As always, our Science Fiction rankings began with John swearing at anyone who dared suggest Kubrick’s magnum opus doesn’t top the list. Max rolled his eyes at anyone who took “pretentious space ballets” seriously. Kathleen spent weeks preparing defence points for Tarkovsky’s philosophically indulgent long takes against Spielberg’s unabashed emotional manipulations. Diane quoted The Creators for hours on end about how these films reflected contemporary fears about technology and authority. Logan rattled off dozens of later films that stole Set Decor from Metropolis. Zara and I wondered if any of these films accurately predicted the technological problems of modern society or simply hit generic enough themes to feel visionary in hindsight.
“This isn’t a popularity contest,” Diane kept telling Max as he tried to argue against slow pacing. “We rank these films on how they pioneered science fiction cinema’s approach to speculative technology, alien beings, and the future of humanity.” Jaxon Trent piped up that any list that didn’t factor in thematic complexity wasn’t a list he cared to argue about. We lost our minds when arguing about who belonged in the middle, but eventually we came to a consensus about what makes these films essential and therefore rankable:
* Did it innovate science fiction’s approach to visual storytelling?
* How closely have a majority of sci-fi films that followed borrowed from their aesthetics?
* Does the film hold up thematically or does it pigeonhole itself to fears of past generations?
* How impressive were the special effects for the time?
These are the first forty years of science fiction cinema. These films established what a light cycle looks like, how humans interact with alien technology, and the colour palette of life lived on another planet. From Lang’s landmark debut to Kubrick befuddling us with special effects and editing, these movies taught us how to watch science fiction movies.
## Quick Rankings
1. **2001: A Space Odyssey** — Kubrick’s philosophically indulgent space epic
2. **Metropolis** — Lang’s visual template for every dystopian society
3. **Invasion of the Body Snatchers** — A practical parable for paranoia on every level
4. **Solaris** — Tarkovsky’s slow and meditative space epic
5. **Planet of the Apes** — The biggest twist ending of cinema’s early sci-fi
6. **Close Encounters of the Third Kind** — Spielberg’s big-budget lesson in optimism
7. **The Day the Earth Stood Still** — The benchmark for alien warning films
8. **Forbidden Planet** — The cheesy flick that legitimized sci-fi’s ambition
9. **Westworld** — How one film scared us about our future relationship with technology
10. **Logan’s Run** — Maybe we shouldn’t laugh at this film about future consumer culture
## 1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
| Production Budget | $10.5 million |
| Box Office | $69.9 million worldwide |
| Roger Ebert Rating | 4/4 stars |
| Critical Consensus | 92% RT, 84 Metacritic |
John’s been crying about this list’s hierarchy from step one, but quite frankly nobody could convince me Kubrick’s space epic isn’t the greatest achievement in science fiction cinema. 2001 is the most technically precise film on this list and probably any filmmaker’s entire bibliography. Starring the first AI we’ll actually believe, an intriguing take on the human life cycle, breathtaking special effects, and a charmingly eccentric adventure through space, Kubrick still hasn’t been bested fifty-six years later.
**What makes it essential:** The fact that most of the movie’s “special effects” were actually achieved with practical models and skillful cinematography. The spacesuit whirl dance in zero gravity. The groundbreaking rotation of the space station model. The establishing shots of the space stations and lunar facilities that have been copied aggressively ever since. Telling two hours of human history with minimal dialogue.
**Does it still hold up?** It’s practically required viewing for anyone who claims to love science fiction cinema. No other movie captured the awe of human space travel and scientific innovation as perfectly as 2001. Even if you hate the finale, watching this film can teach you how to watch sci-fi.
Click here to read John’s explanation of Kubrick’s scientific masterpiece →
## 2. Metropolis (1927)
| UNESCO Recognition | Memory of the World Register 2001 |
| Critical Consensus | 97% RT, 98 Metacritic |
| Letterboxd Rating | 4.1/5 average |
| Cultural Impact | Template for all dystopian cinema |
Logan bled near this spot on the list over placement. Metropolis literally created science fiction cinema’s shadowy, oppressive city aesthetic. The oppressive building design hasn’t stopped influencing filmmakers’ perceptions of what a dystopian society should look like to this day.
**What makes it essential:** It basically invented sci-fi movies’ interpretation of “futuristic.” The shimmering moon colony Maria inhabits still blows my mind every time I watch it. The iconic screen presence of the robot Maria and how it defined our idea of android characters for generations. Fritz Lang’s societal warnings about technology haven’t aged too poorly in modern times. The unreal production design and set pieces that blew fans away nearly a century ago. How every subsequent creative medium from comics to music videos took visual inspiration from Metropolis.
