A Completely Subjective List of the Top Ten Sci-Fi Films

by Steve Rogers

Listed below are my picks for a top ten list of all-time great Science Fiction films. This list is by no means definitive; in fact it doesn't even come close. But these are the movies that I go back to time and again as the most interesting and fun to watch. In no particular order (well, almost).

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece is widely considered to be the greatest science fiction film ever made and a turning point in terms of special effects and its impact on the genre. Up until 2001 sci-fi had simply not been taken seriously. After 2001, there was no looking back.

Planet of the Apes (1968): Released right on the heels of 2001, Apes proved a sci-fi film could be entertaining and smart. With an intriguing storyline, and a new benchmark achieved in Simian makeup, Planet of the Apes was a huge hit, spawning a cottage industry of sequels, TV shows and even a cartoon. But it's the original that still counts.

War of the Worlds (1953): The original version of the H.G. Wells classic served up a colorful apocalyptic extravaganza as meek earthlings battled seemingly unstoppable Martians in fierce looking, cobra-shaped spaceships. The Oscar-winning visual effects and doomsday aura of the film combined to produce the best "earth invaders" movie yet.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977): Steven Spielberg has broached the sci-fi genre with varying degrees of success from the lame (A.I.) to the mildly interesting (Minority Report) to the highly entertaining (E.T.). But Close Encounters stands as a monumental achievement in sci-fi and one of Spielberg's most fully realized films. His subsequent re-editing of the movie has only served to enhance this wondrous vision of mankind's first encounter with alien intelligence.

Blade Runner (1982): Another sci-fi film that benefited from a director's re-editing, this time Ridley Scott. While not the most compelling film on this list in terms of narrative, Blade Runner earns its stripes with an incredibly realistic vision of a nightmarishly bleak Los Angeles in the near future. The grimy, claustrophobic visuals, enhanced by special effects that still work 25 years later, helped to establish a mood of pessimistic dread in the movie that seems even more potent today with impending environmental catastrophes.

The Thing From Another World (1951): Forget John Carpenter's 1982 remake. While that version packed a boatload of gruesome horror and suspense, Howard Hawks' original production was a model of taut, gritty storytelling in appropriately nourish black and white. And don't be fooled by the low-budget, 50s'style production values. The snowbound, artic setting provides the requisite dose of paranoia that runs throughout this classic gem right up until its inevitable climax.

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954): A somewhat kindler, gentler entry on this list, but a nonetheless riveting piece of filmmaking that hasn't aged a bit since its initial release. 20,000 Leagues mixes the mesmerizing sci-fi of the H.G. Wells classic with adventure, intrigue, fantasy and fun, enthralling its audience for the full length of this non-stop thriller. James Mason's Captain Nemo may be the most complex Disney's character ever. And the giant squid, the biggest, baddest cephalopod we've seen to date.

The Abyss (1989): My vote for the best James Cameron sci-fi flick (I just can't get past Ah-nold in T2), The Abyss relies less on visceral special effects and opts instead for a more traditional dramatic narrative, with the murky depths of the ocean as an effective backdrop for yet another tale of alien contact. The length of the film shouldn't deter viewers (and the extended director's cut is a must for this film) and there's nothing wrong with a long running time when the material warrants it. It stands as Cameron's most visually and intellectually stimulating film.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1954): Certainly the least visual effects-laden movie on this list, this early effort from director Robert Wise is as an influential chapter in sci-fi history, with its story of peaceful aliens besieged by frantic Americans after they park their spaceship on the Washington D.C. mall. The film offers a subtle social commentary on the atomic age and Red-baiting politics of the '50s. Though primitive in design, the film proved enormously influential, its philosophical leanings felt from Star Trek to Spielberg.

Fantastic Voyage (1966): 20,000 Leagues director Richard Fleischer returned to science-fiction and submarines for this wholly different kind of sci-fi adventure that introduced us to the world of inner space. The miniaturized crew of another pretty cool submarine enters the body of a critically injured scientist on a medical mission, and the result is one of the most inventive and unique sci-fi films of the '60s. Oscar-winning visual effects that don't quite hold up 40 years later still offer enough eye candy to enchant even casual viewers.