The 31 best sci-fi movies of all time
What would happen if…? Possibly this is the premise from which some science fiction films start.
From this question, concepts related to travel arise in the creator's imagination and, later, in that of the viewer. into outer space, futuristic ships, nuclear wars, adverse planets, dystopian futures, monsters, and even mad scientists.
Because, if this imperishable cinematographic genre has taught us something, it is precisely to “let the imagination fly”.
Although there are countless unmissable science fiction titles, here we propose a list of 31 Recommended Movies of the genre arranged chronologically.
1. Metropolis (1927)
Direction: Fritz lang
It is a pioneering film of the genre, belonging to German expressionism. It was a very expensive blockbuster from the silent movie era.
It presents a futuristic world, inspired by the year 2000, in which the rich classes dominate over the workers, who are working underground in miserable conditions. In the midst of this context, young Freder, a rich boy, falls in love with Maria, a working-class woman who is dedicated to defending her rights.
Without a doubt, it is a film whose effects and staging have had a considerable influence on later cinema.
2. Invasion of the Body Thieves (1956)
Direction: Donald siegel
A series B film set in the golden age of science fiction cinema. It is the adaptation of Jack Finney's novel published in installments.
The film focuses on Santa Mira, a small city located in California, where very strange events begin to happen that affect the behavior of some inhabitants. There Dr. Milles, recently arrived in his city after a medical congress, investigates what happened after being alerted by his nurse. Soon, the doctor discovers that the pods of a plant are replacing the inhabitants of the city.
3. The Incredible Waning Man (1957)
Direction: Jack arnold
This film starts from the story of Richard Matheson and is one of the must-see classics of science fiction cinema. It tells the story of Scott Caray, a man who is struck by a strange cloud while sailing in a boat. Later, he begins to undergo physical changes and alterations in his stature.
4. Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
Direction: François Truffaut
It is the adaptation of a story by Ray Bradbury that hides the love that director François Truffaut had for literature.
In the distant future, books are banned by the government as they are considered harmful to citizens. That is why there is a special fire department in charge of burning them. A man named Montag handles this job. Everything changes for him when he meets a teacher, who will make the man start reading the books before burning them. This makes the protagonist question his freedom of thought.
5. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Direction: Stanley kubrick
This movie is, for many, one of the best science fiction movies ever. Contextualized in the middle of the space race, the director insisted on creating meticulous images and ambitious special effects, which continue to be impressive today.
The film takes a journey through the history of humanity from the past, millions of years ago, to the future with the proliferation of artificial intelligence.
You may also like: Movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Stanley Kubrick
6. Planet of the Apes (1968)
Direction: Franklin J. Schaffner
Although its staging, special effects and characterization of the characters are not too believable today, it is a must-have sci-fi genre film from the decade of the sixty. Well, it is the basis of different sequels and later remakes.
Astronaut George Taylor accidentally lands with his ship on a planet where highly developed apes dominate humans.
7. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Direction: Stanley kubrick
The film is a denunciation of violence and is also a reflection on authoritarianism. His plot follows the trail of a gang of criminals who spread terror in the city where they operate.
During one of his criminal acts in a chalet, the police catch Alex, one of the gang members. Then, once in prison, the man will undergo an experimental treatment.
It may interest you: A Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick
8. Solaris (1972)
Direction: Andrei Tarkovski
Solaris is an adaptation of the novel by Stanislaw Lem.
One of the main characteristics of Tarkovski's cinema is his thoughtful intention. These are often full-length tapes. This is the case of Solaris, a film that revolves around Kris Kelvin, a psychologist who is sent to a remote space station to investigate the death of a doctor. Soon, the man begins to experience strange visions.
9. Westworld (1973)
Direction: Michael Cichton
Dystopian film that inspired the series produced by HBO in 2016. In the near future there is the possibility of enjoying a vacation in a peculiar amusement park, where the Visitors can experience the characteristics of each era (Imperial Rome, American West, Medieval Europe). However, everything is controlled by computers and robots. One day, the androids have a glitch and begin murdering the visitors.
10. Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (1977)
Direction: George Lucas
First film in the film saga Star wars, which was a revolution in the science fiction genre and is a fundamental piece in the cinema of its decade.
Princess Leia is captured by the band led by Darth Vader. A young man named Luke Skywalder is on a mission to fight to rescue the princess and bring peace to the galaxy.
11. Encounters in the third phase (1977)
Direction: Steven Spielberg
A classic of Spielberg's cinema and science fiction cinema that caused a sensation at its premiere.
The film revolves around Roy Neary, a young man who witnesses the presence of UFOs and, from that moment on, tries to find an explanation for the event. Meanwhile, a woman named Jillian Guiler has also experienced the same event. On the other hand, a group of scientists try to solve the mystery.
12. Stalker (1979)
Direction: Andrei Tarkovski
It is based on the science fiction novel The roadside Picnic by Arkadi and Boris Strugatski. The story takes place in a Russian town where, after a meteorite falls, physically inexplicable events begin to occur.
13. Alien the Eighth Passenger (1979)
Direction: Ridley scott
It is an essential film to understand the evolution of science fiction and horror cinema. The ship called Nostromo returns to Earth. In it, seven passengers discover a distress signal coming from another apparently abandoned ship. The members then set out to find out what it is about.
14. La Jetée (1962)
Direction: Chris Marker
It is an experimental medium-length film that is set in the near future. After a nuclear war, a man, the narrator, travels back in time to prevent the devastating event. Then, the protagonist tries to reconstruct his past.
The film is made up, almost entirely, of still photographs in black and white.
15. Blade Runner (1982)
Direction: Ridley scott
Essential film because, among other things, it limited itself to changing the concept of science fiction with slight overtones that recall the film noir from the 1940s.
It presents a dystopian world where, in 2019, a Los Angeles detective circulates through the city on a mission to stop invading androids posing as humans.
16. The Thing (1982)
Direction: John carpenter
This film is based on the science fiction story Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell, which had already been adapted into the film The enigma of the otherworld (1951).
The thing features a group of scientists, including Kurt Russell, the protagonist, who are in an isolated post in Antarctica. There, they discover an alien being that can transform and take over his bodies.
17. E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982)
Direction: Steven Spielberg
The film is a science fiction classic from the 80s intended for the whole family. For many viewers, E.T. It is a film that will always remind you of your childhood.
A small alien is left stranded on planet Earth when the creatures that man the ship forget about him. Soon, a boy secretly befriends the alien, whom he hides in his house to protect him from those who try to find his whereabouts.
18. Terminator (1984)
Direction: James Cameron
This film presents the futuristic city of Los Angeles in the year 2029. In it, John Connor is part of a group that rises up to the power of the machines, which reign in the world. However, they have sent a robot into the past with the mission of preventing John's mother from conceiving him.
19. Back to the Future (1985)
Direction: Robert Zemeckis
Return to the future is a must-see film of the genre that encompasses time travel. A wacky scientist has managed to build an artifact that allows time travel. Teenager Marty McFly, his friend, travels to 1955 due to a machine error. In this year, his parents had not yet met. Therefore, the young man will have to strive for this meeting to happen, if he wants to exist in the future.
20. Brazil (1985)
Direction: Terry gilliam
Brazil is a cult film that came to confront its creator with the Universal distributor, which I wanted to make a more commercial version of the film, as well as find a "happy ending" for it. story.
The film proposes a dystopian future, where an official rebels against a totalitarian society and can escape from it through his imagination.
21. The Fly (1986)
Direction: David Cronenberg
Few remakes They are capable of surpassing the original, in this case it could be said that, to a certain extent, this film does so with respect to the Kurt Newman classic from the 1950s.
The film revolves around Seth Brundle, a researcher working on an experiment on the transmigration of matter. His work seems to be successful and one day he decides to apply it on himself, then the scientist begins to transform into a fly.
