25. RoboCop
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Original Release — July 17, 1987
Oddly enough, science fiction is rarely about the marvels of technology the screen presents — for all its shiny aesthetics, it typically attempts to tell a very human story and contemporary rather than futuristic story. Through title alone, RoboCop may strike its viewers as a piece of action pulp rife with techno-thriller tropes. Though its action is plentiful, the story reveals a deconstruction of American capitalistic greed and the overly corporate ads we all buy into.
When officer Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) is killed and rebuilt as the cyborg enforcer, he becomes torn between two identities. Murphy’s memories begin to invade RoboCop’s operating system, giving a whole new meaning to the classic sci-fi theme of man vs. machine. His plight is largely ignored when it is revealed he is merely a piece of advertising for a large corporation to encourage the construction of more fully automated protectors — giving RoboCop/Murphy’s quest to reclaim their humanity all the more tragic.
24. The Abyss
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Original Release — August 9, 1989
Plenty of sci-fi contends with our journeys among the stars and the wonders and horrors that lurk out in the murky distance — but in the field of science and our knowledge, we know more about the surface of our moon than our own ocean floor. James Cameron uses the anxiety of ignorance to full effect when a crew of deep-sea drillers encounters the bioluminescent wonders of alien life. But for every film that features hostile alien invaders, there is one like The Abyss — it is typically our own human follies that are truly dangerous.
The isolation and paranoia of becoming stuck underwater after a storm leaves the crew stranded and attempting to work with the NAVY Seals that used their rig as a base. As the oxygen continues to run out, tensions run high — and mysterious yet beautiful lights continue to surround them. Despite featuring incredible underwater sequences with nail-biting tension, it’s refreshing to see a storyteller as conflict-driven as Cameron give his underwater aliens an almost angelic treatment.
23. Inception
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Original Release — July 16, 2010
For director Christopher Nolan the only way to follow up the near-universally celebrated The Dark Knight was to deliver a bold vision of a near-future where dreams and reality have become erratically intertwined. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) leads a team of international thieves tasked with planting an idea rather than stealing one.
Too often, filmmakers are given the gift of a great idea, but the curse of not knowing how to explain it. Nolan and his screenwriting partner/brother Jonathan take careful measures to make sure the act of inception is never too lofty or impersonal to be misunderstood — you never want your sci-fi premise to become bogged down in its own weight.
As Cobb’s team delves deeper into more chaotic levels of dreams, the rules of physics and time warp, just as they do in our own subconscious sleep state. The attention to detail in the screenplay lets Christopher Nolan shoot with his trademark eye for grand-scale cinema — the stunts and camera work make us feel like we are floating — simultaneously — in someone’s dream and nightmare. With an ending still up for debate, we should be fortunate to get films that still encourage us to discuss and communicate.
22. The Day the Earth Stood Still
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Original Release — December 25, 1951
The films of the ’50s and ’60s were rife with aliens descending from the stars above to conquer and enslave us — so what would happen if an alien came to Earth to instead educate us? Klaatu (Michael Rennie) is a peaceful emissary from the stars, sent to investigate what makes our planet unique and the extent of our nuclear proliferation. As is expected of humans, the Army surrounding Klaatu’s flying saucer reacts with violence and imprisons the alien.
The gifts he attempts to bring — knowledge of the cosmos, an invitation to the stars, and the chance to move beyond nuclear energy — are quickly dismissed as duplicitous threats. This parable of the dangers of nuclear weapons continues to be relevant today — the destruction of our environment certainly proves how barbaric we can be with the tools in our hands. The Day the Earth Stood Still does not leave us with a great feeling about our species’ future — Klaatu and his mechanized bodyguard Gort leave our planet with no success. But perhaps the film itself can continue to give modern audiences and future generations a reason to think twice before choosing violence and destruction.
21. Predator
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Original Release — June 12, 1987
Only the fiercest hunter in the cosmos would dare to take on Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s hard to imagine the pitch for this action/sci-fi classic was anything less than that. Perfectly establishing in the first act just how elite Dutch’s (Schwarzenegger) commando team is, it would seem nothing on Earth could take them down — so something from the black vastness of space descends on them to take on the challenge.
Able to outwit and outgun the team at the destructive actions they are best at, the alien menace forces the Dutch to take increasingly primal methods of battle. There is something revolutionary about its visuals — seeing these muscle-bound best-of-the-best warriors cower in fear at every twig snapping in the jungle makes us as uneasy as they are. The perfectly executed tension and blistering bullet-spraying of the commandos facing off against an intergalactic trophy hunter should be necessary viewing for all aspiring filmmakers.
20. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
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Original Release — July 11, 2014
Matt Reeves’ 2014 reboot sequel gave the Apes franchise a much-needed shakeup and a true examination of what an evolutionary conflict would look like, masterfully blurring the line between humanity and our DNA relatives. As the Simian Virus has ravaged and decimated most of humanity, the small clans of survivors struggle to regain their footing — and some believe that means supremacy over the docile Apes. Led by Caesar (the captivating and Oscar-worthy Andy Serkis), the Apes have found a peaceful refuge in the Bay Area forests.
Caesar works tirelessly to protect his people, desperate to show the scattered humans that the Apes only want to be left alone — and like many great leaders before him, Caesar finds that even his guidance cannot assuage fear. As mistrust naturally grows on both sides, the inability to find a peaceful solution culminates in a battle that feels earned — you realize the tragedy of how the factions got to this point. No matter the evolutionary origin, our species are linked by the same core emotions when we feel threatened — and once that first shot is fired, only one species can have dominion in the end.
19. Children of Men
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Original Release — January 5, 2007
Dystopian futures and sci-fi have nearly become one and the same — a dour reminder of how the national consciousness thinks our world will end up. Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón gave us one of the best visions of a bleak, anti-refugee England in this 2006 masterclass. When worldwide fertility rates have dropped to zero for nearly 20 years, cynicism is the chief emotion among the streets of London. Theo (Clive Owen) is a low-level bureaucrat convinced to help smuggle refugee Kee (Claire Hope Ashitey) to a more understanding land.
It is a task complicated enough given the London hatred of refugees — a task made all the more difficult with the revelation that Theo’s charge is pregnant. Between a pursuing military and the refugee’s wanting the baby as a political tool to launch a revolution, Children of Men constantly calls our ability for morality into question — but its startling final answer is a true moment of cinematic wonder.
With her newborn child in her arms, Theo and Kee race across a battleground between the rebels and the military. Both sides take notice of the child and all combatants cease fire. This war-torn landscape becomes a haunting and beautiful reminder of the joys of innocence — a joy that no one in this story has experienced for decades.
18. Arrival
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Original Release — November 11, 2016
This unexpected hit does what great sci-fi should strive for — create a story that doesn’t need any of the genre details that usually demand it. What could have been a tense dramatic thriller about international communication and the typical choice of fear over understanding is given an alien treatment. When twelve massive ships descend to Earth, government-assembled teams strive to find a way to speak and interact with the cephapodal beings.
Chief among them is Louise Banks (Amy Adams), who is eventually able to decipher their language — but that knowledge comes with an odd price. Her understanding of their language leads Louise to perceive time the way the aliens do: simultaneously. Experiencing future events as if they were memories creates a stunning piece of filmmaking — the more Louise is able to translate and understand, international fears are spiking and communication is breaking down. Filled with genuine emotion and critical thinking, Arrival’s very human story cements it as an all-time great.
17. The Thing
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Original Release — June 25, 1982
The fear of an alien shapeshifter stalking you can only be made more frightening by the frigid isolation of Antarctica. Director John Carpenter’s (Halloween) tale of mistrust in the frozen wastelands is a gorgeous manual of tension, cinematography, and character development. When a crew of roughneck research scientists (led by a wonderfully quippy and scruffy Kurt Russell) discover an ancient, frozen spacecraft, they unknowingly invite terror into their compound — terror that momentarily has taken the form of an abandoned dog.
One by one, they are stalked and assimilated into the ever-changing alien creature. The Thing uses every trick in the book to create its titular terror, but never once relies on computer wizardry. Its immersive practical effects continue to be revolutionary today, giving the alien menace an all too tangible quality — and keeping audiences on the edge of their seats no matter when they watch it.
16. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
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Original Release — March 19, 2004
Perhaps the only dramatic role of Jim Carrey’s that didn’t generate unwanted laughter is this quirky, mind-bending look into depression and broken relationships. With the advent of technology that can wipe your memories, recent casualties of breakups or divorces flock to remove their scorned lovers from their minds. In the midst of the procedure, Joel (Carrey) realizes how much he will miss even the most painful memories of himself and ex Clementine (the consistently incredible Kate Winslet).
His mind battles against medicine, desperate to hold onto the times that he and Clementine had together. With the technology and its capabilities creating a surreal and evocative backdrop, the film is able to strike at the core of why relationships fall apart in wonderfully unique ways. And thankfully, its clever narrative twists give the characters — and us — hope in a brighter day tomorrow.
