Throughout cinematic history, there have been too many iconic science fiction movies to count, really. Hell, you can go back 100 years, to the silent era, and point right at Metropolis. That one came out in 1927, and parts of it are still dazzling, on a technical front. The story is still engaging, and what it has to say about society – and the way resources are divided up – remains regrettably relevant to this day.
To go a bit beyond then, though, why not focus on the best sci-fi movies of the last, say, 50 years, instead of the last 100 years? That narrows things a little, but not by much, seeing as many of the genre’s all-time greatest titles were released post-1975. Of those great movies, the following are the greatest; films that are some level of historically important, approachable, rewatchable, timeless, and technically dazzling, all at once.
10
‘Back to the Future’ (1985)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Kicking off a pretty good trilogy, it has to be admitted, Back to the Future is kind of the go-to comedy about time travel… and it’s a good deal better than those still-compelling sequels. The hook of this 1985 classic is just too good to look past, seeing as the movie revolves around one teenager fighting, in the past, to make sure he exists in the future.
He’s sent back to when his parents were in high school, and runs the risk of preventing them from meeting. If that were to happen, they wouldn’t get together and have him, and so he has to be a matchmaker of sorts for his (younger) folks. There’s some other wild stuff that happens in Back to the Future, but it’s all-around very entertaining and difficult to dislike. As might be fitting for a movie about time, it’s pretty much timelessly appealing itself.
9
‘Aliens’ (1986)
Directed by James Cameron
There are some very good Alien movies, and then there are also some quite divisive Alien movies, but the best of the bunch might well be Aliens, the second movie. Sure, it leans a bit more into action than the more horror-focused original film, but both Alien and Aliens are equally compelling on a science fiction front, with the latter being a bit more expansive and potentially better-paced.
Okay, consider Alien (1979) an honorable mention here. It’s also an excellent sci-fi film, albeit one that’s arguably more of a horror movie, or at least a pretty evenly split hybrid of the sci-fi and horror genres. Aliens goes flashier, introduces some more action into the mix, does indeed feature more than one alien, and doesn’t entirely lose track of being suspenseful and/or scary when it counts. It is, for better or worse (probably better, to be honest), Alien, but more. A lot more.
Aliens
- Release Date
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July 18, 1986
- Runtime
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137 minutes
8
‘Interstellar’ (2014)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Admittedly, Interstellar is one of the more recent sci-fi movies to achieve classic (or near-classic) status, but it’s held up pretty well in the 10+ years since it first came out, so it’s likely things will stay that way in 20, 30, and maybe even 40 years from now. Here, Christopher Nolan did indeed go big on a sci-fi front, but he also swung big dramatically, seeing as Interstellar is surprisingly emotional and even sentimental at times.
Essentially, this film is about a mission to further space travel so that Earth can be left when it can no longer sustain life, but there are further complications that are revealed, and things end up oddly personal. Sure, the stakes are for the future of the planet, but what’s equally compelling in Interstellar is the drama between individual characters. A balance is somehow achieved, and though Interstellar is a lot (and threatens to be too much, on occasion), it’s still a remarkable achievement in filmmaking that deserves to be appreciated as a modern classic of sorts.
Interstellar
- Release Date
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November 7, 2014
- Runtime
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169 Minutes
7
‘WALL·E’ (2008)
Directed by Andrew Stanton
If you can find someone who genuinely doesn’t like WALL·E, how? How did you do that? That seems like an insurmountably difficult task. This is Pixar at its most Pixar, asking the question: “Hey, what would happen if a little robot tasked with collecting trash on a wasteland of an Earth fell in love, and then became the one thing that could stop the planet from being a wasteland?”
And that sounds stupid, or like a tough pill to swallow, but Pixar’s made movies about emotions having emotions to great success, not to mention all those movies about toys coming to life and making grown adults cry due to their tragic backstories. WALL·E is just another great Pixar movie made around the studio’s creative peak, and that it can be a great science fiction movie for kids – all the while not feeling too simplistic or hokey for adults – is a sign of its absolute greatness.
WALL·E
- Release Date
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June 22, 2008
- Runtime
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98 minutes
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Ben Burtt
WALL·E / M-O (voice)
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Elissa Knight
Eve (voice)
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Shelby Forthright, BnL CEO
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Speaking of movies that are difficult to hate, here’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Okay, to give some credit to the detractors of this movie, sure, it’s possible to imagine why E.T., as a character, may freak some people out a little too much. But that’s also part of the film; it’s intentional. He is creepy at the start, and freaks Elliot out, but, ideally, as Elliot and E.T. bond, so too should the viewer come around a little more to E.T.
