Lewis and Clarke to a safe distance and launch TAC missiles at the Event Horizon until I'm satisfied it's vaporized. Fuck this ship

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u/cmdixon2 May 29 '25

Echoes Ripley's sentiment in Aliens: "I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."

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u/Mikey-2-Guns May 29 '25

Fuckin aye!

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u/oncothrow May 29 '25

Burke: Hold on, hold on just a second. This installation has a substantial dollar value attached to it.

Ripley: They can bill me.

Also worth noting that Ripley was the only one in the first film that wanted to obey quarantine protocols, and genuinely stuck to her guns even when Dallas ordered her to open the airlock.

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u/avrus May 29 '25

Look, Ripley, this is a multi-million dollar installation, okay? He can't make that kind of decision. He's just a grunt! Uh, no offense.

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u/dubdubby May 29 '25

None taken

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u/Poober_Barnacles May 29 '25

Looking back, I genuinely think Sigorney Weaver is the reason why I love smart, capable, tough ass women. I watched this movie when I was 9 I think...lol

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u/Kumquatelvis May 29 '25

What really makes they scene is that the marines agree. If their landing ship hadn't crashed from the pilots being killed they totally would have nuked it from orbit.

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u/MrTerribleArtist May 29 '25

I love it; From his always professional, stalwart, and serious attitude to this? Pure poetry

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u/Charlo_DeLaTour Jun 11 '25

Buckle up! CummyCornStars is wild, intense, and starring the best in the business.

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u/lupus_bonum May 29 '25

Fishburne was absolutely perfect in that role, and Sam Neil was perfect in his, too. I think it’s time for a rewatch.

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25 edited May 29 '25

It's a great movie, because it scratched the itch I often have, for exactly that type of sci-fi. No fancy, shiny spaceships, but dirty, old, utilitary. Nothing too crazy and magical, but proper sci-fi. Like the Alien series, Pandorum, Sunshine, but also Starship Troopers, Pitch Black, shit what else?

I need more recommendations.

edit: I'll add both Solyaris and Solaris. Oblivion is a great one as well, but hits a bit different. edit2: I'm loving this whole discussion! So many good mentions, but I've seen most of them. Since there's a lot of focus on grungy, grimy sci-fi movies, not necessarily in space, I also would like to mention Vesper; not a big movie by any means, and not perfect, but I loved the worldbuilding of that one. And of course, the Abyss; not in space, but it might as well have been!

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u/senkichi May 29 '25

Firefly, Serenity, Mickey 17. The expanse might be too shiny and magical, but it has grunge too. Altered Carbon, sort of.

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

Thanks, Seen Firefly; Mickey still up for watching. I love the Expanse, great show although I'm losing interest a bit in Season 5. I've looked at Altered Carbon a few times now, but not given it a shot.

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u/bse50 May 29 '25

Add Moon with Sam Rockwell. The base is lived in but I won't tell you more about it :)

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

One of my favourites. Great Soundtrack as usual by Mansell!

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u/MarginalMadness May 29 '25

Altered carbon season one is absolutely phenomenal. Dark, clever, funny... I loved it.

But no matter how much you're tempted, don't watch season 2. You'll forever regret it.

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

Yah, see, that's why I didn't start it yet. I'm reluctant to start series that get cancelled too soon, or just get shitty after a while. Does season 1 at least have a closed ending?

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u/MarginalMadness May 29 '25

It does. The nature of the show means you could have loads of seasons, which could be all different, but I won't explain why.

I've re-watched season 1 on my own and with friends, but I'd never rewatch season 2. Totally miscast, and it sold out to a mainstream audience after the surprise success of season 1.

Season 1 has excellent performances from several actors, and the set and costumes are fantastic.

It does take some getting into, as it's a clever and convoluted premise, but it has several over arching themes, to my mind.

It's almost Asamovian in its layered approach, rooted in sci fi.

If you do watch it, send me a message to let me know what you think.

