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The 101 Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Movies of All Time: 1. Interstellar (5 Viewers)

Gravity is better than Princess Bride? c'mon, man

I moved Princess Bride around A LOT when doing the rankings. Maybe the hardest one for me to properly rank. For me, it comes down to being kind of tired of it. I've seen it too many times and have no desire to rewatch at this point and that's going to have an effect on it's ranking. A movie like Gravity I mentioned keeps me in awe the whole time. But ask me a year from now, and the ranking might be different.

I also REALLY like a lot of the hard scifi movies that have come out over the last 10 years or so, Gravity included.
I would have trouble ranking it for similar reasons. I know it's a great movie, but I also have tired of it a bit. This was one that we were kicking around watching with the youngest, so that will also change rankings if she really likes it and has a good movie experience with it.
 
In these threads, I alternate back and forth between "Andy Dufresne has great taste in movies" and "Andy Dufresne is never welcome in my den." I don't think there's any other poster who gives me so much whiplash. :lmao:
:lol:

Similar here. I often also feel like just when I've figured out his tastes there is another post of a movie that surprises me.
So my iFriends have the same issue as my irlFriends. :lol:
 
In these threads, I alternate back and forth between "Andy Dufresne has great taste in movies" and "Andy Dufresne is never welcome in my den." I don't think there's any other poster who gives me so much whiplash. :lmao:
:lol:

Similar here. I often also feel like just when I've figured out his tastes there is another post of a movie that surprises me.
So my iFriends have the same issue as my irlFriends. :lol:
My shorthand for our movies tastes in my head is you are an E.T. guy and I am a Close Encounters guy.
 
In these threads, I alternate back and forth between "Andy Dufresne has great taste in movies" and "Andy Dufresne is never welcome in my den." I don't think there's any other poster who gives me so much whiplash. :lmao:
:lol:

Similar here. I often also feel like just when I've figured out his tastes there is another post of a movie that surprises me.
So my iFriends have the same issue as my irlFriends. :lol:
My shorthand for our movies tastes in my head is you are an E.T. guy and I am a Close Encounters guy.
That seems like a good summation. :hifive:
 
In these threads, I alternate back and forth between "Andy Dufresne has great taste in movies" and "Andy Dufresne is never welcome in my den." I don't think there's any other poster who gives me so much whiplash. :lmao:
:lol:

Similar here. I often also feel like just when I've figured out his tastes there is another post of a movie that surprises me.
So my iFriends have the same issue as my irlFriends. :lol:
My shorthand for our movies tastes in my head is you are an E.T. guy and I am a Close Encounters guy.
Hahaha. Close Encounters for me man.

But I like E.T. Too lol.
 
In these threads, I alternate back and forth between "Andy Dufresne has great taste in movies" and "Andy Dufresne is never welcome in my den." I don't think there's any other poster who gives me so much whiplash. :lmao:
:lol:

Similar here. I often also feel like just when I've figured out his tastes there is another post of a movie that surprises me.
So my iFriends have the same issue as my irlFriends. :lol:
My shorthand for our movies tastes in my head is you are an E.T. guy and I am a Close Encounters guy.
Hahaha. Close Encounters for me man.

But I like E.T. Too lol.
I like both too, but they have very different tones and messages.
 

39. Jurassic Park​

1993 - 2h 7 - PG-13
Director: Steven Spielberg
Metascore: 68


An industrialist invites some experts to visit his theme park of cloned dinosaurs. After a power failure, the creatures run loose, putting everyone's lives, including his grandchildren's, in danger.

So far ahead of its time in so many ways. The perfect implementation of this concept.

Trivia: Steven Spielberg was in the very early stages of pre-production for the movie "ER" (based on a Michael Crichton novel) when he heard about the "Jurassic Park" book. He subsequently dumped what he was doing to make this movie. Afterwards, he returned to "ER" and helped develop it into the hit television series ER (1994).
Still rocks - what a spectacle, and it even flipped the switch for everyone to think of dinosaurs as fast running birds instead of lumbering hulks.
 

37. Pan's Labyrinth​

2006 - 1h 58 - R
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Metascore: 98


In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.