After a friendship forms, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial becomes about getting the alien home, since the whole film begins with him getting stranded on Earth; left behind by his alien family. It might sound like a moving story on paper, but the extent to which E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial successfully jerks tears needs to be experienced to be believed. You can call Steven Spielberg overly sentimental if you really want, but when his sentimental stuff hits (like it does here), it’s hard not to want to have a box of Kleenex handy, you know?
5
‘Children of Men’ (2006)
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Not just a work of science fiction, Children of Men also functions as something of a disaster movie, and a notably intense one at that. It takes place in a world where infertility has become a global problem, and so when one woman somehow becomes pregnant, she becomes a target of sorts; groups both good and bad want to get their hands on her, no matter what.
The disaster here isn’t a showy or flashy one; not like a comet or tsunami or anything. The possible extinction of humanity is somewhat more mundane, but also hauntingly believable. This is not the kind of movie you want to point to and say, “Hey, that’s aged pretty well,” but Children of Men kind of has to be that, in some regards. Whenever or however you watch it, it’s daunting and nail-biting stuff, but it has to be. It’s a warning about where the world could be going, and it’s up to the people who watch the thing to actually, you know, listen!
4
‘The Matrix’ (1999)
Directed by Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
The Matrix is just such a classic that it feels weird to talk about, or hype up, because, like, everyone knows The Matrix is great already. If you want to judge it as a science fiction movie, it rocks. If you’re there for the philosophical stuff, then it’s a hell yeah. If you just want some really good action scenes, it’s got your back. Character-wise? Yeah, the arcs are all compelling, the hero’s great, and the villain’s appropriately easy to root against.
It just does everything right, all to the point where The Matrix is almost a little easy to take for granted. Forget about the less-consistent sequels, though: this original 1999 release is where it’s at. The other Matrix films have things to offer, sure, but it’s hard to look past the original classic. This is such a skilled blend of martial arts action, thought-provoking themes, and creative science fiction, and the Wachowskis made it look so effortless here, too.
The Matrix
- Release Date
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March 31, 1999
- Runtime
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136 minutes
3
‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
If you’re willing to count reconstructed/reborn dinosaurs as monsters then, yes, Jurassic Park is absolutely one of the best monster movies of all time. Like with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Spielberg took a simple concept and spun it into cinematic gold here, since Jurassic Park is, on the surface, something that might well sound a little basic.
Dinosaurs have been reborn, and they’re the subject of a theme park that’s due to open. A bunch of simple yet memorable characters are invited to see the park and what it has to offer before the public does. But then things go wrong, and we have ourselves a suspenseful movie, as a result. Everything moves so efficiently in Jurassic Park, with no scene – or even second – being wasted. The effects hold up, the characters all make an impression, and that John Williams score is to die for. This one is what blockbuster movies are all about, really.
2
‘The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)
Directed by Irvin Kershner
If you want to get technical, then, yes, Star Wars might well be more of a fantasy series than a sci-fi one. You’re very smart, well done. You’re probably looking at a Star Wars movie being here, in this ranking, and thinking about how silly it is. “It’s a space opera,” or “It’s science-fantasy, rather than sci-fi,” you’re probably thinking. Maybe you’re right. But also, maybe, shut up.
If you’re okay with Star Wars broadly fitting within the confines of the sci-fi label, then you kind of have to include The Empire Strikes Back among the greatest science fiction-ish movies ever made. This is one of the greatest films of its decade, and maybe even of all time, however you want to define it. The plot doesn’t have to be described here, because you’ve probably seen it, and so you probably know how good it is. It’s peak Star Wars. It’s The Empire Strikes Back. What else is there to say?
1
‘Blade Runner’ (1982)
Directed by Ridley Scott
There is just something about Blade Runner that screams “essential science fiction” in a way that’s hard to deny or overlook. At its core, it’s a narratively simple movie, sure, being about one man who’s tasked with taking out a bunch of replicants who’ve gone rogue, all for the apparently terrible crime of resisting the fact that their lifespans are unfairly limited; none are happy with the fact that they only exist for years, instead of decades.
It does this while having one of the best scores of all time (thank you, Vangelis), immaculate production design, perfect acting, and excellent direction, courtesy of Ridley Scott.
Blade Runner presents villains who are sympathetic, and a hero who’s oddly cold, all the while asking fascinating questions about life, existence, and what it means to be human (or not human). It does this while having one of the best scores of all time (thank you, Vangelis), immaculate production design, perfect acting, and excellent direction, courtesy of Ridley Scott. Blade Runner is just perfect, in pretty much every way, and science fiction films don’t really get a whole lot better.