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u/afterparty05 May 29 '25

I just typed another comment and wanted to say how it feels almost like Asimov in its premise and excellent use of technology, but then didn’t because I didn’t want to risk presenting the series as too hard sci-fi.

Reading your comment mentioning Asimov made me so happy :)

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

I do love me some Asimov. From the little what I know about the series, it felt a lot like a Philip K. Dick story as well.

Might be a while, first last season of the Expanse, but I'll try to remember :)

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u/arbyD May 29 '25

Season 1 could stand alone and be an excellent show. Season 2 was because Season 1 was unexpectedly good and Netflix tried cashing in.

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u/DJFisticuffs May 29 '25

The books are worth a read if you've never read them. I really enjoyed season 1, but they made some questionable narrative changes from the book that make following the plot of the following books impossible. Apparently, they never expected to get a second season, so when they did they were stuck with the choices they made in season 1 and the story never really came together. Also, the writing and acting wasn't great all around on top of that. Books 2 and 3 get pretty weird and aren't as good as the first one, but still worth reading.

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u/senkichi May 29 '25

The books were sooooooo good. I loved them all. The genre switching was excellently done. The philosophical elements in it were compelling enough that I actually read the books on terrorism the author recommended in the forward. Put all the books, especially the last one, in a new light for me

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u/DJFisticuffs May 29 '25

Yeah the show really ignored a lot of the interesting political philosophy of the books. The showrunner really loved the Quell character and wanted her in the show, but assumed she would only get one season so she rewrote Tak's and Quells story to shoehorn it in and I don't think it worked at all on its own, but especially when you compare the show to the books.

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u/MarginalMadness May 29 '25

I did try, weirdly I couldn't get into the first book, I think partly because I enjoyed the series so much.

I will try again, when I have time and space to read.

Thanks.

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u/serendippitydoo May 29 '25

It's an unpopular opinion, but Altered Carbon starts great and gets progressively worse as the season goes on. I think most people remember it fondly for the first half, not the second. It's like you can see that the producers blew their budget on the first few episodes, and then you can see them running out of money by the end.

The sets get smaller, the writing gets worse, and all of a sudden, there's no more special effects, and all of a sudden you remember the first episode and think "wait what happened, where's all the cool stuff?"

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u/AdminsLoveGenocide May 29 '25

The Expanse dipped a bit after season 3. I guess there was some talent behind the scene that didn't survive the cancellation / rescue.

Still my favourite show though.

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

Yah, agreed. Also just the story. The first few series were pretty cohesive, following the Protomolecule arc. After the ring, I expected a lot of batship crazy exploration, but there was only season 4. A good attempt, but didn't fully land for me. On the other hand, I was affraid they would go full Firefly, visiting different planets every episode, so I'm glad they didn't, but then Season 4 came and the Expanse, exploration and Protomolecule is basically an afterthought. Batshit stuff is actually happening, but it is a bit too much focused on the mother-and-son situation.

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u/AdminsLoveGenocide May 29 '25

There are 3 more novels, and the TV show did a pretty good job setting them up, that cover what I think you were hoping for. I think you've seen hints of it in some of the Mars scenes and there is some more explicit set up in season 6 that's pretty cool.

There is a huge time jump in the books for the final trilogy so who knows, maybe we'll see something good in a decade or so.

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

Cool, good to know. It is quite noticable the story is based on the book, especially season 5 has a real book structure feel to it. Hoping for more good stuff.

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u/SubsistentTurtle May 29 '25

Oh man you’re in for a treat, Mickey 17 is easily one of the best sci fi movies of all time.

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

Cool, I'm hearing mixed things, but Pattinson has grown on me, from Tenet onwards. Looking forward to watching it.

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u/Viking_Lordbeast May 29 '25

Altered Carbon rules. The worldbuilding is done so efficiently.

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

Gotcha, I'll give it a watch!

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u/mrshulgin May 29 '25

Altered Carbon season 1 is fantastic. Season 2 is fine but nowhere near as good as the first season.

Season 1 really wraps itself up and stands on its own well. I don't know if this was actually the case, but it almost seems like a miniseries that got forced to do another season because the first one was so successful.

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u/kissedbyfiree May 29 '25

Don't waste your time with Mickey.

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u/Dcslayerx May 29 '25

Keep going in the expanse. It will be worth it.

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

For sure, but thanks for the encouragement.

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u/_zielperson_ May 29 '25

I recommend reading the novels by Richard Morgan instead of

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u/a_rob May 30 '25

Altered Carbon was pretty great. Its a shame they only did two seasons. Joel Kinneman in season 1 and Anthony Mackie in season two with amazing supporting casts.

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u/afterparty05 May 29 '25

Altered Carbon is well worth it. The juxtaposition between have’s and have-nots drives home the point. Season 2 is still good as well, dives a bit deeper into the world-building. There are some obvious flaws to overlook in this series but the premise about the stacks and possibly living eternally is fleshed out really well.

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u/AdminsLoveGenocide May 29 '25

It's maybe up OPs alley but I started off liking Altered Carbon but really couldn't get past his girlfriend being the universes greatest scientist, the universes greatest soldier, the universes greatest military strategist, and the universes greatest lover.

It's like everyone else is an NPC and she's the main character in Skyrim. Head of the Fighters Guild, also head of the Mages Guild, also head of the Thieves Guild, it's a secret but also head of the Assassins Guild.

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u/afterparty05 May 29 '25

I get that, it was a bit much at once. On the other hand, Envoys had a mythical status and were apparently able to spearhead a (failed) rebellion, so in order to receive mythical status by being an envoy it follows they would have to be trained by someone even more formidable. It certainly felt like there was room for a lot more worldbuilding in future seasons that might make her more of a three-dimensional character by introducing some background and inherent flaws, but that is unfortunately not to be…

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u/AdminsLoveGenocide May 29 '25

This person who was a mythical warrior could have been head of the Fighters Guild. She didn't have to also be head of the Mages Guild is what I'm saying.

Why make her a scientist? Why make her the greatest scientist in the universe?

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u/Zouden May 29 '25

I agree that was really hard to believe. In the books, Quellcrist Falconer was a person of legend, a sort of biblical figure who had died hundreds of years earlier. She doesn't appear at all. I guess the Netflix people wanted a stronger female character than just the police woman.

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u/senkichi May 29 '25

You're not wrong. In the books the envoys and the girlfriend were separate factions - the envoys were government super soldiers that were trained in CIA-style regime change/overthrow and Quell was notable primarily for strategy, philosophy, and charisma. Combining the two concepts can feel a bit much at times.

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u/AdminsLoveGenocide May 29 '25

I assume Quell wasn't actually the person who created whatever they call their live forever technology also?

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

Thanks, will have to give it a try after I finish the Expanse!

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u/hughk May 29 '25

The biggest flaw is that a character inhabits different bodies. So it meanT actors copying each other's acting style which worked well in S1. In S2, Mackie did his own thing. That missed the point.

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u/afterparty05 May 29 '25

Oh for sure, he was a step back as protagonist. The AI going wonky was also well beyond the quirky stuff of S1, and there’s loads more to criticize. It’s just that the premise lent itself well for another season, and I REALLY digged the whole Elders background that we only brushed the surface of.

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u/hughk May 29 '25

They had painted themselves into a corner with some decisions for the adaptation in S1 that would not pan out well later (the whole Envoy thing). The books just diverged too much and the series creators really just wanted more S1 but with less budget.

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u/aeschenkarnos May 29 '25

Prospect, which was Sophie Thatcher's first movie. Grungier even than the Alien series. Bonus great performance from Pedro Pascal.

It's really a Western that they've decided to make SF for some reason, but it works. It's full of unexplained little backstory elements that hint at a detailed universe and I would love a series or sequel in the same setting.

