Top Ten Sci-Fi Films

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Prometheus

War of the Worlds

Jurassic Park

Avatar

The Time Machine

Red Dwarf....not really a movie, but if you binge watch it, pretty much the same

Just off the top of my head, in no particular order....

Never really could wrap my head around the Planet of the Apes. Seems to be quite a bit we are asked to simply accept- time travel possible, this vessel was capable, the evolution thing, only selected technologies...

Avatar has a pretty similar issue, but I enjoyed that one.

I don't recall any time travel in the first one.

You weren't supposed to notice.

I agree that the Star Wars universe is entertaining (releases now stand at, what, 113 films with more scheduled).

Arrival certainly sounds like one to watch. Thanks for the review and advice.

Wait! What? I thought I've seen all 112 of them, and now you say there is a 113^th!?...

Oh no... this is terrible... I can't possibly have missed one, can I?... Arrrrrrrgh...

Uh oh, missed one?

Get thee to thine local Redbox!

Stephen King ‘The Stand’ is categorized as a horror/fantasy, but an amount of science and a heaping helping of fiction are the components of science fiction. Read the book thrice, saw the miniseries twice.

Yes, definitely see Arrival. Very solid Sci-Fi Movie!

I had the complete opposite reaction. I thought 'Arrival' was one of the worst movies I'd seen in a long time.

To each his own, as they say.

I agree, hated it...

I also enjoyed Arrival. And Contagion is one of my favorite movies. I liked the way it weaved together different subplots--the political end of the vaccine, the huckster selling a proven "cure," the doctor who goes to ground zero only to succumb to the disease, the father dealing with his wife's infidelity (which was key to the pandemic) and death from the pandemic. And yeah, the ending was and still is terrifying to think about.

I come down in favor of Arrival, but I think it's more a parable in part about how humans jump to wrong conclusions when they're motivated by fear.

Which brings me to The Day the Earth Stood Still, which I first saw as a little kid, maybe age six. I loved sci-fi then and to me that was sci-fi. Now that I'm all growed up it's a message film, like Arrival.

Among newer films I enjoyed the Martian a lot. Star Wars, sure, but I'm still upset about offing Harrison Ford Han Solo.

The new stuff isn't for me. But I admit I don't watch many movies any more, even on TV.

Poltergeist, The Thing, The old Day The Earth Stood Still, Forbidden Planet, On The Beach are still keepers that I watch when they come up.

Then there's the new The Lone Ranger that, for fun, is a good watch. Johnny Depp made it for me.

Oh, that reminds me...

Predator, and his three sequels

Alien, and her five sequels and prequels

Then, we have Alien versus Predator

And the best of all, Alien AND Predator versus Chuck Norris.

That’s some SciFi right there for ya!

original "War of the Worlds"

"Silent Running" (Hewy, Dewy & Louie)

first "Planet of the Apes"

"Andromeda Strain"

When the writers (killed-off), ''Ripley'', ''Newt'', and ''(Hudson?)'', that sequence became too (alien) for me...

Our Eloy bean-counters want more money to study the options, and our Morlock-lawyers want to study the legal ramifications of the selection process, so I'll have to get back to you at a later (Time)...

Arrival and Avatar, 2 of my favorites. If we are going older, "Tank Girl" is on my list.

That's a great movie. Every so often "Comb the Desert!" will pop into my head out of nowhere and make me chuckle. It's always the dumbest jokes that have staying power.

I also love Galaxy Quest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDJsCE01LYI

I like a good laugh. Jokes so bad, they're funny. Word play, parodies, dead-pan, . . . . hence my appreciation for the Python genre.

As a teen-ager, I liked movies that scared the crap out of me for that adrenaline rush, now I like the dopamine from a good laugh.

It used to be that I liked a movie's special effects, trying to figure out how they got 'that shot'. But now, with CGI being so good, and so convincing, it sort of has taken the 'fun' out of it.

It's hard to remember all of the scifi I've seen over the years, but some stand out as excellent and memorable.

At the top of the list are two films from the 1950s: Forbidden Planet and The Day the Earth Stood Still. I'm not sure which one I'd put as #1, so they'll have to share top billing.

Others that will always be on my watch list are: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars (the 1977 original, without any of the later 'improvements' that actually made it worse), The Time Machine (1960), Mysterious Island (1961), Invasion of The Body Snatchers (1956), John Carter (2012), Destination Moon (1950), Pi (1998), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Iron Man (2008), Watchmen (2009), and Batman (the 1989 version with Michael Keaton).

I'll probably think of some more later.

