Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 masterpiece was the most ambitious sci-fi film of its time. Spanning the dawn of man to humankind’s ascent into space, 2001: A Space Odyssey saw Kubrick collaborate with visionary writer Arthur C. Clarke to give pop culture the enduring images of a human ancestors learning to use tools, a giant fetus orbiting Earth, and Hall 9000’s sinister red eye.
Ridley Scott’s monster movie in space film introduced the world to numerous iconic moments, most notably when a tiny alien bursting from poor Kane's chest. The film spawned an empire that includes James Cameron’s well-loved Aliens (1986) and two lesser sequels, as well as the Alien Vs. Predator series, numerous action figures and comic books. And as female-driven action films still struggle to be greenlit today, Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley was a truly groundbreaking character who held her own against the Universe's most vicious beast.
Though there’d been successful 3D films before it, Avatar’s immersive special effects took the medium to a new level of artistic and financial success. The story chronicling Na'vi’s fight to protect their lands against encroachments from a sinister corporation is familiar, but it’s lush backdrops helped James Cameron top his own Titanic as the highest grossing film of all time. The first in a planned trilogy also contributed to a studio clamor to release 3D version of their films.
It’s difficult to think of a sci-fi film that is more charming, fun and full of nostalgia than 1985’s Back to the Future. Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd’s Doc Brown teamed up to send the teenager from 1955 back to 1985, and got into plenty of trouble along the way. The pair reunited for two sequels, one taking place in 2015 and another in the Wild West.
Multiple cuts of Ridley Scott’s 1982 cyberpunk classic have been released—and have lead fans to bicker about which is the superior version. But in each the key elements remain the same, from Scott's futuristic Los Angeles (The Minority Report) to the incursion of Chinese characters into the rest of the world's languages (Firefly).
Steven Spielberg followed up Jaws with his first foray into science fiction, a film that deftly melded conspiracy theories and one man’s personal drama. The 1977 film saw (Roy) Richard Dreyfuss become obsessed with mountain iconography and aliens after his own close encounter—and ultimately become one of humanity’s first representatives to an alien species.
Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 rose far above its humble origins as a short film to become a best picture nominee. The 2009 movie served as allegory for Apartheid in the director’s native South Africa, with the story centering on the relationship between Wikus (Sharlto Copley), a government employee, and the alien Christopher Johnson (Jason Cope). Peter Jackson produced the film, which combined action set pieces with an exploration into the worst aspects of human nature.
After Close Encounters, Steven Spielberg injected an unprecedented amount of heart into science fiction with the story of a lonely little boy and his alien best friend. Released in 1982, E.T. held the record as the highest grossing film of all time for a decade, until it was surpassed by Spielberg’s own Jurassic Park. In addition to the iconic “E.T. phone home,” and children on flying bikes moments, the film provided clever marketing for Reese’s Pieces.
An eye patch-wearing and totally badass Kurt Russell is on a mission to save the President from Manhattan, which has been turned into the country's most dangerous prison. Russell’s Snake Plissken is a war hero who turned to crime, and takes on the mission to receive a full pardon. The 1981 John Carpenter cult classic spawned a similarly premised sequel, Escape From L.A.
Before there was HAL 9000, there was Robby the Robot. The Forbidden Planet character broke ground as being the first robot in film portrayed as having a unique personality. The 1956 film tells the story of a spaceship crew investigating the disappearance of another crew 20 years earlier. They discover a survivor (Morbius), who has built Robby the Robot and other impressive tech. His daughter, Altaira, has also survived. The film went on to influence the creation of Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek.
The granddaddy of all science fiction stories, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was adapted into the 1931 classic by James Whale. From Boris Karloff’s look as Frankenstein’s monster to the questions it posed about the nature of life, Frankenstein left an indelible impact on movie history and inspired countless sequels, parodies and tributes.
No work better exemplified the psychic toll atomic warfare had on post-war Japan’s psyche than Godzilla. The 1954 film by Ishiro Honda followed the country’s fight against the giant monster, who was created through exposure to nuclear radiation. To date, the Godzilla has been the star of dozens of films and other forms of media. After the panned 1998 film from Roland Emmerich, Hollywood is giving the character another go, with a Warner Bros. film from director Gareth Edwards slated for release in 2014.
Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park blew audiences minds with its special effects that still hold up pretty well to this day. The film starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum spawned two sequels, with a fourth—from director Colin Trevorrow—on the way.
Nearly seven decades before man went to the moon, the whimsical 1902 French film showed a group of astronomers blasting off to visit Earth’s nearest neighbor. The group gets into some trouble with a race of aliens living on the moon—but end up bashing them to pieces. (This was clearly before Star Trek’s Prime Directive was a thing.)