22. Twelve Monkeys (1996)
Direction: Terry gilliam
A truly disturbing film that poses a futuristic world but close at the same time.
In the year 2035, people who survived a deadly virus remain confined underground. Some scientists discover the possibility of taking a trip through time and thus being able to return to the moment when everything originated.
James Cole, a prisoner, volunteers to travel to 1996, the year the epidemic began, to collect samples of the virus in order to find an antidote. Among his objectives is to locate the "Army of the 12 monkeys", a group related to the spread of the disease.
23. Matrix (1999)
Direction: Wachowski Sisters
Science fiction and philosophy are the main ingredients of this reference film of its genre from the nineties.
The film, which was a revolution in special effects at its premiere, revolves around Neo, a young computer scientist who has the mission to rebel against the machines, which lead the world by keeping humans as slaves.
It may interest you: Wachowski Sisters Matrix Movie
24. Origin (2010)
Direction: Christopher Nolan
It is a film that delves into the world of the subconscious and whose staging is inspired by the "architecture" of the brain. In it, a spy named Cobb works by introducing ideas into the subconscious of the human mind. His last mission is to implant an idea in the mind of Robert Fisher, the son of an important tycoon.
Meanwhile, the protagonist must face the presence of his deceased woman in his subconscious. All with a single purpose: to meet again with his children.
You can also read: Inception movie by Christopher Nolan
25. Gravity (2013)
Direction: Alfonso Cuaron
Even if Gravity It is a simple film from the narrative point of view, it is really impressive visually. It is a tape to be enjoyed, if possible, on the big screen.
His plot revolves around Ryan Stone, an engineer who, accompanied by astronaut Matt Kowalsky, is assigned to a space mission. During the trip both have an accident and the ship in which they travel is totally destroyed. Then the occupants are left alone wandering through space trying to survive.
26. The Possible Lives of Mr. Nobody (2013)
Direction: Jaco van Dormael
The film starts from a train station. Young Nemo must decide who he wants to go with, his father or his mother, after their separation. From this moment, his life is nothing more than a journey of infinite possibilities, of different lives that he could have had and that start from a single choice.
This film is recommended for those who find a space for reflection in the cinema, since it starts from a complex narrative structure.
27. Interstellar (2014)
Direction: Christopher Nolan
It is one of the most ambitious science fiction films of recent times, also by his director, although it is not his best film.
In it, a group of scientists travels through a wormhole in hopes of finding a place where the human race can survive, in the face of the devastating situation in which the Planet finds itself Land. The film is a wonderful visual and reflective journey.
28. The Martian (2015)
Direction: Ridley scott
This story is based on the novel by Andy Weir. It is a space epic that follows the survival journey of astronaut Mark Watney who, after a sandstorm, is left wandering on Mars. There, the man tries to avoid all kinds of meteorological phenomena, while his companions have given him up for dead.
29. Ex machina (2015)
Direction: Alex garland
Alex Garland's debut feature that supposes a futuristic vision in which artificial intelligence is totally immersed in reality.
It revolves around a programmer who is entrusted to take a trip with his boss in a remote place. There, he participates in an experiment and has to live with Ava, a robot woman and the first artificial intelligence ever created.
30. Arrival (2016)
Direction: Denis Villeneuve
Based on the story the story of your life by Ted Chiang, this film focuses on the invasion of twelve alien ships that land in different places on Earth.
After this fact, some members of the United States Army are entrusted to an elite mission in order to find out the intention of the aliens. To do this, they will have the help of Louise Banks, a linguist who tries to communicate with aliens.
31. Annihilation (2018)
Direction: Alex garland
It is an adaptation of the homonymous novel by Jeff VanderMeer. In it, Natalie Portman plays Lena, a biologist on a mission to search for her missing husband in a restricted area of the United States. The place is dangerous and members of previous expeditions have lost their lives there.
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