back to article Blade Runner tops sci-fi movie poll

Blade Runner has clinched the top spot in a poll on the greatest sci-fi film of all time. The 1982 cult classic, directed by Ridley Scott and based on a novel by Philip K Dick, won the top plaudit in a poll run by Totalscifionline.com. Blade Runner flopped commercially on its initial release and received only lukewarm reviews …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Bah!

    Bah!

    That list sucks. Where is "Mega shark vs giant octopus"?

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Heart

    Moon

    The new Sam Rockwell film "Moon" is destined to be a Sci-Fi classic as well.

    Blade Runner will always be first for me though. The new Final Cut is excellent.

    Anything but that one with the voiceover. *shudder*

  3. Evil Auditor Silver badge

    Star Wars, Planet of the Apes and E.T.

    ...are regarded sci-fi?! They are nothing but modern fairy tales.

    EA.

  4. Number6

    Dark Star?

    I would have though that Dark Star might have made it. It never made much sense, but then nor does life in the 21st century.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Alien

    All in the past

    What is more concerning is that there hasn't been a quality film made in the last 25 years that could touch any of those films.....

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    cut-schmut

    No voice-over - no atmosphere. It's a cultural reference and it works (even if it was added by the studio afterwards).

    IDST

    ;-)

  7. Chris iverson
    Coat

    Congrats Blade Runner

    I purchased the box set therefore I do not have to choose.

    yes...the one with the Voight-Kampf sticking out....

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    solaris?

    i am suprised that anyone in the west even knew 1972 version much less the book itself

  9. dave hands
    WTF?

    Missing.

    Darkstar?

  10. Chris Collins

    Saturn 3 etc

    What, no love for Bad Lieutenant and Spartacus in one film? Silent Running is a bit hard going. A Boy and His Dog is missing too. It has Don "Miami Vice" Johnson. And that one with the giant beetles and that funny minibus/APV thing.;

  11. Dave Ross
    Thumb Up

    Got to be..

    the directors cut.

  12. Kev K
    Thumb Down

    E fracking T ??

    this choice alone invalidates the entire survey

    bleh!

  13. Pirate Dave Silver badge
    Pirate

    What....?

    No Logan's Run or Soylent Green?

    And how can any list claiming to be a Top 10 Sci-Fi list not contain an entry for Spaceballs?

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    Blimey...

    ...a sci-fi survey I pretty much agree with.

  15. Anonymous Bastard
    Thumb Up

    It's ok John Leyden

    I would have voted for Silent Running too.

  16. Winkypop Silver badge
    Alien

    Silent Running

    Better sci-fi than ET.

    ET just made gazungas of $$$$$$$

    Oh, I see....

  17. Chris Miller
    Alien

    Did they forget

    'Total Recall'?

    And what about 'Dark Star', my personal favourite, complete with cheesy C&W backing?

  18. TeeCee Gold badge
    FAIL

    No "Forbidden Planet" in the top 10?

    Bunch of bloody Philistines. Hurts me to say it, as they quite correctly picked "Blade Runner" (hopefully the later cut without the god-awful "film noir" voiceover and the crappy "happy ending" sequence) as the No. 1, but you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.

    Oh, and you too for failing to mention this as an overlooked classic.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Star Wars (1977)

    Where did they drag up the same list of sci-fi movies?

    I much prefer Empire Strikes Back to Star Wars. Any fan will tell you the same.

    Blade Runner though - good film! Especially the full version (directors cut)

  20. blackworx
    WTF?

    Hmmmm

    Tom Cruise vehicle "Minority Report" is on there, but "Hardware" is missing. Meh. Good to see dark City made the list though.

  21. Miss B
    Unhappy

    pah

    dont people realise that Terminator just doesnt make sense?

    I'm all for artistic licence and that but really

    number 7 indeed..........

  22. Derek Hellam
    Big Brother

    oldies

    So there has not been a good Sc-Fi classic since 1984? Yes I think so...

    No need to include 1984, as its happening as we watch.

  23. BillboBaggins
    Terminator

    It says something...

    It says something about modern movies when the most recent on the list is 1984 The Terminator!

    Though I am surprised that The Matrix is missing.

