The Best Motley Crew, Rag Tag Teams In Sci-Fi Films

Many movies, particularly science fiction films have adopted the “Dirty Dozen” blueprint of taking characters from different walks of life, mashing them together, and then having them fend for their lives. One of the biggest advantages of using this set-up in a science fiction scenario is that it brings the audience (who are all, presumably, earthlings) closer to the more far-out elements, especially if the characters on screen are average, workaday oil driller or marines or androgynous radio personalities. These ragtag bands bring us closer to the emotional center of the narrative, and further away from all those expensive special effects.

“Typically it’s a well-oiled machine going in and then it’s disassembled bit by bit, whereas in this film, the machine is already in pieces, there was never a machine to start with. You have this crazy group of people who are probably quicker to kill one another than anything else,” director Nimrod Antal said about his version of this template in this week’s “Predators.” So, in honor of this week’s sci-fi film sequel (which thankfully forgets that “AVP” exists) which features its own disparate international bunch, we’ve run down some of our favorite sci-fi teams.

“Aliens” (1986)
If you want to talk ragtag teams does it get any better than the eclectic bunch featured in James Cameron’s action sequel to Ridley Scott’s horror classic that arguably trumps that motley crew bunch? “Aliens,” perhaps Cameron’s true masterpiece — none of this “Titanic,” “Avatar” nonsense — features Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley suspended in animation years after the fact joining a group of hard-assed space marines on a mission to figure out why contact has been lost with an Earth colony on a foreign planet. The marines are all forms of classic, the comedy of the yammering Pvt. Hudson (a gloriously good Bill Paxton), the awesome badass tagteam duo of Pvt. Vasquez and Pvt. Drake (Jenette Goldstein and Mark Rolston), plus the handsome hero in Michael Biehn,the weasel company man in Paul Reiser and the inexperienced leader out of his element William Hope (Lt. Gorman). Oh and let’s not forget the thunderous-voiced Sgt. Apone (Al Matthews) and the ship’s synthetic android Bishop (Lance Henriksen). While the action, tension and intensity in “Aliens” is top-fucking-notch, it’s the dynamic and interactions of all the characters (let’s also give love to little newt), that is the reason we keep coming back to this film and the reason why we care. Daresay, we think this picture might be the new standard for the “Dirty Dozen” template, at least where the sci-fi genre is concerned.

“Predator” (1987)
As years go by, the few films of the ’80s that featured the tightest, most precision-accurate action sequences have risen to the top, so while only irony-seekers recall “Commando,” those who understand the value of a concise, clear-eyed action narrative will always be steered to director John McTiernan’s horror-action blockbuster. There’s a creature out there hunting for sport, and he couldn’t have picked a more worthy opponent than these guys. While “Predators” features an unusual blend of wayward toughs and character actors, the ’80s original featured wall-to-wall brute force, with some of the era’s brawniest pugilists (Ahnold, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, Bill Duke) taking on “one ugly motherfucker” while trading quips like, “I ain’t got time to bleed” and “If it bleeds, we can kill it.” Necessary viewing for anyone who’s ever regretted not growing chest hair.

“Starship Troopers” (1997)
Sure it’s Paul Verhoeven’s skill with kinetic action sequences and pitch black satire that powers the motor that is the eternally underestimated “Starship Troopers.” But we’d be failures if we didn’t acknowledge Rico’s Roughnecks, the colorful clan of Aryan soldiers from Buenos Aires, all bristling muscles and sexualized curves. Leader Johnny (Casper Van Dien) is the ideal frontman, all unironic speeches and voice-cracking pre-pubesence. But can he decide between pilot pinup Carmen (blow-up doll Denise Richards) or cagey, androgynous infantry member Dizzy (Dina Meyers)? Whatever the case, they’ve got some tidy assistance from goose-stepping telepath Carl (Neil Patrick Harris) and toothy wiseass Ace (Jake Busey), and together, they’ll keep fighting, and they’ll win! They’re doing their part! Are you?

Sunshine (2007)
Danny Boyle’s “Sunshine” is two thirds of the best sci-fi film of the decade. Its spellbinding first two acts (where light, and not darkness, is the threat) are sadly undermined by a disappointing third – the screenplay’s faith in the enigmatic Kubrick-ian/Tarkovsky-esque mood of the film falters near the end – but the cast, playing the spaceship’s personally mismatched but professionally organized crew, are uniformly excellent. Chris Evans is the standout surprise; Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Benedict Wong and Michelle Yeoh are more predictably great, with the women, especially, making the most of rather underwritten roles. Ensemble stories can go one of two ways: either adversity makes them close ranks and become a stronger ‘family unit’, or it stresses interpersonal fractures until the group dynamic shatters. Sunshine follows the latter path and as the once-harmonious crew dissolves into a bunch of individuals with disparate motivations, the wonder is that the dire straits they’re in are all of their own doing yet none of them has ever been morally wrong, or bad, or monstrous. It’s a fascinating and moving conundrum, until the monster arrives and the whole thing goes tits up. Shame.

