The Greatest Science Fiction Films of All Time
by cinemabon | created - 06 Jun 2014 | updated - 12 Oct 2015 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
G | 149 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
After uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter
Votes: 718,650 | Gross: $56.95M
Stanley Kubrick laid the groundwork for the first truly real space experience. For over four decades, it stood alone as the most realistic depiction of a possible space future for mankind... and he did it without computer graphics.
2. Silent Running (1972)
G | 89 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
In a future where all flora is extinct on Earth, an astronaut is given orders to destroy the last of Earth's botany, kept in a greenhouse aboard a spacecraft.
Director: Douglas Trumbull | Stars: Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin, Jesse Vint
Votes: 31,430 | Gross: $0.69M
Four years after he helped to create "2001" special effects artist Douglas Trumbull brought a frightening vision of an ecological future gone mad with the last few plants left from planet Earth sent away on drifting domes.
3. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
PG | 138 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
Roy Neary, an Indiana electric lineman, finds his quiet and ordinary daily life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO, spurring him to an obsessed cross-country quest for answers as a momentous event approaches.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon
Votes: 216,634 | Gross: $132.09M
Leave it to Steven Spielberg to bring us the first benevolent aliens. Prior to CE3K, aliens came to Earth and wanted to eat us for dinner. Spielberg's aliens only wanted to sing to us. John Williams' score is perhaps the greatest of his career, but not as good as the other sci-fi film he scored earlier that year.
4. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
PG | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.
Director: George Lucas | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness
Votes: 1,448,174 | Gross: $322.74M
Fascinated by the Flash Gordon serials, George Lucas wanted to bring back that sense of adventure to a shoot 'em up starship adventure. His film with special effects by wizard John Dykstra so impressed audiences they returned for repeated viewings all summer long. John Williams score caps off Sci-Fi's greatest film epic ever made and gave birth to several supporting companies all owned by mastermind Lucas.
5. Alien (1979)
R | 117 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright
Votes: 949,170 | Gross: $78.90M
In space no one can hear you scream, but in the summer of 1979, plenty of people screamed at the premiere of Ridley Scott's triumphant horror film in space. All thrills aside, Scott built an amazing world of dark dank steamy places and a gritty working world far from the whimsy of Close Encounters.
6. Blade Runner (1982)
R | 117 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos
Votes: 822,236 | Gross: $32.87M
Building on his triumph with "Alien," Scott turned to a darker version of the future, where the population is subdued on drugs and only the wealthy or the police can fly around in expensive flying cars and live in giant pyramids. All work (and pleasure) is provided by genetically grown slaves. But when the slaves rebel, they are hunted down and killed by the Blade Runner.
7. E.T. (1982)
PG | 115 min | Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi
A troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home planet.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote, Dee Wallace
Votes: 437,096 | Gross: $435.11M
Five years after his triumph with "Close Encounters" Spielberg continues to insist aliens are benevolent creatures when a kind levitating alien named ET shows up in suburbia and burbs his way into our hearts. This romp in fantasyland might escape a serious Sci-fi fan if not for the outstanding score of John Williams. The last fifteen minutes of the film are a triumph of how important music can be in making a mountain out of a mole hill.
8. The Thing (1982)
R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David, Richard Masur
Votes: 465,931 | Gross: $13.78M
Very seldom do remakes surpass the original. John Carpenter's "The Thing (from another world)" carries the idea with it that if aliens were to land, they might be more opportunistic than we might believe. Carpenter's claustrophobic world inside an Arctic research station is reminiscent of "Alien" with a more immediate effect - who do you trust when the alien can take any form?
9. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
PG | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
With the assistance of the Enterprise crew, Admiral Kirk must stop an old nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, from using the life-generating Genesis Device as the ultimate weapon.
Director: Nicholas Meyer | Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan
Votes: 129,128 | Gross: $78.91M
While the second film in the Star Trek series, this movie with Nicholas Meyer at the helm, puts the complacent series on edge. Villain Khan - so effectively portrayed by Ricardo Montalban (steals the show) - gives this film a perfect balance to goody two shoes Kirk with his perfectly coiffed hairdo. Khan is full of life and out for revenge. Score by James Horner is also a star of this show. KHAN!
10. Avatar (2009)
PG-13 | 162 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez
Votes: 1,385,414 | Gross: $760.51M
What James Cameron did for a sinking ship, he does for science fiction - creates a world so realistic, we all believe "Avatar" exists. One of the first movies to capitalize on both IMAX format and 3D for a major studio release, the movie is a tour de force of imagination brought to the big screen in an effective way.
11. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
G | 92 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
An alien lands in Washington, D.C. and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe
Votes: 85,696
Before he made "The Sound of Music" director Robert Wise made the grand-daddy sci-fi film of all time. Few of us can forget that all we have to do is say, "Gort, Klaatu barada nikto" and we'll be saved. Michael Rennie is the gentleman alien who makes it sound as if he's from Jupiter rather than further away. Score by Bernard Herrmann with that scary sounding theremin.
12. The Terminator (1984)
R | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A human soldier is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine, sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman whose unborn son is the key to humanity's future salvation.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Paul Winfield
Votes: 923,134 | Gross: $38.40M
Before "Avatar" James Cameron gave us Arnie appearing from our apocalyptic future - where robots fight humans for dominance. The phrase - "I'll be back" became part of our lexicon. No robot was ever as bad. Linda Hamilton wins over Cameron with this movie and looses him during its sequel. Go figure.
13. Escape from New York (1981)
R | 99 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In 1997, when the U.S. president crashes into Manhattan, now a giant maximum security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in to rescue him.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence
Votes: 157,259 | Gross: $25.24M
By the year 2000, New York is a prison. They've erected a wall around Manhattan. Hey, future predictors have been wrong before. John Carpenter's cast is stellar and the writing superb but the prediction now seems silly. The film has great performances and a few surprises and gave birth to serious roles for Disney star Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken.
14. Planet of the Apes (1968)
G | 112 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
An astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet where highly intelligent non-human ape species are dominant and humans are enslaved.
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner | Stars: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans
Votes: 192,841 | Gross: $33.40M
Sometimes the first of a series can be the best. So is the case with this unusual film that at the time would have been brilliant had "2001" not come out the same year. The monkey make up in comparison seemed silly. Still, director Frank Schaffner uses A-list actors to add credence to this movie with its surprise ending.
15. The War of the Worlds (1953)
G | 85 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A small town in California is attacked by Martians, beginning a worldwide invasion.
Director: Byron Haskin | Stars: Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne, Robert Cornthwaite
Votes: 38,494 | Gross: $4.36M
They didn't want to eat us, they only wanted to kill us for our water. However, 1890's author H.G. Wells didn't realize that it would have been less costly to harvest comets and transform Mars back into a paradise than take over a hostile world. Oh, well - live and learn... except they all died. Silly acting but incredible special effects for a 1950's movie.
16. Men in Black (1997)
PG-13 | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
James, an NYC cop, is hired by Agent K of a secret government agency that monitors extraterrestrial life on Earth. Together, they must recover an item that has been stolen by an intergalactic villain.
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio
Votes: 612,268 | Gross: $250.69M
Take science fiction and add humor delivered by one of the top comedic actors balanced by a serious thespian and you have the ingredients for a major film event. MIB is full of puns, quips, fast one liners and some dazzling special effects to make our top list, easy.
17. Contact (1997)
PG | 150 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Dr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt
Votes: 292,842 | Gross: $100.92M
Release the same year as MIB, "Contact" is a more serious approach to the question, "Are we alone?" Carl Sagan's book is a brilliant balance of religion versus science. The novel is vastly superior but when you have a genius like Robert Zemekis at the helm and a star like Jodi Foster, its really all you need for success. One of the finest "pull outs" ever filmed.
18. The Time Machine (1960)
G | 103 min | Adventure, Romance, Sci-Fi
A man's vision for a utopian society is disillusioned when travelling forward into time reveals a dark and dangerous society.
Director: George Pal | Stars: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux, Sebastian Cabot
Votes: 44,797
Director George Pal, whose "Destination Moon" did not make the list, has given us the greatest time travel movie of all time. Not only is Rod Taylor believable as the frustrated man transported from the 1890's, the score by Russell Garcia is empathetic and beautiful in its simplicity. Great acting and that wonderful Victorian chair!
19. Enemy Mine (1985)
PG-13 | 108 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During a long space war, the lives of two wounded enemies become dependent on their ability to forgive and to trust.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Dennis Quaid, Louis Gossett Jr., Brion James, Richard Marcus
Votes: 51,385 | Gross: $4.27M
A white astronaut and a black alien cross the racial barriers at a time in our world when races were at odds with one another. Louis Gossett, Jr. is outstanding under tons of make up while Quaid can only ever play himself. The score by Maurice Jarre is - next to John Williams - the finest ever composed for a sci-fi movie. The closing credits are a crashing crescendo of complex chords.
20. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
R | 136 min | Crime, Sci-Fi
In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates, Warren Clarke
Votes: 880,504 | Gross: $6.21M
Several directors have made our list twice and Kubrick is not exception. I would have placed this violent vision of the future higher except that star Malcolm McDowell works on the nerve to the point of endurance. Perhaps that is what Kubrick wanted. His use of classical music matches his editing to an artform
21. The Matrix (1999)
R | 136 min | Action, Sci-Fi
When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.
Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
Votes: 2,050,179 | Gross: $171.48M
The first movie amazed me and I thought, "Wow! This is so cool." But like all successful movies, the sequels are massive let downs. Matrix is no exception. Neo as "the one" has far too many religious overtones to suit my pure sci-fi blood. But the original is fun, watching Neo learn and grow. His triumphant finish is the stuff of legend. Simple but effective SPFX. Score unimaginative.
22. Minority Report (2002)
PG-13 | 145 min | Action, Crime, Mystery
John works with the PreCrime police which stop crimes before they take place, with the help of three 'PreCogs' who can foresee crimes. Events ensue when John finds himself framed for a future murder.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max von Sydow
Votes: 583,804 | Gross: $132.07M
Spielberg and John Williams give Tom Cruise the tools he needs to be the supercop in this futuristic tale of "psychic prediction." The action is fast paced and Cruise gives one of the best performances of his career. But, because he is not well liked in most critic circles, he is seldom given proper level of credit for his work on film projects. I admire all three and wish they'd do another. Unfortunately, Williams has retired.
23. Forbidden Planet (1956)
G | 98 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
A starship crew in the 23rd century goes to investigate the silence of a distant planet's colony, only to find just two survivors, a powerful robot, and the deadly secret of a lost civilization.
Director: Fred M. Wilcox | Stars: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens
Votes: 53,130 | Gross: $3.00M
In so many ways, this movie was the standard in science fiction for over a decade until Kubrick shattered that notion. With special effects by Disney Studios and great acting by Walter Pigeon and future comic actor Leslie Nielsen, FP is a great mix of 1950's camp, corn, and flying saucers.
24. Gravity (2013)
PG-13 | 91 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Dr Ryan Stone, an engineer on her first time on a space mission, and Matt Kowalski, an astronaut on his final expedition, have to survive in space after they are hit by debris while spacewalking.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris, Orto Ignatiussen
Votes: 862,696 | Gross: $274.09M
Nearly five decades after "2001" realism returns to outer space adventure - on the big screen, in IMAX format and in 3D. Director Alfonso Cuaron spent a year with actress Sandra Bullock, throwing her around rooms on wires until they created a world as realistic as Kubrick's. While the score is complete nonsense and distracting, the film is a masterpiece of marrying special effects, story, and great acting with a super supporting cast of George Clooney.
25. Brainstorm (1983)
PG | 106 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller
Researchers develop a system where they can jump into people's minds. But when people involved bring their personal problems into the equation, it becomes dangerous - perhaps deadly.
Director: Douglas Trumbull | Stars: Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood, Louise Fletcher, Cliff Robertson
Votes: 13,100 | Gross: $8.90M
Not all science fiction needs to be in space ships. Some of the best stories are about what could be when science marries fiction. The original concept of "Brainstorm" could have been a comeback film for two people - director Douglas Trumbull and actress Natalie Wood. Unfortunately, Wood died in an accident and MGM along, with Wood's estate, tied up the film for two years. The result destroyed Trumbull's interest in film, the project never finished being presented in Showscan and Wood's triumphant return became her epitaph. Still, the idea is so brilliant and unique that it deserves mention.
26. The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
R | 100 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A computer scientist running a virtual reality simulation of 1937 becomes the primary suspect when his colleague and mentor is murdered.
Director: Josef Rusnak | Stars: Craig Bierko, Gretchen Mol, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Vincent D'Onofrio
Votes: 77,209 | Gross: $15.50M
This film is seldom mentioned in sci-fi circles, however its originality appealed to me and it still holds up to a certain degree. Living in a virtual world and then having that world emerge into the real one is not unique. But then having a world within a world within a world is unique and this film has many surprises. No stars. No great score. Just a great plot and some very good execution of story.
27. The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
R | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
The wanted criminal Richard Bruno Riddick arrives on a planet called Helion Prime and finds himself up against an invading empire called the Necromongers, an army that plans to convert or kill all humans in the universe.
Director: David Twohy | Stars: Vin Diesel, Judi Dench, Colm Feore, Thandiwe Newton
Votes: 241,612 | Gross: $57.76M
Even with Vin Diesel dominating nearly every shot, the strong supporting cast (Judi Dench and others) along with blended special effects and a decent story make this film a memorable that bears up on repeated viewings.
28. Total Recall (1990)
R | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
When a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or is he?
Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Rachel Ticotin
Votes: 354,091 | Gross: $119.39M
Normally, I am opposed to violence and you won't see films like Predator here as they are less science fiction and more slaughter movies. However, most of this film takes place on Mars and while the violence is rampant, the story is also significant. So it deserves a view by sci fi fans with this warning that about a million guns blow about a million heads off... with lots of special effects.
29. The Dead Zone (1983)
R | 103 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
A man awakens from a coma to discover he has a psychic ability to foresee future events.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom
Votes: 77,221 | Gross: $20.77M
Christopher Walken does an incredible job with a great supporting cast - Tom Skerritt, Martin Sheen, Herbert Lom and Brooke Adams lend credibility along with Michael Kamen's mesmerizing score. One of Cronenberg's best.
30. The Illustrated Man (1969)
PG | 103 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
In 1930s, a psychotic drifter who's after the mystery woman who covered his whole body in illustrations that foresee distant future shows three of them (The Veldt, The Long Rain and The Last Night of the World) to a mesmerized traveler.
Director: Jack Smight | Stars: Rod Steiger, Claire Bloom, Robert Drivas, Don Dubbins
Votes: 3,459
Honorable Mention - Storyteller Ray Bradbury mastered the art of Sci-fi short story between 1950's and 1970's. Unfortunately, none of his great novel collections has ever been made into a good movie. This is about as close as anyone ever came.
31. Slaughterhouse-Five (1972)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
Billy Pilgrim has mysteriously become unstuck in time. He goes on an uncontrollable trip back and forth from his birth in New York to life on a distant planet and back again to the horrors of the 1945 fire-bombing of Dresden.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman, Eugene Roche, Sharon Gans
Votes: 13,894 | Gross: $0.57M
Honorable Mention - Kurt Vonnegut wrote two great science novels - this film's title and Ice Nine. As with Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov, two of the writers from the golden age of sci-fi, no one has made a proper film of his work. This movie tries to present the complex story of a man "unstuck" in time.
32. Ender's Game (2013)
PG-13 | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Young Ender Wiggin is recruited by the International Military to lead the fight against the Formics, an insectoid alien race who had previously tried to invade Earth and had inflicted heavy losses on humankind.
Director: Gavin Hood | Stars: Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin
Votes: 253,744 | Gross: $61.74M
Honorable Mention - Whether you agree with Card's personal views, any writer or fan of Sci-fi must agree that this story is one of Sci-Fi's best ever written and a great achievement for Card. The film is a poor adaptation but worth seeing.
33. Dune (1984)
PG-13 | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A Duke's son leads desert warriors against the galactic emperor and his father's evil nemesis to free their desert world from the emperor's rule.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, Francesca Annis, Leonardo Cimino
Votes: 178,803 | Gross: $30.93M
Honorable Mention - Frank Herbert's epic story of Paul Atreides turned Messiah is perhaps the greatest science fiction novel ever written. Unfortunately, the film came to the screen too soon and in the hands of a filmmaker out of his league. The movie has its moments and the score is not bad either. This is one of those opportunities missed.
34. I, Robot (2004)
PG-13 | 115 min | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
In 2035, a technophobic cop investigates a crime that may have been perpetrated by a robot, which leads to a larger threat to humanity.
Director: Alex Proyas | Stars: Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, Alan Tudyk
Votes: 574,743 | Gross: $144.80M
Honorable Mention - Isaac Asimov wrote a plethora of Science Fiction stories between the 1950's and the 1970's with the Foundation series being some of the finest sci-fi stories ever created. "I, Robot" is a collection of short stories that present the Three Laws of Robotics and cast the robot in different lights from benevolent to savage. The film bears little resemblance to his work but is an interesting puzzle in its own way.
35. 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)
PG | 116 min | Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A joint USA-Soviet expedition is sent to Jupiter to learn exactly what happened to the "Discovery" and its H.A.L. 9000 computer.
Director: Peter Hyams | Stars: Roy Scheider, John Lithgow, Helen Mirren, Bob Balaban
Votes: 57,109 | Gross: $40.20M
Honorable Mention - After the success of the initial film, Arthur C. Clark returned to writing. He had already produced "Rendezvous with Rama" and other great sci-fi works. Taking the "2001" story to the next step, Clarke fashioned a continuation of the story with two additional novels that bear no resemblance to this film. The movie is so-so with some interesting moments and members of the original cast.
36. Starship Troopers (1997)
R | 129 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Humans, in a fascist militaristic future, wage war with giant alien bugs.
Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Jake Busey
Votes: 320,741 | Gross: $54.81M
Honorable Mention - My favorite Robert Heinlein novel will always be "Stranger in a strange land." However, he wrote this smaller novel about a militaristic society that mocked fascism. The film is very different but watchable as a violent sci-fi movie (on par with Total Recall).
37. Inception (2010)
PG-13 | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Ken Watanabe
Votes: 2,547,331 | Gross: $292.58M
Honorable Mention - Many critics and filmgoers loved the story within a story within a story premise of mind benders going into minds to solve problems. The story is confusing and the acting only so-so, but the effects are unusual enough to bear seeing at least once.
38. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
PG | 106 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
After New York City receives a series of attacks from giant flying robots, a reporter teams up with a pilot in search of their origin, as well as the reason for the disappearances of famous scientists around the world.
Director: Kerry Conran | Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi
Votes: 87,418 | Gross: $37.76M
Honorable Mention - Basically shot in front of green screens, this entire movie is dedicated to fantasy science fiction and would have been a great idea if carried out to its full conclusion. Probably budget and time prevented that. An entire movie of special effects can't be all bad with actors in front of a million green screens.
39. Limitless (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 105 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller
A mysterious pill that enables the user to access 100% of his brain's abilities transforms a struggling writer into a financial wizard, but it also puts him in a new world with many dangers.
Director: Neil Burger | Stars: Bradley Cooper, Anna Friel, Abbie Cornish, Robert De Niro
Votes: 611,831 | Gross: $79.25M
Honorable Mention - Neil Burger's movie of a drug that makes you smarter is not new to sci-fi stories and has been written about extensively. However, Burger's use of "travel camera" to demonstrate the drug's effects is very extraordinary. Bradley Cooper does an outstanding job of making the transition seem believable. Worth at least one or two viewings.
40. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
PG-13 | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A soldier fighting aliens gets to relive the same day over and over again, the day restarting every time he dies.
Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson
Votes: 735,836 | Gross: $100.21M
This film has a similar premise to "Groundhog Day" in that it repeats the same day over and over for Cruise. However, filmmaker Doug Linman adds the hint of how to end the cycle (Groundhog had no such certainty). Cruise is both vulnerable and ends strong in his search to end a powerful alien blight on the land. Just a great supporting cast and fun to watch. One of my guilty pleasures for repeated views.
41. Prometheus (I) (2012)
R | 124 min | Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Following clues to the origin of mankind, a team finds a structure on a distant moon, but they soon realize they are not alone.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron
Votes: 643,625 | Gross: $126.48M
You either hated it or loved it - few fall in-between this retro look at the "Alien" films by director Ridley Scott. With strong similarities to the first film in the series, "Prometheus" gives a tantalizing look at where the human race may have originated. I loved the movie. Many took exception to Scott's rather pedantic ending.
42. Elysium (I) (2013)
R | 109 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
In the year 2154, the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth. A man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds.
Director: Neill Blomkamp | Stars: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga
Votes: 470,749 | Gross: $93.05M
Honorable Mention - This is another missed opportunity for a filmmaker to create an incredible story about a space station and then have things happen in its environment. Instead, we have a story about an Earth ghetto that just happens to have a story about a space station in it. Either way, the sci-fi plays second fiddle to a confusing story. The special effects give this film its only moments.
43. 2012 (I) (2009)
PG-13 | 158 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A frustrated writer struggles to keep his family alive when a series of global catastrophes threatens to annihilate mankind.
Director: Roland Emmerich | Stars: John Cusack, Thandiwe Newton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet
Votes: 397,481 | Gross: $166.11M
Honorable Mention - One of the most expensive sci-fi movies ever made, based on the Aztec calendar that predicted the world would come to an end in 2012. That played into people's fears and they flocked to see a huge flop but with incredible special effects shots. The premise is silly but the cities crumbling are very cool - no giant robots!
44. Tales from Earthsea (2006)
PG-13 | 115 min | Animation, Adventure, Fantasy
In a mythical land, a man and a young boy investigate a series of unusual occurrences.
Director: Gorô Miyazaki | Stars: Timothy Dalton, Willem Dafoe, Mariska Hargitay, Jun'ichi Okada
Votes: 44,117 | Gross: $0.05M
Honorable Mention - In my mind, Ursula K. Le Guin is the greatest science fiction writer of all. Her two novels, "The Dispossessed" and "The Left Hand of Darkness" are outstanding fiction. This movie represents the only decent adaptation of her work by Japanese filmmaker, Goro Miyazaki, son of Academy Award winner Hayao Miyazaki.
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