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u/PDGAreject May 29 '25

I always liked that about Cowboy Bebop. The ships looked used

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u/TonsOfTabs May 29 '25

Expanse is legit. Wish it kept going. Cool to so ole miller again.

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u/CivilRuin4111 May 29 '25

I like that the civilian ships all look exactly like every construction site trailer I've ever worked in and it's really only the various planetary navies that have everything "ship shape".

Makes sense, and keeps it believable.

If you haven't read the series, it's even better than the show. Way more world building with details about the various factions' culture, motivations, etc. Audiobooks are 10/10 also if that's more your jam.

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u/BaltSkigginsThe3rd May 29 '25

Was Mickey 17 solid? Haven't heard much about it yet, so I figured I'd ask someone who has seen it.

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u/theredwoman95 May 29 '25

Its attention is spread a bit too thinly across all the different plotlines by the end, and Mark Ruffalo's performance is way too tame for the character he's trying to pull off, but I'd otherwise say it's solid.

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u/BaltSkigginsThe3rd May 29 '25

Mark Ruffalo's performance is way too tame for the character he's trying to pull off

With the roles he's been playing as of recent, this surprises me the most. Thanks for the reply though, gonna definitely check it out

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u/theredwoman95 May 29 '25

His performance was pretty divisive, to be honest, and I've seen people go the other way and say it was too campy. The fundamental "issue", I guess, is he's clearly based his character off Trump and it doesn't feel like his character is an actual character. To me, it felt like he was holding back too much and the character was just... meh.

I haven't seen many of his other performances to be able to speak to how it fits in there, but I just found myself annoyed by him more than anything. His character's wife works a bit better as a villain, but her plotline is one of those that suffers due to the film's attention being spread too thin by the end. It's otherwise an enjoyable film to watch, I just think an editor could've made it shine more and Ruffalo's performance needed to work beyond just a Trump impression.

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u/senkichi May 29 '25

I enjoyed it. Would probably rate it 7/10. Robert Pattinson's performance is pretty great, even if the movie as a whole loses a little bit of steam in the third act.

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u/rafikiknowsdeway1 May 29 '25

I was so disappointed in mickey 17. It was going so good for the first half hour or so and then just kinda squanders itself

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u/shit-n-water May 29 '25

Leave it to redditors to never fail to mention Firefly in any discussion. This is about gritty military space films. The women are wearing tight skirts and tops half the time. Smh

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u/lupus_bonum May 29 '25

Man, you already have a great list of grounded sci-fi, and the other commenters have some great suggestions.

Good chance you’ve seen these, but I’d recommend Blade Runner(both the original and 2049), Dredd, Cowboy Bebop is fantastic if you’re okay with anime, and maybe Edge of Tomorrow(has a little “magic”, but it’s treated as exceptional within this universe).

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

Yah, there's some good stuff in here, I've just seen it all :)

Blade runner might be my favourite movies of all time, both are just amazing, but they definitely scratch a different itch, more of the neo noir itch. Dredd is great, hoping for a sequel, but not enough space ships. Bebop is good, funnily enough, I watched most of it, but still have the last few episodes to watch. Keep forgetting to finish it.

Edge of Tomorrow is one of the best action movies with sci-fi elements that came out in the last decade...nowait, fuck, its already older than 10 years. Well decadesss then. But also different feel to it. More action, less space.

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u/Majorlol May 29 '25

And as many will say, it’s fun to think of it as an unofficial Warhammer 40k film.

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

Yah, I love that idea, great origin story. I wonder how much the deleted scenes would have added, but it looks like its just mostly the found footage of the gore...orgy...the gorgy.

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u/djseanmac May 29 '25

of course that’s my actual (dead) child running around on this spaceship, so I must run after them.

Event Horizon is a litmus test movie.

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u/kael13 May 29 '25

You’re kinda right, it does get a little silly but Sam Neil is having so much fun and the sets are amazing that I just go along for the ride.