“The Fifth Element”
Luc Besson’s gaudy, Eurotrash version of “Star Wars” might feature the most disparate elements of sci-fi-team-ery (this equation would probably make Michael Crichton, conserative king of the literary rag tag team, faint): Bruce Willis is a former military man-cum-taxi driver; Milla Jovovich is some kind of bizarro sexy alien clone; Ian Holm is a monk; and a pre-“Rush Hour” Chris Tucker is an androgynous radio personality (good to know radio is still big in the distant future). This sounds like an absolute fucking disaster, especially when you consider they’re up against a planet-sized ball of evil and Gary Oldman playing a character named Jean-Baptiste Emmauel Zorg, but in Besson’s capable hands, it turns into a whole lot of fun. It may not have the mythic weight of “Star Wars” or “The Matrix,” but the way that our team members interact, with each one representing an emotional or societal extreme to such a degree that they don’t just clash, they supernova. And man is it a joy to watch.

“The Matrix” (1999)
Even in a post-Avatar age of cinema, “The Matrix” still looks pretty damn good. It was revolutionary at the time and inspired a dearth of inferior rip-offs (and we’re including both sequels here) for years to come. Do you remember the first time you saw Trinity pause in mid-air as we first experienced ‘bullet time’ – it was jaw-dropping. And surely no one’s jaw dropped lower than George Lucas’ as he saw this phantom menace steal the summer of ‘99 from under his nose. Not only did the Wachowski brothers’ film look good, it felt good. It was exhilarating, like all the best science fiction it was thought-provoking, but above all you cared because you believed in a group of misfits aboard the Nebuchadnezzar. Trinity was a kick-ass femme in the Ellen Ripley mold, Morpheus a formidable yet fallible leader, Cypher the slimy Judas. Even the smaller characters of Switch, Mouse, Tank and Dozer all made a lasting impression. And Neo, well he wasn’t Johnny Mnemonic, not by a long way, and that was good enough.

“Time Bandits” (1981)
Sending an 11 year-old boy on a voyage through time alongside six dwarves — bumping into Napoleon, Robin Hood, and boarding the Titanic along the way — Terry Gilliam achieved a rare thing…box office success. It’s something the director often deserves, but rarely achieves, but it’s not surprising that “Time Bandits” was one of the select few to gain the critical and commercial success. It’s an excellent adventure, similar to (and likely and inspiration for) that of Bill and Ted, permeated with the levels of excitement and adventure you’d associate with “The Goonies.” Add to that Gilliam’s potent Python humor and you’ve got a classic sci-fi romp that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. If it needed any more glowing endorsement, consider this: without Time Bandits, there would be no “Brazil.” I rest my case.

“Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” (1980)
One of the chief things missing from the newer, awfuler “Star Wars” movies was an interesting group dynamic, chiefly the archetypal “charming rogue” figure that featured so prominently in the original films thanks to Harrison Ford’s rakish take on space smuggler Han Solo. “The Empire Strikes Back” saw the original group splintered, thanks to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) sharing some QT with Yoda in the swampy Dagobah system, but the “rogue” factor was upped thanks to the addition of Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams). Finally, the “Star Wars” universe had some soul, and Williams’ smarmy Cloud City bureaucrat was a perfect foil for Ford’s more genuine pirate. When the original group is reunited at the end of the movie, it’s a moment of triumph in a film largely defined by tragedy, pain and heartache; it makes the moment that much more powerful.

“Serenity” (2005)
Joss Whedon took literally the words ‘space western’ — often applied to “Star Wars” — combining sci-fi staples (spaceships, aliens, outer worlds) with the western (folksy speech rhythms, six-shooters, leather britches) to create his much-beloved but short-lived series “Firefly,” and its eventual movie, “Serenity.” Han Solo homage Mal Reynolds (a career-defining Nathan Fillion) and his crew, a random collection of outlaws, ex-soldiers, government-sought psychics etc, bounce around the ‘verse in their spaceship jalopy trying to stay ahead of the sinister Alliance, but the real joy here is the group interaction: seldom has the alchemy of casting and writing worked to create a more satisfying set of characters. To be reductive about it, each one of them gets a character-based joke or ten, and at least one moment of heroism, but the film is not just an excuse to get the band back together. Whedon’s screenwriting chops show most clearly in the bravura opening: in 5 minutes of screen time you’ve painlessly absorbed more information than most films give you in an hour, and his understanding of ‘stakes’ is such that he has no qualms about killing off two of his main characters, as it serves the plot. Is it any wonder that fans (and certain members of the cast) just can’t seem to let it go?

“Armageddon” (1998)
This might be the most blatant use of the “Dirty Dozen” formula yet, with a rough-around-the-edges crew of oil drillers (among them Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Owen Wilson, and Steve Buscemi) teaming up with a group of straight-arrow astronauts (led by William Fichtner) and one very loopy cosmonaut (Peter Stormare) to blow up an asteroid before it crashes into our beloved planet Earth. While you would think that the eclectic cast would offer some nice variety or texture to “Armageddon,” what it does, instead, is offer director Michael Bay the chance to make the movie even more of a soda commercial montage than it already is. Still, it’s hard not to have this many affable actors, most of them clearly having a great time, and not get roped into the rah-rah for-god-and-planet emotion of it all.