Love the visuals, the uniqueness, and the idea of making a more adult story into a fairytale.

Trivia: Guillermo del Toro wrote the English subtitles himself. He no longer trusts translators after problems with previous subtitled movies.
Impossible to rank for me... it's good, it was unique, you're right about it being a very ugly adult story with these fantastical elements. I just can't look at this next to Jurassic Park and Alien and have any idea what to do with it.
 

36. 12 Monkeys​

1995 - 2h 9 - R
Director: Terry Gilliam
Metascore: 75


In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.

I flirted with ranking this much higher because I love just about everything about this one. Maybe the best implementation of time travel in a movie. Not much to criticize about this one. One of Brad Pitt's best roles too.

Trivia: Terry Gilliam was afraid that Brad Pitt wouldn't be able to pull off the nervous, rapid speech. He sent him to a speech coach but in the end he just took away Pitt's cigarettes, and Pitt played the part exactly as Gilliam wanted.
Pitt playing this role in this way was so cool set against his heartthrob persona at the time.
 

32. Predator​

1987 - 1h 47 - R
Director: John McTiernan
Metascore: 47


A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

More Arnold! This may or may not deserve a place on the horror list, but it belongs here for sure.

Trivia: Dutch's line "Get to the chopper!" is Arnold Schwarzenegger's personal favorite catchphrase of all of his films that he appears in.
Two governors. Love this movie still.
 

32. Predator​

1987 - 1h 47 - R
Director: John McTiernan
Metascore: 47


A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

More Arnold! This may or may not deserve a place on the horror list, but it belongs here for sure.

Trivia: Dutch's line "Get to the chopper!" is Arnold Schwarzenegger's personal favorite catchphrase of all of his films that he appears in.

still love playing that scene where they shoot into the woods on full blast, or at least I did when I had a decent sounds system
 
I have learned that I'm not really into sci-fi/fantasy all that much. These are the only ones on the list so far that I like and would watch again:

93. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
89. Big
73. They Live
69. The War of the Worlds
66. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
65. Armageddon
58. Rogue One
55. War of the Worlds (2005)
51. The Fifth Element
40. Independence Day
39. Jurassic Park
33. Total Recall

I would not have expected some of these to be on this countdown but glad to see the cheese finally represented properly!
 

31. Spirited Away​

2001 - 2h 4 - PG
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Metascore: 96


During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.

Great animation, and a superb storyline that relates to kids and adults. I feel like anime can sometimes get lost in the translation for US audiences, but this one is as universal as it gets.

Trivia: This is the first film to earn US$200 million in grosses before opening in the U.S.
 

30. The Thing​

1982 - 1h 49 - R
Director: John Carpenter
Metascore: 57


A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.

A top movie in the horror thread and a top movie here too. Hard to not rank this movie high in any list it belongs in.

Trivia: It has become a tradition in British Antarctic research stations to watch The Thing (1982) as part of their Midwinter feast and celebration held every 21st June.
 

29. Planet of the Apes​

1968 - 1h 52 - G
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
Metascore: 79


After being kept in hypersleep during a long expedition into deep space, an astronaut crew crash-lands in the 40th century on a planet where highly intelligent non-human ape species are dominant and humans are enslaved.

Awesome, timeless movie, but at the time with that twist, it must have been even more of a feat. I rewatch this one often.

Trivia: During breaks in filming, actors made up as different ape species tended to hang out together, gorillas with gorillas, orangutans with orangutans, chimps with chimps. It wasn't required, it just naturally happened.
 

30. The Thing​

1982 - 1h 49 - R
Director: John Carpenter
Metascore: 57


A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.

A top movie in the horror thread and a top movie here too. Hard to not rank this movie high in any list it belongs in.

Trivia: It has become a tradition in British Antarctic research stations to watch The Thing (1982) as part of their Midwinter feast and celebration held every 21st June.
The ONLY movie where it's okay to shoot the dog.
 

30. The Thing​

1982 - 1h 49 - R
Director: John Carpenter
Metascore: 57


A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.

A top movie in the horror thread and a top movie here too. Hard to not rank this movie high in any list it belongs in.

