Tom Foster
The 50 greatest SciFi movies are those that leave an impression. The best among them are still talked about to this day.
Silent Running
The demise of humanity is the purest fuel for the best SciFi movies since it plays on the deepest fears of the species. Back in his younger years, Bruce Dern played a great role as an uncertain savior.
High Life
Robert Pattinson has been on a hot streak for a while so it wasn’t a surprise that 2019 was still a decent year. Using prisoners as test experiments is a controversial story idea that makes for an interesting watch.
Snowpiercer
The idea that humanity will consume itself is a constant fear when the chips are down, so to speak. But Snowpiercer dives into that idea, without the cannabilism thankfully, by making sure the dividing lines between the haves and have-nots are easy to see.
District 9
This movie does ask a good question, like what would happen if a group of aliens were stranded here and didn’t want trouble. The ‘prawns’ just wanted to go home, and they were willing to do a lot to make it happen.
The Abyss
Leave it to James Cameron to go big or…well, go big. It does leave the question of how much we know about our world and whether it was discovered by someone else first.
Children of Men
It’s a horrifying thought to have, but what if people could no longer have children? These days some individuals would cheer, at least until the realization that humanity would die out sinks in.
Donnie Darko
This mind-trip of a movie is something you need to watch at least once in your life. If you understand all of it, watch it again because you missed something.
The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Think about what erasing memories from your mind might mean. It’s like trying to erect a wall without any weak spots, it’s not possible.
Predator
What if Earth is seen as a huge game preserve for another alien species? One thing is clear in a lot of alien movies, humans are woefully outclassed.
Stalker
This movie requires one to be in a certain mood to enjoy it, but overall it’s not hard to enjoy. The idea of sneaking into a zone that’s occupied by aliens isn’t entirely original, but it works.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
This movie has sparked many other ideas over the years, especially given its horrifying ending. To this day it’s still insanely creepy.
12 Monkeys
If you can hold onto the plot in this movie then more power to you. In truth, the frantic pace that it sets is kind of dizzying, but it’s been kept around as a growing classic.
Akira
So yes, it does help to be a lover of anime for this one. But it’s iconic anyway, which is saying something.
Under the Skin
This is one of those movies that’s best left to those who have the time to sit and watch it get good. As a creature who is attempting to get a lock on the human experience, Scarlett Johansson delivers an interesting story.
Sunshine
This can be counted in the lists of movies that are beyond anything rooted in reality. But with that said, it’s still an interesting idea to try and re-ignite a star, or our sun, as it were.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
It does feel as though this movie didn’t get enough credit. Maybe Haley Joel Osment was already losing his youthful exuberance, but the movie was interesting and engaging.
Avatar
It should be expected that James Cameron’s movies would end up on this list more than once. Avatar was a worldwide phenomenon when it came out after all.
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
For some reason, a lot of people didn’t enjoy the remake with Keanu Reeves. But the original movie still holds a special place in the hearts of a lot of SciFi fans.
Minority Report
Care to argue about what you mean to do versus what you will do? This movie raises that important distinction in a big way.
The Fly (1986)
There is something to be said about the gross effects of David Cronenberg’s creation since it brought the idea back to the screen. But it also brought with it the anatomical changes that were, well, stomach-churning.
Wall-E
It’s kind of a sad testament to humanity, but the movie is a lot of fun too. It also shows the danger of relying too much on tech and not enough on one’s own skills.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Let’s take a quick poll and see how many people cried when Spock died vs. when Old Yeller died. I’ll bet the number is closer than people think.
Dune (2021)
It’s a fair bet that if you try to stand on principle which version of Dune is best that you’ll find yourself in the middle of an argument very quickly. May thy opinions not chip and shatter.
Blade Runner 2049
The original will always stand out more, but the fact that this movie brought back Deckard is great, as is the fact that this is a continuation, not a remake. The gritty and desperate feel was still there, which is part of why it’s great.
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
The original movie and idea were the best since the live-action movie has too much fan drama attached to it. Plus, this was made back when the internet was still young, meaning a lot of people were still hooked immediately.
Solaris
The 70s was an interesting decade for movies since a lot of people don’t remember every title unless it was something great. But a trip to a space station where a tragedy has occurred is a good entrance to a story.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
You can call it iconic (it is) but it’s also a movie that created a legend that is still being developed today. Plus, Charlton Heston coined one of the most popular phrases of all time.
Guardians of the Galaxy
It was the beginning of something great, and it’s still considered one of the best MCU movies of all time. It’s not exactly the same Guardians some comic book fans grew up with back in the day, but they worked out just fine.
Jurassic Park
Make a unique theme park, great. Bring extinct species back to life, super…wait, what?
Interstellar
Amazingly, movies get so much flak sometimes for not being realistic. Some folks can’t take the impossibilities that storytelling allows. Oh well.
Robocop
Yeah, it’s kind of a campy movie, but it’s still fun. I mean come on, a guy gets instantly melted by radioactive waste…
Metropolis
It’s still considered the first real science fiction film, and it’s hard to argue with this. Not only that but think of how many movies were inspired by this.
Ex Machina
How humane is humanity to the creations we imagine and then create? This is a good question to consider when watching this movie.
Looper
Time travel movies are a dime a dozen, as some might agree. But the decisions made by the main protagonists/antagonists are what really drive the story.
Moon
Isolation is another very human terror since a lot of people think they can stand being alone for that long. But the truth is that as social creatures, we do go a little loopy without people to talk to, or something to do.
Close Encounters of The Third Kind
People still travel to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming to see where part of this movie took place. It’s an impressive site, that’s for certain.
The Terminator
All one needs to do is show someone this movie to augment an argument about the dangers of AI. Thanks, Mr. Cameron.
Arrival
This is a good point. How in the world would humans and aliens communicate? For all we know, our gestures and language are rather primitive.
Inception
Anything to do with the human mind is delving into messy and sometimes dangerous territory. Just think if you tried to deep dive into the mind of a person who couldn’t control themselves.
The Thing
Paranoia is a killer, no doubt. But trying to determine who’s human and who’s a killer alien intent on spreading itself around the world…yeah, that’s a toughie.
E.T. The Extraterrestrial
On the lighter side of things, E.T. was a fun family film that’s still relevant today in a lot of ways. Imagine, extraterrestrial botanists just out for a stroll.
Aliens
Sequels aren’t often seen as being as good or better than the original, but this is one of the exceptions. The evolution of Ellen Ripley was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Back to the Future
This was a fun movie that was fine for the family and created a few iconic characters. If you ignore the ‘science’ it’s even better.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
It was a trip to see the old Terminator as the good guy this time around. But it was just as horrifying to see what other type of terminator James Cameron came up with.
Star Wars: A New Hope
Legendary doesn’t even cut it with some of these movies since the worldwide renown that Star Wars has been given since its release is amazing. Generations have grown up on this story and everything that’s come since.
2001: A Space Odyssey
The idea of space travel in the 60s was still developing, but this movie gave people a lot to think about. AI was an idea at this time, which is impressive.
The Matrix
Just when you thought you had a handle on things, right? The Matrix made us question reality again but in some of the best ways.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Still seen as one of the best movies ever made, it’s also one that provided one of the strongest plot twists of all time. Seriously, the bad guy is the hero’s father? That was a shock.
Alien
This type of creature was unheard of up until now, and the work of H.R. Geiger only made it more real. But the nightmare that was produced is still tough to think about without some reservations.
Blade Runner
It’s almost as though movies want us to question what’s real, including ourselves, right? That’s one reason why this movie is still such a classic.
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