  24. Jolyon Ralph
    Thumb Down

    Arse

    Blade Runner is the movie that people SAY is their favourite when they want to look intelligent or sophisticated.

    In reality, it wasn't that good.

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Silent Running is remarkably boring, thoughgh

    if I want to watch a man go slowly mad while playing cards and pool with deaf mutes, I can go down to my local, which has the advantage of also serving booze.

    Also, the plot is bollocks.

  26. Gerry Doyle 1

    The Quiet Man

    Starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara - but what far-flung planet did it take place on, in what distant future did it happen? The most overlooked science fiction film of all time.

    You'd have to wonder what sort of po-faced bores would nominate such drudgery as 2001, The Day the Earth Stood Still, or even Solaris instead of the likes of Forbidden Planet, Dark Star, Mars Attacks...

  27. Michael 28
    Happy

    Where is "battlefield earth".....

    or...."the last starfighter"?????

  28. P.Nutt
    Thumb Up

    Great movie.......

    And for once I agree with a sci-fi poll with some proper movies on it.

    Mine in the one with the Voight-Kampf machine in the pocket.

  29. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Which cut? Anything but the original.

    Never seen the Final Cut actually, but did see both the original and the '92 Director's Cut in the theater. It's been so long that I don't actually remember, but I think I fell asleep during the original.

  30. Si 1

    Aliens

    It's my favourite film and therefore the list is a travesty for omitting it. ;)

  31. Anonymous Coward
    Terminator

    Let's face it ...

    ... it really depends who you ask.

    A link at the end of the story shows a poll from 2007 where Serenity beat Star Wars, and Blade Runner came in at #3. (Serenity was fun, but you sure wouldn't find it on my Top 10).

    As for this poll: Metropolis? Seriously? And what happened to Close Encounters? I'd rate that over Planet of the Apes.

    El Reg should run a poll for WORST Sci-Fi movie of all time. My vote goes to the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008).

  32. Andrew Moore
    Coat

    It's good to see...

    No remakes make the top 10 list.

    Deckard: Do you expect me to talk, Batty?

    Batty: No Mr Deckard, I expect you to die.

  33. Neil Hoskins 1

    Overlooked

    Dark Star? John Carpenter's first and best film.

  34. flearider
    Unhappy

    they missed a sci-fi great

    so what happened no dune on there ??? it's as good if not better than blade runner ..

    and i'm talking the full version not the cut down one it explains more ....

  35. windywoo
    Alien

    No Ice Bandits?

    Thats a very good list, I think all those films are exceptional. A few that I think might also be added are:

    Mad Max 2

    The Thing(remake)

    Forbidden Planet

    Logan's Run

    The Fly(remake)

    War of the Worlds (original)

  36. bygjohn
    Thumb Up

    ET?

    Thumbs up to the list apart from number 9. I mean, purlease...

  37. Billy 8

    Bah!

    No "The Day the Earth Caught Fire"? The fools! ;-)

  38. windywoo
    Alien

    Oh! And the Matrix!

    Yeah, and the Matrix.

    And Akira

    And Ghost in the Shell

    Pi

    Robocop

  39. Dave Walker
    Pint

    Metropolis Influence

    Metropolis actually had stunning special effects, for the day and still not bad today.

    It also influenced at least two of the other top 10: the police headquarters in "Blade Runner" was modeled after the central building in "Metropolis", and the artificial hand of Dr. Rotwang, and the design of the 'Menschmachine/Maria' show up in "Star Wars".

    Not too shabby for 1927!

    Now if we can pit "Maria" v. "Pris" for a knock down drag out erotic dance....

    with a by by "Zora"

  40. Citizen Kaned

    wtf?

    no alienS????????????

    yeah loads of us bought bladerunner on BR, thats why its done so well again. it does look great remastered!

  41. Doug Glass
    Go

    Others

    I kunda like "The Day the Earth Stood Still" with Michael Rennie, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "This Island Earth", "Forbidden Planet", "War of the Worlds" with Gene Barry and "The Time Machine" with Rod Taylor. But I guess these are too old and dreary (read that as great stories but less CGI) to count.

    Oh well, at least I have "Dr. Who".

