Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy Movies in the World ...ever! that you should watch

Two more favorites I remembered again from the 50s and just into the 60s.
Saw at the above cinema Odeon, War of the Worlds 1953 being the support for Psycho it was the first time back then you could not just buy a ticket and walk in you had to wait till Psycho had finished.
The Time Machine 1960 I can watch this and have done scores of time charming and well told better than the remake(both stared Alan Young in different roles) one that was on my have to see when I saw some stills in Famous Monsters of Filmland. Also stars my second favorite actor Rod Taylor showing a more mellow side than is later second team up with Yvette Mimieux in The Mercenaries/Dark of the Sun(second time I bought a book twice).

Oh both George Pal directed films.

 
A few from me that I haven’t seen mentioned yet:

1: Primer (2004)
One of my favourite indie sci-fi movies with a very complicated, but massively satisfying story.

2: Upstream Color (2013)
From the same director as Primer, a bigger budget, but a no less complicated result. A very tranquil movie.

3: The Truman Show (1998)
Maybe not a true sci-fi movie, but I think is still relevant.

4: Vanilla Sky (2001)
Gets a bad rap, maybe because of the original, but I like it. Great story, amazing soundtrack.
 
A few from me that I haven’t seen mentioned yet:

1: Primer (2004)
One of my favourite indie sci-fi movies with a very complicated, but massively satisfying story.

2: Upstream Color (2013)
From the same director as Primer, a bigger budget, but a no less complicated result. A very tranquil movie.
I'm in the minority of people who really don't like Primer. But I get very Uwe Boll over it and have vowed to fight anyone who says I don't like Primer because I don't get it.

Upstream Color is pretty great, though.
 
How about Ex Machina - proper near future bow down to our machine overlords hard sci-fi.
 
My favorites
2001 best scifi film ever
Blade runner 5 versions to choose from. There must be one everyone likes

Blade runner 2049 brilliant cinematography
Matrix ground breaking and the nearest we get to a live action neuromancer
Interstellar for the black hole part.
V For Vendetta, though maybe not classed as scifi anymore?

In a parallel to 1984 john hurt is good as the main protagonist
Hugo weaving is brilliant considering he acts through a mask for the whole film, yet manages to convey emotions

Hidden/forgotten gems (not previously mentioned i think)
Cipher
Science fiction spy film
Classic philip k dick plot, man is in world that is not as it seems
And a matrix green vibe to the colours

Dark City
Directed by alex proya.
starring Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O'Brien, and William Hurt
Another film that could easily be a philip k dick book
Basically world is not what it seems without giving the plot away.
And its bonkers.

The Thirteenth Floor
Nominated for saturn award for best scifi film, but lost out to the Matrix
An early film about VR simulation and an early Roland Emerich film
 
I'm in the minority of people who really don't like Primer. But I get very Uwe Boll over it and have vowed to fight anyone who says I don't like Primer because I don't get it.
No you're not.

I hated it and it gave me a headache.

I understand that the budget was practically non-existent, but it was just so dull and lifeless.
 
A few from me that I haven’t seen mentioned yet:

1: Primer (2004)
One of my favourite indie sci-fi movies with a very complicated, but massively satisfying story.

2: Upstream Color (2013)
From the same director as Primer, a bigger budget, but a no less complicated result. A very tranquil movie.

3: The Truman Show (1998)
Maybe not a true sci-fi movie, but I think is still relevant.

4: Vanilla Sky (2001)
Gets a bad rap, maybe because of the original, but I like it. Great story, amazing soundtrack.

OMG how could I forget the utterly hypnotic Abre Los Ojos. When I first watched that movie, it stayed with me for days. Think Total Recall re-imagined as a Spanish (nightmarish) romance melodrama. Great performance from Eduardo Noriega as the Spanish playboy, complemented by the aptly cast Penelope Cruz (who has never been more covetable) as his dream girl. Best watched knowing absolutely nothing about it.

