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Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of All Time

The best and most compelling science fiction movies from 100 years of film-making. 

These are the most thought-provoking and best-directed sci-fi movies ever made.

From a century of film, here are the top 50 science fiction movies of all time. We've excluded super-hero movies (Iron Man, etc), as they are a specific genre. Here we look at the most challenging and thought-provoking sci-fi movies, and if spaceships or other worlds come into play - so much the better! No fantasy movies were included. The Top2040 list for the best serious sci-fi movies of all time.

50 - Starship Troopers (1997) based on Robert Heinlein's novel.

49 - Enemy Mine (1985) Under-appreciated, give it another viewing.

48 - It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958) the inspiration for Alien.

47 - Oblivion (2013)

46 - Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

45 - Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

44 - The Matrix (1999)

43 - Dark Star (1974) John Carpenter's first motion picture.

42 - Aliens (1986)

41 - District 9 (2009)

40 - La Jetée (1962) the inspiration for "12 Monkeys," about time travel to save humanity.

39 - Pitch Black (2000)

38 - Galaxy Quest (1999)

37 - Gattaca (1997)

36 - Ender's Game (2013) based on Orson Scott Card's famed sci-fi novel.

35 - Dark City (1998)

34 - Mad Max III: Beyond Thunderdome (1985), a post-apocalyptic story.

34 - Total Recall (1990) Not to be confused with its muddy remake, the original was a great sci-fi movie.

32 - Minority Report (2002)

31 - Invaders from Mars (1953) A classic!

30 - The Fifth Element (1997)

29 - Metropolis (1927)

28 - Logan's Run (1976) At age 30, you enter Carousel, which some find out means you die. Logan is approaching his age limit and decides to run.

27 - The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

26 - Primer (2004) four friends build a time machine in this low-budget sci-fi puzzle movie. Great viewing!

25 - The Terminator (1984) The first in the series, an android is sent back in time to kill the mother of his enemy's commander, before he is born.

24 - Planet of the Vampires (1965) The vampires are actually aliens, the spaceship is awesome, and the tight spacesuits are disturbing.

23 - Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) the newest entry on our list.

22 - Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and again remade in 1978.

21 - Time Bandits (1981) Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam's fantastic movie about time jumping.

20 - Serenity (2005) from Joss Whedan, creator of Firely

19 - Tron (1982) Life inside a video game.

18 - Heavy Metal (1981) Animated sci-fi movie with an incredible soundtrack.

17 - Donnie Darko (2001) Jake Gyllenhaal

16 - Forbidden Planet (1956) A ship lands on a planet and finds a beautiful girl, a robot, and an alien force.

15 - Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) With all the inspiration of POTA and some underground mutants added in!

14 - The Last Starfighter (1984) A video game winner is recruited by an alien to help his people fight off Xur and the Ko-dan Armada.

13 - Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) Well-crafted from the days before Lucas lost his mojo.

12 - The Thing (1982) John Carpenter's masterpiece about an expedition to the Artic, where an alien is thawed out and begins to mutate and kill off the crew.

11 - The Black Hole (1979) Under-appreciated sci-fi movie about an expedition to a black hole.

10 - 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Yes, it's long and boring, but it was ground-breaking.

9 - The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) Classic and compelling. "she's alive!"

8 - Stargate (1994) Earth is connected to other worlds by a stargate. The movie spawned 3 TV series.

7 - Alien (1979) The Original movie directed by Ridley Scott. A ship lands on a remote planet and picks up a hostile alien life form. Very spooky; a nail-biter.

6 - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn (1982) The best revenge movie of all time.

5 - Planet of the Apes (1968) Very deep, inspired movie based on Pierre Boulle's award-winning novel.

4 - King Kong (1933) incredible effects and story in the original.

3 - Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) The dark sequel to Star Wars never disappoints.

2 - War of the Worlds (1953) This movie has it all: great story, good effects, spaceships and death rays! The Spielberg remake with Tom cruise was not good at all. Don't confuse the two.



1 - Blade Runner (1982) Harrison Ford. With better special effects than current movies, a strong story, and good acting, few movies can compare to Blade Runner.

You're thinking we missed that one movie... but maybe it's at #51?

Note: Battle of the Worlds (1961) the first Death Star makes its appearance. Great movie.

Honorable Mention: Battlestar Galactica (1978) The original had moxie and mojo!

On Top 2040, See also:



Worst big blockbusters: Phantom Menace, Battlefield Earth, and Avatar. All very predictable and boring, lacking style or substance. Science fiction is meant to stretch the imagination with both story and imagery, not just imagery alone.
Best wishes for more good sci-fi movies in the future.

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