Director Michael Anderson's Logan’s Run took an obsession with staying young to new levels. The 1976 film depicted a dystopian future in which people are killed at 30 in order to prevent overpopulation. Logan 5 (Michael York) is tasked with catching those who do not comply—only to experience a crisis of conscience after meeting a young woman, Jessica 6 (Jenny Agutter), and learning the reasoning behind the death at 30 thing isn't all that sound.
While Mad Max laid the groundwork, Mad Max 2 is credited with making the franchise endure. George Miller’s1981 film saw Max (Mel Gibson) help defend a group of settlers from a mad gang of lawless marauders who would do them wrong.
Though its sequels left some fans disappointed, The Matrix deserves major kudos for revitalizing the sci-fi genre and pushing visual effects with such innovations as bullet time. The work of Keanu Reeves, and the Wachowskis definitely left audiences saying “woah.”
Fritz Lang’s 1927 film came during the heyday of Germany’s Weimar Republic. The ambitious film depicted a dystopian future in which the wealthy live in lavish towers and members of the working class are relegated to live underground.
“Damned dirty ape!” and a shocking ending featuring the Statue of Liberty are among the most enduring moments from Planet of the Apes. Starring Charlton Heston as an astronaut marooned on a planet in which apes reign supreme, the 1968 film was followed by four sequels as well as a Tim Burton remake (2001) and the well-received 2011 reboot, Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Arnold Schwarzenegger stared in this “Most Dangerous Game”-esque flick about an alien who lives to hunt whatever pray it deems most worthy. In addition to fantastic lines delivered by the likes of Carl Weathers and Jesse Ventura, the third act of the 1987 film contains one of the finest examples of a cat and mouse game in sci-fi history. Schwarzenegger’s Dutch paints quite the intimidating picture when covered in mud, and prevails, though he would not appear in the sequel or the Alien Vs. Predator franchise.
Peter Weller stars as the title character, a cop who is turned into the ultimate crime fighter after a scuffle with local bad guys leaves him legally dead. Like many of the other sci-fi films on this list, 1987’s RoboCop is a tale of dystopia, but it's Paul Verhoeven’s wonderfully satirical brand of dystopia—characterized by media saturation and the privatization of government services. A reboot of the series, from director Jose Padilha, is planned for 2014.
After the false start that was Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the Enterprise crew returned with 1982’s Wrath of Khan. And what a return it was. The film is largely considered the finest Trek, period. Ricardo Montalban reprised his role as Khan Noonien Singh from the original series episode “Space Seed,” and he gave Kirk (William Shatner) his greatest challenge. The film also gave audiences the biggest tearjerker moment in Trek history, as a dying Spock (Leonard Nimoy) was unable to finish his famous “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” line without Kirk’s help.
From left; Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford in 1977’s ‘Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope’
James Cameron’s The Terminator paved the way for stories featuring a machine-ruled future, with the idea cribbed by The Matrix and others. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn (Kyle Reese) carried a film that was both big in scope and intimate in its key relationship. The 1984 film spawned a sequel widely considered to be even better than the original, as well as a TV show and third and fourth film installments that were less well-received.
Like Godzilla, the 1951 film served as an indictment of atomic weapons, with an alien (Michael Rennie) coming to Earth to warn humanity that other civilizations had become worried about the planet's weapons and that Earth may be eliminated should it continue on its path.
All was going well for scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), until a fateful teleportation accident saw him slowly transform into a fly-like creature. The 1986 David Cronenberg film won an Oscar for its makeup effects, which transformed Goldblum into the hideous Brundlefly.
Antarctica, an alien threat, and Kurt Russell added up to a wonderfully claustrophobic tale upon which hinged the fate of humanity. John Carpenter’s 1982 film saw characters at an Antarctic research base face a creature who can take over humans. That lead to paranoia among the group about who was still human and who was something else entirely.
Fake memories, a Mars-centered conspiracy and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s physical prowess defined Paul Verhoeven’s 1990 classic. The film—famous for Schwarzenegger’s facial contortions—was remade in 2012.
Revolutionary in its visual effects and capitalizing on America’s relatively new fascination with computer games, 1982’s Tron starred Jeff Bridges as cheated programmer Flynn and Bruce Boxleitner as his friend Alan. (He also played the computer program Tron). Both men reprised their roles in 2011’s Tron: Legacy.
Like ET before it, Wall-E proved that sci-fi heroes can be simultaneously brave, heartwarming and adorable. The 2008 film from director Andrew Stanton is part love story, part reflection on where humankind’s consumer culture may lead us.