  42. lardheppus
    Grenade

    Sturgeon's Law

    This list proves Sturgeon was an optimist.

  43. Stevie

    Bah!

    Where were you all when it was on general release?

  44. Smallbrainfield
    Terminator

    Wherefore Total Recall?

    Blade Runner stands up today as a good film, but I sometimes feel that the science fiction is window dressing when I watch it. But what do I know? I quite like 'Chronicles of Riddick'.

    I see the mawkish ET gets a look in. Really.

  45. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Barbarella

    Wot no Barbarella? Sacrilege.

  46. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Indeed

    Silent Running! Quite right. Also The Time Machine seems to be missing. Also, Star Wars shouldn't be there, it's a historical fantasy adventure :o)

  47. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    40 years old?

    The average age of that selection is 40 years. I've seen them all, and think half of them are totally overrated and are voted on by 'cool', 'arty' people who think bigging up a 'classic' makes them look clever.

    Of that list the only ones that disserve their entry, in my humble opinion are:

    Blade Runner

    Star Wars

    Alien

    The Terminator

    E.T.

    To make up a top ten, I’d add:

    The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

    The Matrix (1999)

    Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

    Aliens (1986)

    Back to the Future (1985)

  48. Graeme 7
    Alien

    All over 25 years old?

    What was the required age to be considered a classic?

    Was there a bouncer on the door of the list who told Terminator 2 and others, "Sorry mate youv'e got to be 21 to get in".

    I wholeheartedly agree that a film needs to be a little older than 6 months before it can be considered a classic, but is there a definition?

  49. Pete 2 Silver badge

    however the saddest thing

    is that the youngest of these films is 25 years old.

    Since it's a poll, not a sales volume thing, there's no advantage from older movies having more time to sell in greater numbers. However, the age of the top ten entries might just tell you something about the age of the poll responders.

    (I'm not sure why the article calls Vangelis' score "seminal" he'd done lots of stuff, before that piece - including Chariots of Fire, so it wasn't even his first major film soundtrack).

  50. Justabloke 1
    Thumb Up

    Dr.

    With Ridders enjoying not one but two movies on the list, you'd have to say he makes pretty good SciFi....

    No Silent running is as it should be IMO

  51. Darren 4

    Solaris????

    What the hell is Solaris doing in there!!!???

  52. This post has been deleted by its author

  53. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    @Evil Auditor

    In what manner is Star Wars NOT Sci Fi??

    Perhaps try googling what Sci Fi means if you think otherwise.

  54. Aristotles slow and dimwitted horse
    FAIL

    Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...

    Surely the original Solaris appears as just a sympathy vote; or at the very least has been voted for by people who want to appear "cool". And no-one is ever going to convince me that E.T. is a better movie than either Aliens or Star Trek : the motion picture.

  55. Paul Naylor
    Grenade

    No Dune?

    Am I the only person on the planet that loved David Lynch's interpretation of Dune??

    Still, nice to see Blade Runner in the number one slot but I have to agree with those who lament Silent Running missing from the Top Ten. I wept buckets when I was a kid and Huey (or was it Dewie?) got hit by Bruce Derne. Got it on DVD and I must really sit down and watch again...

    Star Wars quite deservedly as I saw as an 8 year old and the opening scene blew me away. It still does.

  56. 4HiMarks
    Terminator

    @ Chris Collins

    A Boy and His Dog - Yes! Solaris from 1972? Booooorrring! I saw it at a Sci Fi festival at the AFI theater in the 70's and fell asleep. Blade Runner is a decent film, but the Best Sci Fi movie of all time?

    Planet of the Apes? Please! Star Wars? A bad Space Opera. Alien was really a horror movie in the style of Friday the 13th. It just had an extraterrestrial instead of a hockey mask-wearing slasher and coincidentally took place on a spaceship.

    What about Starman? Lifeforce? (naked space vampires!) Close Encounters of the Third Kind? That would be a better choice than ET, just among Spielberg movies. Then The Abyss beats out Terminator among James Cameron movies. And finally, Contact (although the book was better).

    Take those five, add Forbidden Planet & The Matrix, plus 2001, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Blade Runner from the original list, and you get a list of the REAL ten best SF movies of all time.