Speaking of Michael Keaton, he was the best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAVvny-FxjA

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Zathura.

Night at the Museum.

I agree with Night at the museum. Zathura was great however seemed too much like a cheap spacy copy of Jumanji. And The Hitchhikers books were much better than the movie. Just my opinion

Gattaca is on the list.. hi

Idiocracy ... dystopian future ... Honorable mention

Among recent releases I'd say 2001 A Space Odyssey. But the first one I saw, "Them", still ranks as best.

I haven't seen the film but if it is anywhere near as good as the book then "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy has to be brilliant. I think this is described as post apocalyptic rather than sci fi but hey, worth a mention.

Either a story based on possibilities of known science or something that is so far out that it has little credibility, so Barbraella is a definite winner. And for other reasons if you don't know why, don't ask. Other than that, Voyager of Star Fleet, Dr. Who and Cosmos by Carl Sagan.

I've got to throw a mention in here for "Star Trek II, the Wrath of Khan". I also enjoyed the first "Star Trek" reboot, but the ones that followed are not as good.

Honorable mentions to "Gravity" and "The Martian" (for the disco music!)

I see “The Martian” with a number of mentions. I’ve been thinking “Saw it, it was okay”. However, I haven’t seen it- I am remembering Mission to Mars, 1 to 10 it gets about 6-1/2. I’ll check into The Martian.

”Wrath of Kahn”, best of the Star Trek movies hands down. TEN!

”The Fifth Element” - wildly entertaining, loved it. Give it a NINE.

”Weird Science”, I give it a Nine... just because, that’s why. (you know why)

”Edge of Tomorrow” tagline Live-Die-Repeat”. Haven’t seen it yet, but will soon!

What was that series where people could transport through a worm hole link back to earth on occasion? Seems the new world had its share of nasty animals as well.

And I can't remember if I've seen Forbidden Planet. What was that about?

The Time Tunnel..

Maybe not, but great OLD show.

"Forbidden Planet" is a rework of Shakespeare's "The Tempest".

Not a movie but a show but The Expanse is incredible. Just really good Sci Fi. I guess my personal list off the top of my head at this moment would be:

Empire Strikes Back
The Wrath of Khan
The Matrix
Stargate
Serenity
Ex Machina
The Terminator
Jurassic Park
Planet of the Apes
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Though if I were to make the list tomorrow it might be different. I think the top five of my list though is pretty set for me.

On my list:

-Children of Men

-Contact

-I Am Legend, despite its mangling of the source material

I would add Oblivion and Edge of Tomorrow, both Tom Cruise movies....

Edge of Tomorrow is great. You can pick that movie up at any point and rewatch it.

"Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets"

Highly recommendable for story, new ideas and action.

Dr. Goldfoot and the bikini machine.

Blade runner

Cherry 2000

Logan's run

West world

Total recall

Godzilla vs Monster Zero

The blob

Weird science

The Fifth Element. - Should have remember that one sooner.

Also Rocketman and Wild Wild West (the Will Smith movie), and the Men In Black movies.

And I've got to give props to the movie 'Serenity', the follow-up movie to the 'Firefly' TV series.

I suppose "The Fifth Element" must also be a favorite with me - I've watched it a dozen times.

...and "V for Vendetta" and "The Matrix" (original version only) ...., incidentally in which 'Agent Smith' played by Hugo Weaving - also played the leading role in V for Vendetta - except we never saw his face - it was always covered by a mask - and in a memorable early scene he faultlessly delivered the lengthy 'V word' monologue - remarkable to me

...also the original "1984". I saw it at the cinema when it first came out but can't say I have ever seen it on TV since....and saw it around the time "The Day the Earth Stood Still" first came out.

...and how about "Dark Star" an early low budget film about an' intelligent bomb' on board a space ship, ready primed to destroy a planet, where something goes wrong and the crew can't launch it, and have to talk to it with convincing logic in order not to detonate.

For the comedic portion of the Sci-Fi spectrum, my favorite is ''Godzilla vs the Smog Monster''

(He/She/It shows an environmentally sensitive(?) side, and figures out how to fly...)

What, not Mars attacks? So stupid it's funny. Lets not forget District 9, and of course all of the campy Japanese movies that we watched on those rainy Saturday afternoons when we couldn't be outside.

District 9 - never heard of it. Checked it out on Wiki, I’ll be having a look, sounds like a good movie.

I watched Arrival last night, and I give a thumb up. Engaging film, to say the very least

Yes, I liked Arrival, found the concept interesting. District 9 is one of those movies that you watch, and you say "there is something deeper in this movie, I need to watch it again". It is a sort of cross between Sci Fi and horror......