**Does it still hold up?** Like all good silent films, Metropolis requires more attention from its audience which forces you to take in the imagery. A century later and it still looks gorgeous.
Click here to read Logan’s breakdown of Metropolis predicting the future →
## 3. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
| Production Budget | $382,000 |
| National Film Registry | Selected 1994 |
| Critical Consensus | 98% RT, 92 Metacritic |
| Cultural Legacy | The Paranoia of Every Generation |
Max begrudgingly accepted this ranking when we settled on specific themes that made each film important. The societal conformity metaphor is endlessly adaptable to any generation’s particular social anxieties. Don Siegel somehow found a way to make pod people a stand in for Communist Russia, soulless Corporations, and Instagram influencers.
**What makes it essential:** The realistic special effects used to transform the characters into husky pods of indifference. The wide-eyed paranoia that Kevin McCarthy exudes throughout his performance. The fact that we’re still talking about this film after sixty-plus years. How it straddled the genres of psychological thriller, science fiction, and horror better than most entries on this list. No neat conclusions about the fate of humanity, which actually reflects how these situations play out IRL.
**Does it still hold up?** Because none of us can get enough of modern expressions of paranoia. See above.
Click here to read Max’s thinkpiece on Body Snatchers being relevant for all generations →
## 4. Solaris (1972)
| IMDb Rating | 8.0/10 |
| Critical Consensus | 94% RT, 90 Metacritic |
| Letterboxd Rating | 4.2/5 average |
| Cultural Recognition | Soviet cinema’s sci-fi masterpiece |
Russians doing science fiction is always ambitious. Soviet science fiction is often the epitome of ambitious cinema. Combine the two and you get Tarkovsky’s mind-numbingly ambitious look at human consciousness and memory.
Kathleen basically demanded we let her choose Solaris’ placement on the list. We watched the film begrudgingly, came out into the sun for too-long, and instantly respected her opinion. There’s so much to unpack about Tarkovsky’s masterpiece that we’ll save for another article. Solaris is the rare example of sci-fi cinema that leaves you feeling more human by the end.
**What makes it essential:** Human intelligence’s inability to connect with truly alien life. The way Tarkovsky uses long takes and natural scenery to make you appreciate his cinematography. Pretentious question: What is consciousness? Seeing Hari physically manifest the struggles of decayed memory. Practical and uncommon special effects for the time. Themes that have kept the movie relevant long after its release.
**Does it still hold up?** Sadly for you, readers. Yes.
Click here to read Kathleen’s analysis of Tarkovsky’s masterpiece →
## 5. Planet of the Apes (1968)
| Production Budget | $5.8 million |
| Box Office | $33.5 million worldwide |
| Roger Ebert Rating | 3.5/4 stars |
| Cultural Impact | The Planet of the Apes Franchise |
Zara nearly cried when we placed Planet of the Apes this low. Don’t ruin our list’s magic by watching the movie instead of reading this skillfully crafted essay.
**What makes it essential:** I’m serious. Go watch Planet of the Apes. Not only did that movie teach you how to setup the perfect twist ending, but it also proved science fiction films didn’t have to be B-movies chock full of laser guns and fake boobs.
**Does it still hold up?** Yes, but some of the dialogue will age you.
Read Zara’s tragic story about how she ruined her copy of Planet of the Apes →
## 6. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
| Production Budget | $19 million |
| Box Office | $306 million worldwide |
| Critical Consensus | 93% RT, 90 Metacritic |
| Cultural Legacy | EEEEEVIL MICROCHIPS!! ! |
Diane almost threw popcorn at me when we settled on Close Encounters ranking. She kept arguing that no other film balanced quirky alien adventure with big-budget practical effects better than Spielberg’s ode to himself.
“I mean LOOK AT HOW IT SAID IT WAS SAFE!”
**What makes it essential:** It took the innards of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and turned it into an adventure movie about communing with extraterrestrial beings. Practical spaceship effects that aren’t CGI-asshole like everything these days. Richard Dreyfuss is wonderful, especially when he’s whispering about aliens in his kitchen. If you told anyone in 1977 that aliens communicate through musical structures, they’d have you committed. Spielberg proved giant-budget cinema didn’t have to pander to mindless nincompoops.