  57. Alan Esworthy
    Black Helicopters

    @BilboBaggins, et al., re: The Matrix

    "...I am surprised that The Matrix is missing."

    The Matrix is not science fiction but rather a documentary released by accident.

  58. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    Predator

    Very disappointed to see 'Predator' near the bottom in 98th place - far below less deserving trash like 'Starship Troopers'.

    Also odd that the description for 'Minority Report' doesn't mention that its based on a Philip K Dick short story.

    Lastly, hats off to 'The Quiet Earth' - a suprisingly well put together Kiwi effort from the early 80's. Nostalgic for me for the scenes shot in the science lab at Waikato University where I studied, amongst other familiar locations.

  59. Joseph Haig
    Alien

    @Anonymous Coward @Evil Auditor

    Perhaps he is questioning whether it is fiction. Be careful, your anonymity will not protect you if he turns out to be a Jedi.

  60. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @ AC 16:08

    Science fiction by and large does not mean swords, sorcerers, magic, castles or dwarven familiars from which you can excise every last trapping of spaceships and lasers without having to change a single detail of the story. Ergo, Star Wars, with its light sabers, Jedi, Force, Death Star and droids is most definitely not science fiction. I refer you to the department marked "Fantasy With Spaceship, Robot'n'Laser Trimmings".

  61. unitron

    Yes, but which cut?

    The one where Han shoots first.

  62. Random Coolzip
    Boffin

    @Chris Collins

    I think the film you're thinking of is "Damnation Alley" (George Peppard, Jan-Michael Vincent).

    I also want to throw in a plug for the original "Rollerball", if we're bumping dystopian 70's flicks (must....not....remember..."ZPG"...argh!) Agreed that "E.T." is misplaced, I'd yank it and shift "Star Wars" and everything after down a notch and put the '54 "War of the Worlds" in there.

    Full props to "Metropolis", but I'd rather see John Carpenter's remake of "The Thing" on the list, if only because it's a little more "accessible" (read: has more action) than "They Live".

  63. OkKTY8KK5U

    Godzilla!

    I demand to know why Godzilla is not on this list.

  64. thomas k.

    A couple missing ...

    The most glaring omission, aside from Forbidden Planet perhaps, would have to be Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

    Sad that the Alien-inspiring Planet of the Vampires didn't make the cut, it's always been a personal favourite.

  65. Anonymous Coward
    Alien

    @flearider

    > so what happened no dune

    Shirley¹ you don't mean the 1984 David Lynch/Dino De Laurentiis dog.

    Perhaps you meant the 2000 TV mini-series instead, in which case, okay then.

    ¹Surely I didn't mean Shirley, or did I?

  66. Skinny
    WTF?

    2001? God I hate that movie

    I could argue about others on the list, or suggest my own etc. but really my problem is with 2001 getting any praise at all.

    It's slow, drawn out, tedious, mind numbingly dull.

    Lets face it, it has a scene that goes on for what 10 minutes (It feels like a lot more, so I'm assuming 10 minutes as I think my memory is exaggerating) of a space ship docking with a space station. That's at least 9 minutes 30seconds too long (I'm not going to time it, and I don't care if it was really 5 minutes or something, it was still WAY too long)

    What was with the monkeys? Don't get me wrong, I quite liked HAL when it got going, but it didn't get going for bloody hours, and hours, and even then the good bit only seemed to last 30 minutes.

    Pretentious, arty, 'cool' kids, go and vote for you're favourite bottled water or something.

  67. ratfox
    Thumb Up

    Pretty much agree

    Predictably, the list takes into account the influence of movies. Blade Runner fairly established the cult of dystopian megacities...

    Among recent movies, I'd say Matrix would definitely have a place too. It will obviously become one of the greatest classics. The sequels will fade into oblivion, though.

    I'm surprised anybody here suggested having sequels like Terminator 2, or even movies that evolved out of TV series like Star Trek. Being original, or at least more famous than previous works, is a necessary condition to be a classic, in my opinion.

