My 10 favorite science fiction movies

By sb admin on June 17, 2007.

I'm just back from Hypericon, the Nashville area science fiction convention where, as I mentioned previously, I gave a couple of talks about science stuff— although one was about science in science fiction movies.

I was also on a panel with two other guys, Jim Messer and Fred Grimm, where we each constructed a list of our top-10 favorite science fiction movies. We presented that list and said something about why they were on our list, and compared the lists with each other... and sometimes made fun of each other for having such bad ideas. We also talked with others in the room about why these movies were interesting and how they compared to other movies.

Part of the ground rules is that we weren't allowed to use the biggest franchises-- Star Wars, Star Trek, the Matrix, Alien, and the Terminator. (I think that covers it.) The goal was to try and tease out, hopefully, some of the movies others haven't yet heard of in addition to the ones you suspect might be on the list.

I think of this right now because... well, because I'm just home from the convention, but also because Chad has just posted a "top 20" science fiction movies from Rotten Tomatoes.

So here's my list:

  • 10) 2001
  • 9) Gattaca
  • 8) The Thirteenth Floor
  • 7) Cube
  • 6) Primer
  • 5) Dark City
  • 4) Contact
  • 3) Forbidden Planet
  • 2) Twelve Monkeys
  • 1) Brazil
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I loved Thirteenth Floor. I thought it was really underrated. On the other hand, to this day Contact and Titanic are the only two movies I've actually slept through in the theater.

I am missing "Dark Star", "Soylent Green" and Fassbender's "Welt am Draht.

Well I'm suprised not to see "Silent Running" or "The Day The Earth Stood Still".

By Chris' Wills (not verified) on 18 Jun 2007 #permalink

Babylon 5 and Dune/Children of Dune (the new movies) are my top favorites. Contact is pretty good too. Now, if you're talking comic books, nothing beats Transmetropolitan.

My list, in no particlar order:
Forbidden Planet
Demon Seed
Colossus:The Forbin Project
Silent Running
Rollerball
Logan's Run (Movie and tv series)
Enemy Mine
War of the Worlds
The Time Machine
Dark Star
Saturn 3

Amazing - no Blade Runner? That's #1 on my list.

Amazing - no Blade Runner? That's #1 on my list.

I'm a Bad Nerd. I like Blade Runner, but not as much as us nerds are supposed to....

-Rob

I, too, have seen all of them but The Thirteenth Floor. It's next I guess ... Also, I would suggest that The Fifth Element belongs up there, if for no other reason than that it too has a number in its name. :-)

My taste differs in movies I enjoyed...

Forbidden Planet
The Thing (1951)
The Thing (1982 John Carpenter)
Them
2001
The Terminator
Starman
Alien
Aliens
Galaxy Quest

I agree entirely, except for Contact - it wasn't bad, but they fiddled with the plot too much and that damned Jodie Foster makes my skin shiver as soon as I see her. There should be a total ban on that woman ever making any more movies.