Film as Spectacle
Sci-fi movies often look real enough that we're convinced of the possibility of the worlds we're shown. The silver screen presents visions of utopian futures, dystopian presents, and worlds to explore. The one consideration to keep when viewing SF is that the screen subtly pivots the genre away from its role as the literature of ideas and gives it an operative function of creating spectacle.Where science fiction critiques our consumer culture, criticizes our enslavement to commodities, considers the impenetrability of the higher class by the lower, the effects of the mass media on society, and the reduction of culture to monadic status, movies too often achieve the opposite. The movie is the ultimate commodity. The viewer, in exchange for his $10, is promised that he can stop thinking for 90 minutes. But he doesn't stop thinking--he is inundated by a homogenized presentation of human society. Even when the film-maker has good intentions, the act of watching movies--of passively receiving information--is definitively the mechanism of spectacle.
Top 100 Science Fiction Movies
100 The Martian (2015)
99 Avatar (2009)
97 Back to the Future (1985)
96 Sunshine (2007)
95 Dredd (2012)
95 District 9 (2009)
93 Arrival (2016)
92 Super 8 (2011)
91 The Abyss (1989)
90 War of the Worlds (2005)
89 Independence Day (1996)
88 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
87 Mars Attacks (1996)
86 Escape From New York (1981)
85 Vanilla Sky (2001)
84 E.T. (1982)
83 The Last Starfighter (1984)
82 Brazil (1985)
81 Ex Machina (2015)
80 Interstellar (2014)
79 Signs (2002)
78 Event Horizon (1997)
77 The Time Machine (1960)
76 Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
75 Videodrome (1983)
74 Starman (1984)
73 Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
72 Tron (1982)
71 Stargate (1994)
70 Avalon (2001)
69 The Omega Man (1971)
68 The Time Travelers Wife (2009)
67 Oblivion (2013)
66 The Island (2005)
65 The Fountain (2006)
64 Dune (1984)
63 I am Legend (2007)
62 Westworld (1973)
61 Them! (1954)
60 Gravity (2013)
59 Terminator 2 (1991)
58 Ghostbusters (1984)
57 The Andromeda Strain (1971)
56 Things to Come (1936)
55 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
54 Silent Running (1972)
53 The Fly (1986)
52 Dark City (1998)
51 Minority Report (2002)
50 The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
49 Gattaca (1997)
48 They Live (1988)
47 Star Wars V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
46 Forbidden Planet (1956)
45 Mad Max (1979)
44 Children of Men (2006)
43 Solaris (2002)
42 Predator (1987)
41 Metropolis (1927)
40 Rollerball (1975)
39 Her (2013)
38 Stalker (1979)
37 Equilibrium (2002)
36 Soylent Green (1973)
35 The Island of Doctor Moreau (1996)
34 Starship Troopers (1997)
33 Total Recall (1990)
32 Donnie Darko (2001)
31 Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
30 Ghost in the Shell (1995)
29 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
28 Looper (2012)
27 Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
26 La Jetee (1962)
25 Inception (2010)
24 Jurassic Park (1993)
23 A Clockwork Orange (1971)
22 Planet of the Apes (1968)
21 Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
20 Gremlins (1984)
19 Logan's Run (1976)
18 Robocop (1987)
17 Solaris (1971)
16 The Fifth Element (1997)
15 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
14 12 Monkeys (1995)
13 Serenity (2005)
12 The Truman Show (1998)
11 Akira (1988)
10 Aliens (1986)
9 Star Wars IV - A New Hope (1977)
8 V for Vendetta (2005)
7 Dr. Strangelove (1964)
6 Contact (1997)
5 The Thing (1982)
4 Matrix (1999)
3 Alien (1979)
2 The Terminator (1984)
1 Blade Runner (1982)
Volume of Top movies by decade:
10s 14
00s 20
90s 17
80s 23
70s 14
60s 6
50s 4
30s 1
20s 1
Should any of these movies be moved up or down or changed?
Make a good case for replacing one via email!
90s 17
80s 23
70s 14
60s 6
50s 4
30s 1
20s 1
Should any of these movies be moved up or down or changed?
Make a good case for replacing one via email!
Escape from New York by John Carpenter