“Krull” (1983)
Keep in mind that no adult in 2010 who hasn’t seen this picture need go back to it and attempt to watch it now. However if you’re a child of the late ’70s and early ’80s, this “Lord Of The Rings” meets sci-fi adventure fantasy picture probably holds a lot of nostalgic weight that trumps quality. Directed by Peter Yates (Yes, the same Peter Yates who helmed, “Bullitt,” “The Hot Rock” and the couldn’t-be-more-polar opposite, “The Friends of Eddie Coyle,” which is now Criterion-endorsed), this unintentionally campy heroic fantasy picture features early appearances by Liam Neeson and Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane. Its disparate band of merry men also features a princess (Lysette Anthony), a hero prince with a cool boomerang-y thingy (Kenneth Marshall), a friendly gigantic cyclops (Bernard Bresslaw), a pitifully and cowardly shapeshifting magician (David Battley) and a ruthless gang of escaped convicts who turn out to have hearts of golds (their leader is the great character actor Alun Armstrong) among others. The plot is pretty much a typical Dungeons and Dragons meets the future melange of dethroning evil dudes with tons of blueprint mumbo jumbo, magic, lasers, spider queens, etc. (enter the Black Fortress! defeat the Slayers!, vanquish The Beast! rescue Lyssa! and save their world!), but it’s a fun mob of freaks and an entertaining bad B-Movie. Hell, even the developers of “World of Warcraft” tipped their cap to it by adding one character to it, so maybe it’s not all bad.

“Galaxy Quest” (1999)
One of the many things makers of by-the-numbers ‘spoofs’ don’t get is that the only way to successfully spoof something is to love it, the way “This Is Spinal Tap” loves heavy metal, or “Airplane” loves disaster movies. “Galaxy Quest,” a very funny film that hits all the obvious “Star Trek” soft targets, does it with a heart that’s softer still, showing an absolute lack of contempt for the series and the obsessive fandom it inspires. The high concept (aliens-in-trouble see “Star Trek”-esque show, believe it is real and come to the actors for help) belies the film’s warmth, as the actors, riven with personal jealousies, gradually learn how to actually behave like the team they’ve pretended to be for years. The film features pitch-perfect turns by Sigourney Weaver, Tony Shaloub, Alan Rickman, Sam Rockwell, Darryl Mitchell, Justin Long and even Tim Allen (an actor who, apart from his Pixar voice work, sports a movie back catalog better off burned) and the sweetest-natured aliens (in Enrico Colantoni, Missi Pyle, Patrick Rees and Rainn Wilson among others) since ET. Even “Star Trek”s original actors are on record as loving the film (though Shatner amusingly claims he has no idea who Tim Allen’s performance is referencing): you can’t get much higher praise than that.

“Space Truckers” (1996)
We would call Stuart Gordon’s “Space Truckers” underrated, but that would give the impression that it was rated at all (there are only ten reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, all of them negative). Still, for a movie about rough-and-tumble guys in space (the titular space truckers) battling a bunch of evil robots that they’re transporting, it could have been a lot worse. When people were writing their obits for Dennis Hopper, nobody dared mention “Space Truckers,” even though he does a serviceable job alongside Stephen Dorff, Debi Mazar and an impressively overwhelming day glo production design. Will you remember it the morning after you watch it? Probably not. But there’s something oddly endearing about the production, which is just as ragtag as the crew therein.

“Spaceballs” (1987)
In this cult classic, Mel Brooks takes on the entire “Star Wars” trilogy (and occasionally, “Star Trek”) with his usual irreverence, taking a leaf out of George Lucas’ originals to create a team of absurd parodies. Vespa (Daphne Zuniga), the Druish princess, acts the part of damsel in distress, while Lone Starr (Bill Pullman), a Luke Skywalker/Han Solo mash-up, is the (somewhat) valiant space cowboy pilot of a Winnebago motor home with wings. Aided by his fuzzy sidekick Barf (a half-man, half-dog mog played to perfection by John Candy) and Yogurt (Brooks), his mentor in the ways of the Scwartz, Lone Starr defeats the evil Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis), saves the day and gets the girl. The plot is pretty straightforward, and some scenes get ripped straight out of ‘Star Wars,’ but by taking those films’ already motley group and pushing each stereotype a step further, “Spaceballs” makes a hilarious parody enjoyable by any Force geek.

Honorable Mention/Films We Were Too Lazy To Write Up In Full:
Joe Dante’s “Explorers,” (kid ragtag), “The Abyss,” “Alien” (we covered the sequel, what do you want?), and “Fantastic Voyage.” Surely there’s many, many more and that’s why we’ve got a comments section for you to gripe in. 🙂 — Drew Taylor, Jessica Kiang, Gabe Toro, Joe Cunningham, Jacob Combs, RP