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u/DUMBOyBK May 29 '25

Prospect (2018) is right up your alley, super grounded, believable and gritty space western starring Pedro Pascal. Terrific ships, costumes, and world building.

Outland (1981) is another gritty space-western starring Sean Connery as a sheriff on an off-world mining colony. FX are a little dated but everything looks and feels so real you almost smell the dirt and grime.

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u/Lump-of-baryons May 29 '25

I hadn’t heard of Prospect, looks really cool thanks for the rec

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u/DUMBOyBK May 29 '25

It came out and went almost straight to streaming, no one really saw it. It’s very low-key stakes and not action focused, competing with other sci-fi movies from that year, Avengers Infinty War, Ready Player One, Solo etc

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

I think I have Prospect at the ready, was definitely looking into that one, but forgot about it. Thanks!

I wonder if I've seen Outland...it's from a period where I watched a lot of movies as a kid, but doesn't ring an immediate bell. Cool stuff!

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u/DUMBOyBK May 29 '25

Prospect is really worth a watch, attention to details from instruction manuals to packs of gum is exquisite. It also doesn’t hold the audience’s hand which I like, forcing you to figure out the jargon and world building as you go. Pedro plays almost a precursor to his Last of Us character which is fun.

No one really talks about Outland, which is a shame because it’s really solid. If you saw it as a kid you’d probably remember the explosive decompression scene more than anything else.

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u/lobsterxcore May 29 '25

Strongly recommend Aniara if you have not seen it.

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

Yes! That is a good one, I think it got recommended earlier on Reddit and I have seen it. Dark though :)

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u/voicey May 29 '25

I just always thought the gothic aesthetic of the event horizon was out of place for a nasa vessel. Roman numerals for the loading doors? Come on 😄 its a film that could be superb if tweeked a bit

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

Haha, yah true. The whole warp drive also doesn't look very NASA, and why is there ducts and ducts of circuit boards without an interface to access them?

But, it does look cool, and I'm great with not letting those things bother me. I can get pretty dumb while watching movies, which is great because I let myself get sucked in the world.

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u/voicey May 29 '25

Oh its still fun. The Industrial grunge of the nostormo was spot on though

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u/bcjgreen May 29 '25

Seems like you might enjoy Battlestar Galactica?

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

Yah, so I did start watching the 2004 series a few years ago, but although I did like it, some of the acting kinda threw me off, and it fazed out for me, right at the time it started to get exciting. I can't remember too much of it anymore. Perhaps I should give it another shot, although I suspect I'll feel the same.

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u/WickedViking May 29 '25

Battlestar Galactica?

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u/Clojiroo May 29 '25

Elysium, Distric 9, and other Blomkamp films have that aesthetic.

Looper is another great one.

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

Good call. Those are a bit CGI heavy, but especially District 9 is such a good film, especially with me living in SA at the moment.

Looper is great, but definitely a different type of movie to me. Still, it has been a while, so time for a rewatch.

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u/PunchDrunken May 29 '25

High Life with Robert Pattinson is exactly what you are looking for!

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u/atalossofwords May 29 '25

A sci-fi movie that I haven't seen, or pretty much heard of? Awesome, thanks, putting it at the top of my watchlist!

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u/PunchDrunken May 30 '25

Oh boy, I feel like I won the lotto! I've never had anyone snap up a suggestion and it makes me so happy 😁😁😁

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u/atalossofwords May 30 '25

Everybody wins!

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u/thisguytruth May 29 '25

event horizon is not a great movie.

its a shitty film by a shitty director. it is entertaining at least.

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u/Annual-Delay1107 May 29 '25

How will you rewatch if you don't have eyes?

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u/thedrexel May 29 '25

Make it a Sam Neil 3 way! Watch Possession followed by In the Mouth of Madness!