  68. Kevin 6

    @Peter Flynn

    personally I actually hated all the star wars but the empire strikes back only one that I found watchable but I'm a startrek person personally ;)

    Spaceballs deserves a spot on that list more than starwars ;)

    Also I wasn't a fan of Alien and ET, Predator, Logan's Run, or even Death Race 2000 I think are more deserving of the spot more.

  69. sparkywonderduck
    Grenade

    Aliens was better than Alien

    I agree that many good films were overlooked but WTF Solaris? Who took this poll?

  70. Anonymous Coward
    Headmaster

    Another

    Where is Barbarella????

    roflmao--Who can forget Duran Duran, and the opening Jane sequence?

  71. Anonymous Coward
    Headmaster

    Another missing link?

    Barbarella?

  72. gaz 7
    Alert

    What about (in no particular order)...

    The day the earth caught fire

    Journey to the far side of the sun

    Colossus: the Forbin project

    Capricorn one

    All far far better than bloody ET, and as for Solaris I have watched the original Russian version with subtitles, and the remake, and wouldn't again.

    Good to agree with Bladerunner and 2001 though. I also like Metropolis, although I have never managed to grab a copy, do have the soundtrack from Gorgio Morodor's 80's version on vinyl though!

  73. Stevie

    Double Bah!

    "The Matrix". Advertised at the time as a revolutionary new story never before told.

    Unless you read any science fiction from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s that is, by which time the old "the world is a computer sim and we all live in it" thing was so moth-eaten it was quitely retired. I think the last writer to try and sell it died of embarasment.

  74. Stevie

    Bah!

    And "Seconds", starring Rock Hudson, should have been in there instead of ET fer crisakes.

  75. Kevin Eastman

    Missing

    I would have expected to see The Matrix and Star Trek II - The Wraith of Khan.

    @Chris Collins - I think the movie you are thinking of is Damnation Alley with George Peppard

  76. deegee
    Alien

    My top choices would probably be...

    The Matrix (seen it more than 70 times theater and dvd) "dodge this"

    BladeRunner TDC (one of my fav movies even when it was originally released)

    Dune

    Stargate

    Aliens

    followed by in any order:

    AI

    Aeon Flux

    Alien

    Hitchhikers Guide

    I Robot

    Star Wars

    Star Trek Zero

    War of the Worlds (TC version)

    ...

  77. Greem

    Since 1969...

    There have been no good films, let a lone sci-fi, since 1969. Arthur took the biscuit with 2001 and never gave it back to anyone.

  78. adrian sietsma

    Gattaca

    see title

  79. Steve Roper
    Boffin

    Only some of those are sci-fi

    Star Wars and ET are not scf-fi. Science -fiction is *fiction* about *science*. Those two movies are space fantasy, but it seems that any movie with a spaceship in it gets labelled as "sci-fi" these days, notwithstanding the lack of any science. The hallmark of a true sci-fi is that the characters are immersed in a situation resulting from some scientific or technological phenomenon and the story follows how the characters deal with it. My own top ten would be:

    1. Blade Runner

    2. 2001: A Space Odyssey

    3. Alien Trilogy (NOT Alien Resurrection or the AVP abortions)

    4. Quiet Earth

    5. Brainstorm (anyone remember this gem?)

    6. Soylent Green

    7. Pitch Black

    8. Dune / Children of Dune (The Sci-Fi channel miniseries, not Lynch's POS)

    9. Total Recall

    10. Back To The Future Trilogy

    There's three in that list that nobody's mentioned yet - Brainstorm, Pitch Black (somebody did mention Chronicles of Riddick but that was nowhere near as good as the original movie!) and Back To The Future. I'm amazed that none of you tech geeks remembered Brainstorm and its virtual helmet allowing people to experience other people's lives - and a death! And I know Back To The Future was somewhat whimsical, but it does address the paradoxes of time travel in an interesting way - which makes it sci-fi in my opinion.

  80. Big-nosed Pengie
    FAIL

    Star Wars? ET? Planet of the Apes?

    You've got to be bloody joking?

  81. This post has been deleted by its author

  82. Mr Larrington
    FAIL

    What utter cock!

    The setting of a film somewhere other than Planet Earth doth not make it "sci-fi". Alien is a monster movie set on a spacecraft. And Star Wars is a western with lasers and spaceships instead of six-shooters and horses. These people need to get out more.

