There are certain sci-fi movies that should be considered essential viewing for fans of the genre, and it’s hard to imagine the landscape of cinema or pop culture without them. Many of these movies spun their big successes into long-running franchises, which has cemented their status even further.

Sci-fi has the potential to introduce new ideas and deliver stunning visuals. This means that a great sci-fi movie can live long in the mind, and audiences will often rewatch the genre’s most important classics to discover any hidden details and explore the story from a new angle. Some sci-fi movies are unmissable, and fans of the genre couldn’t do without them.

10

Alien (1979)

Ridley Scott’s Classic Is Essential Sci-Fi

Alien remains one of Ridley Scott’s best movies. Along with 1982’s Blade Runner, it granted the director a place in the pantheon of sci-fi movie legends, and it still has the power to enthrall audiences over 50 years later. It has been imitated many times, but never bested.

Alien is the ultimate synthesis of sci-fi and horror. Often described as a haunted house movie set in space, it revitalizes old horror tropes in a new setting to create a desperately bleak image of corporate greed at the expense of human lives. It helps that it also has one of the most striking creature designs in film history.

9

Star Wars (1977)

The Original Star Wars Movie Is A Masterclass In Worldbuilding

It’s hard to think about the original Star Wars movie without placing it in the context of the behemoth of a franchise that it created. The fact that it has provided the blueprint for other wannabe franchise starters underlines Star Wars‘ remarkable worldbuilding.

Even in an era of CGI wizardry that has made anything possible, Star Wars‘ grand spectacle is unparalleled, with a hearty dose of action and romance to rival any old adventure movie. As the Star Wars franchise continues to grow, the first movie stands alone as an entertaining romp unencumbered by lore, continuity and callbacks.

8

Ex Machina (2014)

Ex Machina Dissects Some Of The Most Pressing Issues In Tech

Artificial intelligence has always been a huge topic in science-fiction, and it’s bound to become even more important as contemporary anxieties about automation, authenticity and isolation continue to rise. Ex Machina is one of the best movies to address this issue in the context of the 21st century.

Ex Machina draws a straight line between the biggest ethical issues with artificial intelligence and the ego-driven tech CEOs who govern so much of our world. It’s a distinctly modern horror story about the billionaire class’s wanton disregard for sustainability and human life, and it already seems shockingly prescient.

7

The Matrix (1999)

The Matrix’s Iconography Has Taken On Many New Meanings

The Matrix didn’t invent the idea of simulation theory, but it crystallized it into a distinct, stylized form which still resonates with audiences. There’s a reason why so many of the most striking images from The Matrix, like the red-pill-blue-pill dicH๏τomy, have been co-opted by so many different people to illustrate different philosophies.

As well as exploring its unique sci-fi concept in depth, The Matrix also presented a revolutionary style of action, making the perfect use of its simulated universe to innovate on wire-fu. The Matrix franchise has had its ups and downs, but the original is still a jolt of wild originality.

6

Arrival (2016)

Denis Villeneuve Is A Master Of Modern Sci-Fi

Denis Villeneuve has built a reputation as one of the leading lights in 21st century sci-fi, and this started with Arrival. Eric Heisserer’s brilliant script adapts the novella Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang, translating the author’s cerebral exploration of linguistics and geopolitics to the big-screen with exquisite finesse.

Arrival‘s fascinating non-linear timeline means that it’s the kind of movie that most people will want to watch at least twice. The surprise of the ending is one thing, but Heisserer and Villeneuve’s controlled execution is what makes it so powerful. Arrival is already a modern classic, proving that there’s still a place for pure sci-fi.

5

Inception (2010)

Inception is one of Christopher Nolan’s best movies, and it captures a lot of what makes the director so unique. Nolan is known for bringing unique, high-brow concepts to huge audiences with plenty of blockbuster action and jaw-dropping spectacle. Inception‘s dream-sharing technology is the perfect summation of this phenomenon.

Alongside big franchises like Star Wars and Avatar, Inception probably sums up the state of modern cinematic sci-fi better than any other movie, since it highlights the requirement to use explosive action and mind-bending visuals to sell its interesting premise. Many other filmmakers have bungled this formula, but Nolan always seems to strike the right balance.

4

Jurᴀssic Park (1993)

Spielberg’s Eye For Spectacle Is Unmatched

Steven Spielberg has always been the kind of director who can deliver immense crowdpleasing theatrics, and Jurᴀssic Park stands alongside Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark as one of his most relentlessly entertaining offerings. It adds elements of horror, adventure and action to its inherently eye-catching sci-fi premise.

Jurᴀssic Park‘s groundbreaking mix of practical effects and CGI has held up well, and the film still feels more immersive than any of its more polished sequels. This owes a great debt to the intelligent storytelling, which sets the stakes early so that the dinosaur action takes on a more urgent layer.

3

WALL-E (2008)

The Pixar Classic Appeals To All Ages

Not only is WALL-E one of Pixar’s best movies, but it’s also one of the studio’s most ambitious and original. Pixar’s first true sci-fi movie features a protagonist who only communicates in beeps and computerized squeals, and there are long stretches without any dialogue at all.

Animation and sci-fi fit together nicely, as they both have the capacity for limitless exploration. WALL-E delivers on this potential, and it appeals to audiences of all ages like many great Pixar classics. There aren’t many sci-fi films quite like it.

2

Children Of Men (2006)

The Post-Apocalyptic Drama Has Become More And More Popular

Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men was a box-office disappointment, but this doesn’t reflect its quality. Although it didn’t make much of an impact at the time, it’s since been recognized as one of the most exciting and delicately crafted sci-fi movies of the 21st century.

Post-apocalyptic stories have been a mainstay of science fiction for decades. In the 21st century, Children of Men‘s catastrophic vision of the future is created by a falling birth rate and rampant xenophobia, not a nuclear war or some environmental disaster.

1

2001: A Space Odyssey (1969)

Kubrick’s Masterpiece Helped Invent Modern Sci-Fi

Few films have contributed as much to the landscape of the sci-fi genre as Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s hard to imagine that other classics like Alien or modern hits like Interstellar could exist without 2001. It’s not just the visuals either, since 2001‘s approach to artificial intelligence and deep-space travel were also revolutionary.

2001: A Space Odyssey is teeming with strange, striking imagery, like the towering black monoliths and the mysterious space baby right at the end. Many of these images have been analyzed and deconstructed for decades, but they have an intense power that defies simple classification, as Kubrick urges his audience to feel before thinking.