The best science fiction movies of all time

[El_Duderino]

2010
Not a Top 20 contender, but nevertheless a great movie.
Loved the moody scenes, the sound design and the overall vibe:

 

[Barossan]

A couple of good ones not yet mentioned:

The Man from Earth - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Quiet Earth (film) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[KenMasters]

A couple of good ones not yet mentioned:

The Man from Earth - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Quiet Earth (film) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Interesting, I’ve not heard of either! Will see if I can pick them up somewhere.

EDIT: Picked up The Quiet Earth on BD from Arrow

 

[shorodei]

Seconding Project Hail Mary.

It's the best *space* movie since Kubrick's 2001 imo. Not just great visuals, acting, story and writing, but also spectacular soundtrack.

I hear Gravity is getting a 4k release this year too. Another amazing space movie with an amazing soundtrack. Yes it has that one moment that defies physics, but I think of it more like those anime scenes where 2 people have a whole philosophical debate during a fight but in real time only milliseconds have passed. Certainly more forgiveable for me than that nonsense at the end of Interstellar.

Space fans eating good this year.

 

[mpw]

Mine is: Kubrick's The 2001 Space Odyessey. HAL is terrifying .

 

[MatrixS2000]

I don’t see “The Martian” listed, I would put that around 7. Not for the Top 20, but I would rate “Don’t Look Up” just after.

 

[Kremmen]

Forgot about that, the 1979 remake is also top drawer so both should be on.

I agree wholeheartedly with the 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers being a great movie. It is so unremittingly bleak and I find watching it to be a totally heartbreaking and devastating experience.

The world is littered with humans who could easily fall into the 'body snatched' category, such is their soulless, droid-like behaviour. A deeply troubling state of affairs.

 

[Robin L]

I agree wholeheartedly with the 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers being a great movie. It is so unremittingly bleak and I find watching it to be a totally heartbreaking and devastating experience.

View attachment 538404

The world is littered with humans who could easily fall into the 'body snatched' category, such is their soulless, droid-like behaviour. A deeply troubling state of affairs.

Funny, my take is a pointed satire about the New Age movement. Spock—I mean Leonard Nimoy—was so good in this movie.

 

[Kremmen]

Funny, my take is a pointed satire about the New Age movement. Spock—I mean Leonard Nimoy—was so good in this movie.

Interesting, I hadn't thought of it that way but I can see your point. I suppose my anxious and occasionally paranoid disposition is the lens through which I interpret films like this.

You're right about Nimoy too. A fabulous performance, as were several others.

The scene where Donald Sutherland is holding Brooke Adams as her hollowed out body slowly cracks and collapses in his arms is one I shall never forget. Grim indeed.

 

[norman bates]

Coherence is definitely a fav of mine, even better with headphones, slowly becoming the favorite for me.

Solaris, definitely heart wrenching, just a long slog to sit through.

invasion body snatchers (1978) also awesome, and Brooke Adams……

I guess I like bad endings……. lol

 

[Snarfie]

Saw Spielberg's Disclosure Day. Not impressed. A cliché 2 hour sci-fi chase dressed up as something deeper. Expected more.

 

[EJ3]

Every Dune movie has managed to be more boring than the books. I guess you could call that an achievement.

Hey, if you are going to muck something up, do it right. That's what they did with those movies.
Given what they had to work with. That was an under-wheming achievement.
Somehow I find it strange to think that they did not manage to make the movies better than the books.

 

[ripvw]

Entertaining, but in my experience these kinds of threads usually work out better for all if instead of beginning with the words "the best" the thread starts with the words "my favorite". I also think that if you're going to put a movie on your list it really only belongs there because you've SEEN it. Finally, it is unlikely that there will ever be any conclusive determination of what movie is what genre, be it science fiction, fantasy, science fantasy, etc. but this might help as a starting point:

Speculative fiction - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Hapo]

...Forbidden Planet is the best si fi movie of all time...

 

[JeffS7444]

Saw Spielberg's Disclosure Day. Not impressed. A cliché 2 hour sci-fi chase dressed up as something deeper. Expected more.

I was too young to see Jaws when it was first released, but my sister did, and she must've talked about it for weeks. But while I thought Disclosure Day was reasonably entertaining, it was almost immediately forgettable.

I thought the mystery of aliens disguised as animals added mystery and tension, but those were minor elements in what is otherwise a rather tedious human vs human pursuit drama.

 

[Raiju]

...Forbidden Planet is the best si fi movie of all time...

I now see where Star Wars got the idea for opening yellow text.

And Uhura's earpiece.

 

[Mart68]

Everything in that original Star Wars is taken from somewhere else. 'The Hidden Fortress' always get mentioned but 'Where Eagles Dare' is in there, and 'The Dambusters.' It lifts dialogue from that word for word. Not that any of that makes it less good, the opposite really.