Top Ten Science Fiction Movies of All Time

MY RECONSIDERED LIST (after rewatching some of them and seeing others for the first time):

1. Brazil
2. Aliens
3. Blade Runner
4. The Day The Earth Stood Still
5. Minority Report
6. Jurassic Park
7. The Matrix
8. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
9. Alien
10. 12 Monkeys
 
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Planet-man said:
I wouldn't call it hardcore sci-fi, but it's definitely fits the bare minimum.
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Ray Bradbury once called Singing in the Rain science fiction and made a pretty damn persuasive case for it too. Truth be told, I think there are a lot of things out there that can be called "science fiction" if you try and make the case, we've just been somewhat misled into thinking "spaceships, robots, and aliens" constitute the requirements.

How do I not have a list posted? Must knock one up here at some point.
 
I want to see 12 Monkeys and Logan's Run. There are a lot of subgenres of science fiction - even superhero and horror movies could be considered sci-fi. I tried to stay away from that a little and ranked my favorites from what people usually perceive sci-fi as. This is just a quick list, meaning some of them might not be in the right order.

0. Akira
1. A Clockwork Orange
2. Star Wars: A New Hope
3. Blade Runner
4. The Matrix
5. The Prestige
6. Donnie Darko
7. Alien
8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
9. Ghost in the Shell
10. Total Recall
11. The Fifth Element
12. Jurassic Park
13. A Scanner Darkly
14. Casshern
15. Equilibrium
16. Predator
17. Serenity
18. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
19. Pi
20. The Man With the Screaming Brain

Honorable Mention: The Fountain
 
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I'd really like to see Pi. Also Langsta.... no 28 Days Later? From you? I'm surprised.

Also, an elaboration on my definition of Sci-Fi from pages past.

Also, even though I still like Back to the Future and Jurassic Park a little more.... I still say that Minority Report is the best Sci-Fi film I've ever seen. It's absolutely everything a Sci-Fi story should be and so extremely well-done as a movie to boot.
 
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Dr.Strangefate said:
I think all stories set in dystopian futures are considered Sci-Fi...
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If they are, they shouldn't be.

Even with something like 1984, which involves technology(telescreens, tiny microphones) that seemed advanced when it was written, the fact that these inventions exist aren't the driving force behind the story. They were being built in the 40s, they existed in the 80s, and they exist to a far greater degree today, but they aren't used because our world didn't develop socially the way theirs did. It shouldn't be called Sci-Fi if the "Sci" part is incidental.

Dystopian futures are Socio-Fi unless they go out of their way to focus on a scientific development. I am the law.
 
Planet-man said:
If they are, they shouldn't be.

Even with something like 1984, which involves technology(telescreens, tiny microphones) that seemed advanced when it was written, the fact that these inventions exist aren't the driving force behind the story. They were being built in the 40s, they existed in the 80s, and they exist to a far greater degree today, but they aren't used because our world didn't develop socially the way theirs did. It shouldn't be called Sci-Fi if the "Sci" part is incidental.

Dystopian futures are Socio-Fi unless they go out of their way to focus on a scientific development. I am the law.
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So, in other words you're saying they should be called social SCIENCE-fiction? :D Come, come, you're like Einstein, refusing to budge from your spot even while Bohrs is proving that that very spot doesn't exist.

In regards to defintion of what should count as SCIENCE-FICTION, I truly believe that ANY fiction that is attempting to make an analysis of human nature, behaviour, or some aspect of life by introducing new elements or testing the extremes of current elements is in some way SCIENCE-FICTION. I mean, isn't that what "science" means? To study for knowledge? 1984 qualifies as science-fiction because it examines sociological conditions and questions using the most extreme possible conditions.

Now, I'm not saying that EVERYTHING qualifies, far from it. I'm just saying that we need to get away from this "sci-fi" brainwashing that advanced technology is a prerequisite.
 
I don't know, to me Science-Fiction is anything that takes existing technology and either uses it for something it can't currently be used for, or advancing it to a a large extent. Unfortunately, under this defintion would include everything from Blade Runner to 24 (Chloe, use your satellite to get real-time updates on any place in the world in 0.5 seconds!). That's why I'm limiting my list to movies in which this advancement-to-technology aspect is, if not a main theme, then at least exceedingly prevalent.

As for Star Wars, by the way, I consider it Sci-Fi/Fantasy, as I think it would be hard to argue that ther are sci-fi elements and fantastical elements. No one can argue that all of the techonology used is completely implausible (or are we excluding any movies that have space ships, too?), so I'm including it in my list, as there is a prevelant science fiction theme pervading the universe.

