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50 best sci-fi movies

Malthus

Malthus

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Empire has compiled a list of the 50 best sci-fi movies ever made. The​ question is: What else should have been on the list?
 
Coincidentally, I was having a conversation at dinner last weekend with a friend. She said she loves “harder” (my word, not her’s) sci fi movies. So I compiled this list for her of my personal favorites.

2001: A Space Odyssey
Arrival
GATTACA
Ex Machina
Contact
Children of Men
Solaris
Stalker
Moon
Her
Primer
Blade Runner
12 Monkeys
Inception

It looks like Her, Primer, Contact, and GATTACA are absent, unless I missed them. I think GATTACA is probably the most egregious snub. I won’t quibble with the selections even if I wouldn’t have put many of them on my list. But the order is definitely off. I mean how could you put Annihilation above Stalker!? And several choices flat out I don’t think are sci fi. Guardians of the Galaxy?! I mean if they can count GotG then I’ll add Brazil.
 
I'll compile a list when i get 5 minutes but Interstellar & Gattaca would be top of the list
 
Yeah I can't agree with this list. But it's a great way to jumpstart some discussion. They have some obvious picks, some inspired choices too. But also some head-scratchers.

5 Spielberg movies (I like AI, Close Encounters, ET, and Minority Report, but could have been just Jurassic Park), 5 Cameron movies (these two directors are one fifth of the whole list). There are 2 in the Alien franchise, 2 in the Star Wars franchise, both Blade Runners, I feel like at most they should have a max of 1 per director or franchise. Surprised they have a Trek movie, even if it is the one considered to be the best of the Trek movies. 2 anime films comprise the whole of 2d animation representation on the list, and 1 Pixar film for 3d animation. 21 out of 50 were made in 2000 or later (a nice round cutoff I chose arbitrarily because of my age, post-2000 I consider 'modern') which actually I think might be a nice ratio, better than I expected while counting. They have 12 Monkeys instead of Brazil, but at least Terry Gilliam has a movie on the list. VERY few non-English films, which may be one of the most glaring issues I have with it. American science fiction fans are used to reading, we don't mind subtitles.

I guess there aren't a ton that "don't make sense" to me. But I would have expected more variety, you know? More rules or more explanation behind how the choices were made.
 
I think we all have our different opinions as to what constitutes sci fi. I consider 12 Monkeys more sci fi than Brazil, hence my comments above. But if we’re talking GotG and Star Wars movies as sci fi (I don’t consider either sci fi), then Brazil definitely belongs. I love 12
Monkeys, but I love Brazil more.
 
addiesin said:
Yeah I can't agree with this list...
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I couldn't agree more (with you, not the list) but felt it was a good conversation starter. When I first read the article I was disappointed that Empire had decided to reuse so many franchises and directors when there was so many other noteworthy films. It just felt lazy.

Moe and Last impression I wholeheartedly support you championing Gattaca (1997). I love that film. I personally would have added Godzilla (1998) Dark City (1998) as well.
 
I've seen like, 18 of these movies. Now, I didn't read any of the descriptions or other text, just the movie titles

So what the heck? Predator is an action movie with an alien, it's not based in science at all. Star Wars isn't sci-fi, it uses a setting commonly seen in sci-fi, but it's not rooted in science at all. Robocop I see more as an action comedy, but it's been a while, maybe it's rooted in science and I don't remember. I'm not sure how I feel about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on there, but again, it's been a few years, maybe it's more scientific than I remember. I just think this is a weird list, and they were grasping at straws at times.
My personal list would include Dark Star and Buckaroo Banzai, that's all I'll say. I'd add Last Starfighter, but I can't remember if it's like I was saying about Star Wars where it's not actually rooted in science, I'd have to watch it again.
I guess the definition of sci-fi is different for everyone.
 
jrWHAG42 said:
I guess the definition of sci-fi is different for everyone.
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I have seen 38 from the list. You're right, the definition of sci-fi definitely varies from person to person. I'm a fan of hard science fiction and I love space opera but I still lazily refer to all of it as sci-fi. The Last Starfighter (1984) is a gem I used to love it as s kid along with Flight of the Navigator (1986) I never got around to watching Dark Star (1974) but I've heard good things. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) wasn't my cup of tea but it's great to see so much love for the weirder films.
 
jrWHAG42 said:
I guess the definition of sci-fi is different for everyone.
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Science fiction is not just a genre but also a setting. The first science fiction book is frequently considered to be Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which was intended to be in the genre of horror. I think that's where confusion sets in for these types of conversations, one person convinced it's only one thing, and another person convinced it's only the other thing. But really it's pretty fluid.
 
I hate the idea of Frankenstein being considered science fiction, yuck.

I get it, but still, yuck.
 
Moe_Syzlak said:
Malthus said:
I have seen 38 from the list.
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I have seen 49. The only one I haven’t seen is #50, Silent Running.
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Wow, I have 7 I haven't seen from there. You got me beat.
Silent Running
High Life
Stalker
Body Snatchers 78
Metropolis
Annihilation
Arrival
 
Just a couple of thoughts.....

Where is DARK CITY?  Director's Cut is a masterpiece!

Donnie Darko?  It's been a loooong time since I've seen it, but I don't remember it being scifi.

Guardians of the Galaxy?  I mean yeah it's scifi, but really?

Metropolis.....YES, YES and YES!  Glad to see it getting it's recognition.
 
musiced921 said:
Where is DARK CITY?  Director's Cut is a masterpiece!
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I haven't seen 5 of them: High Life, Children Of Men, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978), Under The Skin (2013) and Sunshine. I've got 'High Life' on my "watch-next" pile because I really want to watch some Claire Denis films. I've got the blu-rays of 'Children of Men' and 'Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)' still in their cellophane on my "watch at some point?" shelf :D .

Some random ones I might include: Star man, Threads, Star Gate, 5th Element, Total Recall, Babylon 5: In the Beginning, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Things to Come, Steamboy, Dune, Dredd and 2 or 3 Mad Max films.
 
TM2YC said:
Some random ones I might include: Star man, Threads, Star Gate, 5th Element, Total Recall, Babylon 5: In the Beginning, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Things to Come, Steamboy, Dune, Dredd and 2 or 3 Mad Max films.
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Yes! How could Empire ignore Dune (1984) and The Fifth Element (1997)
 
Malthus said:
TM2YC said:
Some random ones I might include: Star man, Threads, Star Gate, 5th Element, Total Recall, Babylon 5: In the Beginning, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Things to Come, Steamboy, Dune, Dredd and 2 or 3 Mad Max films.
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Yes! How could Empire ignore Dune (1984) and The Fifth Element (1997)
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Once again, I agree given the films on the list. They clearly are loose with the term sci fi, but Dune and the Fifth Element fall into the fantasy/myth realm for me and aren’t what I’d, personally, call sci fi.
 
addiesin said:
Moe_Syzlak said:
Malthus said:
I have seen 38 from the list.
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I have seen 49. The only one I haven’t seen is #50, Silent Running.
Click to expand...

Wow, I have 7 I haven't seen from there. You got me beat.
Silent Running
High Life
Stalker
Body Snatchers 78
Metropolis
Annihilation
Arrival
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Well I’m old. :) I just recently watched Stalker for the second time. I’ve seen Arrival at least three times. I liked High Life, but I don’t know if it would make my list. It’s probably the boldest choice on this list though.
 
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