15. Mad Max: Fury Road
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Original Release — May 15, 2015
When a chaotic science fiction setting creates your backdrop and your story begins to mix that rusty future with action, you’re wading into a war you might not win. To most, on-screen action is a great way to fill time and keep the audience slobbering over drops of blood or fancy camera work. Movie critics tend to ignore its artistry, just as plenty of filmmakers choose to not embrace its potential. When George Miller returned to the franchise he created, he crafted a film that fills the frame with stunt work so visceral and game-changing, not even The Matrix could have dreamed it up.
As Max and Furiosa (Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, respectively) protect a warlord’s enslaved brides, the dusty wind-swept excitement is always shot wide enough to clearly set the stage for the upcoming onslaught. Dizzying action should be an on-screen mood, not a description of its visual style. The battles reveal key insight into characters, the same way well-crafted dialogue would. Fury Road treats its violence and perilous stunts as a means of heightening the tension, framing the world’s context, and uproariously challenging what can be achieved on screen.
14. Ex Machina
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Original Release — April 24, 2015
The intersection of man and technology has been the cornerstone of science fiction since the genre began. Almost like an emissary of a bygone era, director Alex Garland has crafted a film that embraces the roots of science fiction while crafting a story that pushes its narrative potential far into the future. Tech CEO Nathan (Oscar Isaac) asks his employee Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) to help him perform a series of tests on Ava (Alicia Vikander). While it may sound like a medical drama, Caleb’s introduction to Ava is far from ordinary — she is a robot possessing revolutionary artificial intelligence.
Nathan hopes Caleb’s interactions with Ava can prove that she is a sentient being. As relationships are formed and scheming plots are hatched, the film’s tension level builds endlessly to a startling crescendo. The saga of man vs. machine is one of sci-fi’s earliest narratives — for Ex Machina, a superbly written script and verbal debates create the true battlefield as the core trio attempt to define what constitutes a living being.
13. Metropolis
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Original Release — March 13, 1927
One of the genre’s earliest entries still holds up today, having created so many building blocks of what sci-fi could be. A story of class warfare on a massive scale, it becomes nearly impossible to believe this film was released in 1927. Social feuding, robots, and hallucinations are all at play here, but are perfectly linked together in a winding story of bridging communication between laborers and employers.
In a vision of a future with thousand-story buildings and cities powered by one central massive machine, it becomes a playground of cinematic wonder — from the earliest moments, you instantly realize why so many of today’s great directors have cited the film as inspiration. The female “Machine Person” remains as this film’s most famous image, a mechanized menace that masquerades as a real person, driving people to violence. A masterpiece of silent filmmaking, Metropolis is a surreal, dizzying, and still relevant tale of social class strife.
12. Jurassic Park
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Original Release — June 11, 1993
“What if dinosaurs could come back and live in our time?” Creativity is based on entertaining crazy questions, and its cinematic answer was both exhilarating and terrifying. Cloned dinosaurs being brought back to life is an exciting premise on its own — but in the hands of a director like Steven Spielberg, it moves beyond what could have just been a film about running away from dinosaurs (and of course when the film does focus on that, the tension is expertly crafted).
Away from all the jaw-dropping visual effects and photo-realistic animatronics, Jurassic Park muses on responsibility in the scientific community. Humans and dinosaurs are separated by 65 million years, how could anyone predict what happens when a perversion of natural creation brings us together again? As Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm says, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” The mindless blockbuster will unfortunately be around forever, but those wanting to see a grand-scale cinematic adventure with a soul guiding its story need to look no further.
11. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
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Original Release — December 22, 1978
Hollywood has traditionally been a more politically left-leaning industry, a place where it could be frighteningly easy to be mistaken for a pure Communist in the 1950s. No film has better reflected the anxieties of Cold War life than 1956’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers. In a time where nearly everyone was convinced their neighbor could be a Russian spy, there was never a more perfect time for sci-fi horror to exploit the terrifying concept of doppelgängers. Massive seed pods are distributed by an extra-terrestrial threat and planted in the homes of the unsuspecting citizens. Exact duplicates emerge and replace the residents as they sleep.
The coordinated attack is silent, exact, and terrifyingly easy — these placid duplicates are the perfect scapegoats to accept their new alien overlords. Soon, protagonist Dr. Miles Bennell is left as the only true human left in his neighborhood. The motif of mass hysteria is executed perfectly as a mob of pod people chase and attempt to conform Miles — much like how left-leaning filmmakers may have felt targeted by the public at large.
10. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
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Original Release — December 14, 1977
Released in 1977, the success of cinema’s apex franchise — Star Wars — overshadowed Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of his own student film. An ode to his pianist mother, the film is a celebration of communication through the universal language of music. Though the arrival of aliens on Earth naturally propagates a sense of unease, there is beauty in the near-relaxing atmosphere the film creates.
