The Flux Capacitor 5.23.08: A Swansong

Posted by Owain J. Brimfield on 05.23.2008

It's the last-ever column, but we're going out with a bang in an attempt to find and rank the 20 best sci-fi movies ever made!

Yes, the rumors are true, this is indeed the final edition of "The Flux Capacitor". Sometimes it's just time to move on, and this column's time has come. It's been a great run for these last nine months, and while I'd have liked to stick around and make it to an anniversary edition, I guess some things just aren't meant to be. I'm intending to go out in style though, so hopefully this week's ambitious undertaking may well be up your street; if not, stick around anyways, it'll be fun. For you see, this week I'm going to attempt to determine..

THE 20 BEST SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES EVER

Ambitious, no? Now, everyone always has problems compiling these sorts of lists and taking in these sorts of lists, and I think that's because the criteria for inclusion and ranking of the list's entries tends to be somewhat vague. To my mind, when you boil it down there are three primary different types of "Top xx" lists - the "favorite", the "greatest", and the "best". The "favorite"-type lists are invariably the ones that provoke the most debate, simply because they're an entirely subjective ranking. Of course, all they're really achieving is an insight into the mind of the author, and they're intended purely for entertainment. Unfortunately a lot of readers tend to think that the list compiler is intending his "favorite" list as gospel, and that's where the name-calling starts. So we're going to gloss over that kind of list; it doesn't really do you any good to learn what my personal favorite sci-fi movies are. Then we have the "greatest"-type list. These lists tend to feature movies that would be voted for by majorities, and place a heavy emphasis on a movie's reputation and success. And finally, we have the "best"-type list, which is what we're going for here. These are probably the hardest to compile, due to the fact that they attempt to provide an objective assessment of how genuinely good a movie is... but hey, I'm up for a challenge!

The Shortlist

For every good list, there's a good shortlist - well, something has to document the wannabes, the also-rans and the nearly-theres. After spending some time perusing through the most reputable sources known to man (viz: IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes and my DVD collection... okay, make that "sources known to a lazy man"), I've narrowed down the entire history of SF movies to the following one hundred films, which comprise our shortlist. Take a look, if you dare:

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) The Abyss (1989) Akira (1987) Alien (1979) Aliens (1986) The Andromeda Strain (1970) Back to the Future (1985) Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) Blade Runner (1982) The Blob (1958) Brazil (1985) Casshern (2004 Children of Men (2006) Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) Dark City (1998) Dark Star (1974) The Day of the Triffids (1962) The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961) The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Donnie Darko (2001) Dune (1984) E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Escape from New York (1981) Fantastic Voyage (1966) Fahrenheit 451 (1966) The Fifth Element (1997) Flash Gordon (1980) The Fly (1986) The Fountain (2006) Forbidden Planet (1956) Galaxy Quest (1999)

Gattaca (1997) Ghost in the Shell (1995) Gojira (1954) The Incredibles (2004) Independence Day (1996) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) The Invisible Man (1933) The Iron Giant (1999) Iron Man (2008) It Came from Outer Space (1953) Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) La Jetée (1962) Logan's Run (1976) Mad Max (1979) Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) The Matrix (1999) Men in Black (1997) Metropolis (1927) Minority Report (2002) Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) The Omega Man (1971) Pi (1998) Pitch Black (2000) Planet of the Apes (1968) Predator (1987) Primer (2004) Return of the Jedi (1983) Robocop (1987) Serenity (2005) Solaris (1972) Solaris (2002) Soylent Green (1973) Spider-Man (2002)

Spider-Man 2 (2004) Stalker (1979) Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) Star Wars (1977) Stargate (1994) Starman (1984) Starship Troopers (1997) Superman (1978) Superman 2 (1980) Superman Returns (2006) The Terminator (1984) Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) Them! (1954) They Live (1988) The Thing (1982) Things to Come (1936) This Island Earth (1955) THX-1138 (1970) Time Bandits (1982) The Time Machine (1960) Total Recall (1990) Tron (1982) Twelve Monkeys (1995) V for Vendetta (2005) The War of the Worlds (1953) War of the Worlds (2005) Westworld (1973) When Worlds Collide (1951) X-Men (2000) X2: X-Men United (2003) Zardoz (1974)

I'm sure you're already making a list of your own favorites that didn't make the cut, so I should add a bit of a caveat here. There were some movies that would undoubtedly have made the cut, and indeed would have been strong contenders for the final list, that I eventually decided to omit for various reasons - A Clockwork Orange, Death Race 2000, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Frankenstein, Ghostbusters, Jurassic Park and a few others. All movies that, while certainly ranging from good to great, I didn't feel were 100% science fiction films. While they all have fantastical elements and SF themes, none of them seemed strongly sci-fi enough for inclusion in the genre proper. Feel free to disagree of course; this list is all about provoking debate.

The Filtering Process

So now we have to somehow filter out eighty of these movies to determine our final selection, and it's a bit unnerving trying to find somewhere to start. Let's begin with the crème de la crème - movies that are considered by experts and amateurs alike to be filmic masterpieces, irrespective of their genre. I'd say there are only three movies on that shortlist that legitimately fall into this category - 2001, Alien and Blade Runner. I've genuinely never heard a single bad word about Alien, although similar criticisms have been leveled at both 2001 and Blade Runner; namely that they're "too slow" or "too philosophical", and they don't always make a whole lot of sense. Phooey, I say. I think you'd have a much, much harder time attempting to argue those films out of being all-time classics than you would arguing them into that category.

