Total Sci-Fi has a list of The 100 Greatest Sci-Fi Movies that's actually quite good. It's easy to nitpick and the comments point out that they left out AI, War of the Worlds, and a couple of others. I think if you're going to include comedies, Mars Attacks would make the top 100.
I've seen all but 14 of their listed films. If you've seen any of these and think they're good, I'd like to hear about it in the comments:
16) Silent Running (1972)
38) The Fantastic Planet (1973)
40) Things to Come (1936)
43) Quatermass 2 (1957)
44) This Island Earth (1955)
47) Dark Star (1974)
50) Stalker (1979)
51) Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
54) It Came From Outer Space (1953)
69) A Boy and his Dog (1975)
78) The Quiet Earth (1985)
79) Invaders From Mars (1953)
91) Explorers (1985)
99) Trancers (1985)
I 'd break up the films as follows. The numbers are the rankings from the article, and while I've made some attempt to group the better films towards the top of each section, it's hard to produce a completely linear ranking. I'm considering a few things in these rankings: film quality, sci-fi elements, fun, historical significance.
Here are the best sci-fi films:
8) Planet of the Apes (1968) - I think the best all-around
3) Star Wars (1977) - great fun and the most significant sci-fi film
2) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - the most technically accurate, mind-blowing and advanced for it's time, though dull at times
4) Alien (1979) - the best suspenseful horror movie in space
13) The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - is this best sequel of all time?
21) The Matrix (1999) - a great action film and a great idea
7) The Terminator (1984) - I still debate between this and the sequel
6) The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) - the best of the 50s films
1) Blade Runner (1982) - gorgeous and influential but a little dull at times
Here are great sci-fi films:
19) Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
32) Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
15) Aliens (1986)
9) E.T. (1982)
17) Brazil (1985)
5) Metropolis (1927)
12) Forbidden Planet (1956)
25) Jurassic Park (1993)
27) A Clockwork Orange (1971)
35) Return of the Jedi (1983)
36) Back to the Future (1985)
37) WALL-E (2008)
88) Serenity (2005)
83) Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Here are really really good sci-fi films:
10) Solaris (1972)
11) Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
20) Total Recall (1990)
90) Primer (2004)
75) Dark City (1998)
45) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
46) Delicatessen (1991)
48) The Andromeda Strain (1971)
71) Donnie Darko (2001)
80) Fantastic Voyage (1966)
95) Galaxy Quest (1999)
67) Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
68) Outland (1981)
98) Predator (1987)
23) The Thing (1982)
29) La Jetée (1962)
These sci-fi films I had some problems with but they're still worthy of being in a list of the top 100:
28) The Fifth Element (1997) - everyone in the future is an idiot, but nice visuals
57) Minority Report (2002) - good film, but the premise doesn't work, the evil plot was find someone willing to die and that's it
34) Mad Max 2 (aka The Road Warrior) (1981) - not my cup of tea
70) Mad Max (1979) - not my cup of tea
66) Children of Men (2006) - nice filmmaking and allusions but not enough story
74) Moon (2009) - nicely done but I didn't relate to the lead
93) Star Trek (2009) - good characterizations and some good fun, but stupid plot and some dumb scenes
60) The Fountain (2006) - some nice ideas but overwrought.
These films I have some fond memories of or at least don't hate, but it might be because I saw them a long time ago:
30) Sleeper (1973)
33) Westworld (1973)
42) The Abyss (1989)
49) The Omega Man (1971)
52) Escape from New York (1981)
63) Logan’s Run (1976)
65) Repo Man (1984)
72) Soylent Green (1973)
81) Barbarella (1968)
86) Altered States (1980)
89) Dune (1984)
92) THX 1138 (1971)
94) Flash Gordon (1980)
97) Stargate (1994)
100) Rollerball (1975)
96) Cocoon (1985)
22) Tron (1982)
56) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
These films didn't do it for me, but 100 is a big number and something has to be at the bottom
18) Akira (1988)
64) Ghost in the Shell (1995)
77) A Scanner Darkly (2006)
14) A Trip to the Moon (1902) - historical significance but not great today
31) The Fly (1986)
24) RoboCop (1987)
26) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
39) The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
41) 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
53) The Invisible Man (1933)
55) Godzilla (1954)
58) Alphaville (1965)
59) Gattaca (1997)
61) Them! (1954)
62) Videodrome (1983)
73) Cube (1997)
76) Starship Troopers (1997)
82) Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
84) Event Horizon (1997)
85) Independence Day (1996)
87) The Stepford Wives (1975)
Ok, tell me what I got wrong...
8 comments:
38) The Fantastic Planet (1973)
Trippy animated flick.. No particular attachment for me...
44) This Island Earth (1955)
This was the movie riffed on in MST3K: The Movie. I don't know why it's on this list, it's no good (except when sent up by MST3K)
51) Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
Check this one out, it's pretty freaky.
69) A Boy and his Dog (1975)
Featuring a young Don Johnson. Worth a watch, not great though.
91) Explorers (1985)
I suspect this was selected out of childhood nostalgia, it's not that good.
I've only seen four you havent:
This Island Earth i don't really even remember, but I recall thinking it was pretty good (not fantastic)
Dark Star is well worth seeing. It's a comedy.
Testuo is weird. Weird. It's Japanese new wave. But it's worth a try.
Explorers - I agree that it's not that good. If we're going to add a token Sci Fi movie for kids, I'd go with The Last Starfighter.
I take issue with a number of things on the list (of course) - notably Gattaca (just fair) and Independence Day (a travesty), but it's nice to see things like Forbidden Planet and Body Snatchers getting on there.
Well, you got a lot wrong, obviously. Just kidding. I'd definitely promote Gattaca & The Abyss. I think they're important films, especially if you're near sighted or a giant squid.
My 2 cents of a euro worth.
Oh and Cube (1997). Did you see The Man From Earth (http://bit.ly/OrMQu)
I'll defend my Gattaca placement. I thought it had some very good ideas but found it quite boring and I was annoyed that no one in this future seemed to be having any fun.
Yeah, The Abyss should probably move up. I was confusing parts of it with Sphere, which as atrocious.
I did like at least parts of Cube so maybe it should move up on that basis. The sequel was awful. Though really, I prefer the old Twilight Zone episode with the dolls in the trashcan.
I have not seen The Man From Earth. Is it Cube good or Primer good? :)
I didn't love Primer, I found it confusing. I thought Cube was one of those gems very few people would be exposed to.
It seems you dislike movies where the future is bleak, which is fine. People in Blade Runner, THX, Gattaca are not having much fun, it's true. Many science fiction work use that idea. People are having fun in the Fifth Element though, aren't they? :)
The Man From Earth is more like a play. It's a smart play with 'science fiction' themes in it. It all happens in one house but it doesn't feel confined. It plays with your head for 90 minutes and at the end you're rewarded. Or not. I don't know.
I'm ok with bleak. I grew up in the 70s when saturday morning kids shows were set in post-apocalyptic earth!
I think the future in Planet of the Apes counts as bleak (unless you're an ape) and 12 Monkeys and a few others.
I have more of a problem with dull, or I think more precisely with films that want you to ponder their meanings during the film. I'd rather ponder them afterwards and either see them again or hit pause if I need to.
Time travel is supposed to be confusing :) I'd also add Timecrimes to the list, it's great.
Silent Running was a good film for its time. Earth is wrecked and there are terrariums set up in space for all the animals and plants. Park rangers (astronauts) tend them but only one of them really cares. Earth doesn't want to support the space terrariums any more so the guy who cares tries to send the terrariums off further into space rather than blowing them up as ordered.
The movie is an obvious a lesson in talking care of the environment and the importance and beauty of life. It is more complicated than that, but see the movie to find out.
Famous for three robots, nicknamed Huey, Dewey and Louey by the protagonist who teaches them to do a lot of things, playing poker is the funniest.
Worth watching. I have seen this film many times and will always stop to watch it.
I saw the MST3K riff of 44) This Island Earth. Hilarious.
The list suffers from the same clash between the good old stuff and the new stuff that may or may not remain a evaluated for the list. There is also the question of whether one judges a movie by the standards of its day or the current environment, and if significance is part of being "Greatest".
At least it gives us something to talk about.
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