25 Favorite Science Fiction Movies
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- DirectorGeorge LucasStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie FisherLuke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.My favorite film of all time. It brilliantly blends sci fi, fantasy, action, and adventure. The characters are well-developed and the film has so much heart. The attack on the Death Star and the medal ceremony at the end still evoke emotion.
- DirectorIrvin KershnerStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie FisherAfter the Rebel Alliance are overpowered by the Empire, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.It's hard to believe that a sequal can be this good! The relationship and evolving love story between Han Solo and Princess Leia is better than what you find in most romantic comedies nowadays. This film has a dark edge but also a comedic touch.
- DirectorRichard MarquandStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie FisherAfter rescuing Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, the Rebel Alliance attempt to destroy the second Death Star, while Luke struggles to help Darth Vader back from the dark side.While this is clearly a notch below the previous two episodes, this is still a great film in its own right. It provides a very satisfactory conclusion to the Star Wars saga. I don't even mind the Ewoks all that much!
- DirectorLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsKeanu ReevesLaurence FishburneCarrie-Anne MossWhen a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.A mind-blowing, dazzling, sci-fi action film! The question of "what is the Matrix?" is posed early on. The answer is surprising and not disappointing. The ground-breaking action sequences make this one worth watching again and again. Too bad that the sequels were terrible!
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHenry ThomasDrew BarrymorePeter CoyoteA troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home planet.This is a timeless film that is full of wonder. It's very touching to see the relationship develop between the friendly alient E.T. and the boy, Elliot. This film appeals to young children and adults alike. It's one of the first films to show to your four-year-old.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJoseph Gordon-LevittElliot PageA thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.This is Nolan's best film and the greatest sci film to come out in the last ten years. The film looks amazing and has exciting action. The most fun part about it is trying to decide which parts of it are "real" and which parts of it are a "dream." There are many different theories to explain the plot in this one.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerLinda HamiltonEdward FurlongA cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.This is a very rare example of a sequel being as good as the original. Arnold is awesome once again. The special effects and action sequences improve greatly from the original film. It also has a trippy plot and characters that we care about.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerLinda HamiltonMichael BiehnA human soldier is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine, sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman whose unborn son is the key to humanity's future salvation.This is classic action and sci fi, with some horror elements as well. This film is cool and very intelligent. It explores some mind-blowing aspects of time travel and Arnold is great as the Terminator.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsTom CruiseColin FarrellSamantha MortonJohn works with the PreCrime police which stop crimes before they take place, with the help of three 'PreCogs' who can foresee crimes. Events ensue when John finds himself framed for a future murder.This is an under-appreciated Spielberg film. Movies inspired by the writings of Philip K. Dick are usually excellent, but this one is my favorite. Visually, it looks great and Cruise plays a very sympathetic protagonist. The plot has many fascinating twists and turns.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsMatthew McConaugheyAnne HathawayJessica ChastainWhen Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.Interstellar is superior science fiction. There's a lot to say about the human condition and the meaning of life. It also uses theories about space, time, and gravity that come from scientific minds.
- DirectorAlex ProyasStarsRufus SewellKiefer SutherlandJennifer ConnellyA man struggles with memories of his past, which include a wife he cannot remember and a nightmarish world no one else ever seems to wake up from.The Matrix lifted some of its plot from this film. Dark City does not feature a great deal of action, but it establishes mood with its "Metropolis"-like atmosphere. This is a film that will have you thinking about it long after it is over.
- DirectorDuncan JonesStarsJake GyllenhaalMichelle MonaghanVera FarmigaA soldier wakes up in someone else's body and discovers he's part of an experimental government program to find the bomber of a commuter train within 8 minutes.As a fan of the old "Quantum Leap" TV series, I really enjoyed this film. The film explores alternate realities, changing the past, and other sci fi themes. It has a solid cast and a fascinating plot.
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsTom CruiseEmily BluntBill PaxtonA soldier fighting aliens gets to relive the same day over and over again, the day restarting every time he dies.Edge of Tomorrow is a "Groundhog Day" sci fi action film, in which a man keeps getting sent back in time every time he dies. Hostile aliens have invaded earth, and he has to keep trying new things until he gets it right.
- DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsCharlton HestonRoddy McDowallKim HunterAn astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet where highly intelligent non-human ape species are dominant and humans are enslaved.This is an excellent sci fi flick from the 1960s, staring Chareton Heston. It has plenty of action and excitement, but also offers social comentary on animal rights and other issues. It's spawned a lot of lousy sequals and remakes, but also some good ones such as 2011s Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
- DirectorAlex GarlandStarsAlicia VikanderDomhnall GleesonOscar IsaacA young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid A.I.Ex Machina is one of the best modern science fiction films and it deals with the concept of artificial intelligence about as well as any. Oscar Isaacs steals the show as a modern-day Dr. Frankenstein. This film gives the viewer a lot to think about, as there are many unanswered questions by the end of the film.
- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsJulianne MooreClive OwenChiwetel EjioforIn 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have somehow become infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.This is an Orwellian film from the future, in which humans lose the ability to procreate. However, Clive Owen, as an unlikely hero, tries to help preserve humanity at great risk. This film is superior science fiction and it is brilliantly directed.
- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsAlisa FreyndlikhAleksandr KaydanovskiyAnatoliy SolonitsynA guide leads two men through an area known as the Zone to find a room that grants wishes.Stalker is an old Soviet film, but it requires the viewer to use his or her imagination. I haven't seen anything quite like it and it is difficult to describe, but it is well worth seeing for patient science fiction fans.
- DirectorGareth EdwardsStarsFelicity JonesDiego LunaAlan TudykIn a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire's ultimate weapon of destruction.This is a great prequel and tribute to the original Star Wars. The filmmakers show respect and answer the question of how the rebels acquired the Death Star plans.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydLea ThompsonMarty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.This is probably my favorite sci fi/comedy. It has fun with time travel, but it also shows some 1950s life and culture. Parts of it are laugh-out-loud funny and we're pulling for Marty McFly all the way. It's hard to believe that this film is almost 30 years old and as far removed from us today and the 1950s were to original viewers of this film.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsKevin McCarthyDana WynterLarry GatesA small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates.This is another example of a sci-fi horror. This is also one of the earliest entries on the list. I love the paranoia about not knowing who to trust. Today's friend or loved one could be trying to kill you tomorrow (or a pod person replica anyway). The 1970s remake is different, but quite good as well. See both versions!
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsKeir DulleaGary LockwoodWilliam SylvesterAfter uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.This is a landmark science fiction film and one of the first philosophical/intellectual ones. It tackles issues such as artificial intelligence with HAL. It also explores the nature of human existence.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsTimothée ChalametZendayaRebecca FergusonPaul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.
- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsNatalya BondarchukDonatas BanionisJüri JärvetA psychologist is sent to a station orbiting a distant planet in order to discover what has caused the crew to go insane.This is another philosophical science fiction film that does not just explore space, but the nature of our very beings. The story unfolds quite slowly, but it is very rewarding. This is an original and influential film.
- DirectorFred M. WilcoxStarsWalter PidgeonAnne FrancisLeslie NielsenA starship crew in the 23rd century goes to investigate the silence of a distant planet's colony, only to find just two survivors, a powerful robot, and the deadly secret of a lost civilization.There were many classic sci fi films from the 1950s, and this is one of the best. It is influential to Star Trek and was way ahead of its time. It’s smart science fiction.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsMichael RenniePatricia NealHugh MarloweAn alien lands in Washington, D.C. and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.This film was the first of a great wave of 1950s UFO movies. This one presents the aliens as morally superior beings and the humans as savages. It's also influential to Star Trek.