The best science fiction movies of all time

[Berwhale]

Donnie Darko and Being John Malkovitch aren't truly science-y either, I think they just get lumped in with sci-fi because they have fantastical elements that aren't explicitly "magic".

I agree that BJM is a bit of a stretch, but Donnie Darko features time travel (or at least one interpretation that is about time travel) what's more sci-fi than that?

 

[TheLastGerman]

 

[Berwhale]

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I'm sure we can 'make room' for that in the top 20

 

[kemmler3D]

I agree that BJM is a bit of a stretch, but Donnie Darko features time travel (or at least one interpretation that is about time travel) what's more sci-fi than that?

OK, that's actually a good point, been a long time since I've seen it. I mostly just remember it being spooky and disjointed, but you're right.

 

[LTig]

In alphabetical order:

2001
Arrival
Blade Runner
Cargo
Cloud Atlas
Contact
District 9
Dune 1+2
Galaxy Quest
Interstellar
Mars Attacks
Men in Black
Moon
Oblivion
Passengers
Soylent Green
Starwars Episode 4
The Fifth Element
The Martian
Valerian

 

[TheLastGerman]

... not to mention the works of the magnificent Karel Zeman:

 

[dweeeeb2]

It’s crap apparently but I love it. DOOM

 

[krabapple]

I liked the PHM book more, there was a lot more actual science and problem-solving in it, somehow the movie got to be almost 3 hours and still had little time for anything other than Ryan Gosling making friends with a rock. That said, I still liked the movie and think it stands pretty tall among sci-fi movies.

At least 2 false endings and therefore at least 30 min too long. Not uncommon in movies these days. I liked it enough but I can't imagine watching it again.

I suspect that, unlike The Martian, the 'science cred' in this one was deemed entirely secondary and gestural. Haven't read the book but the science in the movie was often laughable. My fave was seeing that the world's greatest (but off the grid!) 'PhD molecular biologist' (has there been a degree offered in that since the early 90s?) doesn't know how to load a centrifuge.

 

[JeffS7444]

Sticking with 21st century, big-budget, English-language movies, I can think of additional contenders including:

Limitless (2011)
Her (2013)
Lucy (2014)
Tomorrowland (2015)
The Substance (2024)

Have not yet seen PHM the movie, but I've read the book, and enjoyed it, in a warm and fuzzy sort of way.

 

[Multicore]

Liquid Sky

 

[Timcognito]

Don't forget Zardoz

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

To the best of my knowledge, "A Scanner Darkly" is the only "Philip K. Dick" movie that sticks to the source material. "Blade Runner" is a masterpiece and PKD gave his blessing to the parts he saw, but there are inclusions and exclusions not found in "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?". In any case, it's a hallucinogenic take of extreme drug abuse, fantastic social comment and some amazing rotoscoped acting:

I’m gonna say it, I’m very glad Blade Runner did not stick faithfully to the source material. I’m a very big fan of sci-fi and whoever adapted the book into the movie is a bloody genius because I just don’t see any inspiration in “Do Androids dream..”. Nor in any of Dick’s other books for that matter. One of my least favourite sci-fi authors
(Sorry to go off topic)

 

[Hiten]

Science fiction can be Fun.

 

[Titurel]

I honestly have trouble with a lot of the candidate films, primarily because the "science" element infrequently drives or informs the story. It is set-dressing, costuming, intergalactic DEI casting. In contrast, stories like "Blade Runner" (the original) use science to illuminate a profound question, like is "human" delineated by DNA or by something ineffable. "2001" treads the same ground, if from a different angle. In contrast, Star Wars' science merely create new venues, new weapons, a new Tonto, and a new "town" to save from the band of marauding ronin. The science is gratuitous.

 

[Hiten]

Cocoon, The fly, Short Circuit, Monkey Shines...are few i now remember. Though not the best science fiction.

I liked 'Contact' movie. I guess profound pure science based movies would be very few.

 

[LTig]

I honestly have trouble with a lot of the candidate films, primarily because the "science" element infrequently drives or informs the story. It is set-dressing, costuming, intergalactic DEI casting. In contrast, stories like "Blade Runner" (the original) use science to illuminate a profound question, like is "human" delineated by DNA or by something ineffable. "2001" treads the same ground, if from a different angle. In contrast, Star Wars' science merely create new venues, new weapons, a new Tonto, and a new "town" to save from the band of marauding ronin. The science is gratuitous.

Yep. Most science fiction (especially movies, but also quite some books) is just a "Western in Space". Avater for example, the whole Marvel universe, the Star Wars franchise. Some I do enjoy though. 2001 and Arrival are one of the few notable exceptions and very high on my list. 2001 especially has stood the test of time and can still be watched today without looking outdated.

 

[Chrispy]

One of my favorite subjects, mostly in written form but some movies have done a pretty good job. Needs more than a top 20 and a lot more if it will be catering to personal tastes, too. Lots of good mentions between starting list and now. When I was a kid in the 60s found so much of it so badly done/hokey to be offputting. Glad some adults got to deal with it in better form later on (corporate studio heads aren't particularly adults).

 

[VMAT4]

Altered States anyone?

Also just watched Outland with Sean Connery. It was a neat little movie.

Fahrenheit 451 has many laughable scenes by today's standards. But is still poignant.

 

[olds1959special]

District 9 comes to mind

 

[VMAT4]

District 9 comes to mind

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On my to watch list. But not this morning.