My top ten science fiction movies were what I intended to do when I started writing this blog. Well, that was quite a monumental feat. I have an extensive collection of DVDs, but I repeatedly found films I forgot about listed on the internet. Thankfully, a tremendous Wikipedia page lists scifi films from the beginning1. If you read any of my blogs, you know I like to find hidden gems in obscure films, and I have spotted quite a few from searching that I look forward to watching.
So, with that in hand, I came up with twelve categories and filled them with the films I love. There is some disagreement on what categories these films belong in, so I categorized them myself when they conflicted on different websites or I thought they were off the mark. I chose my top pick from each category and the best movie overall. Unfortunately, because I have watched some of these films multiple times, I have trouble watching them now. I know them by heart. It is better to play them in my head at this point. This problem might interfere with my choices as I have to remind myself how much I love them. I hope you enjoy this journey through time. Please don’t be shy about using the comment section to disagree with me or point out films you love that are not on my list. I would love to add to my collection.
Films by Category
I. Action/Adventure
When Worlds Collide 1951
War of the Worlds 1953
Journey to the Center of the Earth 1959
The Time Machine 1960
Fantastic Voyage 1966
2001 A Space Odyssey 1968
Logan’s Run 1972
Silent Running 1972
Close Encounters of the Third Kind 1977
Original Star Wars Trilogy 1977-1983
Time After Time 1979
Brainstornm 1983
2010 1984
Starman 1984
Enemy Mine 1985
Aliens 1986
Alien Nation 1988
Jurassic Park 1993
Stargate 1994
The Fifth Element 1997
Chronicles of Riddick 2004
Serentity 2005
District 9 2009
Escape to Witch Mountain 2009
Edge of Tomorrow 2014
The Martian 2015
A.X.L. 2018
My #1 choice is The Martian
This movie was so well done. It came from a book that was also well-written. The author received much help to back up the details about Mars and what would likely happen in this scenario. The movie also benefitted from this help (and I suspect much more for the film because of the interest the book had received). On top of that, I loved the arc and cheered along with the poor, stranded astronaut and the people back home (and on route) trying to help. I found it amusing that the only event acknowledged to be inaccurate was the original storm that stranded the fellow. There just isn’t that strong of storms on Mars. Thank goodness because we will try to colonize it and need every grain of help we can get.
II. Animated: All of these are for the juvenile market
Lilo and Stitch 2002
Mars Needs Moms 2011
Home 2015
My #1 choice is Home
Home was so much fun. I loved the warmth of the four main characters: Oh, Tip, Pig, and Mom. Their adventures led them into danger, but they also let them learn about each other, which is so important with humans and ‘aliens.’ I enjoyed the music even outside the movie. I didn’t know any of Rhianna’s music (at least attributed to her) and was pleasantly surprised. Jennifer Lopez’s selection was equally welcomed. The cherry on the top of this sundae was Jim Parsons. Big Bang was great, but between this film and Hidden Figures, I am definitely a fan!
III. Comedy
Sleeper 1973
Ghostbusters 1984
Mars Attacks! 1996
Galaxy Quest 1999
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy 2005
Idiocracy 2006
Alien Trespass 2009
Paul 2011
Robot & Frank 2012
Jules 2023
Asteroid City 2023
My #1 choice is Paul
This was a good story about two average British dudes touring the USA of UFO hot spots. Simon Pegg wrote this romp while running around in a (smaller) RV in much colder temperatures, which would give me a different vibe, but Simon imagined it all perfectly. I appreciate his writing and choice of actors. Nick Frost is usually on the screen in Simon’s ensemble pieces, and on this trip, it included Seth Rogen, Jane Lynch, and Sigourney Weaver. All had wild roles. Well, except for Jane Lynch, who is always wild.
IV. Cyberpunk
Escape From New York 1981
Blade Runner 1982
Tron 1982
Robocop 1987
Total Recall 1990
Demonlition Man 1993
The Matrix 1999
Cloud Atlas 2012
Ghost in the Shell 2017
My #1 choice is of Cyberpunk is a tie; The Matrix & Escape From New York
The Matrix is fantastic. When I first saw it, I ran home and insisted my whole family return to the theater. It was quintessential scifi. The characters go into a foreign realm and save the day. Escape from New York took me a while to see; something was wrong with the advertising, at least for me. This movie held so much stuff to adore in my realm of scifi. Here, the character goes into a foreign realm, but one he already knows exists, and saves the president and, hence, the world.
