All of us argue over which film in a particular genre is best. I submit for your pleasure my top 10 favorite Science Fiction films of all time. If your favorite Science Fiction film doesn’t make the cut, let me know why it should in the comments.
The only anime I’m including in the list. This is a special film to me for reasons I can’t explain to well. Voices of a Distant Star is about the distance between two teenagers in the far future. One is on earth and the other is completing her journey, fighting the enemy to protect the one she loves. The only communication they have is through text messages sent out into the vastness of space. Director Mikato Shinkai manages to insert so much emotion into the run time of Voices of a Distant Star which helps it stand head and shoulders above many other efforts.
09. Children of Men
People try to tell me that this isn’t a Science Fiction film. While it can be argued, there is no arguing about the strength of Children of Men. Set in the future, when women are unable to give birth anymore, a man must protect one of the only pregnant women in existence. I find Children of Men so captivating because it pulls no punches. It’s not afraid to kill off major characters and deals with the political ramifications all while being a thrilling chase.
08. Aliens
Aliens might have appeared higher on the list had I experienced it sooner. Set countless years after the first Alien movie, Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley is awaken to face the aliens once again. While others may like the original better, I like the faster pace and the heavier emphasis on action that Aliens brings to the franchise. With the introduction of a child character for Ripley to protect it also feels that she has a lot more to lose than just her life. I really enjoyed watching this and I’m looking forward to the countless re-watches that will certainly come in the years ahead.
07. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
James Cameron’s other Sci-Fi masterpiece, Terminator 2 is the next on my list. Having never seen the original Terminator (even to this day), I was really blown away by Cameron’s war against the machines. For the time the effects were game changing and the story as captivating. I have never seen Arnold in a better role than in this picture. My favorite scene has to be when the Terminator is asked not to kill the guards at the end of the film and he shoots them all in the knees dealing non-lethal damage. Brilliant.
06. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
While this might not be as solid as some of the films featured on the list, this is a classic for me. Richard Dreyfuss pulled off a career defining role as a man touched by the supernatural in a way he can’t understand. Steven Spielberg easily has more popular movies and a lot of people might refer to E.T. as his best Sci-Fi film. I like Close Encounters because it feels as though it could really happen this way. That if aliens were to visit the earth, we’d use music to interact with them.