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Genre isn’t a competition. It’s a classification system and nothing more. But if it was a competition, and if there was a ranking…science fiction would win, hands-down. Why? Because it’s the best genre in the world, that’s why. Where else can you find movies like Jurassic Park standing hand in hand with Star Wars?
Sci-fi isn’t all spaceships, robots, and explosions — it’s an accessible way to tell human stories through a fantastical lens. It’s about hope, and perseverance, and love above all. It’s about connection. It’s about grief, and pain, and family. It’s the avenue humanity’s best and brightest use to warn us against the dangers of using and abusing technology. And…yeah, it’s also about spaceships and robots. That’s what makes it so fun!
'Westworld' (1973)
Long before Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy brought Westworld to HBO, the iconic theme park gone wrong story dazzled audiences as a standalone film. One of writer/director Michael Crichton’s rare films not adapted from one of his prolific self-penned novels, Westworld explores a future where humans frequent immersive theme parks staffed by increasingly self-aware humanoid robots.
Crichton’s creation of Westworld was his first attempt to adapt his fascination with Walt Disney’s ever-expanding network of theme parks. He posited a world where the attractions fought back (which he would later revisit to massive commercial success with Jurassic Park), ultimately creating a timeless sci-fi story about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence. It’s a slower film, but one that is a must for anyone looking to round out their science fiction film education.
'Inception' (2010)
Christopher Nolan’s mind (and reality) bending sci-fi drama became an immediate phenomenon when it debuted in 2010. A heist movie hidden inside a sci-fi film, Inception follows a team of thieves — led by Leonardo DiCaprio — who specialize in infiltrating dreams. Why bother stealing diamonds when information is the most valuable prize of all?
The large-scale depiction of the puzzling rules of dream logic continues to dazzle even a decade and a half later. So rarely has a movie accurately portrayed the unreality of dreams and how disconcerting they can be like Inception does. From cities folding in on themselves to spinning hallways, the filmmaking of Inception is just as enthralling to watch as its tightly paced plot.
'Cloverfield' (2008)
Listen, found footage films were pretty revolutionary back in the day. Horror had its turn with The Blair Witch Project, but how could one possibly attempt a found-footage sci-fi monster movie? What would that look like, and how would it even work? The solution was simple: start the film at a couple’s going-away party, put a video camera in their best friend’s hand, and set the monster loose.
None of Cloverfield’s sequels quite manage to capture the magic of the OG. The found footage element gives the film an intimate feel, putting the viewer directly in Hud’s (T.J. Miller) shoes to experience the destruction of New York — and the death of his friends — front and center. It’s a tense, tightly edited thriller that builds and builds to the inevitable reveal of the monster. Cloverfield’s found footage is as horrifying as it is awe-inspiring, and makes it a unique and can’t-miss sci-fi film.
'Back to the Future' Trilogy (1985-1990)
Few films define the ‘80s like the Back to the Future trilogy does. Set in the fictional town of Hill Valley, California, Back to the Future is a rollicking time travel adventure that spans three films and oh, about 130 years or so. From the quintessential setting of small-town America in 1985, to the blossoming Old West, to the far-off future of 2015, Doc Brown (Christopher Llyod) and Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) must do whatever it takes to fix the timeline and get back…to the future.
There’s no discussing must-see sci-fi without including Back to the Future. The trilogy is both silly and heartfelt, and chock-full of larger-than-life characters, iconic lines and imagery, and some truly hilarious fashion. It’s a feel-good binge for the whole family — except for the weird mom stuff. What was that even about, McFly?
'Moon' (2009)
Must a sci-fi film be a large, planet-sweeping epic full of aliens and spaceships? Is it not enough to simply have Sam Rockwell act his butt off against nothing but a computer? Surely these were the questions filmmakers asked when conceptualizing 2009’s Moon, in which Rockwell plays Sam, a lone human manning a glorified oil refinery on the other side of the moon.
Moon’s brilliance is in its scale. It’s a small, intimate film whose horrors take place within a space station's white walls, and almost entirely inside Sam’s head. His descent into madness is scary enough, but the film’s twist really pushes audiences from the edge of their seat and straight onto the sticky theater floor.
'Pacific Rim' (2013)
Part monster movie, part sci-fi masterpiece, Guillermo del Torro’s Pacific Rim imagines a world where the solution to Kaiju constantly attacking major cities is to build and pilot really, really freakin’ big robots. Because his brain is huge.
The concept is delightful, and the tapestry del Toro paints is rich, lived-in, and beautifully gritty. And funny — can’t forget funny. The film is really one of hope, demonstrated in humanity’s ability to survive no matter the odds, and in the power of our connections to one another. In the end, love in all its forms is the key to operating the Jaegars, and thus is the thing that ultimately saves the day. And that’s something film could use a little bit more of.
'Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope' (1977)
Where would the science fiction genre be without the Star franchises of the ‘60s and ‘70s? Big dreamers like Star Trek’s Gene Roddenberry and Star Wars’ George Lucassingle-handedly changed the sci-fi genre as audiences know it. Where Star Trek and its ilk presented a shiny, hopeful future of clean lines and bright colors, Lucas chose to set his sci-fi epic in the past. Gone was the sleekness of the standard sci-fi aesthetic, replaced instead with rickety spaceships, clunky robots (sorry, R2), and sand. Lots of sand.
Star Wars pushed sci-fi into a new frontier.A New Hope threw audiences into a whole new world entirely unfamiliar from their own, and they responded with the kind of fervor filmmakers only dream about. Luke, Han, and Leia quickly became household names whose notoriety persists to this day.
'Star Trek' (2009)
J.J. Abrams’ journey to making his dream Star Wars project was a long one. Along the way, he made a pit stop at another iconic sci-fi franchise: Star Trek. Reinvented with flashier spaceships, sleek hallways, and lens flares galore, Star Trek 2009 re-introduces Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe Saldaña) and the Enterprise crew to a whole new audience.
This time, the origin story of the legendary James T. Kirk is told, including his first (mildly disastrous) mission alongside his future crew. The film is quick and its characters more broadly drawn than their TV counterparts, making it the perfect place for any Star Trek newbie to warp into. Best to get your feet wet before diving into 60+ years of television, after all.
'Alien' (1979)
Sci-fi is at its best when its stories are led by women, and nowhere is that better exemplified than in 1979’s Alien. Director Ridley Scott’s career-defining film places Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley center stage to take on what would become one of sci-fi’s most iconic monsters: the aforementioned alien.
Coming just two years after the massive success of 1977’s Star Wars, audiences ate up Alien as fast as a facehugger on, well, a face. The film’s blend of sci-fi and horror certainly wasn’t a new one, but the visceral, dark tone and graphic imagery certainly was. The creature effects of the alien itself are as disgusting and awe-inspiring now as they surely were at the time of the film’s release.
'Jurassic Park' (1993)
Author Michael Crichton took another crack at the “theme park gone wrong” concept with his 1990 novel Jurassic Park. Within the year, he would team up with Steven Spielberg and screenwriter David Koepp to adapt the book into a feature film. The only problem? Technology had not caught up with Spielberg’s vision of how the dinosaurs should look on screen.
In came Industrial Light and Magic. Computers were used to render the dinosaurs, and with those first composites came the birth of wide-scale CGI in film. Jurassic Park is a perfect sci-fi movie for many reasons (from its vibrant characters to its willingness to debate the morality of its own existence), but its importance in the history of filmmaking is perhaps the most impressive thing about it. Without Jurassic Park, film today would look very different indeed.
NEXT: 10 Most Rewatchable Modern Sci-Fi Movies, Ranked