V. Disaster
The Abyss 1989
Independence Day 1996
Armageddon 1998
2012 2009
Battleship 2012
Geostorm 2017
Tomorrow War 2021
My #1 choice of Disaster is Battleship
A truly favorite form of science fiction is what is called a ‘popcorn’ movie. I hadn’t played the game Battleship more than once, but I understand how it spawned the idea of this movie. Peter Berg, the director, also directed Hancock and starred in Late for Dinner. Mr. Berg is a real surprise to me since Late for Dinner was the first place I saw him, and I thought of him as mild-mannered, not so strong, and not strong enough for this film and Hancock. Battleship is an excellent attempted alien invasion movie with the big human battleships we see as invincible come up against battleships from outside our world. Well, it turns out the human ships are not superior, but with human ingenuity, Earth prevails. Just too much fun!
VI. Drama
The Day the Earth Stood Still 1951
This Island Earth 1955
Forbidden Planet 1956
Colosuss the Forbin Project 1970
Slaughterhouse-five 1972
Contact 1997
Terminator 1984
Late for Dinner 1991
Bicentennial Man 1999
Looper 2012
The Host 2013
My #1 choice of Drama is The Day the Earth Stood Still
These films have a significant place in my heart, but The Day the Earth Stood Still was the beginning. I don’t know when that was. My father, who loved scifi, didn’t think his daughter would until I surprised him with a request for more scifi books with girls in them. I had just discovered his book Slan by A.E. Van Vogt. He certainly knew about the movie Forbidden Planet, along with others, but it had to be in the theater at that time since there was no streaming yet. The Day the Earth Stood Still had a good story, cast, score, and special effects. Yes, even from back then, it still holds up.
VII. Dystopian
Soylent Green 1973
Gattaca 1997
The Children of Men 2006
Wall-E 2008
Surrogates 2009
Hunger Games 2012
Divergent 2014
What Happened to Monday 2014
My #1 choice of Dystopian is Wall-E
Wall-E is aimed at children, but it is dystopian. All the remaining humans live on the vast space liner, eating and consuming stuff while lounging on motorized, flying deck chairs so long that they just get fatter and fatter. There is only memory of it once Wall-E disrupts the illusion. I like dystopian stories when there is an immersion in them and then a slow dawning of what that life is. An excellent movie with little talking in much of the story, an adorable and loyal robot, and a happy ending.
VIII. Epic
Interstellar 2014
Avatar 2009
Inception 2010
John Carter 2012
My #1 choice of Epics are a tie; Interstellar and John Carter
Interstellar was quite stunning. I regret that my father had reached the end of his life just when this came out, right on his birthday. I wanted to show him what he had wished for humanity before he passed. I loved the idea of venturing into our solar system and beyond for a place for humans to colonize. It was long, complicated, and wonderfully portrayed.
John Carter was a weird movie or an odd circumstance. Mars was a subject I studied with my father, and I even wrote a full report for school when the other students were doing ten-page jobs. My father never cared what the minimum was, and to tell the truth, I had a good time assembling it, pictures and all. I was lucky to have that background because when I entered college, Writing had lost its status in the years leading up to college, and many students were unable to write a decent paragraph. The film is based on the 1st of the Barsoom series of Edgar Rice Burroughs (of Tarzan fame). While it was geared toward adolescent boys, they called it The Princess of Mars, and (according to critics) it flopped because it seemed to be a girl’s story. The movie was a great adventure, and I enjoyed the location and the story; what a shame. I am so glad I caught it. What a wonderful look it is at Mars.
IX. Horror/Thriller
Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1956
The Last Man on Earth 1964
Cyborg 2087 1966
Andromeda Strain 1971
The Stepford Wives 1975
Saturn 3 1980
Predator 1987
The Hidden 1987
Tremors 1990
The Puppet Masters 1994
Pitch Black 2000
Signs 2002
Alien vs Predator 2004
Shadow in the Cloud 2020
My #1 choice of Horror/Thriller is Invasion of the Body Snatchers
This film is the original with Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter. It is the ultimate 50’s horror with aliens taking your place with body duplicates grown in pods. The story follows a predictable plot, but it is well written, and the word gets out, and we stop the terrible aliens! I know this isn’t always true in horror. This downbeat ending is why I usually turn away from that genre. Humanity was lost in the second version of this film with Donald Sutherland and Leonard Nimoy (Spock from Star Trek the Original Series). I enjoyed the black-and-white format that made the movie seem classier and cleaner. I don’t know how I would have felt if I had seen this in theaters when it first came out.