Vanilla Sky is probably an unnecessary remake although its a nice departure for Cameron Crowe away from his usual slightly more saccharine stuff (of which he does well). I really like the way Crowe integrates his music knowledge into the script such as one of the scenes in the movie being framed like a Bob Dylan album cover.
 
Blade Runner (original) - Just love the story behind this. I've always thought about what would happen once man finally created artificial sentience/sapience. This film added fuel to the fire.

Ex Machina - Again, for the reasons above. Some great actors involved in a thinking science fiction film about a subject that'll eventually come about.

Arrival - Amy Adams was great in this. An interesting take on first contact with alien life. Certainly made one think.

Planet of the Apes (original) - Always loved this dystopian take of the future of humanity. I've read the book and seen all the Apes film, but the original is the one that hits home every time for me.

Gattaca - Thoughtful take on the dangers of abuse of genetics and privilege. Gore Vidal, one of my favourite authors is also in it. Well, that last point isn't a reason for it being great, but so what. ;)

The Day the Earth Stood Still (original) - Well because I was asked by Derek S-H to add it to the list and because of my nick and avatar image, I'll add this film. It's actually my favourite science fiction film of the '50s. It's not silly, it has a message and is thoughtful. Plus that iconic robot!
 
Repo Man - From my first time seeing it on Moviedrome to when I watched my blu last week, I've loved this film.

The Quiet Earth - Saw this as a kid and scared me to death.

The Thing From Another World - IMHO the best sci-fi film of the 50's.
 
My favourite hard sci-fi film is probably Contact. The scene where the machine is revealed for the first time and the newsreader voices over with that "first test of a machine built through co-operation with an extra-terrestrial intelligence" puts the hairs on my neck straight up. Every time.

Favourite action sci-fi is undoubtedly Aliens Directors Cut. The whole war of attrition and retreat and Ripley's total dedication to saving her adoptive daughter and winning the day carries me every time and i've lost count of the number of times i've watched it. I genuinely don't think it will be bettered for me. It's my favourite film in any genre by miles.

Favourite comedy sci-fi. Galaxy Quest. Just perfect timing from everyone involved and also quite moving at times.

Favourite time travel sci-fi. George Pal's version of The Time Machine. When we see the machine in the lab for the first time and the way the score hits you there. Pure cinema magic. An utterly gorgeous film to look at in terms of sets and props and of course Yvette Mimieux isn't exactly hard on the eyes either.

Favourite dystopian sci-fi. Bladerunner. The Vangelis score alone is something special but combined with the visuals and sense of "place" oh my. A masterpiece. Rutger Hauer's finest acting moments. The sequel is worthy too. They really managed to put the time difference into the decay of the world. People are SO over nostalgia by the time the second movie story events occur. You can feel the palpable sense that mans time is nearing an end as the dominant intelligence. The change in shift of the music from the lush nostalgia washed Vangelis score to the harsh almost terminator style scoring in the second movie also emphasises and carries the change in humanity's perspective on events perfectly.

Favourite cyber-punk sci-fi. The Matrix. Substance and style in equal measure. Sequels happened but they just diluted and stained what was absolutely perfect about the first film. "You're a virus and WE are the cure!"

Favourite fantasy film. LOTR trilogy. I can't really separate them. The fact that they are each split into 1.5hr sections makes it 6 precioussss evenings of travels in Middle earth nearly every Christmas around here.

Sci-fi novels that I love that have been made into sub-standard movie versions and I would love to see remade properly. Barking mad L.Ron Hubbard's "Battlefield Earth". Love this pulpy cheesefest book, dodgy science and all. It rolls along at an incredible pace with a huge array of characters orbiting the main antagonists. The Travolta movie was an utterly shambolic mess. Probably needs done as a big budget TV mini-series. Never happen in all likelihood without as Terl would undoubtedly say "serious leverage". :) Ernest Cline's "Ready Player One". The Spielberg film is very enjoyable as a standalone entity but pales beside the vision and scope of the book. Again, needs to be done as a canonical full-on nerdfest. Rush music and video game references all intact.