Trivia: It has become a tradition in British Antarctic research stations to watch The Thing (1982) as part of their Midwinter feast and celebration held every 21st June.
The ONLY movie where it's okay to shoot the dog.
:lol: My wife was so mad at the start of this one. Pretty sure it's the only reason she won't watch it.

The Ring is similar - I still hear about a scene I barely remember. I guess a horse freaks on a ferry and jumps off or something? 0 tolerance for animals getting hurt in movies, documentary or not (Planet Earth type stuff).
 

28. Harry Potter Franchise​

2001 - 2h 32 - PG
Director: Chris Columbus
Metascore: 65


An orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.

Our first ranked franchise, I did not want to split all of the movies out since I rank them all pretty close together, with Azkaban and Goblet being my favorites. This is a rare example of a movie series being as good as the books.

Trivia: The child actors and actresses would do their actual schoolwork in the movie, to make the school setting more real.
 

32. Predator​

1987 - 1h 47 - R
Director: John McTiernan
Metascore: 47


A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

More Arnold! This may or may not deserve a place on the horror list, but it belongs here for sure.

Trivia: Dutch's line "Get to the chopper!" is Arnold Schwarzenegger's personal favorite catchphrase of all of his films that he appears in.
Probably top 10 for me.

On the chopper ride in, Blain puts a huge wad of uncut chew in his mouth. Offers it to everyone. Everyone declines.

“Buncha slack jawed f@**ots around here, this stuff will make will make you a sexual tyrannosaurus, just like me”

-Blain

All the while, “long tall sally” is playing over everthing. So many great scenes/lines. .
 
Cheater!! ;)

I am a bit bitter than neither kid seemed to have interest in Harry Potter. Maybe I will try again with the youngest or do the the dad trick where I just "happen" to be watching it on Saturday morning when she wakes up. I want a re-read/re-watch, and thought that would be a great reason to do so, but the kids have other plans.
 
The Harry Potter franchise is another one that I wish I liked better. It just seems like he never gets any better at magic. I mean, does he even study?
 

27. Blade Runner 2049​

2017 - 2h 44m - R
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Metascore: 81


Young Blade Runner K's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years

I go back and forth thinking this may be a better film overall than the original. It's just so hard to rank the two of them since one has so much nostalgia baked in and is great in separate ways. The setting alone is amazing and I'd probably enjoy anything set in this universe.

Trivia: The first letter of the names of each of the wooden animals that Rick Deckard carved in this movie: Rhino, Antelope, Cat, Horse, Elephant, Lion, spell "RACHEL".
 
BR2049 is a great sequel. The only thing I would change is, as gorgeous as she is, the whole subplot with Ana de Armas' Joi character could be eliminated or at least really pared down. It really bogs down the film and doesn't have enough payoff.

But that's a quibble. I like it more every time I watch it. Plus, of you want to know if it's worth it to upgrade to 4k stuff - start with this film.
 

27. Blade Runner 2049​

2017 - 2h 44m - R
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Metascore: 81


Young Blade Runner K's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years

I go back and forth thinking this may be a better film overall than the original. It's just so hard to rank the two of them since one has so much nostalgia baked in and is great in separate ways. The setting alone is amazing and I'd probably enjoy anything set in this universe.

Trivia: The first letter of the names of each of the wooden animals that Rick Deckard carved in this movie: Rhino, Antelope, Cat, Horse, Elephant, Lion, spell "RACHEL".
:hifive:

Top 10 for me.
 
Great run of flicks here.

Blade Runner 2049 in the IMAX was simply incredible. I own the 4K and it blows me away.

The Thing is a top 10 for me…..such a masterpiece in suspense/horror/sci-fi and Russell and Carpenter were at the height of their powers with Escape From New York and The Thing coming out back to back.

Harry Potter series is fun as hell. I really enjoy watching them all in order at least once a year.

Predator is a mans man film. Classic in every way. It has aged incredibly well.
 

29. Planet of the Apes​

1968 - 1h 52 - G
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
Metascore: 79


After being kept in hypersleep during a long expedition into deep space, an astronaut crew crash-lands in the 40th century on a planet where highly intelligent non-human ape species are dominant and humans are enslaved.