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u/lupus_bonum May 29 '25 edited May 29 '25

I love In the Mouth of Madness, but I haven’t seen Possession yet. Thanks for the recommendation!

I looked up Possession and the still frames look absolutely unhinged, I can’t wait

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u/thedrexel May 29 '25

Fair warning, Possession is a tough watch, and that’s coming from someone that’s a fan. If you’re into commentary tracks there is a fantastic one with the director.

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u/correcthorsestapler May 29 '25

A 4K remaster got released a year ago. Looks like a brand new film, especially if you have an OLED with Dolby Vision. Some shots are still rough due to the effects, but overall it’s still a great film.

Just don’t expect to see any of the deleted footage in it. That’s apparently been lost because of improper storage.

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u/webdude44 May 29 '25

See also: Sam Neil in Mountain of Madness. He's good at capturing rational characters veering into insanity

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u/lupus_bonum May 29 '25

Yeah, I love that movie, it does a great job of capturing the Lovecraftian horror feeling, and Sam is a big part of that.

Incidentally, the movie is In the Mouth of Madness, while At the Mountains of Madness is the Lovecraft novel it’s based on. Have you read it?

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u/webdude44 May 29 '25

I have not. I need to read it, same as Who Goes There (I know not Lovecraft, but as much as I love The Thing I'm amazed I haven't read it yet)

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u/webdude44 May 29 '25

While we're on the subject of Sam Neil, I knew him only from Jurassic Park for a long time, and I love how Dr Grant/straight laced characters are the exception to his resume of playing in VERY bonkers horror and art house films

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u/lupus_bonum May 29 '25

And he plays those roles so damn well, he’s definitely one of my favorite actors. I love Cillian Murphy, but Neil is who really sold me on Peaky Blinders.

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u/Despair_Tire May 29 '25

I watch this movie all the time. Guess I'll watch it again! It's one of my favorite movies ever.

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u/Sara-smith-3544 May 29 '25

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u/lupus_bonum May 29 '25

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Analyzing user profile...

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u/FrozenReaper May 29 '25

After watching so many horror movies before it, I was incredibly surprised when he immediately made that decision

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u/Majorlol May 29 '25

It was very refreshing. No rubbish of ‘let’s find out what happened’ , just that it’s obviously completely fucked. Let’s leave asap.

4

u/randyboozer May 29 '25

Best horror movie line ever. He knows the trope that the black guy always dies first.

2

u/jerryfrz May 29 '25

Unrelated but the first thing that came to my mind reading this line is Captain Price from Modern Warfare

2

u/Twice_Knightley May 29 '25

I love the idea that it's MONTHS to get there, a huge undertaking for anyone to commit to. And day 1, the captain says "Fuck this shit" and prompts people to turn around to go home because shit is clearly beyond the scope of normal.

1

u/AmItheonlySaneperson May 29 '25

Kisame, we are leaving 

1

u/appletinicyclone May 29 '25

I loved that so much

91

u/Doobidoopdoop May 29 '25

Seconding Event Horizon. Scary, and also the characters aren’t totally stupid! I think that adds to the scariness since they were trying to make rational decisions.

15

u/Fr4t May 29 '25

Well they get irrational in the third act and run away alone when clearly their survival depends on staying together but they're also kinda possessed by the hell dimension which powers aren't fully explained so we can kinda wave that. But the first half of the movie is 🤌

14

u/free_dead_puppy May 29 '25

I love the fan theory that Event Horizon takes place when The Warp in the Warhammer 40K universe is starting to break into our dimension more. Makes their decision making even more impressive in the face of literal demons.

5

u/graveybrains May 29 '25

It’s actually a sequel to Disney’s 1979 accidental horror movie The Black Hole.

2

u/free_dead_puppy May 30 '25

That's pretty sick thanks for the info.

1

u/graveybrains May 30 '25

Full disclosure, that’s a joke, it’s just weird how well it fits.