Sci-fi movie I am most looking forward to. "Project Hail Mary" based on Andy "The Martian" Weir's latest utterly brilliant space buddy-buddy novel. If it ends up being as good as the adaptation of "The Martian" we are in for a treat.
 
Last edited:
There really are so very many choices 😀

I think LOTR trilogy, I see no point separating them, is my favourite out and out fantasy.

Couple of films that really capture the atmosphere perfectly are Blade Runner, Tears of The Rain speech for me is pretty much peak film making, and Gravity which I watched in Imax 3D and was jaw dropping. Shout out to Dredd.

Love Passengers, not a guilty pleasure as there is zero guilt 😄 and not only due to Jennifer Lawrence, its just starship porn.

Star Trek 2009, love it, many don't but it really don't care, I do and give me bucket loads of lens flair 😁

Contact always gets watched if it happens to be on and it's a long film so that's impressive.

Aliens and T2 for action flicks, and Aliens wins for me with the Directors Cut. Starship Troopers is great.

Humorous end of Sci Fi well, Galaxy Quest is excellent but Spaceballs is endlessly quotable so wins for me.

The Martian and Intergalatic are more decent offerings, have to be in the right mood for Intergalatic though.

I too am waiting for Hail Mary, loved the books.

Would also love to see the Expeditionary Force books by Craig Alanson to be tackled.
 
Last edited:
Love Passengers, not a guilty pleasure as there is zero guilt 😄 and not only due to Jennifer Lawrence, its just starship porn.

YES..don’t get the bad press for Passengers, really enjoyed it and something a bit different on what I thought was going to be a space dram/rom-com.
 
YES..don’t get the bad press for Passengers, really enjoyed it and something a bit different on what I thought was going to be a space dram/rom-com.
Visually it's stunning and the performances were good as far I'm concerned.

The premise worked and the ship was great.

I really don't know why there isn't more love.
 
1) The Matrix - I never get tired of watching this film. If I catch it half way through on TV then I always find myself watching it to the end.
2) Predator - My most watched Arnie film. I actually watched this and Aliens one after the other on VHS in my bedroom as a young teen. This was on a 14inch TV, so I didn't really get the full cinematic experience, although I was sat about 3 feet away from the screen and my VHS player did have red and white leads in to my AIWA hi-fi, so at least the sound was good, for its time. So many great quotable lines and the suspense when I first watched this was amazing.
3) The Terminator - Not as polished as T2 but it didn't have John Connor's whining voice annoying the hell out of me, which it does on repeat viewings. This film is perfection.
4) Jurassic Park - One of Spielberg's best. Yes the dinosaurs were the stars but he brought them to life in a way no one else had at that time.
5) The Martian - The newest film in my top 5 (not sure what that says about modern sci fi). Its a film I can watch again and again. A Perfect Sunday afternoon film.
 
Last edited:
5) The Martin - The newest film in my top 5 (not sure what that says about modern sci fi). Its a film I can watch again and again. A Perfect Sunday afternoon film.

Is this a time travel film about MLK? Where can I watch it?
 
The Thirteenth Floor
Nominated for saturn award for best scifi film, but lost out to the Matrix
An early film about VR simulation and an early Roland Emerich film
Was just about to mention this since it’s a worthy addition to any top sci-fi list. Part sci-fi, part film noir, I watch it every other year and never disappoints.

Few oldies worth a shout:

The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1937) - Not sci-fi so much as comedy fantasy. Basic plot is that the gods give an ordinary shop assistant the power to work miracles as an experiment. Obviously in a short period of time he ends up being absolute ruler of the world, as you would, with disastrous consequences. It’s a commentary on the class system and based on an HG Wells short. Some brilliant funny moments and doesn’t miss a beat.