    Oh, wait...

  83. Christopher Blackmore
    Headmaster

    Star Wars?

    Just a rubbish remake of Kurosawa's excellent "Hidden Fortress". Quite good to watch when there's nothing else on, though...

  84. weirdcult
    Coat

    what about

    Laserblast! yey

  85. weirdcult
    Terminator

    @deegee

    you are very young aren't you

  86. Frank Bough
    Boffin

    @Steve Roper

    Science Fiction most certainly is not "fiction about science" - it is about exploring possible scenarios that COULD REASONABLY happen as far as our understanding of science is concerned. Any further than that and it becomes fantasy. So ET certainly is science fiction (a bunch of alien biologists MIGHT visit Earth and one of them MIGHT get left behind) but Star Wars is not (the Force is basically magic). My vote for best recentish science fiction film has to be Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which nicely explores the possible consequences of s/elective memory erasure.

    On the Dune front, count me as another big fan of David Lynch's interpretation. I once heard this film described as 'stepping up to the line of greatness but refusing to cross it', which is as neat a summation as I can come up with. And anyone who says Planet of the Apes is not science fiction needs their face slapped.

    Other flicks I'd like to see on the list would be Phase IV, On the Beach and, of course, Nutty Professor 2 - The Klumps.

  87. Psymon

    While I agree in principle with the true definition of sci-fi

    I personally wouldn't be quite so willing to draw such a stark line in the sand.

    Although Star Wars is a mythological space opera, and as such can't be truly classed as science fiction, I feel that the genre in general would become a lot flatter and less colourfull without such contributions.

    It may not fit the strictest of definitions, but on its' own merits I'd say it is a worthy inclusion.

    As for Camerons Darkstar? I read the book long before seeing the film (a rare occurence, as I'm not a heavy reader per say). The book was truly fantastic. A dark insight into isloation, desperation, and philosophical ponderings on sentience and the very purpose of life.

    Alas, Camerons valiant effort, through no fault of his own, fell short of truly capturing all the nuances of the story.

    Because it was a student film, he had no budget to speak of. This required him to take a great many shortcuts with the plot, and the special effects were quite detrimental. The ending of the book made me shed a tear, the ending of the movie made me chuckle.

    If there was ever a truly deserving film of a re-make (obviously, with Cameron returning to the helm).

    As for my suggestion of a film missing from the list?

    I would have to say, for those who believe that A) no decent and b) no truly sci-fi movies have been made in recent years:

    The Man From Earth.

    This little gem is a a kilo chunk of pure, uncut scifi. The complete opposite to Starwars, no spaships, no special effects. The entire movie is set in one single, sparsely furnished living room.

    As such, the entire film hangs on nothing more than the intriguing plot premis, and the casts electrifying performance.

  88. crypt
    Thumb Up

    Other films that should have made the list

    A Boy and His Dog

    Repo! a genetic opera (Best recent sci-fi film ive seen)

    A Scanner Darkly (quite faithfull to the book)

    Screamers ( phillip k dicks - 2nd variety)

    They Live (This is your God !)

    Death Race 2000 (Its awfull - but in a good way)

  89. b 3

    did anyone mention damnation alley?

    rather liked that film..

  90. 2FishInATank
    Grenade

    @deegee

    "Hitchhikers Guide"

    The film?

    Seriously?!?

    Swutting Belgium man! I really don't know where to begin..... apart from maybe: *SLAP* *SLAP* *SLAP* administered facially.....

    Sam Rockwell's truly terrible Zaphod, Martin Freeman playing....Martin Freeman - *again*, Stephen Fry horribly underused as the Guide. The new design of Marvin, Zaphod's second head being in his throat (how exactly is that a second head?), the fucking 'standing on a rake' scene...

    I could go on, but I'd need to spend the rest of the day in a darkened room because of the trauma.

    Go listen to the radio show, read the scripts, then the books and watch the TV series. In that order.

    I don't care if you've already done some or all of these things - go do them again as you've obviously forgotten how good they were and how bad the film was.

  91. Yorkshirepudding
    FAIL

    no shaun of the dead?