Okay, three down. That wasn't so bad! Seventeen to go. Next, we'll consider those films that have made such an indelible impression on the SF genre that their reputation and legacy, if nothing else, submit them for inclusion. Falling into this category, we have the original three Star Wars movies, Back to the Future, E.T., Close Encounters, The Matrix and the Terminator films. Of course, reputation alone isn't sufficient to class something as the best movie of its kind (just check out the IMDB users' idea of the best 250 films ever made for evidence), but each and every one of those nominees is in a class of its own. E.T. and Close Encounters are the definitive "alien contact" movies, and it certainly helps a little that they're both directed by one of the greatest film directors of all time. BttF is just quintessential sci-fi, perhaps more iconic than any other film on the whole list, and remains the best (or at least, most entertaining) treatment of time travel in cinema history. The Matrix, for all that its repute has been shredded by its sequels, remains one of the most inventive and revolutionary movies in all of SF, and the bullet-time still manages to look cool as hell. The original Terminator is one of the darkest sci-fi films of the late 20th century, and Arnie remains a fabulous nemesis; its sequel is one of the finest action/adventure movies ever made, in either of its cuts. And nothing much really needs to be said about Star Wars, except that despite my deep-seated love for Return of the Jedi, it just doesn't cut it in comparison to its superior forebears.

Moving on, let's delve further back into film history to pull out some of the classics of yesteryear that might have been lost to the modern moviegoing audience. Fritz Lang's Metropolis is an inarguable inclusion - the film's story, scale and expert depiction of science fiction on the screen set the template for all SF movies, and it remains, even eighty years after its release, a landmark picture. Heading on into the 1950s, often regarded as sci-fi's golden era, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is still resonant in this day and age, with its masterful invading-alien storyline being open to many different interpretations, and the film still has the capacity to scare. Forbidden Planet, meanwhile, is probably the finest "pure" sci-fi film of that decade. Regular readers will know of my love for The Day the Earth Stood Still (I'm looking at a copy of the original poster as I type this), and it's definitely a genre milestone worthy of inclusion in any "best SF" list. Finally, although Planet of the Apes isn't necessarily old, it seems to sit best with this category of older classics whose impact and influence should never be forgotten.

Let's pay lip service to the modern era too, of course, as there are a couple of movies released in the last decade that should be included. Children of Men is instantly compelling and hauntingly prescient, and is the best sci-fi movie I've seen released since the turn of the century. On the other hand, Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain is something of a "Marmite Movie" - you love it or you hate it (I'm in the former camp), but there's no denying that it's more capable of provoking meaningful discussion than almost any other movie I can remember seeing.

We've still got a handful of films that don't really sit in any particular "category", but are worthy of inclusion on their individual merits. Aliens is often lauded by those who feel it's superior to its forerunner, and while I don't think that's the case, you have to accept that it's certainly a superior action-SF movie. Dark City is one of the most consistently underrated movies in all of cinema, let alone in science fiction, and is breathtakingly good. Tarkovsky's two forays into the genre, Solaris and Stalker, are probably the most obscure of those films that merit inclusion, but both are intensely profound experiences that explore the upper reaches (or should that be outer limits? Snigger) of sci-fi. The original Superman, for all its flaws, really did make us believe a man could fly. The Thing is utterly, utterly terrifying and one of the most paranoia-inducing films ever made. Finally, The Wrath of Khan is the cinematic highpoint of the long-running Star Trek franchise, and despite some 80s ostentation deserves to make the cut.

Wait a minute... now we've got 25 here. Five of these movies are going to have to go. You know, this is a lot harder than I was anticipating. Twenty five of the best sci-fi movies ever made and I have to tell a handful of them to go home? This is going to be tricky, and I'm going to have to be quick and judicial, so here goes: Dark City is too cult. Close Encounters is too twee. Superman is too comic-book. Aliens is too action-oriented.

That's enough, I can't cut any more. We're going to have to work with twenty one films here.

The Ranking Process

And this is where it gets really tough. At this point in the original draft of the column, I'd started to write a thousand-word spiel comparing merits, discussing pros and cons, delineating thought processes and generally coming to a good old understanding of why one film should be ranked ahead of another... and then I realized all I'd managed to do was choose two films to occupy the joint-twentieth place spot. It's just too much! Call it a cop-out if you will (cop-out... or cop-in?), but objectively assessing and ranking the best science fiction movies of all time is too much for one man; it literally can't be done. No matter how objective, cold and calculating I think I'm being, it's inevitable that bias slips in and subjectivity becomes the order of the day, leading to a list that's probably got no more authoritative merit than the next interweb chump's. So instead, I threw caution to the wind and decided to go with my gut feelings. The resulting list is what I consider to genuinely be the twenty best science fiction movies of all time; not my favorites, not the greatest, but my attempt at ranking the twenty best ever. Discuss it, debate it, disparage it, disregard it; all these things and more are welcome, and if some of you even fancy having a go at it yourselves, than battle on brave soldier. Without further ado:

The Final List

=20th. Forbidden Planet / The Fountain

19. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

18. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

17. Back to the Future

16. The Terminator

15. The Thing

14. Solaris

13. Invasion of the Body Snatchers

12. Children of Men

11. Stalker

10. The Day the Earth Stood Still

9. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

8. The Empire Strikes Back

7. Planet of the Apes

6. Metropolis

5. The Matrix

4. Alien

3. 2001: A Space Odyssey

2. Star Wars

1. Blade Runner

And finally…

Well, thanks for reading, it's been a fun run. Don't worry, loyal fans *coughcough*, I'll still be around here at 411 - I'm in charge of the monthly Movies roundtable and I can regularly be found over in Trevor Snyder's "The Top 5", so that'll continue for the foreseeable future (assuming Trevor doesn't run out of subjects and we end up doing a Top 5 Land Before Time movies or something similar). You can also find me writing "The Wonder Years" over at 411 Games, as well as recapping TNA Impact for 411 Wrestling. Who knows, maybe one day the Flux Capacitor will return, but until then - keep watching the skies.