These kinds of polls can always get tricky. Picking the best of the best can mean different things to different people. Some films, (like anything by Lucas) are fun to watch and generally rate high because of their sheer general audience entertainment value, others (such as Citizens Kane) rate #1 because the film itself, while not necessarily an overall fan fave, is just plan cinematic genius. So, I hope on this particular poll people vote for the best in all-around cinema categories:
Best written, directed, acted, cinematography, story, stunts, CGI, stood the test of time…etc.
I really struggled between Star Wars and Terminator.
I voted for SW simply because I was a kid when it came out and I have such fond memories of the watching and growing up with the first three movies.
Terminator came out when I was in College and I still remember walking out of that movie with my buddies just shaking our heads and going “Holy Crap!!!” We turned right around, bought more tickets, and went right back in to watch it again. Never had that happen with any other movie – evar!
reppoHssargsays
The ONLY hard Sci-Fi flick in the bunch is 2001. It deals with the scientific concept of evolution and manipulation of the human species.
Michael Mennengasays
Interesting…
This is the second time this week I’ve had to defend Blade Runner.
Blade Runner is a hard look at what it means to be human. Can a machine (Replicant) find God and fight against its own mortality. Can a synthetic human forget that it is synthetic and strive to be more than just a machine. If being human only means that we are the sum of our memories, then are we not all just machines.
Once you start down the rabbit hole of Blade Runner, you will quickly see how deep this movie really is.
The only ones I’ve seen are Terminator, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Star Wars, and Planet of the Apes. I own Blade Runner, but haven’t watched it yet. I need to Netflix the rest
I simply couldn’t bring myself to vote for Star Wars because it is more Fantasy than Sci Fi.
Bronzethumbsays
I picked Blade Runner, but had Empire Strikes Back been on this list I’d have picked it instead.
tensaibakasays
Was a tough call between Star Wars and Planet of the Apes, but I went with Apes. As much as I love Star Wars, on this list, for a general balance between action and story, Planet of the Apes (1968) is tops in my opinion.
I don’t get why people call Star Wars “more fantasy than Sci-Fi”…
rick astleysays
Would have been more effective to put your post in the writeup before the poll, Sam, so we could have had it influence our decisions in the direction you intended.
Davidsays
I’m going to say Metropolis.
Why? It was the first big budget scifi movie that inspired all the rest. If that wasn’t made none of the other ones would of made it to the screen.
ejdalisesays
Bladerunner – in the all-around category, there is no other movie on that list which even comes close.
Star War is fantasy because of the Force, and the disembodies voice of the mentor following whiny-Luke around (a great cartoon I saw once showed an older whiny-Luke trying to open a jar of pickles, a disembodies voice saying “Use the Force Luke”, and the caption “As the years went by Luke tired of Obe-Wan constant reminders”).
The slab in 2001, while visually engaging, for me removed the movie from the realm of science fiction. Plus it’s a long, boring, and lacking-a-message movie. It gets some of the science right, but of course the central premise has got nothing to do with science.
Terminator, which I like, is basically Friday the 13th with a cyborg. Actually, more like Halloween with a cyborg. Entertaining because of the action, but hardly much more. And the whole time travel thing still does not sit well with me.
Alien, although not one of my all-time favorites, would come in second on that list considering it under the all-around criteria.
2001 has the sense of wonder and terror that I find lacking in most sci-fi movies. Experiencing an alien civilization so advanced they come off almost like gods.
I don’t agree that 2001 is the ONLY hard sci-fi in the bounch, however. Blade Runner for the exploration of A.I. and Alien if only for the fleshed out Alien ecology imagining a species that could spread through space by hitching a ride with the food. Although it may not seem sustainable, the eggs seem to be able to stay dormant indefinitely.
These kinds of polls can always get tricky. Picking the best of the best can mean different things to different people. Some films, (like anything by Lucas) are fun to watch and generally rate high because of their sheer general audience entertainment value, others (such as Citizens Kane) rate #1 because the film itself, while not necessarily an overall fan fave, is just plan cinematic genius. So, I hope on this particular poll people vote for the best in all-around cinema categories:
Best written, directed, acted, cinematography, story, stunts, CGI, stood the test of time…etc.
I really struggled between Star Wars and Terminator.
I voted for SW simply because I was a kid when it came out and I have such fond memories of the watching and growing up with the first three movies.
Terminator came out when I was in College and I still remember walking out of that movie with my buddies just shaking our heads and going “Holy Crap!!!” We turned right around, bought more tickets, and went right back in to watch it again. Never had that happen with any other movie – evar!
The ONLY hard Sci-Fi flick in the bunch is 2001. It deals with the scientific concept of evolution and manipulation of the human species.
Interesting…
This is the second time this week I’ve had to defend Blade Runner.
Blade Runner is a hard look at what it means to be human. Can a machine (Replicant) find God and fight against its own mortality. Can a synthetic human forget that it is synthetic and strive to be more than just a machine. If being human only means that we are the sum of our memories, then are we not all just machines.
Once you start down the rabbit hole of Blade Runner, you will quickly see how deep this movie really is.
The only ones I’ve seen are Terminator, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Star Wars, and Planet of the Apes. I own Blade Runner, but haven’t watched it yet. I need to Netflix the rest
I simply couldn’t bring myself to vote for Star Wars because it is more Fantasy than Sci Fi.
I picked Blade Runner, but had Empire Strikes Back been on this list I’d have picked it instead.
Was a tough call between Star Wars and Planet of the Apes, but I went with Apes. As much as I love Star Wars, on this list, for a general balance between action and story, Planet of the Apes (1968) is tops in my opinion.
I don’t get why people call Star Wars “more fantasy than Sci-Fi”…
Would have been more effective to put your post in the writeup before the poll, Sam, so we could have had it influence our decisions in the direction you intended.
I’m going to say Metropolis.
Why? It was the first big budget scifi movie that inspired all the rest. If that wasn’t made none of the other ones would of made it to the screen.
Bladerunner – in the all-around category, there is no other movie on that list which even comes close.
Star War is fantasy because of the Force, and the disembodies voice of the mentor following whiny-Luke around (a great cartoon I saw once showed an older whiny-Luke trying to open a jar of pickles, a disembodies voice saying “Use the Force Luke”, and the caption “As the years went by Luke tired of Obe-Wan constant reminders”).
The slab in 2001, while visually engaging, for me removed the movie from the realm of science fiction. Plus it’s a long, boring, and lacking-a-message movie. It gets some of the science right, but of course the central premise has got nothing to do with science.
Terminator, which I like, is basically Friday the 13th with a cyborg. Actually, more like Halloween with a cyborg. Entertaining because of the action, but hardly much more. And the whole time travel thing still does not sit well with me.
Alien, although not one of my all-time favorites, would come in second on that list considering it under the all-around criteria.
The rest . . . meh.
2001 has the sense of wonder and terror that I find lacking in most sci-fi movies. Experiencing an alien civilization so advanced they come off almost like gods.
I don’t agree that 2001 is the ONLY hard sci-fi in the bounch, however. Blade Runner for the exploration of A.I. and Alien if only for the fleshed out Alien ecology imagining a species that could spread through space by hitching a ride with the food. Although it may not seem sustainable, the eggs seem to be able to stay dormant indefinitely.