Almost plotless in its execution, the ordinary people at the other end of these close encounters are beautifully deconstructed and examined. In the seemingly infinite cosmos, there is perhaps one thing that links us all — we want to know where we belong. As all the people who have encountered the aliens are drawn to Wyoming’s Devil’s Tower, the slow descent of the alien mothership and communication through music tones is pure cinematic wonder. Close Encounters takes its time to reveal how lost in life its characters are — and happily reminds us that one day we will all find where we belong in the universe.
9. The Matrix
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Original Release — March 31, 1999
Look around you. Look at the cellphone that’s undoubtedly filled with hundreds of photos of memories — now imagine that all those moments had been programmed by machines acting as our overlords, using meaty batteries. Despite being one of the action genre’s mainstays, The Matrix has one of the greatest ideas in movie history. Bringing Eastern kung-fu action together with Western gunplay resulted in combat that had audiences’ jaws on the floor.
The Western Hemisphere was happily aghast at seeing slow motion and physic-altering stunts on the big screen. The Wachowski siblings bridged a continental gap with a masterful blend of on-set wires and computer-generated imagery, necessary to evoke what would be possible within a computer simulation — The Matrix has the grand distinction of infusing its plot with the need for action. Fights in films have tried tirelessly to replicate the style that The Matrix brought to the big screen, but it is an endeavor wholly unique and successful to one of sci-fi’s most important films.
8. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
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Original Release — June 11, 1982
When most science fiction films still had an element of Cold War paranoia, Steven Spielberg’s 1982 classic glows with a warm heart in a film that proves even the vastness of space cannot stifle a true friendship. When an alien — the titular character — is separated from his space-faring people, he is soon discovered by young Elliot (Henry Thomas). As the two develop a deep bond, they become telepathically connected, sharing the same emotions and feelings — even at great distances.
Though the government is actively searching for E.T., it is far from a thriller. This seminal classic celebrates the wonders of being young and the friends that you make along the way. You find yourself beaming as well as tearing up from one scene to the next. E.T. and Elliot’s farewell — the former having phoned home — ranks among the most heartfelt moments ever put on screen. With so much science fiction wrapped up in cynicism, E.T. is a calming breath of fresh air, reminding us that true friendships and kindness exist — we only need to be brave enough to give it.
7. A Clockwork Orange
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Original Release — February 2, 1972
Remembered for its depiction of “ultraviolence” and the frequent failings of institutional reeducation, audiences forget that Stanley Kubrick’s adaption of A Clockwork Orange is set in a dystopian England, rife with corruption, sadism, and harmful propaganda. As Alex DeLarge’s gang of droogs spend their nights seeking violence and fornication, their horrid spree catches up with them. Sent to prison, Alex endures the misery of having his brain rewired through subliminal messaging — soon enough, even the audience who has abhorred Alex and his actions now suddenly begging the doctors to stop their torturous procedure.
The use of technology of that magnitude being lauded as an institutional treatment beautifully forces us to consider who is more moral — the sadistic and violent Alex? Or the governmental figures that sanction such a horrifying mental realignment? So much of science fiction depicts our own technological follies coming back to haunt us — A Clockwork Orange uniquely frames its hubris and horrors as a drama of the ability to create a personality.
6. Alien
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Original Release — June 22, 1979
Pitched as “Jaws in Space,” no description could be more appropriate to highlight the anxiety audiences were about to experience when Alien premiered in 1979. A bone-chilling elevator pitch makes good on its promise as the crew of interplanetary hauler Nostromo is traversing the vacuum of space with an organism far more advanced than them. Adapted to only kill and lay eggs, the titular creature is among cinema’s greatest and most horrifying designs.
Director Ridley Scott and designer H.R. Giger’s combination of insectoid features and sexual imagery brought the Xenomorph to life in an all too uncomfortable way. The creature at the center of the film speaks to humanity’s greatest fear — that which we do not understand. The film’s greatest strength is the lack of any backstory or explanation. When faced with such terror, you don’t care about either.
No mythological backstory is given to the giant corpses found with their chests bursting out. There is no great reveal of how to get the one up on this crawling monstrosity. The Xenomorph was nature at its most deadly — should humanity tread further into the darkness of space, there is no telling what we may find waiting for us.
5. Back to the Future
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Original Release — July 3, 1985
Combining the flash of the 80s with the nostalgia of the 50s created a rock-and-roll adventure that never overstays its welcome. Wannabe musician Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) helps around Doc Brown’s (the wonderfully zany Christopher Lloyd) lab with the latter’s odd experiments — and his latest one is about to change the future… or past… or both! Traveling back in time thanks to a heavily modified DeLorean, Marty finds himself inadvertently destroying every chance at ever being born.