Yes, ''District 9'' takes an interesting slant on Sci-Fi, but remember, ''Mommy'' doesn't have time enough to tell you everything...

Also, on a different tack, seek out ''The Forbin Project'', and wait for the asian sequel that must soon follow...

Oh - my - goodness.

Well, I watched about 40 min of District 9, and that was enough.

I am a US Marine and this film turns my stomach. Sorry buddy, but this one scores a one. Not even going to finish it.

[edit] I went right to The Forbin Project, and the Dekatron tube and Nixie tube displays immediately grab me. Looks promising!

Not all sci-fi is for all sci-fi fans...

I'm just glad we (still?...) have choices...

Whaaat!! US Marines must be getting soft.

District 9 is a great movie, I haven't found a South African who likes it yet - it's a bit close to home perhaps.

My other favourites are The Matrix, Contact and The Day of the Triffids.

There was another movie but I don't know the name of it, as it was some time ago 30years probably, which had a real electron microscope in it (I know because I had been using one almost identical to it around the same time). The alien life form grew whenever it received energy, so the electron beam didn't help.

I liked Chappie too, another S. African film that was very thought provoking.

Marines getting soft? Hardly means that at all.

Perhaps I should have said A prior service Marine who has learned that the phrase “Be a part of something larger than yourself” in fact means being a part of the global (in this case, universal) whole, and the mindless butchery of sentient beings for the sake of field expedience is not always to be condoned. Kill ‘em all and let God sort ‘em out is not the universal answer; I lived it, I don’t enjoy watching it. That don’t make me soft, buddy.

You can still watch Johnny Sacko & Giant Robot on Comet.

Yah! Me and my friend Jeff would watch godzilla movies and other such B-scify movies on Saturday afternoons - this was about 1967-1971.

Can't believe nobody has said this yet

Two si-fi movies that come to mind are the Fly and Frankenstein. I haven't been out to a movie for about 40 years. What I do see are on the TV. The two I listed are truly classics. I might also add the Terminator. Another is Ghostbusters.

Failsafe, War Games, Andromeda Strain, Alien, Predator. They all deal with man's preoccupation with (incorrectly) thinking that we are in control, while the first three involve minor computer glitches that potentially lead to major screwups.

Yeh, we know why Barbarella's in there.

Bazzer

I'm still waiting for the CGI remake of The Toxic Avenger!

Here is something that will please many watching this thread.

Today in The Daily Dot, the paper reports that the internet movie service HULU rated “Planet of the Apes” (1968) as the #1 Best Classic Movie (regardless of genre) available on their service. Seems like the POTA fans here are pretty much vindicated. The only other SciFi on their top ten list: “RoboCop”.

The article goes onto explain that the only films ranked were those licensed to be streamed through HULU.

No mention of Men In Black yet.

Not great sci-fi, but, for entertainment value.

I have to agree with most of these.

2001 at the top of course.

Arrival rocked but required a fair amount of brain power to follow.

The Second Aliens movie for sheer entertainment value. "were all gonna Die man!"

Original Predator for cool concept. again, fun to watch. "I ain't got time to bleed"

Got to have Enders Game in there. "In that moment that you understand your enemy, you love them, then you destroy them."

But no one mentioned Spaced Invaders. "Man, this is really stupid!" "And getting stupider by the minute."
Babylon 5 was not a movie per se, but unlike Star Trek or most others, it was a complete story from start to finish not an episodic weekly show. Things did not always wrap up neatly or happily at the end of the hour. Story lines that start in the first season don't finish until much later or those that run throughout the series like the Psicorps storyline, or Leta's. it was just too complex for most Americans to keep up with.
I have to give "Sleeping in the light" a nod for the most satisfying series ending episode I have ever watched.

Even better than "All Good Things" from STNG or even Breaking Bad.

The Abyss. James Cameron put too much stuff in it, but you can't fault the great SFX. Find the DVD with all the "making of" extras. He is an extraordinary and passionate movie maker.

A.I. Too much stuff in this one too, but again great SFX. How we will interact with androids indistinguishable from us, and what might happen to the world in just 2000 years. And I cry at the end.

One of the best films I watched was Raise the Titanic, long before the actual ship was found, the technicalities were quite feasible, and the model of the Titanic cost as much as the real thing, once Bob Ballard found the original ship and the state it was in, this film was put away in a dark drawer, it has been shown on TV & holds up as good entertainment & the music by John Barry still is a favourite of mine.

Bazzer

Any ''Bolo'' book...