  1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind - My favorite movie ever, so of course it's at the top here.
  2. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - There's nothing quite like hearing Darth Vader say, "No, Luke - I am your father!"
  3. Jurassic Park - This one was a no-brainer. Excellent dinosaurs, excellent action, and based on an excellent book. What else do you want in your sci-fi movie?
  4. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) - Still pretty creepy despite being more than a few years old, this is one awesome sci-fi movie that's managed to stand the test of time.
  5. Aliens - James Cameron did the only thing you could do with a sequel to Alien: he made it an action movie. And what glorious action it is.
  6. Star Wars: A New Hope - If you have to ask why this is an awesome sci-fi movie, why are you making a list?
  7. The Prestige - One of my absolute favorite films from last year, this is engrossing, as well as being able to pull off cloning in a period piece. How do they do it? I have no idea, but I'm so very glad they did.
  8. Alien - Very scary (especially the first time you see it), this movie is almost as good as its sequl in terms of sheer entertainment value (almost).
  9. 28 Weeks Later - Probably the least "sci-fi-y" movie on my list, but the central conceit involves a made-up virus that was manufactured in a lab, so it counts for me. Very good action, and very good zombie effects, and just an all-around awesome movie.
  10. Blade Runner - Blade Runner is awesome. You will agree.

I'll probably have to come back and change this later (oh, wait! What about that movie?!), but this looks good to me. As with most of my lists, only the first about two or three are really set in stone; the rest are certainly mutable.
 
Volunteer Fire Detective said:
I don't know, to me Science-Fiction is anything that takes existing technology and either uses it for something it can't currently be used for, or advancing it to a a large extent. Unfortunately, under this defintion would include everything from Blade Runner to 24 (Chloe, use your satellite to get real-time updates on any place in the world in 0.5 seconds!). That's why I'm limiting my list to movies in which this advancement-to-technology aspect is, if not a main theme, then at least exceedingly prevalent.

As for Star Wars, by the way, I consider it Sci-Fi/Fantasy, as I think it would be hard to argue that ther are sci-fi elements and fantastical elements. No one can argue that all of the techonology used is completely implausible (or are we excluding any movies that have space ships, too?), so I'm including it in my list, as there is a prevelant science fiction theme pervading the universe.

  1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind - My favorite movie ever, so of course it's at the top here.
  2. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - There's nothing quite like hearing Darth Vader say, "No, Luke - I am your father!"
  3. Jurassic Park - This one was a no-brainer. Excellent dinosaurs, excellent action, and based on an excellent book. What else do you want in your sci-fi movie?
  4. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) - Still pretty creepy despite being more than a few years old, this is one awesome sci-fi movie that's managed to stand the test of time.
  5. Aliens - James Cameron did the only thing you could do with a sequel to Alien: he made it an action movie. And what glorious action it is.
  6. Star Wars: A New Hope - If you have to ask why this is an awesome sci-fi movie, why are you making a list?
  7. The Prestige - One of my absolute favorite films from last year, this is engrossing, as well as being able to pull off cloning in a period piece. How do they do it? I have no idea, but I'm so very glad they did.
  8. Alien - Very scary (especially the first time you see it), this movie is almost as good as its sequl in terms of sheer entertainment value (almost).
  9. 28 Weeks Later - Probably the least "sci-fi-y" movie on my list, but the central conceit involves a made-up virus that was manufactured in a lab, so it counts for me. Very good action, and very good zombie effects, and just an all-around awesome movie.
  10. Blade Runner - Blade Runner is awesome. You will agree.
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Awesome list.

Planet-man said:
I'd really like to see Pi. Also Langsta.... no 28 Days Later? From you? I'm surprised.
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What's that supposed to mean?
 
Planet-man said:
Just that you seem to have a thing for zombie fiction. I was surprised to see it omitted from your list.
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Enh....as far as modern zombie films go, I liked Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead better than 28 Days Later. Dawn of the Dead was friendlier and more enjoyable, and had Ving Rhames as a cop blasting the **** out of zombies with a shotgun, which earns the movie extra points. I enjoy kicking back and watching Dawn of the Dead. It's just one of those movies where I can just watch it at any time (in fact, I might just pop it in right now). Finally, it's got Sarah Polley, who's not really outwardly attractive, but for some reason I'm attracted to her, and she's also kind of a man's woman:
In 1995, she lost several teeth to riot police while protesting against the Provincial Progressive Conservative government of Mike Harris in Queen's Park, Toronto.[5][6] She was subsequently involved with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty.[5] She has recently scaled back on her political activism but remains one of the most engaged young actors in North America.
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And that's that on that.
 
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