Top 5

Top 5 Science Fiction

What are the top 5 sci fi movies? Rather than try to offer a definition, I'll give examples, a list of some classic sci fi movies to suggest the range and to stimulate your movie brain:

Mad Max (1979); also Mad Max II (1981)

Frankenstein (1931)

2001 (1968)

Solaris

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Brazil (1985)

Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986)

Star Wars (1977) and The Empire Strikes BAck (1980)

Children of Men

Minority Report

Metropolis (1926)

E.T.

Forbidden Planet (1956)--Shakespeare's The Tempest in the future

Galaxy Quest

Men in Black

Ghostbusters

MY FAVs (on first thought, before I read all your lists):

1. Galactica--I love the idea (it seems quite likely to happen) and the excellent acting keeps you in the future world of genetic engineering, and you feel the guy's pain.

2. Back to the Future--So much fun, I liked it as much the second or third time I saw it.

3. Blade Runner--great atmosphere; the market scenes are so powerful you can almost smell them.

4. Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), and even the third Alien film--watched all three in one long weekend and I was hooked

5. 2001: Space Odyssey--a classic; the opening sequence with the bone going up in the air; Hal's calm yet authoritiative voice; and like most great sci fi, thought-provoking.

Let's see if we can narrow down the plethora of sci fi flicks to a top few!

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

Five I liked:

1. Primer (2004) - I hope the audience for this indie time-travel movie continues to grow, if only so more can try and figure it out.

2. Timecop (1994) - VanDamme.

3. The Brother from Another Planet - Early John Sayles. Watched it again and it holds up.

4. Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) - As much as I like Back to the Future, I like this one even better.

5. Spaceballs (1987) - SciFi can be funny. 

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

my favorite five (but maybe not necessarily the best)!

1. The Day The Earth Stood Still.
2. The Matrix.
3. Planet Of The Apes (1968).
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
5. Earth Girls Are Easy.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

JimBell:

Mad Max (1979); also Mad Max II (1981)

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, but I'm also not too sure.  How are these two movies Sci-Fi?  There are some weird gadgets, but all of it is already built out of currently known technology after an apocalyptic event.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

Reacting to Wonga's list:

   1. The Day The Earth Stood Still - Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!
   2. The Matrix - I also liked Dark City a lot. "When was the last time you remember doing something during the day?"
   3. Planet Of The Apes (1968) - I liked the recent version. The gorillas at the state banquet were hilarious.
   4. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - The BBC radio version was also good.
   5. Earth Girls Are Easy - For some reason, this pleasant goofy movie reminds me of another goofy movie, Mars Attacks! (1996). Liked them both.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

Oh hooray!  I love scifi. 

1. The Empire Strikes Back - Well, I had decided that this was my favorite movie of all time, not just my favorite Star Wars.  So, it should be my favorite scifi.  But you can go ahead and add the other two.  Yes, even the teddy bears.  But not the prequels.  noooo.

2. The Matrix - Only the first one. 

3. Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - Yes, I watch Star Trek.  No, I'm not really a trekker, but I have seen all of the series except Enterprise and all of the movies.  These are the two best movies of the entire series, plus I'm playing neutral between original cast and next generation.

4. 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010 - Kubrick was visionary, let's be certain, but I also really liked the follow up.  2010 is under lauded.  No, it's not a masterpiece.  It's not what Kubrick would have directed.  But it's still a very good movie and spooky too.

5. Alien and Aliens: But unlike someone else's thoughts, I do NOT count Alien 3, thank you very much.  Aliens is probably my favorite, but I pair the first two together.

Honorable mention to the X-Files, which only works if you're a fan of the series like me.  There are probably others too, but those I what I can think of.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

pippin06:

5. Alien and Aliens: But unlike someone else's thoughts, I do NOT count Alien 3, thank you very much.  Aliens is probably my favorite, but I pair the first two together.

Several times I've seen references to Aliens 1, 2, and 3. How come folks don't mention 4? Is it any good?

I'm glad that Fox made both Alien and Predator, because humans are just too puny to deal with the aliens. It takes a predator to do that, which is why I like Alien vs Predator. I hope they do a sequel. 

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

Alright here's my simple list:

1.  2001: A Spacy Odyssey

2.  The original Star Wars Trilogy

3.  The Fifth Element

4.  Gattaca

5.  Spaceballs     Yes it's very funny, and if you like Star Trek check out the hilarious British TV series Red Dwarf

Does 12 Monkeys count?  It's more Gilliam style fantasy than any real science.  What about Cube?

Some other good ones:  the original Solaris, Alien, Akira, Jurassic Park, Contact, The Matrix

The rather funny movie Multiplicity is listed on IMDB as Sci-Fi

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

Just typed in a few words about 2001. Seemed too long for here, so I made it a review in movies. First para:

"I notice that 2001 is #22 on the AFI list. Various Spout posters have it on their top-five sci fi lists. Just a quick post here to ask why."

I count 12 monkeys and Cube and Multiplicity.