**Does it still hold up?** The only bad thing about this movie is that women are relegated to driving the car and screaming their heads off.
Click here to see Diane defending Close Encounters cultural impact →
## 7. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
| Cultural Impact | The Universal Monsters joined by The Most Annoying Alien Ever |
| Thematic Legacy | Nuclear annihilation metaphors |
| Historical Context | At the height of Atomic Warfare paranoia |
| Genre Influence | The Patriotic Alien Film |
Film is fun fact: Jaxon has been personally lobbying to get this movie up these rankings for months.
“You haven’t EVEN seen my research.”
**What makes it essential:** Everyone knows Klaatu is the man. He taught us how to accept alien visitors without immediately shooting them. Movies about nuclear warfare are about as close to prognostic journalism you’ll get in cinema. Helen Pitteeer Please was great.
**Does it still hold up?** Have you read the news lately?
Click here to discover how this movie predicted the future with Jaxon Trent →
## 8. Forbidden Planet (1956)
| Production Budget | $1.9 million |
| Critical Consensus | 94% RT, 80 Metacritic |
| Technical Achievement | Created the art of Sci-Fi Sound Design |
| Literary Influence | Shakespeare penned this gem in a galaxy far, far away. |
Max fought us tooth and nail on this movie’s ranking. As soon as we settled on Freudian psychology as this film’s claim to fame, he said everything we needed to know.
**What makes it essential:** Read his article.
**Does it still hold up?** Yes, but some of the comments about women could use an update.
Read Max Holloway’s excellent work here →
## 9. Westworld (1973)
| Production Budget | $1.25 million |
| Box Office | $10 million worldwide |
| Technical Innovation | Innovative use of new digital film effects |
| Cultural Legacy | Inspired a killer TV show |
Diane has been our moderator this entire time and I don’t know how we survived without her inside jokes.
“We’ve discussed this.”
**What makes it essential:** Ground control to Major.movie.blog: If you’re worried robots will take over the world, watch Westworld. This film successfully predicted our entertainment industry’s future problems with AI better than any horror movie thus far. Despite Michael Crichton’s excellent performance, Robby the Robot is still the star of this film.
**Does it still hold up?** Only time will Robby.
Click here to learn about our troubled relationship with technology with Diane →
## 10. Logan’s Run (1976)
| Production Budget | $9 million |
| Box Office | $25.4 million worldwide |
| Cultural Prediction | OH YEAH. |
| Thematic Relevance | We’ll see about that. |
John is a monster. He didn’t want us to include Logan’s Run on this list, but I threatened to uncuff his hands and he shuddered.
“The things I’ll do…”
**What makes it essential:** Logan’s Run was chock-full of unintentional predictions about how age-obsessed our society would become. The world Michael York’s character lives in is basically modern day America if we didn’t have social media to worry about. Stay sexy, stay evil.
**Does it still hold up?** It’s a delightfully bizarre time capsule.
Discover John’s love for Logan’s Run →
## Easily Could’ve Made The Cut
I refuse to quantify how many movies we argued about during these rankings. These films could’ve taken the place of spots eight through ten on any given day.
**Things to Come** (1936) – If Logan’s Run was awful beeholding, then Things To Come was beautiful magic. Set in 2036, H.G. Wells’s future history teaches you everything you need to know about the sci-fi genre. Bonus points for featuring one of the first talking cars in cinematic history.
**The Time Machine** (1960) – George Pal’s cinematic adaptation of H.G. Wells’s novel is easily one of the greatest time travel movies of all time. If you haven’t read the book, MAX hopes you pay attention to how time travel works in this film. Proposaurs.
**Fantastic Voyage** (1966) – How did we not talk about the film that popularized micro-portraions of the human body for classrooms nationwide? Diane shouts out to everyone who watched Fantastic Voyage in science class.
**Alphaville** (1965) – Ambitious doesn’t even begin to describe how movies were made in the mid-1960s. Andrei Tarkovsky put God, but someone filmed an entire movie about artificial intelligence taking over in…. Paris? Goddamn art kids.
**World on a Wire** (1973) – Speaking of Tarkovsky, The Matrix beat this German sci-fi epic by twelve years. World on a Wire deals with the same themes of simulated realities and what defines human consciousness decades before anyone cared to reboot another Matrix.
**Silent Running** (1972) – Look, logan planted his flag on this film way before we ever started filming and he’s not going to stop screaming about biodomes until you click the link. FORESTINE!
