Science fiction’s Top 10 Spaceship landing sequences
For me, a compelling instrument of any science fiction movie that involves spaceships arriving at strange places is the landing sequence. Such sequences offer a potential for high drama and rising tension that galvanize all the story elements to follow. From the silent arrival of the moon shuttle in “2001: A Space Odyssey” to the explosive crashes of the cylinders in George Pal’s “The War of the Worlds,” landings can set the tone for the remainder of the story.
This list is my subjective attempt to articulate what I believe to be the Top 10 Landing Sequences of all science fiction movies:
No. 10: Europa Report
“Europa Report” wins high marks for realism, from the technology and functionality of the spacecraft to its depiction of the Jovian environment, the mission objective and the interactions of its crew. The landing sequence follows what could be a reasonable series of events in dealing with a chaotic environment. The drama value is low, but much of what happens in “Europa Report” is muted and understated.
No. 9: Star Trek: Generations
The crash of the saucer section in “Star Trek: Generations” has got to be one of the most spectacular sequences ever filmed in Star Trek lore – at least the atmospheric entry segment. But once it impacts ground, the realism factor vanishes. You can see the obviously fake models of trees and rocks careening about. They physics of the crash are unbelievable. Still, for a moment it’s a sight!
No. 8: Outland
If you have not seen “Outland” you have missed a gem. Sean Connery stars as the new sheriff of a mining colony on the Jovian moon of Io who discovers a drug-smuggling ring and vows to break it up. But assassins arriving on the next shuttle are bent on taking him out. What is notable about this landing sequence is its lack of visuals. The shuttle’s arrival is constantly measured by a chronometer counting down … to the sheriff’s possible death. With only brief glimpses of the shuttle itself, the viewer is left to contemplate that ever-diminishing set of numbers on the chronometer, and what that means, producing near unbearable tension.
No. 7: Aliens
James Cameron’s noisy, action-packed descent into hell from the mother ship Sulaco aboard a drop ship pretty much sets the pace for his foul-mouthed band of doomed jarheads and their one-way mission to LV-426. Its screaming arrival at the storm swept colony foreshadows the horror that awaits Ripley, Hicks, Bishop and the others.
No. 6: War of the Worlds (George Pal)
The special effects were good for the time (1953), though not comparable to current technology. Still, the arrival of flaming cylinders that subsequently crashed, releasing death-ray emitting tripods bent on destroying the human race, was sufficiently shocking to rate “War of the Worlds” the sixth position on my list of landing sequences.
No. 5: Forbidden Planet
This classic science fiction movie of the 1950s features excellent special effects, even by today’s standards. The arrival of the saucer, coupled with the strange musical score, weird sound effects and arresting visuals, rates as one of the better landing sequences of science fiction cinema.
No. 4: 2001: A Space Odyssey
This movie created a sensation when it was released in 1968, partly due to its amazing visuals and realistic depiction of travel into outer space. The arrival of the shuttle at the moonbase unfolds gracefully, accompanied by a classical music score that would have the viewer think he or she was watching a ballet performance. Director Stanley Kubrick paid a great deal of attention to detail, down to the dust being kicked up from the landing platform, and the shuttle sinking gently on shock absorbers.
No. 3: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
The arrival of the alien mother ship at the top of Devil’s Tower rates as one of the most visually spectacular images in all of moviemaking, which is why I rate it third on my list. The bright colors, odd (almost subliminal) sounds and seemingly impossible functionality of the spacecraft were all new at the time and combined to give “Encounters’ a wow factor unmatched by most other science fiction movies.
No. 2: Alien
The descent of the shuttle from the Nostromo into the stormy hell of LV-426 is fraught with overheating engines, cooling lines caked with ice fragments, crewmembers shouting over each other, and circuits shorting out – in other words, the way it would probably happen in real life. The shuttle lands with a thud and things break, trapping the crew (at least temporarily) on the surface of the hostile moon. After a crewmember becomes infected with an alien parasite, the tension level skyrockets to unbearable heights, making “Alien” one of the scariest films ever made. And it all began with the landing.
No. 1: The Day the Earth Stood Still (Robert Wise)
A flying saucer from another planet lands on a baseball field in Washington, D.C. Thus begins a science fiction cinema classic. Shot in 1951, the visuals are stunning even by today’s standards. The glowing craft descending from the sky, a weird electrical hum gnawing at ear bone, people fleeing in terror as the ship settles on the baseball field – it is an arrival that metaphorically sets the world on fire. Say what you want, but in my opinion the arrival of Klaatu’s ship represents the very best landing sequence in all of science fiction filmdom, essentially because it represented the greatest potential impression on the greatest number of people. Some might argue that “Independence Day” surpasses that level, but I rate “Earth Stood Still” much higher, because the movie aspired to so much more.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone’s stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra’s Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year’s Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone’s comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled “December” for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman’s Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone’s novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild’s award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida’s best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn’t look a day over 94.
Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .