1.  Star Wars

This 1977 independent film, rewrote the book on analog special effects and forever changed how the world viewed the future. It was written and directed by George Lucas and set to a classical score by John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra. The entire franchise has won seven Oscars, mostly for sound, make-up and special effects. The 1980 sequel “The Empire Strikes back,” directed by Irvin Kershner, shares this spot of number one on this top ten list. The film, is as timeless as the story itself. Under the guidance of his mentor, a young man must harness mystical powers, to embark on a fantastic journey, to rescue the princess and win a stunning victory for the forces of good over evil. These epic films star; Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fischer, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, James Earl Jones and Frank Oz. Together under Lucas’ direction, this all-star cast brings to life an epic tale of magic, adventure and heroism. It is a cinematic masterpiece, that has stood-up well against the test of time. It will continue to inspire and entertain, for many generations to come.      

2.  The Terminator

Directed by James Cameron (titanic, aliens, the abyss) this 1984 feature film broke away from conventional storytelling and laid the cornerstone, for one of the most successful science fiction movie franchises in history. It starred Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The story seems straight out of the pages of Heavy Metal magazine. A soldier of the future, (Biehn) travels back in time on a counter-assassination mission, to ensure the survival of the human race in a post-apocalyptic future. A cold dark future, where man has been subjugated by a network of militant humanoid machines. The terminator, (Schwarzenegger) must kill the mother of the resistance leader, (Hamilton) before the leader is conceived or born. Several successful sequels followed such as T2 Judgment Day, T3 Rise of the Machines, and the 2009 film Terminator: Salvation.     

3.  Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn 

This 1982 Sequel to Star Trek the motion picture was based on the original series. It reunites the crew of the starship Enterprise and reprises the role of Ricardo Montalban as the villainous character, “Kahn.” This space epic was brought to life by the visionary director, Nicolas Meyer. What set this movie so high on this list, was the fact this movie used cutting-edge CGI special effects, unparalleled in its day. It is a “pirate” movie, set in the backdrop of the twenty-third century battlefield of space. Montalban quite simply steals the show. His powerhouse performance as the obsessed “Kahn,” melds two classic literary characters. Imagine Black-beard the pirate with a PhD, Captain Ahab with a starship, and you have the “Wrath of Kahn.” William Shatner again plays the role of Admiral Kirk, and he must intercept Kahn’s stolen federation starship, before he can obtain the ultimate terrorist weapon. This film is fun and exciting. The story is intriguing and the special-effects stretch the imagination. Whether you are a Star Trek fan or not, you must see this film.     

4.  Bladerunner

1982 was a bumper crop for profoundly enduring science fiction films, and this movie is certainly no exception. The special effects were strictly analog, and the production of this film tested both the cast’s endurance, and the crew’s technical capabilities. The story was largely based on the novel, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by Phillip k. Dick. It stars Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Edward James Olmos, Brion James, Darryl Hannah and Sean Young. The story is set in Los Angeles circa 2019. A detective from the special unit of the 54^th Precinct, must hunt down a murderous band of biomechanical humanoids called, “Replicants.” This film serves as a benchmark within the industry for the science fiction genre. It was masterfully directed by Ridley Scott, (alien, blackhawk down) and in it he brings to life the dystopian, and sometimes pessimistic vision of the future. The story has a dark noir appeal to it, reminiscent of the Mickey Spillane detective novels. The director’s vision is a strange mix of the beautifully nostalgic, and the sleazily real. But, it is Director Scott’s absolute attention to the most intimate of details, that makes it a fascinating film to watch. Without a doubt, it is a must see for any science fiction fan.

5.  Planet of the Apes

Directed by Franklin Schaffner, the 1968 film starred Roddy Mc Dowell, Charlton Heston, Kim Hunter and Linda Harrison. The original story was penned by French engineer and novelist Pierre Boulle, in his 1963 novel “La planete’ des singes.” The novel was adapted to the screen by television mastermind, Rod Serling. (twilight zone) For budgetary and technical reasons, the movie had to veer from the author’s original vision, of a more advanced ape civilization. But, the producers believed in the story enough to give it a respectable budget for the day. As the story goes, a crew of astronauts, crash land on a planet, where humans are ruled by a society of sentient malevolent apes. The movie was so well received by audiences, it spawned six sequels and two television series. It has firmly embedded itself, as an icon of American popular culture. The acclaimed director, Tim Burton (batman, edward scissorhands) released a fairly descent remake to fickle audiences. But, it wasn’t as earth shattering as the first “Apes” films, nor was it as well received. That same year of 2001, the original film was selected by the U.S. National Film Registry for preservation. It is archived at the Library of Congress as being historically aesthetic and culturally significant. The analog special effects were top-notch, (given the era) and it still holds its own to this day. It is an exciting and thought provoking film. It has definitely earned its place as No. 5 in the top science fiction films of all time.

6.  Tron

It’s rare that Disney makes a lasting and meaningful film. It’s even more amazing when its a science fiction film. Part of that bumper crop of ‘82 was this little screen gem, directed Steven Lisberger. Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner and Cindy Morgan all play double roles in this masterpiece of science fiction. Under the art direction of Syd Mead, (bladerunner, star wars) Lisberger was able to create the fictional universe within the computer. It was the first time the “computer” was actively used both as a creative tool, and as a plot device. The story was overly complex for the day, and the subject of “computers” intimidated a majority of the populace. A programmer, (Bridges) is hacking into the computer corporation he once worked for, in an attempt to gather evidence that his software, was actually pirated by the corporation’s chief executive, (Warner) His friends who still work at the corporation, (Boxleitner and Morgan) opt to help him when their own work is scrutinized by the oppressive, Master Control Program. The “in-computer” action sequences have a quasi-nostalgic feel to it. The ‘modern’ architecture of the “program world,” seems to have a cool mix of Art-deco and the future. Though the production team had a variety of challenges, the final work is a fantastic film that resonated with movie audiences around the world. Without this film cutting the path, the movies of today would probably look a lot different. There most certainly would not be, “the Matrix.”

Update:

Steven Lisberger is producing the long awaited sequel. It is schedualed for release, the summer of 2010. The title has been changed again from “TR2N” to “Tron legacy.”              

7.  Forbidden Planet

During the post-war era of the 1950’s and sixties, the American cinema had begun to change. The movie-going public was immersed in a changing world of rockets, atomic power, television, transistor radios and jet aircraft. This was the renaissance of science fiction, and the golden age of science fiction films. Metro Goldwyn Meyer put together an unprecedented five million dollar budget for this motion picture. That’s about 3.9 billion in today’s rate-adjusted dollars. The reason why this old nostalgic film makes it into the top ten is, (like a fine wine) it stands the test of time. This 1956 feature was directed by Fred M. Wilcox and it starred Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielson. The special effects were state-of-the-art for the day, and the entire production astounded movie going audiences with their optimistic, and realistic vision of the future. The spaceship captain, (Nielson) is on a mission to investigate the lost Bellerophon expedition to the Altair system. His landing party is welcomed by a seven-foot tall robot named, “Robby.” The robot leads them to the home of Dr. Morbius, (Pidgeon) who is the last survivor of the lost expedition. Dr. Morbius is the keeper of an ancient and very powerful alien technology, and the wayward father of Altaira, (Francis) This movie served as inspiration for a whole generation of innovators such as astronauts, engineers and physicists. One thing is for certain, without this film’s early marketing gamble, the world of Star Trek and Star Wars, would look radically different than they appear today.   

8.  The Time Machine

Written by H.G. Wells in 1895, this (1960) feature film has an interesting legacy and I’ll explain. After the success of “War of the Worlds,” the Wells family estate was so impressed by the picture, they expanded MGM’s rights to remaining body of their father’s work. The next piece slated for production was of course, “The Time Machine.” Rod Taylor, Alan Young and Yvette Mimieux star in this masterpiece of science fiction. Directed and adapted to the screen by George Pàl, who’s credits include the (1953) version of “War of the Worlds.” The 2002 remake was in fact directed by H.G. Wells’ own great-grandson “Simon Wells.” It starred Guy Pierce, Samantha Mumba and Jeremy Irons. Though the (2002) movie was heralded as a box office success, it was balked by both fans and critics alike, as being heavy with CGI special effects and straying too far from Wells’ original vision.        

9.  Back to the Future

If there was one film, that embodies everything good about the nineteen eighties, its this 1985 screen-gem directed by Robert Zemeckis. Christopher Lloyd, Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson, Thomas F. Griffin and Crispin Glover all star in this roller-coaster ride through history. A mad-scientist, (Lloyd) builds a time machine out of a DeLorean (sports-car) and recruits the help of a troubled young rock musician, (Fox) to partake in a risky experiment through space and time. The movie was so successful, and was so well received by audiences, that it spun-off two respectable sequels, and two pneumatic simulator rides, (theme park attractions) at universal studios, on both coasts. It is arguably the most successful film of the decade, and it sure made growing-up in the eighties a whole lot more interesting and exciting.   

10. Robocop   

This graphic 1987 independent Sci-Fi film, set a new level of acceptable violence within the industry. Directed by Paul Verhoeven (flesh & blood, starship troopers) it starred Peter Weller, Nancy Allen and Miguel Ferrer. The story is set in the Detroit of the not-so-distant-future. A huge conglomerate called, “OCP” (omni consumer products) is pitching new law enforcement products, to help the city combat an out of control crime-wave. A police officer, (Weller) and his partner, (Allen) follow bank robbers to the edge of the city. Weller’s character is killed and reborn by OCP as,…you guessed it, “Robocop.” As a kid watching this movie for the first time in a California drive-in, I was absolutely blown away. It is a science fiction story of the “phoenix,” a cautionary tale of the possible future, and a revenge piece worthy of Shakespeare. Robocop had two successful sequels and a short-lived television series. It won the prestigious Saturn Award in 1987 for best science fiction film. This feature never gets old, and it will continue to entertain for many years to come. And it completes my list of, the ten best science fiction movies of all time.  

Great films that didn’t make it into the top ten, but had to be honorable mentions are as follows; (Alien) Sci-fi/horror a commercial starship inadvertently brings a nasty xenomorphic lifeform onboard: (Andromeda strain) Made it into the top ten list of best alien invasion films: (Battle Beyond the Stars) Is proof that, poor visual effects cannot kill a good story: (Buckaroo Banzai) Made into the list of top ten alien invasion films: (Close Encounters) Great film, but enough said: (Enemy Mine) Shades of Robinson Crusoe on Mars: (Flash Gordon) Based on the popular serial from the nineteen thirties: (The Fifth Element) Is ground zero for excitement, without reason: (Imposter) This movie will keep you guessing until the very end: (Independence Day) War of the Worlds set in the 1990’s: (This Island Earth) Equally inspired by Forbidden Planet’s success: (Johnny Mnemonic) Is the world of cyberpunk on the silver screen: (Logan’s run) Sci-fi was starting to bear fruit: (Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome) Best of the three mad max films: (Matrix) Tech noir film at its finest: (Metropolis) A silent film era classic: (Predator,…Resident Evil,…Saturn 3,…Silent Running,…Spacehunter,…2001: A space odyssey,…THX-1138,…Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,…and War of the Worlds,)

rounds off the bottom of the list, but all the above mentioned are fascinating films and well worth your time.