TOP 20 BEST SCI FI FILMS

by nims-1975 | created - 09 Sep 2012 | updated - 07 Jan 2022 | Public
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1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

PG | 138 min | Drama, Sci-Fi

90 Metascore

Roy Neary, an Indiana electric lineman, finds his quiet and ordinary daily life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO, spurring him to an obsessed cross-country quest for answers as a momentous event approaches.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon

Votes: 217,032 | Gross: $132.09M

Close Encounters of The Third Kind is an absolutely brilliant sci fi film with excellent and amazing special effects and excellent acting by Richard Dreyfuss.

2. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

PG | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

90 Metascore

Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.

Director: George Lucas | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness

Votes: 1,450,765 | Gross: $322.74M

Star Wars is an excellent sci fi film starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, David Prowse and Alec Guiness.

3. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

PG | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

82 Metascore

After the Rebel Alliance are overpowered by the Empire, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.

Director: Irvin Kershner | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams

Votes: 1,380,886 | Gross: $290.48M

The Empire Strikes Back is also an excellent sci fi film starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and David Prowse.

4. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

PG | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

58 Metascore

After rescuing Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, the Rebel Alliance attempt to destroy the second Death Star, while Luke struggles to help Darth Vader back from the dark side.

Director: Richard Marquand | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams

Votes: 1,122,246 | Gross: $309.13M

Return of The Jedi is another excellent sci fi film starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and David Prowse.

5. Superman (1978)

PG | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

82 Metascore

An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.

Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando

Votes: 187,623 | Gross: $134.22M

Superman is also another excellent sci fi film starring Christopher Reeve.

6. Superman II (1980)

PG | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

83 Metascore

Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.

Director: Richard Lester | Stars: Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty

Votes: 114,681 | Gross: $108.19M

Superman II is also another excellent sci fi film starring Christopher Reeve.

7. Superman III (1983)

PG | 125 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

44 Metascore

Synthetic kryptonite laced with tar splits Superman in two: good Clark Kent and bad Man of Steel.

Director: Richard Lester | Stars: Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper

Votes: 74,812 | Gross: $59.95M

Superman III is another classic sci fi film with excellent acting by Christopher Reeve.

8. Alien (1979)

R | 117 min | Horror, Sci-Fi

89 Metascore

The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright

Votes: 951,805 | Gross: $78.90M

Alien is an excellent sci fi film with excellent acting by Tom Skerritt and Sigourney Weaver

9. E.T. (1982)

PG | 115 min | Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi

92 Metascore

A troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home planet.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote, Dee Wallace

Votes: 437,829 | Gross: $435.11M

E.T is also an absolutely brilliant sci fi film with excellent acting by Drew Barrymore and C. Thomas Howell.

10. Ghostbusters (1984)

PG | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy

71 Metascore

Three parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers.

Director: Ivan Reitman | Stars: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis

Votes: 450,702 | Gross: $238.63M

Ghostbusters is an absolutely brilliant sci fi comedy starring Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson and Sigourney Weaver with an excellent soundtrack and an absolutely brilliant theme tune which is comedic, fun, enjoyable and entertaining to watch.

11. Back to the Future (1985)

PG | 116 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi

87 Metascore

Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.

Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover

Votes: 1,307,882 | Gross: $210.61M

Back To The Future is also another excellent sci fi comedy which stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher LLoyd, Crispin Glover, Lea Thompson and Thomas F. Wilson.

12. D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)

PG | 99 min | Family, Sci-Fi

A seemingly normal young boy is found abandoned on a mountain road and adopted by a family who are increasingly amazed by his abilities before discovering the secret behind his real identity.

Director: Simon Wincer | Stars: Mary Beth Hurt, Michael McKean, Kathryn Walker, Colleen Camp

Votes: 14,101 | Gross: $7.84M

D.A.R.Y.L is an excellent sci fi film starring Barrat Oliver.

13. Aliens (1986)

R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

84 Metascore

Decades after surviving the Nostromo incident, Ellen Ripley is sent out to re-establish contact with a terraforming colony but finds herself battling the Alien Queen and her offspring.

Director: James Cameron | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Paul Reiser

Votes: 763,666 | Gross: $85.16M

Aliens is an excellent sci fi film starring Sigourney Weaver.

14. Predator (1987)

R | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Horror

47 Metascore

A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall, Elpidia Carrillo

Votes: 455,307 | Gross: $59.74M

Predator is also an excellent sci fi film with excellent special effects and excellent acting by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers and Kevin Peter Hall.

15. RoboCop (1987)

R | 102 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi

70 Metascore

In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.

Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox

Votes: 283,366 | Gross: $53.42M

Robocop is also an excellent sci fi film with excellnt acting by Peter Weller, Nancy Allen and Ronny Cox.

16. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

PG | 90 min | Adventure, Comedy, Music

50 Metascore

Two rock-'n-rolling teens, on the verge of failing their class, set out on a quest to make the ultimate school history report after being presented with a time machine.

Director: Stephen Herek | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin, Terry Camilleri

Votes: 141,744 | Gross: $40.49M

Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure is an excellent sci fi film starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter which is comedic, fun end enjoyable to watch.

17. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

75 Metascore

A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.

Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick

Votes: 1,174,957 | Gross: $204.84M

Terminator 2: Judgement Day is an excellent sci fi film with excellent and amazing special effects, excellent action and excellent acting by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Patrick, Edward Furlong and Linda Hamilton.

18. Total Recall (1990)

R | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

60 Metascore

When a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or is he?

Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Rachel Ticotin

Votes: 354,834 | Gross: $119.39M



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