Cinefantastique Online

Blade Runner (1982)

We just can’t get enough best-of lists, can we? Previously we commented on attempts to pick the Best 50 Horror Films an on Cashier du Cinema’s Top 100 Films. Now we take a look at Moviefone’s sometimes admirable but ultimately faulty selection of the Top 25 Best Sci-Fi Movies of all time. In case you prefer not to scroll through them one at a time, we offer the list below:

1. ‘Blade Runner’ (1982)
2. ‘Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)
3. ‘Aliens’ (1986)
4. ‘Star Wars – A New Hope’ (1977) 
5. ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ (1951)
6. ‘The Matrix’ (1999)
7. ‘Terminator 2: Judgement Day’ (1991)
8. ‘The Thing’ (1982)
9. ‘Alien’ (1979)
10.  ’Forbidden Planet’ (1956)
11. ‘Terminator’ (1984)
12. ‘Metropolis’ (1927)
13.  ’E.T.’ (1982)
14. ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ (1978)
15. ‘Planet of the Apes’ (1968)
16. ‘2001: Space Odyssey’ (1968)
17. ‘Brazil’ (1985)
18. ‘Soylent Green’ (1973)
19. ‘12 Monkeys’ (1995)
20. ‘Tron’ (1982)
21. ‘Robocop’ (1982)
22.  ’Galaxy Quest’ (1999)
23.  ’It Came From Outer Space’ (1953)
24. ‘Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan’ (1982)
25. ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ (1977)

So, how does this list stack up? Certainly, BLADE RUNNER Iis a good selection for #1, and we cannot really blame Moviefone for bowing to popular taste and placing EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (the best STAR WARS movie) at #2, even if it is more of an adventure-fantasy than true science-fiction. Same goes for A NEW HOPE AT #4.

ALIENS is good but over-rated and never, ever should appear on any list ranking than the original ALIEN, which holds up much better and deserves its Top Ten slot.

No one can argue with DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. THE MATRIX too deserves a top slot, although placing it in the Top Ten strikes me as slightly generous.

TERMINATOR 2 is a great action-packed thrill-ride that should be on the list, but again, Top Ten placement is a bit too kind. The original TERMINATOR’s placement at #11 is understandable, but I would have put it closer to the bottom of the list, in favor of films with a stronger Sense of Wonder or more interesting science fiction concepts.

I enjoy John Carpenter’s remake of THE THING, but it’s good rather than great, and the Howard Hawks 1951 original is much better.

METROPOLIS is another inarguable classic. E.T. is another over-rated item that earns its placement more for nostalgia value than actual cinematic quality, but I expect many people will want to burn me in effigy (if not in person) for expressing these sentiments.

I enjoy the 1978 INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, but it is not one of the Top 25 sci-fi films ever made. Don Siegel’s 1956 version would have slotted in very nicely instead.

PLANET OF THE APES #15 sounds about right, but 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY is way to low at #16. Hell, even the French like this movie -  it was one of the few genre titles that made it onto the Cashier du Cinema list. Kubrick’s film deserves #1 placement, but I am willing to concede placing it at #2 behind BLADE RUNNER, which is also brilliant.

BRAZIL is beloved by fans of Terry Gilliam (of which I am one), but it is not his best film, nor is it, strictly speaking, science fiction. I would have knocked it off to make room for something like Kubrick’s A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. On the other hand, it is nice to see the Gilliam-directed 12 MONKEYS on the list.

SOLYENT GREEN was great in its day, but I am not sure it holds up so well now. I would replace it with GODZILLA (1954), the moody anti-nuclear weapons allegory that launched Japan’s giant monster tradition.

TRON’s placement is a bit of a joke. This is, frankly, a bad film that died a well deserved death when it was originally released. For some reason, it has become a cult item because of its historical importance in terms of utilizing computer-animation, but that is nowhere near enough to warrant a ranking of #20. Kick this title out to make room for CHILDREN OF MEN, a truly innovative piece of futuristic movie-making.

ROBOCOP is another deserving winner, but I might have placed it above the TERMINATOR films; it seems to have a bit more humanity and also a bit of intentional irony regarding its use of cinematic violence.

GALAXY QUEST is a lot of fun, but again, that does not seem like quiet enough to earn a berth in a best of list. If you want an entertaining adventure on the list, why not Disney’s film version of 20, 000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA?

IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE is an admirable but dated ’50s sci-fi film, worth seeing but not one of the best ever. Director Jack Arnold’s best film is actually THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN, a film that should b on the list instead.

WRATH OF KHAN seems to be the most popular TREK movie, so I will not argue with that one (although I quite like THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, too). On the other hand, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS is another over-rated Spielberg item, which should be retired from best-of lists to make room for better films like DARK CITY, GHOST IN THE SHELL, DR. STRANGELOVE, or SOLARIS.