Awesome, timeless movie, but at the time with that twist, it must have been even more of a feat. I rewatch this one often.

Trivia: During breaks in filming, actors made up as different ape species tended to hang out together, gorillas with gorillas, orangutans with orangutans, chimps with chimps. It wasn't required, it just naturally happened.
Great crew of writers for this, starting with the original Boulle novel, then passing through the hands of Rod Serling and Michael Wilson for the screenplay. I think this is Heston's best role. For me, this film is pretty much the root of modern sci-fi films, I see it as the beginning of the break with sci-fi films before it, with Star Wars completing that break 9 years later.
 
The Harry Potter franchise is another one that I wish I liked better. It just seems like he never gets any better at magic. I mean, does he even study?

You never see them go to the bathroom either! After all those years at Hogwarts!

Definitely some bathroom scenes. Against the troll in #1 and with that dead Myrtle girl in a couple of others.

I liked them overall. The Deathly Hallows holds up pretty well on its own as a movie. But I agree much of it doesn't make sense. I visited Edinburgh this year. You can see where she got all her ideas. Many of the character names are in a graveyard, including Tom Riddle. Diagon Alley is a pretty obvious road in the old town. The quiddich match is much like this concert thing they do most nights up by the castle with flags and all that. Gave me a better appreciation of it all.

I love Predator 1 and 2. So good.
 
The Harry Potter franchise is another one that I wish I liked better. It just seems like he never gets any better at magic. I mean, does he even study?
Not really, but I think that is part of the draw to the series for me and people of all stripes and ages. Even if he did study, Voldemort had a decades head start. I think it might have been even more unrealistic if he just studied his charms and somehow gained more knowledge than Voldemort and won the day. The story is also about needing luck, needing help, knowing your talents, etc.. I'm not even sure if Harry is the most popular character for those reasons, and why the books were so popular. No, a series with a lot of characters isn't new but it did such a good job of world building and getting kids stoked to read and levelling up as the characters aged through the school years.

I was late fan to the series. Not even sure why, but somebody convinced me to give one an honest read. I read first one and loved it enough to read the next 3 in the matter of weeks. I was at a midnight release for the final book and read it through the night. :lol: I don't really read fantasy besides Song of Ice and Fire so take that all fwiw.
 

27. Blade Runner 2049​

2017 - 2h 44m - R
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Metascore: 81


Young Blade Runner K's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years

I go back and forth thinking this may be a better film overall than the original. It's just so hard to rank the two of them since one has so much nostalgia baked in and is great in separate ways. The setting alone is amazing and I'd probably enjoy anything set in this universe.

Trivia: The first letter of the names of each of the wooden animals that Rick Deckard carved in this movie: Rhino, Antelope, Cat, Horse, Elephant, Lion, spell "RACHEL".
Beautiful movie. It's pretty crazy that Villeneuve went from making great psychological dramas to the best looking and sounding scifi ever made.
 

32. Predator​

1987 - 1h 47 - R
Director: John McTiernan
Metascore: 47


A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

More Arnold! This may or may not deserve a place on the horror list, but it belongs here for sure.

Trivia: Dutch's line "Get to the chopper!" is Arnold Schwarzenegger's personal favorite catchphrase of all of his films that he appears in.
I listened to a podcast talking about Predator while biking alone on a local forest trail. Every time I ride in that direction, I think of Predator, which makes me happy.
 
The Harry Potter franchise is another one that I wish I liked better. It just seems like he never gets any better at magic. I mean, does he even study?
Not really, but I think that is part of the draw to the series for me and people of all stripes and ages. Even if he did study, Voldemort had a decades head start. I think it might have been even more unrealistic if he just studied his charms and somehow gained more knowledge than Voldemort and won the day. The story is also about needing luck, needing help, knowing your talents, etc.. I'm not even sure if Harry is the most popular character for those reasons, and why the books were so popular. No, a series with a lot of characters isn't new but it did such a good job of world building and getting kids stoked to read and levelling up as the characters aged through the school years.

