Science Fiction is the genre of endless creativity, built on a foundation where anything unique, daring, or once thought of as impossible can now appear on the big screen. That’s been its goal in cinema for more than a century, ever since the wonderful invention of filmmaking. It’s the realm of imagination and futuristic excitement that has only gotten better with age, as newer technologies and growing ideas have steadily made it one of the entertainment industry’s most essential genres.
Saying its genre is full of masterpieces is an understatement. We can’t talk about some of the greatest or most inspiring cinematic achievements without discussing sci-fi, as what it created is a legacy full of wonder and spectacles that remain timeless. Many examples, from the early days of the silent age to our modern century, have proven their worth and stepped up to become tremendous inspirations that continue influencing cinema. From a dinosaur theme park gone awry to a nightmarish slasher in space, the following are ten sci-fi classics that are undeniably 10 out of 10.
10
‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)
Hailed as one of the most wildly popular summer blockbusters of all time, Steven Spielberg‘s timelessly thrilling adventure masterpiece, Jurassic Park, is an experience that truly deserves to be seen on the big screen. It takes viewers on an amazing journey where dinosaurs are brought back from extinction through cloning technology to be used as theme-park attractions, only to escape and cause chaos on a small island.
Filled with crowd-pleasing action, tight suspense, iconic performances, an inspiring score composed by the legendary John Williams, and featuring revolutionary special effects, Jurassic Park is a bona fide cinematic landmark. It generates constant thrills from beginning to end and intrigues viewers with its unique sci-fi premise of human technology dangerously meddling with the laws of nature. Even more than thirty years later, it is a phenomenon still present in our pop culture, and spawning a lucrative franchise that’s still raking in huge numbers at the box office.
9
‘The Matrix’ (1999)
The Wachowskis‘ 1999 action film The Matrix challenges audiences to question their reality. It allows viewers to jack into the Matrix, a simulated world created by sinister artificial intelligence used to enslave humanity and harvest their energy. But when an ordinary hacker (played by Keanu Reeves) wakes up to this truth, he’ll rise to become humanity’s savior.
With innovative fight choreography, impressive visuals, and a thought-provoking premise, The Matrix became a revolutionary benchmark for both the sci-fi and action genres. Its creative plot and themes, mixed with its widely imaginative effects, truly made it an incredible movie-watching experience that truly showed the power of science fiction storytelling. It continues to blow the minds off of newer audiences, and although it didn’t create such an enduring legacy with its noticeably inferior sequels, the first will always be considered today a staple of cinema.
8
‘Interstellar’ (2014)
From ambitious modern filmmaking icon Sir Christopher Nolan comes arguably his most thought-provoking and spectacular addition to the sci-fi genre, Interstellar, from 2014. Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey stars in this visually flawless and tense epic about a brilliant NASA pilot joining a team of astronauts on a desperate space mission to find a new home as humanity is pushing to the brink of extinction on a dying Earth.
Interstellar features Nolan’s distinct, imaginative storytelling and is elevated by incredibly realistic and award-winning special effects, creating one of the most marvelous sci-fi masterpieces of the 21st century. It’s a nearly three-hour grand adventure full of amazing spectacles and boosted by stellar performances by the main cast, who add compelling character drama to the story. Overall, it’s a highly watchable and necessary modern classic that deserves its place in sci-fi history.
7
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ (1977)
Spielberg delivered more than just one sci-fi wonder, as even his early ’80s family classic E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial proved he’s a talented mind that made a tremendous impact on the genre. But for this next spot, it goes to an even earlier classic of his called Close Encounters of the Third Kind. After a series of disappearances and strange UFO sightings sweep the nation, an ordinary electrician (Richard Dreyfuss) gains a psychic connection to these events and goes on a cross-country journey to a site where the aliens might be arriving.
Unlike some of his other works, Close Encounters is more of Spielberg’s more subtle and slow approach to sci-fi but still retains his personal storytelling wonder and, of course, is full of awe-inspiring visuals. Its story does take time to build up to the amazement and holds off on some of the more impressive special effects and music until the third act, but that’s all part of the magic of this film, as it certainly leads to a satisfying payoff. It’s brilliant, at times emotional, and simply captivating, showing itself to be one of Spielberg’s greatest contributions to cinema.
