The OFFICIAL list of 40 greatest sci-fi classics EVER!
Dec 18, 2020 20:02:12 GMT
mikef6, petrolino, and 3 more like this
Post by drystyx on Dec 18, 2020 20:02:12 GMT
Stamped and approved by the expert, Dry Styx, these are the 40 greatest sci-fi classics of all time. Rebuttal time was before it was declared official, and since there were no complaints lodged before such time, the decision is UNANIMOUS across the Universe, across every Universe and every dimension, for all time, that these are the 40 greatest sci-fi classics ever, and I'm glad you all agree.
40. Jurassic Park 1993
39. Star Trek V The Final Frontier 1989
38. The 27th Day 1957
37. The Beast 1996
36. Invaders From Mars 1953
35. Night of the Living Dead 1968
34. Day of the Dead 1985
33. Jurassic Park III 2001
32. Prometheus 2012
31. The Blob 1958
30. Star Trek 3: The Search For Spock 1984
29. Frankenstein 1931
28. Journey to the Center of the Earth 1959
27. Starship Troopers 1997
26. Humanoids From the Deep 1980
25. They Live 1988
24. This Island Earth 1955
23. It! The Terror From Beyond Space 1958
22. Space Probe Taurus 1965
21. The Day the Earth Stood Still 1951
20. THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB 1964 the best of a very good mummy series, because of the supporting characters, notably Fred Clark, whose P T Barnum character shows signs of humanity and depth at times. The "brother saga" is well told, and there are surprises in store that make this anything but formula. It's "anti formula" for sure.
19. SILENT RUNNING 1972 is coupled with "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" as the "hippie outer space flicks". Both are character based. And both "heroes" try to make characters out of those who were not original companions. These were made in the "anti American teammate period", but both films have value if watched by mature audiences.
18. ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS 1964. For those of you who don't know how Batman dies, this is how. Seriously, after Adam West's character dies in a space craft, very early on in the film, one man must cope with the solitude. There's a bit of fantasy here, and it looks like an acid trip at times, as the character must figure out what is real and what isn't. It's possible this is even an Owl Creek Bridge if one wants to explore that possibility.
17. LIFE IN A DAY 1999 appears more drama than action in this sci-fi film that I don't want to spoil.
16. THE DAY IT CAME TO EARTH 1977 combines comedy with sci-fi in the best way, with memorable scenes, making sure to keep the camaraderie of the characters alive, much like the Blob type movies have done. This has fantastic comedy in it, including "Ga Ge Goo" and "Listen Dick Tracy" that should never be forgotten.
15. THIS IS NOT A TEST 1962, an extremely low budget drama about an impending nuclear disaster centers around a lawman whose real character comes out during the "test". No name players. The biggest star is actually the young hero (Ron Starr) from Peckinpah's masterpiece "Ride the High Country", who did little else besides these two films, and who appears only briefly here. But the characters and the story make this unique, and a classic.
14. ALIEN 1979. The first two alien films are rightfully regarded as the best. And I place this one above the Marshall Thompson classic, too, because it does so much. Like "Aliens" there is a fairy tale motif. While "Aliens" is "Sleeping Beauty", this one is "Beauty and the Beast". There are numerous times when the alien can kill or harm the beauty, but it doesn't harm her. In fact, there is a very obvious metaphor with her and the cat, and the alien and her. This all changed in later sequels, but there's no doubt that the original had this metaphor intentionally. This one actually does have "Twas Beauty killed the Beast" as a motif.
13. DAY THE WORLD ENDED 1955. I'm wondering if they thought leaving "the" out of the title would make it easier to put on marquees, or if they foresaw the age of google, when it would stand alone among all the "the day the world ended" searches. Either way, it's a great end of the world, apocalyptic character study of the noblest and the worst men possible, and the five characters about them. As in the #12 film, the two most interesting characters are the father, who is generally noted as the third character, and the half mutated human, whom is generally noted as the seventh character.
12. IN THE YEAR 2889 1967-I know that's confusing, and I could make it easy, but I love to post it that way. There isn't much difference between this and number 13. Both are classics, but the difference that puts this on top is the way that the 7th character is more human, being the brother of the hero. And he's actually the most interesting character of the film, to me.
11. THE LOST CONTINENT 1968 is the most risk taking of films ever made. In Hollywood, the cigarette industry always reigned supreme. Extras who wanted to survive to the next scene in a war movie would light up cigarettes so that the tobacco industry would make sure they would make it out alive. Here, two characters are killed immediately after lighting up cigarettes, and one wonders how that possibly got past the censors? Well, it didn't. The censors tried to keep this film banned, but gave other reasons, notably the "balloon girl". The characters make this a classic.
10. ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES 1959 a low budget phenom. The low budget helps in the atmosphere of the dark, dank swamp, and makes for one of the scariest monsters ever in film. The remake was very good in script, but it was too well lit to contrast the femme fatale, who takes center stage. The remake's bright light washed out the pale skinned blond femme fatale to look very ordinary. Here, Yvette Vickers is the focal point of the show, the dark light contrasting her skin perfectly. While Ken Clark is the hero, the spotlight is actually on the backwoods group that the creatures terrorize. The "problem solving heroes" are upstaged by this group. The film centers around the seven "red necks" in the tavern at the beginning. Six of these characters don't make it through the film alive.
9. ALIENS 1986 the pinnacle of the alien series, with an array of interesting characters, notably Hudson of course, but there are a few who are quite believable for a change when faced with the sort of terror they are faced with. The way that these characters change and make their "comebacks" is also credible.
8. ISLAND OF TERROR 1966 is a "status quo change" film, with sci-fi changing the status quo for Niall MacGinnis and others on this island. Cushing gets to play one of his more level headed characters here.
7. ISLAND OF THE BURNING DOOMED 1967 stars Cushing and Lee, but they are actually minor characters against the backdrop of terror on this island. Easy to couple with the #8 film in that regard. This one shows more of the characters after the disaster begins, though
6. THE UNKNOWN TERROR 1957 perhaps the most risk taking of all science fiction in making a physically handicapped man a credible hero. Like most on this list, the characters are very identifiable, which makes for the best sci-fi, and the best films.
5. ROBOCOP 1987, and I'd buy that for two dollars!
4. UNKNOWN WORLD 1951 is a hidden gem, but one of those with minor special effects that the dorks whine against. The characters make this. Many movies and plays brag about "characters changing", but few actually do it the way this film does.
3. THE WAR OF THE WORLDS 1953 is memorable in many ways. The aliens are chilling, the characters credible. The atmosphere is perfect. The propaganda of advertising certain products was easy to see. I never liked fried eggs till I saw the normal behavior that accompanied them in this film. The ad for wrist watches is something obvious, yet many people don't seem to get it. This was an advertiser's film, but also one that conveyed the ads in a way that couldn't be missed.
2. FIRST SPACESHIP ON VENUS 1960-The low level effects disturb the dorks, but this is a story of characters in the chaos of Space. This film is about how the greatest minds of Earth are helpless against total chaos. The utter confusion that occurs is dramatic. The clanging of the space ship door at the end, when five of the eight return to Earth, is the most dramatic shutting of a door in film History.
1. THEM! 1954. Best watched without knowing the plot, since it begins as a mystery, and the characters make this awesome. The directing is stellar, the atmosphere perfect. This is how to make a sci-fi film.
40. Jurassic Park 1993
39. Star Trek V The Final Frontier 1989
38. The 27th Day 1957
37. The Beast 1996
36. Invaders From Mars 1953
35. Night of the Living Dead 1968
34. Day of the Dead 1985
33. Jurassic Park III 2001
32. Prometheus 2012
31. The Blob 1958
30. Star Trek 3: The Search For Spock 1984
29. Frankenstein 1931
28. Journey to the Center of the Earth 1959
27. Starship Troopers 1997
26. Humanoids From the Deep 1980
25. They Live 1988
24. This Island Earth 1955
23. It! The Terror From Beyond Space 1958
22. Space Probe Taurus 1965
21. The Day the Earth Stood Still 1951
20. THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB 1964 the best of a very good mummy series, because of the supporting characters, notably Fred Clark, whose P T Barnum character shows signs of humanity and depth at times. The "brother saga" is well told, and there are surprises in store that make this anything but formula. It's "anti formula" for sure.
19. SILENT RUNNING 1972 is coupled with "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" as the "hippie outer space flicks". Both are character based. And both "heroes" try to make characters out of those who were not original companions. These were made in the "anti American teammate period", but both films have value if watched by mature audiences.
18. ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS 1964. For those of you who don't know how Batman dies, this is how. Seriously, after Adam West's character dies in a space craft, very early on in the film, one man must cope with the solitude. There's a bit of fantasy here, and it looks like an acid trip at times, as the character must figure out what is real and what isn't. It's possible this is even an Owl Creek Bridge if one wants to explore that possibility.
17. LIFE IN A DAY 1999 appears more drama than action in this sci-fi film that I don't want to spoil.
16. THE DAY IT CAME TO EARTH 1977 combines comedy with sci-fi in the best way, with memorable scenes, making sure to keep the camaraderie of the characters alive, much like the Blob type movies have done. This has fantastic comedy in it, including "Ga Ge Goo" and "Listen Dick Tracy" that should never be forgotten.