    FAIL nuff said

  92. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Brace yourself amigos for a most triumphant video!

    Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure was totally bodacious dude.

    All sci-fi is bogus except this masterpiece.

  93. blackworx
    Pint

    Aye

    A lot of the films in the top 100 are the sort of fluff I watch when there's no real sci-fi on. They're like what early DS9 is to late TNG -- one of them is sci-fi while the other is just a soap opera which happens to be set in space.

    Agree re: Total Recall . That film doesn't have a wasted moment anywhere. Every single second contributes to the story; for that it is an all-time classic, never mind just a sci-fi classic.

    I say again though: why no Hardware?? ...... This is what you want... This is what you get... This is what you want... This is what you get...

  94. K Cartlidge
    WTF?

    Star Wars?

    I just don't understand. Yes, when released it was an event, but it was never original and never good. The plot is hackneyed, characters cliche and the morality is terrible. David Brin got it right when he alluded to Darth Vader appearing after death with Yoda and Kenobi - Vader killed billions but apparently he's redeemed by the supposedly altruistic act of saving his own son! That's on a par with a version of Hitler, Pol Pot or whoever, thousands of times more deadly, being okay because he decides not to kill his offspring. Utter rubbish.

    BTW I agree with previous posters about Aliens, Silent Running and Serenity. How about Fifth Element too? It's a classic often overlooked due to it's overboard styling and lack of seriousness. Oh, and Brazil, 12 Monkeys and the like? They wipe the floor with Planet of the Apes and ET.

  95. Dominic
    Joke

    bring back the sick vulture icon

    Wot no Highlander II?

  96. Ben Holmes
    Pint

    An opinion of some description is required.

    Sunshine, anyone?

  97. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Mr. Newton has had enough.

    Adding Britannia Hospital and Clockwork Orange. I'm adding all of the films everybody has listed here into my #1 spot, except ET. Anything with that looks like a pair of rangefinder binoculars strapped to a dessicated dwarf giraffe deserves a good thump.

  98. Dave Walker
    Paris Hilton

    Metropolis: the Restored edition

    I should have mentioned that the Metropolis version is the Murnau Institutes restored version. Not the awful one that has been floating about for years with the tragicomically inappropriate sound track....

    Paris, because she could only hope to be Maria dancing in Yoshiwara

  99. Chris Miller
    Thumb Up

    @Frank Bough

    While I agree that Star Wars is not really sci-fi since "the Force is basically magic", don't forget Clarke's Third Law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

    And Gehm's Corollary: "Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced."

  100. Frank Bough
    Happy

    @Chris Miller

    yeah... but... the Force isn't a technology at all, the Jedi are just basically wizards. It's fantasy/nonsense and that's why it can't be science fiction.

  101. phoenix
    Grenade

    Sci Fi?

    Good Sci Fi should allow us to see into the "plausible" future. My ratings would be:

    Alien (plausible physics biology)

    2001 (clever but a bit arty - farty)

    Gattaca (quite close in DNA terms)

    Solaris (1972 version Sentient force)

    Blade Runner (draws on iRobot and takes it a bit further)

    Slient Running (hmm they way we are going on earth!!!)

    Metropolis (watch it. You'll see)

    Matrix (not the best film but plausible)

    I discount the likes of ET, Third Encounters etc as superseeded by Alien.

    Stars Wars Star Trek and there ilk are out on known phyiscs grounds. The above list are also way better shot cinematically.

  102. steve 136

    "Good Sci Fi should allow us to see into the "plausible" future."

    That is exactly why the 1st poster was right - Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus should be no.1.

    And possible no.2 and no.3 as well.

  103. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Could we include...

    The oft overlooked:

    Dark City

    Akira

    Brazil

    12 Monkeys

    Also on the subject of Metropolis, the 2001 anime version which is loosely based on the original is quite a visually stunning film in it's own right.

  104. OzBob
    Thumb Up

    No "Day of the Triffids"?

    OK it was a TV series that could be bodged into a movie. Love that dsytopian look.

    "Quiet Earth" - brought for 3 quid from WH Smiths. Nice NZ 1980s scenes, we do small budget and few-people movies quite well.

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