6
‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ (1991)
Canadian filmmaker James Cameron pushed the limits of creative storytelling and what can possibly be achieved on film. With a small budget and little credit to his name, his 1984 action thriller The Terminator rose from an indie project to one of the most acclaimed and profitable films of the decade, launching his and star Arnold Swarzenegger’s careers. Years later, he followed that impressive sci-fi tale up with an even more masterful sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which is widely considered one of the greatest sequels of all time.
It’s backed by riveting acting, tense and pulse-pounding action, iconic one-liners, and revolutionary, state-of-the-art practical and CGI effects that have forever changed the course of sci-fi and movie history. Terminator 2 is simply jaw-dropping in every sense and has remained timelessly thrilling thanks to Cameron’s exceptional direction and writing.
5
‘The Original Star Wars Saga’ (1977-1983)
Science fiction cinema can not be mentioned now without discussing the massive success of George Lucas‘ Original Star Wars franchise. Even those who haven’t seen it yet at least know of the epic journey of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who rises from being a desert farmboy to a Jedi knight and savior against the evil Galactic Empire.
Featuring landmark effects, boundary-pushing storytelling, and beloved characters, these three films tell an epic tale that takes viewers on an unforgettable sci-fi journey. A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi all feature so much amazement and wonder, from the special effects featured to the rewatchable stories they tell. It’s the ultimate space fantasy saga, one that continues to have a huge presence not only in pop culture but in the sci-fi films we get today.
4
‘Blade Runner’ (1982)
Showing the immense talent of one of the 20th and 21st centuries’ most creative filmmakers, Sir Ridley Scott, the 1982 sci-fi thriller Blade Runner is a riveting tale that gets more compelling with every rewatch. Harrison Ford, in one of his many career-defining roles, plays Rick Deckard, a former cop in a dystopian, futuristic version of Earth, as he’s tasked with hunting down a rogue group of humanoid androids called replicants who have rebelled against their creator.
While shockingly a commercial flop in 1982, Blade Runner steadily rose to success and icon status in the years since for its incredible premise, thought-provoking themes, and unique futuristic style. Its visuals and depictions of what society might look like in the future have become a great source of inspiration, and its appearance can be seen in countless other dystopian films since. Scott created a captivating masterpiece that looks timeless and is constantly worth watching.
3
‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (1968)
The classic that many sci-fi films today owe their inspiration to, including Star Wars and Interstellar, is the groundbreaking 1968 epic 2001: A Space Odyssey. Directed by the late Stanley Kubrick, this masterpiece truly set the mark for others to achieve and surpass. It tells the iconic tale of a team of astronauts sent to outer space to locate the reason why a mysterious, foreign obelisk was uncovered on the moon.
Despite its age, it’s truly remarkable how 2001‘s effects still hold up, even upstaging some of the CGI slug that comes out today. Everything, from the look and style to its mostly accurate portrayal of space travel, has made it purely unforgettable and certainly an impressive experience. It’s helped define the sci-fi genre for years, and some could argue it still is.
2
‘Metropolis’ (1927)
Widely considered the most influential sci-fi classic, Fritz Lang‘s Metropolis is quite an impressive story that was one of the first films to truly show the creative power of this genre. Set in an oppressive dystopian future, a tense divide between the wealthy and working classes leads to an uprising when a privileged man ignites the fight after falling in love with a saintly poor girl.
An iconic achievement of the silent era, Metropolis is a technological and storytelling marvel that was far ahead of its time. Though special effects have greatly advanced since 1927 and noticeably look more realistic than in this one, it’s still incredible what Lang and his team were able to achieve here, as the look of the city and designs still look one-of-a-kind and breathtakingly gorgeous. It’s an essential piece of cinema history that helped shape the sci-fi genre for what it is today and proved just how captivating these types of stories could be.
1
‘Alien’ (1979)
The last one to mention is Alien, the 1979 sci-fi horror masterpiece by Ridley Scott that has scared and astonished generations of movie-goers with its timeless terror and gorgeous spectacle. Truly, this is a visually flawless film, full of so many convincing effects, mixed with its chillingly suspenseful story about a crew of astronauts as they battle a nightmarish alien stowaway aboard their ship.
Alien thrills and terrifies viewers with its tense story and its claustrophobic setting. This scared feeling when watching the film hasn’t dwindled over the years; it’s actually more like steadily becoming more effective now. From the Oscar-winning visuals and creature designs to Scott’s competent direction, Alien is an absolute ten out of ten that no one can deny is impressive.
Alien
- Release Date
-
June 22, 1979
- Runtime
-
117 Minutes
- Writers
-
Dan O’Bannon, Ronald Shusett
