When I compile these lists, I start out by enumerating my favorite 20 to 25 selections (in no particular order) then whittle it down to a top ten. It's shocking once I'm done to peruse the entries in the 11 to 20 slots. So many great films make up this category. Not all can make the list.
As with any compilation, there are personal favorites of mine that others have a hard time grasping ("2001: A Space Odyssey") just as there are those others love that I have a hard time grasping ("Brazil"). The subjectivity of top ten lists are what make them fun.
Some real surprises just missed the list. Not one of the "Terminator" movies made the top ten cut. Neither did any of the "Matrix" films, even though I enjoyed them greatly. Perhaps part of the reason is that they appealed more to my action-movie-loving side than my sense of wonder. In science-fiction, the fascinating always scores higher than the action-packed.
This doesn't, however, explain why no "Star Trek" movies made it onto the list. I can't really put my finger on why. I enjoyed the original Star Trek television series, though I never accrued enough knowledge to be considered a "trekkie." (Or is it "trekker?") For some reason, though, none of the movies in the series resonated with me quite enough to break into the top ten.
So what does that leave? Well, here it is... my list of top ten science-fiction movies.
"Contact" tantalizes the viewer with wondrous possibility without forcing an ostentatious visual payoff. It considers its premise carefully... how things might actually play out in the face of an unprecedented scientific discovery. If the anticipated introduction to the alien species seems a tad anti-climactic, perhaps that's inevitable. The film revels more in possibility than a routine visual payoff.
It's a tragedy that so few people saw Andrew Niccol's debut. Intelligent sci-fi thrillers that place ideas on a higher pedestal than special effects are becoming a rare breed. "Gattaca" is a thought-provoking thriller involving the advancements in genetic engineering. We're inching closer to losing the "fiction" in science fiction regarding this premise.
This is the only real horror/science-fiction entry onto the list. Scary as hell. Jarred me as much as "The Exorcist." The movie is patient in building the tension, then relentless in unleashing the terror. It takes its time. The film inspired the terrific James Cameron sequel "Aliens" though Cameron did have the added benefit of a perfect cinematic blueprint left by director Ridley Scott.
What makes Spielberg's epic so powerful is the notion that the unexplained would be enough to drive men mad. Nowadays alien contact seems a mere inconvenience. The characters here are hypnotically drawn from their normal lives by the mind-blowing possibility of extraterrestrial life. Decades later in films like "Independence Day," Will Smith exits his house, looks up at a UFO. "Huh. Weird."
Ah, the Space Opera. I love it. This movie was the one that got me interested in films in the first place. Yeah, I know... it's only number six on the list. Other science fiction films did leapfrog it, but there's a nostalgia attached to this one that will live forever. My experience of seeing it for the first time has been indelibly imprinted on my brain.
I didn't want to include multiple entries from one film series onto the list. I just couldn't help it here. This film should be required viewing for any director about to embark on a movie sequel. These days, there are no true sequels anymore; just imitations of the original disguised as sequels. This is a true sequel, constantly reinventing itself, taking the viewer into unexpected directions.
Perversely brilliant filmmaking. A lot of films try passing themselves off as original, but usually fall back on cliched elements to placate their perceived demographic. Not so here. The genius isn't the premise itself, but how rich in detail it is. Successful films invite imitations, but I don't know if that's possible here. Christopher Nolan may very well have, as Roger Ebert put it: "thrown away the map."
Fritz Lang's master artwork was originally released in 1926, but has been restored and was released on DVD in 2010. The movie depicts a city of two halves: the pampered and privileged citizens on the surface and slave workers deep in the depths. The film's visual style has served as inspiration for a multitude of science-fiction endeavors in the time since its initial release. So much of what I grew up on was inspired by "Metropolis."
# 2 -- "Dark City"
A lot of people have a problem with Kubrick's masterwork. I love it. Most people I talk to consider it slow. Boring. The tragedy here is that the film is strictly a product of its time. Space exploration in 1968 (the film's release year) held much greater fascination and intrigue than it does now. The film has an appeal that, I fear, cannot be recovered for today's moviegoers. Boring? If a sense of wonder is a lead-in to boredom, then I truly pity the bored.
True, science-fiction films aren't the same as they were. I've come to accept this. I'm just grateful we have access to a treasure trove of nostalgic sci-fi brilliance from which we can draw inspiration, wonder, and joy.