Any great film starts with a fabulous script, and Back to the Future only proves that rule once again. The film’s earliest moments already begin setting up how Marty will correct the past he’s confounded. So often films leave us scratching our heads at how a certain conclusion came to be, but Back to the Future gives us exposition and minute details with such infectious energy that it can’t help but be planted in our minds. Director Robert Zemeckis (who would go on to direct Forrest Gump) uses his rich eye for detail to foreshadow the smallest events that lead to Marty getting home with a better future for himself and his family.
4. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
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Original Release — July 3, 1991
Arnold Schwarzenegger has never been better than in this sci-fi sequel, a film draped in a blue color pallet, reminding audiences of the dour future that might await its lead characters. Director James Cameron ups the ante with adrenaline-fueled nonstop action, but Judgment Day remains a cinematic fixture because of the beautifully developed friendship between Schwarzenegger’s T-800 and the young John Connor (Edward Furlong).
Beyond its awe-inspiring stunt work and gunplay, the film becomes a tale of parental roles and responsibility, and how those figures shape the youth and therefore the future. When Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) begins to notice that the Terminator is a better protector and father figure to John than most have ever been, she questions if the machines she hates more than anything can learn the value of human life.
With profound questions regarding the nature of emotions and the ability to change our fate, the one-liners and cooler-than-cool actions of Schwarzenegger perfectly function as the beaming and wondrous cinematic cherries on top. So — can a machine learn the value of human life? The T-800’s final goodbye to young John and the tears that typically flow with it would say yes.
3. Blade Runner
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Original Release — June 25, 1982
Despite the frequent setting of dystopian hellscapes in contemporary sci-fi thrills, Blade Runner trapped us within claustrophobic cityscapes before post-apocalyptic films became popular. Its bleak outlook on a smoggy downtown Los Angeles set the gold standard for a future rife with overpopulation, limited resources, and oppression — all monitored by mega-corporations. Harrison Ford plays Rick Deckard, a man tasked with taking down rogue Replicants — bio-engineered super-humans bred for war and slave labor.
As Deckard looks further and further into the Replicants’ actions and motivations, his goal becomes increasingly questionable. The future Los Angeles, while technologically advanced, reminds us more of the lawless Old West or debauched ancient Rome. And despite all advancements, both mechanical and social, we see a vision of humanity that has once again relied on the slavery of living organisms. Blade Runner uses its story and gorgeous art direction as a cautionary tale of a doomed future that has repeated the worst mistakes of the past.
2. Star Wars
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Original Release — May 25, 1977
No other film in history has been cited more by filmmakers as their career inspiration than 1977’s Star Wars. A cinematic achievement on all fronts, from narrative to technological, the original entry in a galaxy far, far away took us to worlds and introduced us to characters we never thought we could meet. The combination of a cosmos filled with starships and lightsabers and the mythic storytelling of Arthurian legend has left generations of audience enthralled and entranced.
In this sci-fi world, poverty, unfulfilled desires, and the fight for freedom still existed despite a setting and aesthetic we had never seen on film before. Imaginary words such as Jedi, Wookiee, and Hyperspace were put into mainstream language as we followed the journey of a young and eager Luke Skywalker, a man striving to find his place in the galaxy. We don’t love Star Wars because we escaped somewhere else — we love Star Wars because we saw people and places that reminded us of ourselves.
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
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Original Release — May 12, 1968
For those surprised that Star Wars was not listed as No. 1, we must remember that even the greatest of innovations needed inspiration from something that came before it. The magnum opus of director Stanley Kubrick’s ridiculously impressive filmography, the oft-abbreviated 2001 is a triumph of the highest order — a film that has inspired today’s masters of cinema, and continues to grasp audiences with its mind-bending narrative. Through its use of matte paintings, miniatures, and early computer wizardry, the film became a pioneer of visual effects.
Its technical achievements functioned in an almost meta-fashion — the film charts humanity’s journey to the stars, one that started from our earliest ancestors and their curiosity of the unknown. The AI system HAL stands among one of cinema’s finest villains — a futuristic Frankenstein’s monster, corrupted and ready to destroy its creators. 2001 is almost the very definition of what science fiction is — the exploration and revelations of what make us human. Just like the film’s mysterious black monolith frequently appears as humanity’s evolution surges forward, 2001 stands as a monolith among films, having pushed it further beyond its limits than filmmakers and audiences alike never thought we could go.