I was late fan to the series. Not even sure why, but somebody convinced me to give one an honest read. I read first one and loved it enough to read the next 3 in the matter of weeks. I was at a midnight release for the final book and read it through the night. :lol: I don't really read fantasy besides Song of Ice and Fire so take that all fwiw.
This is one that I just completely missed. I was a little too old for the books when they came out, and as a result I missed this entire franchise. I barely have any idea how the story goes or who any of the characters are, besides Harry Potter himself.

Obviously this is just a "me" thing. I'm content to let the millennials have Harry Potter, and I'll have to resign myself to the two and a half good Star Wars films that Gen X got.
 
Having said that about HP...I was at Universal Studios last week and boy did they get it right. That's the coolest section of any of the parks in Orlando. And I'm including Star Wars at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
 
I also missed out on HP when it came out but ended up reading the books to my son when he was in grade school and then we watched each movie after finishing the book. The main thing I learned is that JKR is a terrible writer. I consider this series to be an example of one where the movies improve on the books, or at least are more tolerable, but that's not saying much. Can't deny the extraordinary popularity of the HP world but I'll never watch any of those movies again.
 

28. Harry Potter Franchise​

2001 - 2h 32 - PG
Director: Chris Columbus
Metascore: 65


An orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.

Our first ranked franchise, I did not want to split all of the movies out since I rank them all pretty close together, with Azkaban and Goblet being my favorites. This is a rare example of a movie series being as good as the books.

Trivia: The child actors and actresses would do their actual schoolwork in the movie, to make the school setting more real.
I never seem to get tired of rewatching them. They did an amazing job with this franchise.
 

76. La Jetee​

1962 - 28m - NR
Director: Chris Marker
Metascore: 82

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfsK8rgtOl0 <------ Not a trailer. It's the whole movie!!!

The story of a man forced to explore his memories in the wake of World War III's devastation, told through still images.

Ok, I'm not usually an arthouse film lover, "artsy fartsy" as it's called. But this short film is an exception. It's easily digestible, tells a great time travel story, and is an influence to so many other time travel and sci-fi flicks. I'm not one to put a movie on a list solely for it's influence and legacy, but this one is also very watchable at 28 minutes long and also has visual imagery that holds up.

Trivia: Ranked number 86 non-English-speaking film in the critics' poll conducted by the BBC in 2018.
I am surprised this made the list but glad it did. Interesting premise and exection, just the right length.
 

76. La Jetee​

1962 - 28m - NR
Director: Chris Marker
Metascore: 82

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfsK8rgtOl0 <------ Not a trailer. It's the whole movie!!!

The story of a man forced to explore his memories in the wake of World War III's devastation, told through still images.

Ok, I'm not usually an arthouse film lover, "artsy fartsy" as it's called. But this short film is an exception. It's easily digestible, tells a great time travel story, and is an influence to so many other time travel and sci-fi flicks. I'm not one to put a movie on a list solely for it's influence and legacy, but this one is also very watchable at 28 minutes long and also has visual imagery that holds up.

Trivia: Ranked number 86 non-English-speaking film in the critics' poll conducted by the BBC in 2018.
I am surprised this made the list but glad it did. Interesting premise and exection, just the right length.

Yeah I have a feeling if it was the standard 90 minutes it would not keep many people’s attention.
 

26. Inception​

2010 - 2h 28 - PG-13
Director: Christopher Nolan
Metascore: 74


A 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.

A great cinema experience, and a great example of special effects not eclipsing the story. Rewatchability is extremely high.

Trivia: In an effort to combat confusion, television broadcasts in Japan include text in the upper-left corner of the screen to remind viewers in which level of the dream a specific scene takes place.
 

I liked them overall. The Deathly Hallows holds up pretty well on its own as a movie. But I agree much of it doesn't make sense. I visited Edinburgh this year. You can see where she got all her ideas. Many of the character names are in a graveyard, including Tom Riddle. Diagon Alley is a pretty obvious road in the old town. The quiddich match is much like this concert thing they do most nights up by the castle with flags and all that. Gave me a better appreciation of it all.

I love Predator 1 and 2. So good.
All this time I thought she was clever and came up with diagonally.
 

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