15. THIS IS NOT A TEST 1962, an extremely low budget drama about an impending nuclear disaster centers around a lawman whose real character comes out during the "test". No name players. The biggest star is actually the young hero (Ron Starr) from Peckinpah's masterpiece "Ride the High Country", who did little else besides these two films, and who appears only briefly here. But the characters and the story make this unique, and a classic.
14. ALIEN 1979. The first two alien films are rightfully regarded as the best. And I place this one above the Marshall Thompson classic, too, because it does so much. Like "Aliens" there is a fairy tale motif. While "Aliens" is "Sleeping Beauty", this one is "Beauty and the Beast". There are numerous times when the alien can kill or harm the beauty, but it doesn't harm her. In fact, there is a very obvious metaphor with her and the cat, and the alien and her. This all changed in later sequels, but there's no doubt that the original had this metaphor intentionally. This one actually does have "Twas Beauty killed the Beast" as a motif.
13. DAY THE WORLD ENDED 1955. I'm wondering if they thought leaving "the" out of the title would make it easier to put on marquees, or if they foresaw the age of google, when it would stand alone among all the "the day the world ended" searches. Either way, it's a great end of the world, apocalyptic character study of the noblest and the worst men possible, and the five characters about them. As in the #12 film, the two most interesting characters are the father, who is generally noted as the third character, and the half mutated human, whom is generally noted as the seventh character.
12. IN THE YEAR 2889 1967-I know that's confusing, and I could make it easy, but I love to post it that way. There isn't much difference between this and number 13. Both are classics, but the difference that puts this on top is the way that the 7th character is more human, being the brother of the hero. And he's actually the most interesting character of the film, to me.
11. THE LOST CONTINENT 1968 is the most risk taking of films ever made. In Hollywood, the cigarette industry always reigned supreme. Extras who wanted to survive to the next scene in a war movie would light up cigarettes so that the tobacco industry would make sure they would make it out alive. Here, two characters are killed immediately after lighting up cigarettes, and one wonders how that possibly got past the censors? Well, it didn't. The censors tried to keep this film banned, but gave other reasons, notably the "balloon girl". The characters make this a classic.
10. ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES 1959 a low budget phenom. The low budget helps in the atmosphere of the dark, dank swamp, and makes for one of the scariest monsters ever in film. The remake was very good in script, but it was too well lit to contrast the femme fatale, who takes center stage. The remake's bright light washed out the pale skinned blond femme fatale to look very ordinary. Here, Yvette Vickers is the focal point of the show, the dark light contrasting her skin perfectly. While Ken Clark is the hero, the spotlight is actually on the backwoods group that the creatures terrorize. The "problem solving heroes" are upstaged by this group. The film centers around the seven "red necks" in the tavern at the beginning. Six of these characters don't make it through the film alive.
9. ALIENS 1986 the pinnacle of the alien series, with an array of interesting characters, notably Hudson of course, but there are a few who are quite believable for a change when faced with the sort of terror they are faced with. The way that these characters change and make their "comebacks" is also credible.
8. ISLAND OF TERROR 1966 is a "status quo change" film, with sci-fi changing the status quo for Niall MacGinnis and others on this island. Cushing gets to play one of his more level headed characters here.
7. ISLAND OF THE BURNING DOOMED 1967 stars Cushing and Lee, but they are actually minor characters against the backdrop of terror on this island. Easy to couple with the #8 film in that regard. This one shows more of the characters after the disaster begins, though
6. THE UNKNOWN TERROR 1957 perhaps the most risk taking of all science fiction in making a physically handicapped man a credible hero. Like most on this list, the characters are very identifiable, which makes for the best sci-fi, and the best films.
5. ROBOCOP 1987, and I'd buy that for two dollars!
4. UNKNOWN WORLD 1951 is a hidden gem, but one of those with minor special effects that the dorks whine against. The characters make this. Many movies and plays brag about "characters changing", but few actually do it the way this film does.
3. THE WAR OF THE WORLDS 1953 is memorable in many ways. The aliens are chilling, the characters credible. The atmosphere is perfect. The propaganda of advertising certain products was easy to see. I never liked fried eggs till I saw the normal behavior that accompanied them in this film. The ad for wrist watches is something obvious, yet many people don't seem to get it. This was an advertiser's film, but also one that conveyed the ads in a way that couldn't be missed.
2. FIRST SPACESHIP ON VENUS 1960-The low level effects disturb the dorks, but this is a story of characters in the chaos of Space. This film is about how the greatest minds of Earth are helpless against total chaos. The utter confusion that occurs is dramatic. The clanging of the space ship door at the end, when five of the eight return to Earth, is the most dramatic shutting of a door in film History.
1. THEM! 1954. Best watched without knowing the plot, since it begins as a mystery, and the characters make this awesome. The directing is stellar, the atmosphere perfect. This is how to make a sci-fi film.
