Feb
3
Welcome to SciFiNow’s long-running reader-integrated feature that gives you the chance to vote for the greatest sci-fi film of all time. Since issue 31 we’ve been giving the industry’s best writers the chance to campaign for their favourite film from a shortlist of ten, and now in these final stages we need readers and web browsers to decide which film deserves the accolade of Greatest Sci-Fi Film Of All Time. Keep your eyes glued to these very web pages over the next few weeks as we unveil each entry in this thought-stirring poll.
You can check out the shortlist below.
Alien (1979)
Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: Dan O’Bannon, Ronald Shusett
Starring: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Alien showed that a progression to adult science fiction was possible outside of lurid effects and fantastical storylines, seamlessly blending the genre with horror.
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: Melissa Mathison
Starring: Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Drew Barrymore
Studio: Universal Pictures
A family film primarily and a science-fiction film second, E.T. nevertheless holds a very dear place in the hearts of its fans and popular culture as a whole.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writer: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C Clarke
Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester
Studio: MGM
Kubrick’s masterpiece, despite receiving a mixed reception upon its release, eventually became commonly known as an incredible feat of filmmaking.
Planet Of The Apes (1968)
Director: Franklin J Schaffner
Writer: Pierre Boulle, Michael Wilson, Rod Serling
Starring: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Maurice Evans
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Who hasn’t seen the iconic image of Chuck Heston screaming at a half-buried Lady Liberty? It all started here, with Planet Of The Apes.
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
Director: George Lucas
Writer: George Lucas
Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Star Wars’ impact on popular culture is, honestly, inestimable, and it all started with Lucas’s 1977 wildly popular blockbuster.
Blade Runner (1982)
Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: Philip K Dick, Hampton Fancher, David Peoples
Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Edward James Olmos
Studio: Warner Bros.
Blade Runner is regarded as one of the finest films in the genre, loosely taking its cues from Philip K Dick’s short story ‘Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?’
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Director: James Cameron
Writer: James Cameron, William Wisher Jr
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong
Studio: Tri-Star Pictures
Following the runaway success of The Terminator, the second film was quickly put into production, featuring a new nemesis and a revolutionary use of CGI.
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Director: Fred M Wilcox
Writer: Cyril Hume, Irving Block, Allen Adler
Starring: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen
Studio: MGM
One of science fiction’s greatest efforts, this film demonstrated incredible innovation for the time, and a step up for the genre’s credibility in the mainstream.
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Director: Irvin Kershner
Writer: George Lucas, Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Studio: 20th Century Fox
The sequel to the 1977 blockbuster Star Wars is often cited as the best in the series, with a focus on character rather than straight plot.
The Matrix (1999)
Director: Wachowski Brothers
Writer: Wachowski Brothers
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss
Studio: Warner Bros.
Hip, modern, and featuring a quite frankly astounding use of computer effects, even ten years on this film is still breathtaking, sequels notwithstanding.
You can cast your vote via email, through the comments thread below or on SciFiNow’s forum. To read more about this exciting feature, hit the link and stare in awe/wonder at some of the movies that didn’t quite make the cut.
The Matrix
[...] SciFiNow has been running a poll in recent months to discover the greatest sci-fi film of all time. With industry writers having whittled the list down to a top 10, the magazine has opened the final stages to the public to choose the best. [...]
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Or maybe SW Episode III XD
Has to be 2001 for me-nothing c0mpares to it, tho Moon is close!
Aliens, closely followed by Alien, Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back, a New Hope and T2. Blade Runner is something I know I should like but I’ve never got by the appreciation level.
[...] The greatest sci-fi film of all time is… [...]
Forbidden Planet embodies everything we’ve ever wanted from a sci-fi flick, there is no contest.
Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
Alien, 2001, and Star Wars Episode IV, and not from the list: Dune (1984).
They are all tied for first. Adjust your opinions accordingly.
Star Wars A New Hope…
“Forbidden Planet embodies everything we’ve ever wanted from a sci-fi flick, there is no contest.”
Seconded.
My pick would be Alien because that’s the one movie that has aged the least. Apart from The Matrix of course, but that movie is 20 years younger, so Alien, yeah.
Two movies that I think are better than anything on this list are Videodrome and Robocop, those movies may have aged badly but their messages are still very relevant. Now more than ever.
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
[...] The greatest sci-fi film of all time is… Ten of the best… Science fiction television series [...]
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
..that is out of the batch you’ve posted. I’m sure there are better sci-fi movies out there, e.g. Journey to the Far Side of the Sun, Time machine, even Mission to Mars, one of my favorites asks some intriguing questions.
2001 A Space Odyssey, no contest Dave!
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (although if you’d included the Day the Earth Stood Still – no, not the Keanu version – I’d have gone for that). Also Serenity is a guilty pleasure that I shouldn’t want to vote for but might have been tempted….
Please leave your comments below