Daily Loaf

Be sure to check CL’s Movies & Television site for reviews of this summer’s biggest movies.

There is only one genre that is able to entertain us, capture our imagination and provide a glimpse of the world after the machines take over and enslave mankind. Of course, I’m talking about Sci-Fi. The genre has many different subsections, and Wikipedia can fill you in if your curious about what constitutes “science fiction.” For my purposes, a Sci-Fi movie is one that includes some combination of time travel, space adventure, futuristic ray guns and aliens. All of the following movies have proved influential on the genre and society in general — not to mention my childhood.

So, here’s my Top 15 Sci-Fi movies of all time, starting with one honorable mention. Please let me know what you think in the comments section!

Honorable Mention: Galaxy Quest (1999)

No list of the best Sci-Fi would be complete without this comedy starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shaloub and Sam Rockwell as a Star Trek-like crew of actors who come upon some real world space drama. Galaxy Quest mocked those corny Star Trek movies and forever made laughable the plodding space drama. This is great Sci-Fi-comedy for any occasion or audience.

15) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

A movie that understood society’s fear of emerging technology and exploited it. Hal is one of the most iconic machines in film history, and possibly the first time the audience really felt something (good or bad) for a computer. 2001 has a slow, methodical pace that somehow manages to keep you on the edge of your seat, even without explosions every few seconds (take note, Michael Bay). Film fans would have to wait until 1984s Terminator for another movie that would make us truly terrified of our machines. While the ending is just plain weird, 2001 is iconic enough to make the list.

14) Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn (1982)

On of the very best Star Trek movies of the 11-movie series, Trek II has everything a Sci-Fi movie needs: space action, laser guns, plenty of drama, and a great villain in Kahn. (I bet you just yelled “Kahn!!!!!” at the top of your lungs. if not, why not?) Trek II worked as the true start for the Trek series, because most people chose to forget the nightmare that was Star Trek: The Motion Picture. You know you’re in trouble when a movie has to tell you it’s a movie right in the title.

13) Minority Report (2002)

Minority Report is a great Sci-Fi action movie with future gadgets, flying cars, fantastic guns and a good chase scene or two. Minority Report clearly deserves to be on the list for the well thought-out concepts of futuristic justice and pre-crime alone. On the down side, the movie does star Tom Cruise, but I think we can over look that for this entry.

12) Planet of the Apes (1968)

Let’s forget about the Marky-Mark remake, and concentrate on a movie that starred the immortal Charlton Heston and made, “Take your stinkin’ hands off me, you damn dirty ape!” a household expression. Planet of the Apes is a movie about a spaceman who crashes on an alien planet run by apes, only to find the Statue of Liberty at the end and realize he was actually on Earth the whole time! Hey, we’ve all seen a thousand variations on the this, but Apes did it first, and in the process became one of the most beloved movies Sci-Fi movies of all time.

11) V for Vendetta (2005)

V for Vendetta is a movie by the The Wachowski Brothers set in a futuristic London controlled by a tyrannical government. In this setting one man vows to seek vengeance, and in so doing free the people. Along the way, V would be accompanied by Eve, brilliantly played by Natalie Portman. V For Vendetta is set in the future, but it’s obviously a commentary on our own troubled times. At the time of Vendetta’s 2005 release, the country was still very much in the middle on the War on Terrorism and not ready for a movie that posed the question “what if terrorism is the only way to achieve freedom.” Hence the somewhat disappointing performance at the box office. “Remember, Remember the fifth of November…”

10) Star Trek (2009)

I can already see the comments I’m going to get calling fowl on this one due to the newness of the movie. I ask the haters: How many movies can resurrect a dead franchise and turn it from a fetish object of the truly nerdy (including yours truly) into something everyone is talking about, all without a complete reboot? Star Trek has everything a good Sci-Fi movie should have: action, drama, space battles, laser guns, a crazy monster-thing, hot alien women (the greener the better), and yes, some lens flare.

9) Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Yes, I know, this is the one with the Ewoks, but Jedi is still one of the most influential movies of the genre — and also one of the best. This movie has the space battles, Carrie Fisher in her golden bikini slave costume (still every man’s fantasy, don’t kid yourself), laser gun battles galore, and by far the coolest future weapon of all time, the Death Star. Jedi also has some great characters (Jabba, Lando, that desert mouth thing), and provides a great ending to a great trilogy. And yes, it has those cute teddy-bear lookin’ Ewoks.

Back to the Future (1985)

Few movies deal with time travel with as much style as Back to the Future, one of my favorites of all time. Back to the Future works as a hilarious comedy and features great performances by Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox, but this movie is also great at the Sci-Fi and has fun with time travel. Top it all off with a really cool car, Huey Lewis and the News and a pair of sequels. “Run for it, Marty!”

7) Alien (1979)

The perfect Sci-Fi-Horror movie, Alien has some really creepy elements, a great alien bad guy running amok on a space ship, and it has robots. What more could you ask for? H.R. Giger’s penis-head monster still gives me the creeps, but Alien it is great fun to watch. The sequels would all add their different twists to the first movie, but none of them came close to the horror and dread of this single, horrifying alien.

6) Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

This movie had to make the list. T2 has robots that look like governors, robots that look cops, robots that look weird, liquid metal. Add in some time travel elements and what more could a Sci-Fi fan ask for? The special effects are incredible and stand up well after all this time. Despite lame sequels, this movie is still considered one of the best in every category, from best villain, to best hero, to best chase scene. It also has one of the most quoted lines in cinema history. “Hasta la vista, baby.”

5) Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)

The Godfather of the modern space opera (and summer blockbuster), Star Wars ushered in a new wave of movie making and special effects and while relying on the oldest elements of storytelling. After 32 years, the space battles are still incredible, and has there ever been a better villain than Darth Vader? As a kid, everyone wanted to be Luke Skywalker, just so they could get their hands on one of those lightsabers.

4) Serenity (2005)

This movie took the Sci-Fi by the reins and never let go, but the part that made this movie stand out is the western theme added into the mix; add two parts great acting and one part fantastic writing, with a whole lot of love, you have a recipe for one of the greatest Sci-Fi movies of all time.

3) E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982)

The most heart-warming alien invasion story on the list is possibly Steven Spielberg’s best movie of all time. E.T. made me laugh, cry and cheer as the story of a boy who discovers an alien unfolded. This movie started the career of Drew Barrymore, and made me crave Reeses Pieces for years afterwards. E.T. is one of the most popular movies of all time and certainly deserves the bronze medal on this list.

2) Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The silver medal on the Sci-Fi list, this is arguably the best movie in the franchise. Empire has a great story, rich characters, and a great lightsaber duel followed by one of the greatest (and most-often misquoted) twists in cinema history. (The correct line reading is, “No, I am your father.”) This film also has something very few others have: a perfectly unsatisfying ending that closes a truly dark, and menacing movie.

Finally, the moment you have been waiting so patiently for, the number one Sci-Fi movie of all time …

1) The Matrix (1999)

My favorite movie of all time, and the perfect Sci-Fi movie. The Matrix is special due to the smarts of the writers and the philosophical elements present in the plot, hidden behind the great action and amazing special effects. Say what you want about the rest of the trilogy, but this movie is perfectly done and even makes Keanu Reeves look good. The Matrix has the aspect of being set in the future, with great futuristic weapons, hovercrafts and crazy machinery that is somehow interwoven into the here-and-now. The Matrix also has, in my opinion, one of the greatest villains in cinema history in Hugo Weaving’s Agent Smith.

So, there you have it, the best of the best in Sci-Fi. Let me know which movies you would have put on the list. And thanks for reading!

UPDATE: We’ve decided to open a couple slots for your favorite Sci-Fi films as named in the comments. Vote for up to three below. The winners will be added to our list:

---

Posted in Movies | Leave a comment