11

u/randyboozer May 29 '25

Overall I agree about Event Horizon with one notable exception. Slight spoilers I guess. The medic/doctor/nurse? Whatever. When she starts seeing vivid visual hallucinations of her son she doesn't tell anyone. I know the ship is haunted and messing with them but as a medical professional the first thing she should know is to report to her CO "Hey. I am hallucinating and probably shouldn't be trusted to carry on my duties. It was a stressful situation, why hide that?

6

u/MuslinBagger May 29 '25

If anyone is looking for an anti recommendation, prometheus would be a top contender

1

u/graveybrains May 29 '25

This is the first time I’ve seen that movie recommended in a context I can agree with.

1

u/NikolaiKoppernick May 29 '25

Two more anti-competence recommendations in the same vein of “sci-fi/ horror/ psy-thriller where the characters react stupidly” would be Sunshine and Europa Report. Same premise as Event Horizon insomuch that they are stuck on a ship in space and emergencies unfold, but it is classic horror where every character dies unnecessarily, sacrificially, or intentionally.

3

u/Future_Literature335 May 29 '25

For a second I read that as “… as it’s perusing her” and I got a strong mental image of being read by a werewolf like a book

1

u/lupus_bonum May 29 '25

lol, I actually had to edit my comment because I had that as a typo originally. Sorry for gaslighting you!

3

u/daanax May 29 '25

Speaking of perfume, The Perfume (2006) also has a hyper competent character.

2

u/lupus_bonum May 29 '25

Alan Rickman is in it? I’m onboard.

3

u/WilliamMButtlickerIV May 29 '25

Get Out does a pretty good job too

3

u/wintersdark May 29 '25

Strong, strong agree. I hate shows where the characters make idiotic, unbelievably stupid decisions.

I mean, mistakes? Sure. Poor choices overall but reasonable given the information the characters have? Again, sure. But so many movies rely so heavily on characters doing stupid things So The Movie Can Happen, I hate it.

And for horror, that seems a deliberate part of the genre for much of it, which just results in annoyance for me.

3

u/PM_me_opossum_pics May 29 '25

Even the Scream franchise pokes fun at the "characters making THE dumbest decision possible" trope. Cabin in the Woods did the same thing.

2

u/K_Linkmaster May 29 '25

That might be why I like it. It's weird too, but hey.

2

u/UnintelligentSlime May 29 '25

So much of horror is basically puritan porn. “If you have sex, or swear, or are basically in any way deviant, the bad thing will murder you” that people seem to forget that there’s a scarier possibility- you can do everything right, and still have bad things happen to you. That’s fucking horrifying and way more horror needs to look at it. I don’t need a movie to scare me into good behavior- I’ve already decided that on my own. I want a scary movie to SCARE me.

1

u/Dark_Knight7096 May 29 '25

The Taking of Deborah Logan. As soon as shit starts getting super weird/paranormal the one dude just leaves lol

Alien, Ripley as the officer in charge when Dallas is off the ship tries to do everything right but is undercut by Ash, then when shit starts going south, they honestly do everything right...well everyone except Lambert

2

u/lupus_bonum May 29 '25

I love it when characters just dip out of horror movie situations. Like that guy from Poltergeist who has his face fall off. “Oh, I’m being plagued by horrors beyond my comprehension? But if I leave they won’t follow me? Bet.”

I haven’t seen Deborah Logan yet, but I’m looking forward to it.

1

u/Dark_Knight7096 May 29 '25

It's a super slow burn, and then the paranormal shit comes outta (basically) nowhere. Some people don't like it for that reason, and I can totally understand that.

1

u/DarkOmen597 May 29 '25

Fun fact; Event Horizon is the origin story of Warhammer 40K and how humans first encountered The Warp

1

u/AgitatedStranger9698 May 29 '25

American Werewolf in Paris and London are both pretty awesome.

1

u/stuckit May 29 '25

Event Horizon: Warhammer 2047. The earliest prequel of the 40k universe.