One of the most prestigious honors any film can receive is to be chosen by the American Film Institute as its choice of the best of the best.
On Tuesday night AFI released its list of what it called the Top 10 of 10 — or, the top ten films of all time in 10 different categories. As SF and genre-related fans we will interest ourselves with 5 of the 10 categories including — the Epic, Mystery, Animation, Fantasy and finally our most important, Sci-fi.
Here are AFI’s greatest films of all time:
EPIC:
10. The Ten Commandments (1956)
9. Reds (1981)
8. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
7. All Quiet On The Western Front (1930)
6. Titanic (1997)
5. Spartacus (1960)
4. Gone With The Wind (1939)
3. Schindler’s List (1993)
2. Ben-Hur (1959)
1. Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
Mystery:
10. The Usual Suspects (1995)
9. Dial M For Murder (1954)
8. Blue Velvet (1986)
7. North By Northwest (1959)
6. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
5. The Third Man (1949)
4. Laura (1944)
3. Rear Window (1954)
2. Chinatown (1974)
1. Vertigo (1958)
Animation:
10. Finding Nemo (2003)
9. Cinderella (1950)
8. Shrek (2001)
7. Beauty And The Beast (1991)
6. Toy Story (1995)
5. Fantasia (1940)
4. The Lion King (1993)
3. Bambi (1942)
2. Pinocchio (1940)
1. Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1938)
Fantasy:
10. Big (1988)
9. The Thief Of Bagdad (1924)
8. Groundhog Day (1993)
7. Harvey (1950)
6. Field of Dreams (1989)
5. Miracle On 34th Street (1947)
4. King Kong (1933)
3. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
2. Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)
1. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Sci-fi:
10. Back To The Future (1985)
9. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)
8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
7. Alien (1979)
6. Blade Runner (1982)
5. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)
4. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
3. E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982)
2. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Looks like making “good” movies was a 20th Century thing. Only 3 from the 21st Century.
Wonder why the sci-fi category has the greatest representation of films made after 1970? 🙂
W00t for the Usual Suspects getting a nod! Can’t really argue with anything on the list.
The should’ve broken up the mystery section into two categories – Hitchcock and all the movies not made by Hitchcock.
First time I’ve ever seen a best-of-list where I’ve possibly seen every movie. Only one I wasn’t sure of… Harvey. So I checked IMDB. James Stewart and a giant 6 foot bunny rabbit friend. Nope. Haven’t seen that one.
Back to the future is a great film and is certainly a top 10 Sci-Fi in my eyes but better than the Empire Strikes Back?
That is on of the greatest films ever made never mind just the sci-fi genre and it didn’t even get top 10.
And terminator 2 better than the first one? Debatable at the very least.
Alien better than Aliens?
Am I alone here?
Seth – can’t say I blame you. It is a royal piece of crap.
The only difference I would have made in the Sci-fi list would be to put Blade Runner at #3 and A Clockwork Orange at #6. E.T. would move to the #4 slot.
I would have swapped out T2 for Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, truly a better flick than T2 and IMHO should have made the list.
Oh, and I almost forgot: In the Fantasy category I would have definitely found a spot for Raiders of the Lost Ark, perhaps by bumping out Big. It’s a shame they didn’t have an Action/Adventure category because Raiders would have fit best there.
am i the only one that HATES blade runner?? just wondering.
yes
Seth and Indiana – I totally agree and Clockwork Orange is right there with it. I don’t like my scifi to be weird and freaky. Clockwork Orange made me feel dirty when I watched and Blade Runner made me sleepy.
As far as epic goes…. no Braveheart? Is it not the most complete epic movie, with romance, action, comedy, revenge? What gives?
Star Wars #2. Come on! 2001 A Space Oddessy was good but Star Wars started it’s own culture. It is so well written and acted out. It was really a gate for future special affects in the sci fi of today. Both Star Wars the original and Return of the Jedi were better.
Star Wars should not even be on the SF list. Its a fantasy film.
Forbidden Planet should be on that list.
@IndianaJim: But.. But… But… Harrison Ford! He doesn’t make crappy movies!
2001: A Space Odyssey definitely deserves its place in the top ten, just not at number one. I consider this movie a flawed masterpiece because it never explained (and barely even hinted at) what made HAL go insane, which is a crucial point in the story (the novelization provides an explanation).
And E.T., Terminator 2, and Back to the Future have no place in the top ten. Sure they were great movies and prime examples of the genre, but they get too much credit here. E.T. was just too darn schmaltzy (sorry, but with the exception of Raiders of the Lost Ark, it was mostly downhill for Spielberg in the Sci Fi/Fantasy genre after Jaws). And while Terminator 2 and Back to the Future provided great entertainment, they really lacked much depth. They are great popcorn movies but not really top ten material. I can easily come up with a dozen of more that deserve more consideration for the top ten than these three.
Where is the Forbidden Planet? Sure it may seem a bit cheesy these days, but this early classic represents a pivotal point in Science Fiction cinema. Two other movies from the 1950’s, This Island Earth and War of the Worlds, were also heavy hitters in the Science Fiction genre. Planet of the Apes is also a major benchmark that deserves strong top ten consideration. And I can only assume that they did not count Dr. Strangelove as part of the Science Fiction genre, otherwise there is no excuse for excluding it. The Abyss is close to the top of my list, but I am counting the extended version which I do not believe ever hit the theaters. If they only took into consideration the edited version, then it doesn’t measure up. And how can they slight Terry Gilliam’s masterpiece Brazil?
And where do Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein fit in? King Kong made it to the top ten on the Fantasy list, but I wouldn’t consider either of the Frankensteins in this category. They do not have a list of top ten Horror movies so I would think these would have to fit into the Science Fiction category, which represents a major omission. These movies were pivotal in the history of cinema and heavily influenced many of the big names in Science Fiction movie-making. These two both deserve strong consideration for the top of the list.
As for the Fantasy top ten, their definition is a bit broader than mine, so I won’t argue with it too much. I would prefer to see The Fellowship of the Ring at the top, but based on the other entries from the list, I can understand ceding that slot to The Wizard of Oz.
John J. Joex: http://www.axiomsedge-scifi.com
Yeah, every time I’ve ever tried to watch Blade Runner, I’ve fallen alsleep.
MacKay Z: These lists were put together by movie snobs. I’m sure if they had their choice, Star Wars wouldn’t even be on the list. Not artsy enough for them. But because it, as you said, started it’s own culture, it has to be up there.
“Looks like making ‘good’ movies was a 20th Century thing. Only 3 from the 21st Century.”
Considering this century is only eight years old what would you expect?