X. Monster
It Came From Outer Space 1953
Creature from the Black Lagoon 1954
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 1954
Tarantula 1955
The Incredible Shrinking Man 1957
Transformers 2007
Pacific Rim 2013
Love and Monsters 2020
My #1 choice of Monster movies is Pacific Rim
The older films are good monster fun, but I enjoyed this film more. I went into the movie with the characters trying to save the Earth while maneuvering their monster machines. Guillermo del Toro directed and co-wrote this incredible ride. The story took the giant mech robots from Japanese franchises and created a believable world of our most industrious ideas to save the planet from invading monsters out of the deep.
XI. Super Hero
Blade 1998
Spiderman 2002
Hellboy 2004
V for Vendetta 2005
Hancock 2008
Thor 2011
Guardians of the Galaxy 2014
Dr. Strange 2016
Captain Marvel 2019
Eternals 2021
My #1 choice of Super Hero movies is Dr. Strange
This film brought a lot to the screen. Marvel took the story from comics, and I found it layered and interesting. Dr. Strange could be more friendly but incredibly talented. He can’t accept what his car accident did to him and stretches himself to find an answer. However, the answer is more complicated and requires some responsibilities. The doctor wants to return to medicine, but those responsibilities call him back. I like the settings, lessons, and comedy skillfully woven into this situation and result.
XII. Western
Westworld 1973
Back to the Future III 1990
Cowboys &Aliens 2011
Nope 2022
My #1 choice of Western Science Fiction is Cowboys & Aliens
Cowboys & Aliens 2011
This film is a Western. I liked each step of the way. I know it didn’t do too well but look at Daniel Craig. He is a very good antihero gunslinger. Harrison Ford, the bad guy, is nuanced enough that we understand him and willingly ride with him. The aliens are sufficiently horrifying with those bodies and hands, and their creepy goal is to learn about humans so they can quickly take what they want.
The Final Twelve
I. Action/Adventure: The Martian
II. Animated: Home
III. Comedy; Paul
IV. Cyberpunk: The Matrix and Escape from New York
V. Disaster: Battleship
VI. Drama: The Day the Earth Stood Still
VII. Dystopian: Wall-E
VIII. Epic: Interstellar and John Carter
IX. Horror/Thriller: The Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1956
X. Monster: Pacific Rim
XI. Super Hero: Dr. Strange
XII. Western: Cowboys & Aliens
The #1 SciFi movie DRUM ROLL PLEASE
The Day the Earth Stood Still
What else could it be but the movie that plunged me into scifi film? I got into scifi in general from my 6th grade discovery of Slan by A.E. van Vogt.
©JM Strasser April 29, 2024 All Rights Reserved
Source
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_science_fiction_films
Images
The Martian https://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/The-Martian-4.jpg
Home https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w1000_and_h563_face/aj5zlJjYjs0fuunOcXHYWPU6McI.jpg
https://www.simbasible.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/4.jpg
The Matrix http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/18600000/the-matrix-the-matrix-18670107-1600-900.jpg
Escape from New York https://www.simbasible.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/3-6.jpg
Battleship https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iFYCWlun7qI/T3QWzkY7nfI/AAAAAAAAF18/bgck8wK72YU/s1600/Battleship+35.jpg
The Day The Earth Stood Still https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5f/a7/a0/5fa7a02db7c135790f2d3d2fb3bbf24f.jpg
Wall-E https://www.simbasible.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/4.jpg
John Carter https://www.tasteofcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/john-carter-screencaps.jpg
The Invasion of the Body Snatchers http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JHUbrpt-Vi8/UZ8P7xtubWI/AAAAAAAITZE/7XHWbWCUgrk/s1600/Invasion_of_the_Body_Snatchers-1956-MSS-117.jpg
Pacific Rim https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/k4MHkC13lxkwX8rHuhtgQ2qKtbn.jpg
Dr. Strange https://archeravenue.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/drstrange3.jpg
Cowboys & Aliens https://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/19000000/-Cowboys-Aliens-Super-Bowl-TV-Spot-cowboys-and-aliens-19097108-1280-720.jpg
The Overall Winner photo
The Day the Earth Stood Still https://retrozap.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/SciFiSat_03.jpg