The Invisible Man (1933). Horror is not allowed in this thread but this is just as much sci-fi. Again it’s based on a Wells novel and obviously very well known. Claude Rains play the scientist dabbling in what he shouldn’t, again with disastrous consequences. Unarguably one of the classics of cinema.

The Boys From Brazil (1978) - This thriller had a Saturn award nomination as best film so correctly in any sci-fi list, even though it’s really a thriller. In case anyone hasn’t seen it, it is about Nazi genetic experiments in 1970s Latin America. A grand plan to bring back the Reich investigated by a Simon Wiesenthal style figure. Peck and Olivier are at their best and the pace never slows. Watch out for a young Steve Gutenberg amongst all the other luminaries.

Soylent Green (1973). Another classic dystopian sci-fi at the height of American cynicism with their government. All I’ll say is that “it’s people“. Brilliant Heston and Edward G Robinson.
 
Few oldies worth a shout:

The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1937) - Not sci-fi so much as comedy fantasy. Basic plot is that the gods give an ordinary shop assistant the power to work miracles as an experiment. Obviously in a short period of time he ends up being absolute ruler of the world, as you would, with disastrous consequences. It’s a commentary on the class system and based on an HG Wells short. Some brilliant funny moments and doesn’t miss a beat.
Has a kid my mate use to go on about this and than saw it and know why, think if they made in 70s onwards be a totally different film and get some one like Jim Carry to play the main role and make it a screwy over the top comedy.
Full film on youtube




Gregory Peck way of saying Bobby in Boys From Brazil still makes me chuckle. He was on Wogan and said when he was fighting with Sir Oliver they use to end up laughing, and the dogs trained to grab hold of a piece of clothing and the a wire to hold there muzzel up to show their teeth and a growling track added and said they were really pussy cats.
 
Last edited:
Apart from the usual suspect (no, not THAT Usual Suspects!) of Alien, The Thing, 2001, The Matrix etc, here are a few really nice sci-fi films which I've enjoyed over the years, some of which might be slightly lesser known.

Another Earth (2011)
Wall-E (2008)
Ad Astra (2019)
Tomorrowland: A World Beyond (2015)
Midnight Sky (2020)
The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)
Life (2017)
Passengers (2016)
Metropolis (1927)
 
Any love for "Source Code" ? A bit of a "Sleeper" (1970s Woody Allen sci fi when he was funny) gem for me that I usually watch once a year. Along with "Moon" a great couple of films from Duncan Jones. Hope he's on the money with the upcoming "Rogue Trooper".
 
Any love for "Source Code" ? A bit of a "Sleeper" (1970s Woody Allen sci fi when he was funny) gem for me that I usually watch once a year. Along with "Moon" a great couple of films from Duncan Jones. Hope he's on the money with the upcoming "Rogue Trooper".
I want nothing more than a good Rogue Trooper adaptation but then I remember Warcraft and I get worried.
 
I want nothing more than a good Rogue Trooper adaptation but then I remember Warcraft and I get worried.
I know, I know...😟 and it's not on any list on this thread :)
 
Two I've not seen mentioned are Threads (1984) and The Day After (1983).
Okay, I doubt they'd make anyone's "all-time favourites" list because they aren't films to rewatch for pure entertainment, but I'd definitely put them in the "must see at least once" category.

And how about Event Horizon - does it lean too much on the horror side of things to make this list? Seeing as how we have Alien(s) and The Thing, we could prolly squeeze it in as well.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the tips with Threads & The Day After; I haven't seen either but they're now on my watchlist. They both sound like they have that "end of the world" feel to them which I can really enjoy in a film. Last Night (1998) is a favourite of mine and is in that mould but I don't think it's sci fi.
Event Horizon? Not for me. We watched it for the first time quite recently & although it started well it quickly descended into horror which turned me right off & I think would preclude it from this thread. But then I don't see Alien as a horror film whilst others do so it's all a personal view.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom