Is your favorite one of the best sci-fi movies of all time?
- Updated
The list includes classics, recent movies and originals and their remakes. You may not agree on the top movie. However, this list may give you ideas of something to watch on a winter evening.
- Alex Greer, PrettyFamous.com
- Updated
Justin Tallis / Getty Images
Forget Christmas movies and Oscar dramas. The holiday box office belongs to science fiction films.
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is leading the charge, with expected weekend box office totals north of $120 million in the U.S. That film will face competition later in December with the release of "Passengers" -- the sci-fi romance movie starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. And not to be overlooked is the alien thriller "Arrival," which has brought in more than $130 million worldwide since its November release.
To celebrate the slew of new sci-fi films, PrettyFamous, an entertainment data site by Graphiq, decided to find the best films of the genre. To do so, the data experts looked at all science fiction movies with over 10,000 IMDb votes and ranked them on their Smart Rating -- a score out of 100 that takes into account a movie's IMDb rating, Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer and Audience Score, Gracenote rating, Metacritic Metascore and the inflation-adjusted U.S. box office gross. In the event of a tie, movies with the higher box office gross were favored.
The ranking features historic classics like 1927's "Metropolis," as well as modern greats like "Gravity." While you've probably seen "Star Wars" a million times, there are lesser-known gems like "Solaris" and "Children of Men" to satisfy your sci-fi craving.
Note: Movie descriptions are sourced (with minor edits) from Gracenote. Only movies released before Nov. 18, 2016 were considered.
Compiled by Alex Greer, PrettyFamous.com
- Updated
#100. "Coherence"
Bellanova Films / Oscilloscope Laboratories
Smart Rating: 86.21
Release Year: 2013
Starring: Hugo Armstrong, Emily Foxler, Nicholas Brendon
Eight friends at a dinner party experience a troubling chain of events due to the malevolent influence of a passing comet.
#99. "Summer Wars"
Madhouse / Warner Bros. Pictures
Smart Rating: 86.21
Release Year: 2009
Starring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura
A young math genius solves a complex equation and inadvertently puts a virtual world's artificial intelligence in a position to destroy Earth.
#98. "X-Men"
Marvel Entertainment Group / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 86.35
Release Year: 2000
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen
Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) leads Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and other superheroes against Magneto (Ian McKellen), a mutant who would rule humanity.
#97. "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country"
Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 86.36
Release Year: 1991
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley
Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and the Enterprise encounter sabotage on the way to peace talks with the Klingon Federation.
#96. "Avengers: Age of Ultron"
Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Smart Rating: 86.39
Release Year: 2015
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo
When Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) jumpstart of a dormant peacekeeping program goes awry, the Avengers must reassemble to battle a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction.
#95. "Hellboy II: The Golden Army"
Relativity Media / Universal Pictures
Smart Rating: 86.43
Release Year: 2008
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones
Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and his team face an underworld prince who plans to awaken a lethal army and use it to reclaim Earth for his magical kindred.
#94. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
Chernin Entertainment
Smart Rating: 86.43
Release Year: 2011
Starring: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow
A scientist's (James Franco) quest to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease unintentionally results in a highly intelligent chimpanzee, which may signal the end of man's dominion over Earth.
#93. "Attack the Block"
StudioCanal / Screen Gems
Smart Rating: 86.45
Release Year: 2011
Starring: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail
South London teenagers (John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Leeon Jones) defend their neighborhood from malevolent extraterrestrials.
#92. "Predator"
Lawrence Gordon Productions / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 86.46
Release Year: 1987
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura
A sneaky alien monster attacks commandos (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura) on a jungle mission in South America.
#91. "Timecrimes"
Karbo Vantas Entertainment
Smart Rating: 86.68
Release Year: 2007
Starring: Karra Elejalde, Candela Fernández, Bárbara Goenaga
A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time. Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.
#90. "The Dead Zone"
Dino De Laurentiis Company / Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 86.74
Release Year: 1983
Starring: Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt
A man (Christopher Walken) comes out of a coma able to see the probable futures of anyone he touches.
#89. "Star Trek Beyond"
Skydance Media / Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 86.75
Release Year: 2016
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban
Left stranded after an attack in space, Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of the crew must battle a deadly alien race while trying to find a way off their hostile planet.
#88. "The Hunger Games"
Color Force / Lionsgate Films
Smart Rating: 87.05
Release Year: 2012
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
A resourceful teen (Jennifer Lawrence) takes her younger sister's place in a brutal contest in which youths from each of 12 districts fight to the death on live television.
#87. "Explorers"
Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 87.1
Release Year: 1985
Starring: Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Jason Presson
Three boys (Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Jason Presson) take a homemade spaceship to another galaxy and meet aliens who speak American TV.
#86. "The Abyss"
Lightstorm Entertainment / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 87.15
Release Year: 1989
Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn
Oil platform workers, including an estranged couple (Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), and a Navy SEAL (Michael Biehn) make a startling deep-sea discovery.
#85. "Gattaca"
Jersey Films / Columbia Pictures
Smart Rating: 87.17
Release Year: 1997
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law
An outcast (Ethan Hawke) takes part in a complicated and perilous scheme to assume the identity of a genetically engineered citizen (Jude Law).
#84. "The World's End"
Relativity Media / Universal Pictures
Smart Rating: 87.18
Release Year: 2013
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine
An immature 40-year-old convinces his childhood pals to join him in an epic pub-crawl, but as they make their way toward their final destination, a battle for mankind emerges.
#83. "Galaxy Quest"
DreamWorks SKG
Smart Rating: 87.26
Release Year: 1999
Starring: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman
Aliens, believing actors to be real heroes, enlist cast members (Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman) of a sci-fi TV series to help save their people.
#82. "Metropolis"
Madhouse / Toho
Smart Rating: 87.73
Release Year: 2001
Starring: Yuka Imoto, Taro Ishida, Toshio Furukawa
Kenichi and his uncle Shunsaku Ban must find the mystery behind robot girl Tima.
#81. "X2"
Marvel Enterprises / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 87.81
Release Year: 2003
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen
After a mutant-hating militarist named Stryker invades their school, the X-Men must join forces with Magneto (Ian McKellen) to rescue Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and neutralize the threat posed by Stryker.
#80. "Interstellar"
Legendary Pictures / Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 87.94
Release Year: 2014
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain
As mankind's time on Earth comes to an end, a group of explorers (Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway) begins the most important mission in human history: traveling beyond the galaxy to discover if there is a future for man among the stars.
#79. "X-Men: First Class"
Marvel Entertainment / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 88.02
Release Year: 2011
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne
Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) work with other mutants to prevent a nuclear nightmare, but a situation soon tears the close friends apart.
#78. "Men in Black"
Amblin Entertainment / Columbia Pictures
Smart Rating: 88.03
Release Year: 1997
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino
A veteran agent (Tommy Lee Jones) and a rookie (Will Smith) protect mankind from dangerous extraterrestrials roaming the Earth.
#77. "Village of the Damned"
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Smart Rating: 88.06
Release Year: 1960
Starring: George Sanders, Barbara Shelley, Michael Gwynne
British parents (George Sanders, Barbara Shelley) realize their son is one of 12 evil alien children born in their village.
#76. "The Man Who Fell to Earth"
British Lion Films
Smart Rating: 88.08
Release Year: 1976
Starring: David Bowie, Candy Clark, Buck Henry
A visitor (David Bowie) from an arid planet creates a global corporation to make billions to get water to his people.
- Updated
#75. "Repo Man"
Universal Pictures
Smart Rating: 88.31
Release Year: 1984
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Harry Dean Stanton, Tracey Walter
Punker Otto (Emilio Estevez) tries to repossess a Chevy Malibu with something alien and atomic in the trunk.
#74. "28 Days Later"
DNA Films / Fox Searchlight Pictures
Smart Rating: 88.38
Release Year: 2002
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Noah Huntley, Naomie Harris
Survivors (Cillian Murphy, Noah Huntley, Naomie Harris) try to stay a step ahead of vicious, virus-infected humans that have overrun London.
#73. "Delicatessen"
UGC / Miramax
Smart Rating: 88.42
Release Year: 1991
Starring: Dominique Pinon, Marie-Laure Dougnac, Jean-Claude Dreyfus
Hungry tenement dwellers of the food-starved future ponder the introduction of a new source of protein.
#72. "The Incredible Shrinking Man"
Universal-International
Smart Rating: 88.49
Release Year: 1957
Starring: Grant Williams, Randy Stuart, April Kent
Exposure to a mysterious fog causes a man (Grant Williams) to shrink, making the world around him extremely hazardous.
#71. "Source Code"
The Mark Gordon Company / Summit Entertainment
Smart Rating: 88.49
Release Year: 2011
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga
A helicopter pilot (Jake Gyllenhaal) takes part in a secret government program that enables him to assume someone's identity and experience the last few minutes of that person's life.
#70. "Them!"
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Smart Rating: 88.63
Release Year: 1954
Starring: James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon
Bug experts (Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon), a state trooper (James Whitmore) and an FBI agent track giant mutant ants from New Mexico to Los Angeles.
#69. "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"
Solofilm / United Artists
Smart Rating: 88.63
Release Year: 1978
Starring: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy
San Francisco health inspectors (Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams) find alien pods are taking over people as they sleep.
#68. "Moon"
Stage 6 Films / Sony Pictures Classics
Smart Rating: 88.66
Release Year: 2009
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Dominique McElligott, Kaya Scodelario
As his three-year shift draws to a close, the sole human (Sam Rockwell) at a lunar mining facility encounters a younger version of himself.
#67. "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"
Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 88.89
Release Year: 1982
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban
Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and the Enterprise crew battle an old foe (Ricardo Montalban) who blames Kirk for the death of his wife.
#66. "Ink"
Double Edge Films
Smart Rating: 88.96
Release Year: 2009
Starring: Chris Kelly, Quinn Hunchar, Jessica Duffy
A man (Chris Kelly) must save his daughter (Quinn Hunchar) from a world where the forces of light and darkness wage war.
#65. "Serenity"
Universal Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.04
Release Year: 2005
Starring: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk
Crew members (Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk) aboard a transport vessel get caught in a deadly conflict in the wake of a galactic war.
#64. "Fantastic Voyage"
20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 89.2
Release Year: 1966
Starring: Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Edmond O'Brien
A surgical task force is reduced to microbe size to perform a delicate operation inside the brain of a dying scientist.
#63. "Fantastic Planet"
Les Films Armorial / New World Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.2
Release Year: 1973
Starring: Barry Bostwick, Jennifer Drake, Eric Baugin
This futuristic story takes place on a faraway planet where blue giants rule, and oppressed humanoids rebel against the machine-like leaders.
#62. "Paprika"
Mad House / Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan
Smart Rating: 89.24
Release Year: 2006
Starring: Satomi Koorogi
A woman who works as a scientist by day and a dream detective by night probes the theft of a powerful device that can destroy people's minds.
#61. "Star Trek Into Darkness"
Bad Robot Productions / Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.27
Release Year: 2013
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban
After an act of terrorism leaves him with a personal score to settle, Capt. Kirk (Chris Pine) defies Starfleet regulations and leads his crew (Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoë Saldana) on a mission to capture a powerfully destructive force.
#60. "Star Trek: First Contact"
Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.4
Release Year: 1996
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner
Picard (Patrick Stewart), Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and the others set off to stop the half-robot Borg from sabotaging the first warp drive flight in 2063.
#59. "Edge of Tomorrow"
Village Roadshow Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.47
Release Year: 2014
Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brendan Gleeson
A soldier (Tom Cruise) who was killed in action gets caught up in a time loop, in which he repeatedly relives his last battle. However, the more times he fights, the closer he gets to discovering how to defeat the alien enemy.
#58. "12 Monkeys"
Village Roadshow Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.57
Release Year: 1995
Starring: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt
A psychiatrist (Madeleine Stowe) finally believes a patient (Bruce Willis) who claims to be a time-traveler sent to 1996 to prevent a virulent holocaust.
#57. "The War of the Worlds"
Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.7
Release Year: 1953
Starring: Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne
Indestructible Martian war machines threaten Earth in George Pal's Oscar-winning adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel.
#56. "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home"
Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.73
Release Year: 1986
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Catherine Hicks
Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Kirk (William Shatner) and the Enterprise time-travel to modern-day San Francisco to bring humpback whales to the 23rd century.
#55. "The Time Machine"
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Smart Rating: 89.78
Release Year: 1960
Starring: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux
H.G. Wells' time traveler journeys through time, experiencing several civilizations.
#54. "Looper"
Endgame Entertainment / TriStar Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.78
Release Year: 2012
Starring: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt
A mob hit man (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) comes to the chilling realization that his latest assignment is his older self (Bruce Willis), sent back in time by his bosses.
#53. "Ex Machina"
Film4 / Universal Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.85
Release Year: 2015
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander
A young programmer (Domhnall Gleeson) at an Internet company is chosen to evaluate the capabilities and consciousness of a beautiful and sophisticated robot (Alicia Vikander).
#52. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
Color Force / Lionsgate Films
Smart Rating: 89.85
Release Year: 2013
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
After their unprecedented victory in the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark embark on a Victors Tour. Katniss senses rebellion is stirring, but a cruel change in the upcoming 75th Hunger Games may change Panem forever.
#51. "Godzilla"
Toho
Smart Rating: 89.94
Release Year: 1954
Starring: Takashi Shimura, Momoko Kochi, Akira Takarada
A fire-breathing behemoth terrorizes Japan after an atomic bomb awakens it from its centuries-old sleep.
- Updated
Chernin Entertainment / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 89.94
Release Year: 2014
Starring: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman
Human survivors of a plague threaten Caesar's growing nation of genetically evolved apes. Though they reach a fragile peace, soon both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine which will become Earth's dominant species.
- Updated
AVCO Embassy Pictures
Smart Rating: 90.06
Release Year: 1981
Starring: Kurt Russell, Ernest Borgnine, Adrienne Barbeau
A hardened criminal is offered a pardon if he rescues the president from convicts in the prison city of Manhattan.
- Updated
Winchester Pictures Corporation / RKO Radio Pictures
Smart Rating: 90.06
Release Year: 1951
Starring: Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, James Arness
Arctic soldiers and scientists find an alien aircraft containing a frozen creature (James Arness) that wakes and feeds on human blood.
- Updated
20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 90.35
Release Year: 1958
Starring: Al Hedison, Patricia Owens, Vincent Price
A scientist's genes are mixed with those of a common housefly during a botched teleportation experiment.
- Updated
Orion Pictures
Smart Rating: 90.4
Release Year: 1987
Starring: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Ronny Cox
Scientists use the mangled remains of a dead police officer to create the ultimate crime-fighter -- an indestructible cyborg.
- Updated
20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 90.44
Release Year: 2014
Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender
The X-Men (Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart) join forces with their younger selves in order to change the past and save mankind's future as well as their own.
- Updated
Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Smart Rating: 90.9
Release Year: 2014
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista
A space adventurer (Chris Pratt) becomes the quarry of bounty hunters after he steals an orb coveted by a treacherous villain, but after he discovers the orb's true power, he must find a way to unite four ragtag rivals to save the universe.
- Updated
Dovemead Ltd. / Warner Bros.
Smart Rating: 90.98
Release Year: 1980
Starring: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman
The Man of Steel (Christopher Reeve) gets serious with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) and fights three Krypton outcasts in league with Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman).
- Updated
Moho Film / CJ Entertainment
Smart Rating: 91.22
Release Year: 2013
Starring: Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton
A post-apocalyptic ice age forces humanity's last survivors aboard a globe-spanning supertrain. One man (Chris Evans) will risk everything to lead a revolt for control of the engine and the future of the world.
- Updated
Marvel Studios / Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 91.27
Release Year: 2008
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow
A wealthy industrialist (Robert Downey Jr.) builds an armored suit and uses it to defeat criminals and terrorists.
- Updated
Spyglass Entertainment / Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 91.77
Release Year: 2009
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy
Young James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of the Enterprise crew embark on a collision course with a vengeful Romulan.
- Updated
Brooksfilms / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 92
Release Year: 1986
Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz
David Cronenberg's remake of the 1958 classic about a botched experiment that transmutes a man into a monstrous insect.
- Updated
Amblin Entertainment / DreamWorks Pictures
Smart Rating: 92.11
Release Year: 2002
Starring: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton
A policeman (Tom Cruise) tries to establish his innocence in a future where law enforcement can arrest killers before their crimes.
- Updated
Mosfilm / Media Transactions
Smart Rating: 92.5
Release Year: 1979
Starring: Aleksandr Kajdanovsky, Nikolai Grinko, Anatoli Solonitsyn
Three futuristic travelers (Aleksandr Kajdanovsky, Nikolay Grinko, Anatoliy Solonitsyn) pass through a forbidden zone to a place where fantasies are fulfilled and truths are revealed.
- Updated
Tokyo Movie Shinsha / Toho
Smart Rating: 92.73
Release Year: 1988
Starring: Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Mitsuo Iwata
A Japanese teenager learns that his newfound powers of telepathy are more powerful than he suspected.
- Updated
QED International / Tristar Pictures
Smart Rating: 92.76
Release Year: 2009
Starring: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James
A field operative (Sharlto Copley) for a company that oversees extraterrestrial refugees contracts a mysterious virus that begins to change his DNA.
- Updated
Village Roadshow Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures
Smart Rating: 92.77
Release Year: 1999
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
A computer hacker (Keanu Reeves) joins forces with rebel warriors (Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss) to battle a malevolent cyberintelligence.
- Updated
Star Film Company
Smart Rating: 92.87
Release Year: 1902
Starring: Jeanne d'Alcy, Georges Méliés, Victor André
A group of men are shot from a giant cannon in order to travel to the moon. They are captured by moon-men, but manage to escape and return to earth.
- Updated
Walt Disney Pictures
Smart Rating: 92.87
Release Year: 2014
Starring: Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Jamie Chung
When a devastating turn of events thrusts them into the middle of a dangerous plot, a child prodigy (Ryan Potter), his robot (Scott Adsit) and their friends become high-tech heroes on a mission to save their city.
- Updated
Lightstorm Entertainment / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 92.88
Release Year: 2009
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang
On an alien planet, a former Marine (Sam Worthington) falls in love with a blue-skinned warrior (Zoe Saldana) and sides with her people against humankind's encroachment on their lush world.
- Updated
Anonymous Content / Focus Features
Smart Rating: 92.89
Release Year: 2004
Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst
A doctor's invention allows a couple (Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet) to erase the memories of their tumultuous relationship.
- Updated
Anonymous Content / Focus Features
Smart Rating: 92.99
Release Year: 1982
Starring: Kurt Russell, A. Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter
Antarctic outpost men (Kurt Russell, A. Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter) fight a slimy alien able to assume the form of life it engulfs.
- Updated
Astor Pictures Corporation
Smart Rating: 93.07
Release Year: 1963
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider
Kafka's innocent Joseph K. (Anthony Perkins) is arrested and held by ominous police but never told why.
- Updated
Joel Productions / Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 93.07
Release Year: 1966
Starring: Rock Hudson, Salome Jens, John Randolph
A sinister company turns a plain client (John Randolph) into a tall, dark and handsome Malibu artist (Rock Hudson).
- Updated
Film Export A.G. / Warner Bros.
Smart Rating: 93.19
Release Year: 1978
Starring: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando
Jor-El (Marlon Brando) of Krypton sends his baby to Earth, where he grows up as Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) and works at the Daily Planet.
- Updated
Film Export A.G. / Warner Bros.
Smart Rating: 93.35
Release Year: 1968
Starring: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter
An astronaut (Charlton Heston) and his team crash on a world ruled by intelligent, talking simians who treat humans like animals.
- Updated
Film Export A.G. / Warner Bros.
Smart Rating: 93.35
Release Year: 2012
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) recruits a team of superheroes to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.
- Updated
Amblin Entertainment / Universal Pictures
Smart Rating: 93.37
Release Year: 1993
Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum
An entrepreneur invites scientists (Sam Neill, Laura Dern), a mathematics theorist (Jeff Goldblum) and others to his jungle theme park featuring dinosaurs regenerated from DNA.
- Updated
Strike Entertainment / Universal Pictures
Smart Rating: 93.47
Release Year: 2006
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine
When infertility threatens mankind with extinction, a disillusioned bureaucrat (Clive Owen) becomes the unlikely champion in the fight for the survival of Earth's population.
- Updated
20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 93.64
Release Year: 1951
Starring: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe
Klaatu (Michael Rennie) and his guardian robot, Gort, come from afar to warn Earth about nuclear war.
- Updated
Legendary Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures
Smart Rating: 93.67
Release Year: 2010
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page
A thief (Leonardo DiCaprio) who enters people's dreams and steals their secrets gets a shot at redemption when he is given the dangerous task of planting an idea in someone's subconscious.
- Updated
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Smart Rating: 93.93
Release Year: 1956
Starring: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen
An astronaut (Leslie Nielsen) and crew land on Altair-4 in 2200 and find a mad doctor (Walter Pidgeon), his daughter (Anne Francis) and Robby the robot.
- Updated
Walter Wanger Productions / Allied Artists Pictures
Smart Rating: 94.01
Release Year: 1956
Starring: Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, Carolyn Jones
A couple (Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter) discover that plant pods from space are replacing ordinary citizens.
- Updated
Scott Free Productions / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 94.04
Release Year: 2015
Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig
Left behind by his crew, a stranded astronaut (Matt Damon) must find a way to survive on Mars, while NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring him home.
- Updated
Scott Free Productions / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 94.07
Release Year: 1933
Starring: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, Henry Travers
A scientist finds a way of becoming invisible, but in doing so, he becomes murderously insane.
- Updated
EMI Films / Columbia Pictures
Smart Rating: 94.47
Release Year: 1977
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr
An Indiana lineman (Richard Dreyfuss) and other UFO-sighters, beleaguered by earlier incidents, finally have documented contact with space aliens.
- Updated
EMI Films / Columbia Pictures
Smart Rating: 94.6
Release Year: 1982
Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young
A specialized detective (Harrison Ford) in 2019 Los Angeles receives an order to terminate obsolete android slaves (Rutger Hauer, Sean Young).
- Updated
EMI Films / Columbia Pictures
Smart Rating: 94.64
Release Year: 1991
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong
Two cyborgs from the future battle over the life of a teen (Edward Furlong) who will someday lead humanity against the machines.
- Updated
EMI Films / Columbia Pictures
Smart Rating: 94.77
Release Year: 1982
Starring: Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Peter Coyote
A boy's close encounter with an alien stranded on Earth leads to a unique friendship in Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning film.
- Updated
EMI Films / Columbia Pictures
Smart Rating: 94.93
Release Year: 1984
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn
A cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger) from the future arrives in 20th-century Los Angeles to kill the woman (Linda Hamilton) who will give birth to mankind's post-apocalyptic savior.
- Updated
My column Sunday on journalists' challenges in the era of Donald Trump and fake news touched a nerve among readers.
Smart Rating: 94.96
Release Year: 2015
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Thirty years after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his young allies face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First Order.
- Updated
My column Sunday on journalists' challenges in the era of Donald Trump and fake news touched a nerve among readers.
Smart Rating: 95.05
Release Year: 1968
Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester
Supercomputer HAL 9000 guides astronauts (Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester) on a trip to find the origins of humans.
- Updated
Esperanto Filmoj / Warner Bros.
Smart Rating: 95.14
Release Year: 2013
Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney
The destruction of their shuttle leaves two astronauts (Sandra Bullock, George Clooney) stranded in space with no hope of rescue.
- Updated
Creative Unit of Writers & Cinema Workers / Seagull Films
Smart Rating: 95.4
Release Year: 1972
Starring: Donatas Banionis, Natalya Bondarchuk, Jüri Järvet
A psychologist is sent to a station orbiting a distant planet in order to discover what has caused the crew to go insane.
- Updated
Brandywine Productions / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 95.94
Release Year: 1979
Starring: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt
Crewmembers (Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver) aboard an interstellar freighter encounter a merciless monster that crawls around their ship's dark corridors and service ducts as it kills them one by one.
- Updated
Brandywine Productions / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 96.29
Release Year: 1986
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn
On planet LV-426, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and a dwindling number of Marines battle an almost-unstoppable army of monstrous predators which wiped out an entire colony of humans, save for one little girl (Carrie Henn).
- Updated
Brandywine Productions / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 96.37
Release Year: 1985
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover
A teen (Michael J. Fox) takes a crackpot's (Christopher Lloyd) DeLorean time machine to 1955 and sees his parents in high school.
- Updated
Brandywine Productions / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 96.38
Release Year: 2008
Starring: Fred Willard
After years of tidying up an Earth devoid of humanity, a robot janitor (Ben Burtt) meets a mechanical scout and chases her across the galaxy.
- Updated
Brandywine Productions / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 97.17
Release Year: 1927
Starring: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich
An industrialist (Alfred Abel) rules a 21st-century city where the rich play above and slaves toil below.
</div- Updated
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Smart Rating: 98.86
Release Year: 1977
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Robots and other allies help a youth (Mark Hamill) and a space jockey (Harrison Ford) rescue a rebel princess (Carrie Fisher) and battle dark forces bent on intergalactic rule.
More like this...
- Alex Greer, PrettyFamous.com
Justin Tallis / Getty Images
Forget Christmas movies and Oscar dramas. The holiday box office belongs to science fiction films.
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is leading the charge, with expected weekend box office totals north of $120 million in the U.S. That film will face competition later in December with the release of "Passengers" -- the sci-fi romance movie starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. And not to be overlooked is the alien thriller "Arrival," which has brought in more than $130 million worldwide since its November release.
To celebrate the slew of new sci-fi films, PrettyFamous, an entertainment data site by Graphiq, decided to find the best films of the genre. To do so, the data experts looked at all science fiction movies with over 10,000 IMDb votes and ranked them on their Smart Rating -- a score out of 100 that takes into account a movie's IMDb rating, Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer and Audience Score, Gracenote rating, Metacritic Metascore and the inflation-adjusted U.S. box office gross. In the event of a tie, movies with the higher box office gross were favored.
The ranking features historic classics like 1927's "Metropolis," as well as modern greats like "Gravity." While you've probably seen "Star Wars" a million times, there are lesser-known gems like "Solaris" and "Children of Men" to satisfy your sci-fi craving.
Note: Movie descriptions are sourced (with minor edits) from Gracenote. Only movies released before Nov. 18, 2016 were considered.
Compiled by Alex Greer, PrettyFamous.com
#100. "Coherence"
Bellanova Films / Oscilloscope Laboratories
Smart Rating: 86.21
Release Year: 2013
Starring: Hugo Armstrong, Emily Foxler, Nicholas Brendon
Eight friends at a dinner party experience a troubling chain of events due to the malevolent influence of a passing comet.
#99. "Summer Wars"
Madhouse / Warner Bros. Pictures
Smart Rating: 86.21
Release Year: 2009
Starring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura
A young math genius solves a complex equation and inadvertently puts a virtual world's artificial intelligence in a position to destroy Earth.
#98. "X-Men"
Marvel Entertainment Group / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 86.35
Release Year: 2000
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen
Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) leads Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and other superheroes against Magneto (Ian McKellen), a mutant who would rule humanity.
#97. "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country"
Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 86.36
Release Year: 1991
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley
Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and the Enterprise encounter sabotage on the way to peace talks with the Klingon Federation.
#96. "Avengers: Age of Ultron"
Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Smart Rating: 86.39
Release Year: 2015
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo
When Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) jumpstart of a dormant peacekeeping program goes awry, the Avengers must reassemble to battle a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction.
#95. "Hellboy II: The Golden Army"
Relativity Media / Universal Pictures
Smart Rating: 86.43
Release Year: 2008
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones
Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and his team face an underworld prince who plans to awaken a lethal army and use it to reclaim Earth for his magical kindred.
#94. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
Chernin Entertainment
Smart Rating: 86.43
Release Year: 2011
Starring: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow
A scientist's (James Franco) quest to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease unintentionally results in a highly intelligent chimpanzee, which may signal the end of man's dominion over Earth.
#93. "Attack the Block"
StudioCanal / Screen Gems
Smart Rating: 86.45
Release Year: 2011
Starring: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail
South London teenagers (John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Leeon Jones) defend their neighborhood from malevolent extraterrestrials.
#92. "Predator"
Lawrence Gordon Productions / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 86.46
Release Year: 1987
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura
A sneaky alien monster attacks commandos (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura) on a jungle mission in South America.
#91. "Timecrimes"
Karbo Vantas Entertainment
Smart Rating: 86.68
Release Year: 2007
Starring: Karra Elejalde, Candela Fernández, Bárbara Goenaga
A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time. Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.
#90. "The Dead Zone"
Dino De Laurentiis Company / Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 86.74
Release Year: 1983
Starring: Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt
A man (Christopher Walken) comes out of a coma able to see the probable futures of anyone he touches.
#89. "Star Trek Beyond"
Skydance Media / Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 86.75
Release Year: 2016
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban
Left stranded after an attack in space, Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of the crew must battle a deadly alien race while trying to find a way off their hostile planet.
#88. "The Hunger Games"
Color Force / Lionsgate Films
Smart Rating: 87.05
Release Year: 2012
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
A resourceful teen (Jennifer Lawrence) takes her younger sister's place in a brutal contest in which youths from each of 12 districts fight to the death on live television.
#87. "Explorers"
Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 87.1
Release Year: 1985
Starring: Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Jason Presson
Three boys (Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Jason Presson) take a homemade spaceship to another galaxy and meet aliens who speak American TV.
#86. "The Abyss"
Lightstorm Entertainment / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 87.15
Release Year: 1989
Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn
Oil platform workers, including an estranged couple (Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), and a Navy SEAL (Michael Biehn) make a startling deep-sea discovery.
#85. "Gattaca"
Jersey Films / Columbia Pictures
Smart Rating: 87.17
Release Year: 1997
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law
An outcast (Ethan Hawke) takes part in a complicated and perilous scheme to assume the identity of a genetically engineered citizen (Jude Law).
#84. "The World's End"
Relativity Media / Universal Pictures
Smart Rating: 87.18
Release Year: 2013
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine
An immature 40-year-old convinces his childhood pals to join him in an epic pub-crawl, but as they make their way toward their final destination, a battle for mankind emerges.
#83. "Galaxy Quest"
DreamWorks SKG
Smart Rating: 87.26
Release Year: 1999
Starring: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman
Aliens, believing actors to be real heroes, enlist cast members (Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman) of a sci-fi TV series to help save their people.
#82. "Metropolis"
Madhouse / Toho
Smart Rating: 87.73
Release Year: 2001
Starring: Yuka Imoto, Taro Ishida, Toshio Furukawa
Kenichi and his uncle Shunsaku Ban must find the mystery behind robot girl Tima.
#81. "X2"
Marvel Enterprises / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 87.81
Release Year: 2003
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen
After a mutant-hating militarist named Stryker invades their school, the X-Men must join forces with Magneto (Ian McKellen) to rescue Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and neutralize the threat posed by Stryker.
#80. "Interstellar"
Legendary Pictures / Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 87.94
Release Year: 2014
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain
As mankind's time on Earth comes to an end, a group of explorers (Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway) begins the most important mission in human history: traveling beyond the galaxy to discover if there is a future for man among the stars.
#79. "X-Men: First Class"
Marvel Entertainment / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 88.02
Release Year: 2011
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne
Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) work with other mutants to prevent a nuclear nightmare, but a situation soon tears the close friends apart.
#78. "Men in Black"
Amblin Entertainment / Columbia Pictures
Smart Rating: 88.03
Release Year: 1997
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino
A veteran agent (Tommy Lee Jones) and a rookie (Will Smith) protect mankind from dangerous extraterrestrials roaming the Earth.
#77. "Village of the Damned"
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Smart Rating: 88.06
Release Year: 1960
Starring: George Sanders, Barbara Shelley, Michael Gwynne
British parents (George Sanders, Barbara Shelley) realize their son is one of 12 evil alien children born in their village.
#76. "The Man Who Fell to Earth"
British Lion Films
Smart Rating: 88.08
Release Year: 1976
Starring: David Bowie, Candy Clark, Buck Henry
A visitor (David Bowie) from an arid planet creates a global corporation to make billions to get water to his people.
#75. "Repo Man"
Universal Pictures
Smart Rating: 88.31
Release Year: 1984
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Harry Dean Stanton, Tracey Walter
Punker Otto (Emilio Estevez) tries to repossess a Chevy Malibu with something alien and atomic in the trunk.
#74. "28 Days Later"
DNA Films / Fox Searchlight Pictures
Smart Rating: 88.38
Release Year: 2002
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Noah Huntley, Naomie Harris
Survivors (Cillian Murphy, Noah Huntley, Naomie Harris) try to stay a step ahead of vicious, virus-infected humans that have overrun London.
#73. "Delicatessen"
UGC / Miramax
Smart Rating: 88.42
Release Year: 1991
Starring: Dominique Pinon, Marie-Laure Dougnac, Jean-Claude Dreyfus
Hungry tenement dwellers of the food-starved future ponder the introduction of a new source of protein.
#72. "The Incredible Shrinking Man"
Universal-International
Smart Rating: 88.49
Release Year: 1957
Starring: Grant Williams, Randy Stuart, April Kent
Exposure to a mysterious fog causes a man (Grant Williams) to shrink, making the world around him extremely hazardous.
#71. "Source Code"
The Mark Gordon Company / Summit Entertainment
Smart Rating: 88.49
Release Year: 2011
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga
A helicopter pilot (Jake Gyllenhaal) takes part in a secret government program that enables him to assume someone's identity and experience the last few minutes of that person's life.
#70. "Them!"
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Smart Rating: 88.63
Release Year: 1954
Starring: James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon
Bug experts (Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon), a state trooper (James Whitmore) and an FBI agent track giant mutant ants from New Mexico to Los Angeles.
#69. "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"
Solofilm / United Artists
Smart Rating: 88.63
Release Year: 1978
Starring: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy
San Francisco health inspectors (Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams) find alien pods are taking over people as they sleep.
#68. "Moon"
Stage 6 Films / Sony Pictures Classics
Smart Rating: 88.66
Release Year: 2009
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Dominique McElligott, Kaya Scodelario
As his three-year shift draws to a close, the sole human (Sam Rockwell) at a lunar mining facility encounters a younger version of himself.
#67. "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"
Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 88.89
Release Year: 1982
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban
Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and the Enterprise crew battle an old foe (Ricardo Montalban) who blames Kirk for the death of his wife.
#66. "Ink"
Double Edge Films
Smart Rating: 88.96
Release Year: 2009
Starring: Chris Kelly, Quinn Hunchar, Jessica Duffy
A man (Chris Kelly) must save his daughter (Quinn Hunchar) from a world where the forces of light and darkness wage war.
#65. "Serenity"
Universal Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.04
Release Year: 2005
Starring: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk
Crew members (Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk) aboard a transport vessel get caught in a deadly conflict in the wake of a galactic war.
#64. "Fantastic Voyage"
20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 89.2
Release Year: 1966
Starring: Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Edmond O'Brien
A surgical task force is reduced to microbe size to perform a delicate operation inside the brain of a dying scientist.
#63. "Fantastic Planet"
Les Films Armorial / New World Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.2
Release Year: 1973
Starring: Barry Bostwick, Jennifer Drake, Eric Baugin
This futuristic story takes place on a faraway planet where blue giants rule, and oppressed humanoids rebel against the machine-like leaders.
#62. "Paprika"
Mad House / Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan
Smart Rating: 89.24
Release Year: 2006
Starring: Satomi Koorogi
A woman who works as a scientist by day and a dream detective by night probes the theft of a powerful device that can destroy people's minds.
#61. "Star Trek Into Darkness"
Bad Robot Productions / Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.27
Release Year: 2013
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban
After an act of terrorism leaves him with a personal score to settle, Capt. Kirk (Chris Pine) defies Starfleet regulations and leads his crew (Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoë Saldana) on a mission to capture a powerfully destructive force.
#60. "Star Trek: First Contact"
Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.4
Release Year: 1996
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner
Picard (Patrick Stewart), Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and the others set off to stop the half-robot Borg from sabotaging the first warp drive flight in 2063.
#59. "Edge of Tomorrow"
Village Roadshow Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.47
Release Year: 2014
Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brendan Gleeson
A soldier (Tom Cruise) who was killed in action gets caught up in a time loop, in which he repeatedly relives his last battle. However, the more times he fights, the closer he gets to discovering how to defeat the alien enemy.
#58. "12 Monkeys"
Village Roadshow Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.57
Release Year: 1995
Starring: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt
A psychiatrist (Madeleine Stowe) finally believes a patient (Bruce Willis) who claims to be a time-traveler sent to 1996 to prevent a virulent holocaust.
#57. "The War of the Worlds"
Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.7
Release Year: 1953
Starring: Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne
Indestructible Martian war machines threaten Earth in George Pal's Oscar-winning adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel.
#56. "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home"
Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.73
Release Year: 1986
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Catherine Hicks
Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Kirk (William Shatner) and the Enterprise time-travel to modern-day San Francisco to bring humpback whales to the 23rd century.
#55. "The Time Machine"
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Smart Rating: 89.78
Release Year: 1960
Starring: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux
H.G. Wells' time traveler journeys through time, experiencing several civilizations.
#54. "Looper"
Endgame Entertainment / TriStar Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.78
Release Year: 2012
Starring: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt
A mob hit man (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) comes to the chilling realization that his latest assignment is his older self (Bruce Willis), sent back in time by his bosses.
#53. "Ex Machina"
Film4 / Universal Pictures
Smart Rating: 89.85
Release Year: 2015
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander
A young programmer (Domhnall Gleeson) at an Internet company is chosen to evaluate the capabilities and consciousness of a beautiful and sophisticated robot (Alicia Vikander).
#52. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
Color Force / Lionsgate Films
Smart Rating: 89.85
Release Year: 2013
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
After their unprecedented victory in the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark embark on a Victors Tour. Katniss senses rebellion is stirring, but a cruel change in the upcoming 75th Hunger Games may change Panem forever.
#51. "Godzilla"
Toho
Smart Rating: 89.94
Release Year: 1954
Starring: Takashi Shimura, Momoko Kochi, Akira Takarada
A fire-breathing behemoth terrorizes Japan after an atomic bomb awakens it from its centuries-old sleep.
Chernin Entertainment / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 89.94
Release Year: 2014
Starring: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman
Human survivors of a plague threaten Caesar's growing nation of genetically evolved apes. Though they reach a fragile peace, soon both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine which will become Earth's dominant species.
AVCO Embassy Pictures
Smart Rating: 90.06
Release Year: 1981
Starring: Kurt Russell, Ernest Borgnine, Adrienne Barbeau
A hardened criminal is offered a pardon if he rescues the president from convicts in the prison city of Manhattan.
Winchester Pictures Corporation / RKO Radio Pictures
Smart Rating: 90.06
Release Year: 1951
Starring: Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, James Arness
Arctic soldiers and scientists find an alien aircraft containing a frozen creature (James Arness) that wakes and feeds on human blood.
20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 90.44
Release Year: 2014
Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender
The X-Men (Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart) join forces with their younger selves in order to change the past and save mankind's future as well as their own.
Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Smart Rating: 90.9
Release Year: 2014
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista
A space adventurer (Chris Pratt) becomes the quarry of bounty hunters after he steals an orb coveted by a treacherous villain, but after he discovers the orb's true power, he must find a way to unite four ragtag rivals to save the universe.
Dovemead Ltd. / Warner Bros.
Smart Rating: 90.98
Release Year: 1980
Starring: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman
The Man of Steel (Christopher Reeve) gets serious with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) and fights three Krypton outcasts in league with Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman).
Moho Film / CJ Entertainment
Smart Rating: 91.22
Release Year: 2013
Starring: Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton
A post-apocalyptic ice age forces humanity's last survivors aboard a globe-spanning supertrain. One man (Chris Evans) will risk everything to lead a revolt for control of the engine and the future of the world.
Marvel Studios / Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 91.27
Release Year: 2008
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow
A wealthy industrialist (Robert Downey Jr.) builds an armored suit and uses it to defeat criminals and terrorists.
Spyglass Entertainment / Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 91.77
Release Year: 2009
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy
Young James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of the Enterprise crew embark on a collision course with a vengeful Romulan.
Amblin Entertainment / DreamWorks Pictures
Smart Rating: 92.11
Release Year: 2002
Starring: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton
A policeman (Tom Cruise) tries to establish his innocence in a future where law enforcement can arrest killers before their crimes.
Mosfilm / Media Transactions
Smart Rating: 92.5
Release Year: 1979
Starring: Aleksandr Kajdanovsky, Nikolai Grinko, Anatoli Solonitsyn
Three futuristic travelers (Aleksandr Kajdanovsky, Nikolay Grinko, Anatoliy Solonitsyn) pass through a forbidden zone to a place where fantasies are fulfilled and truths are revealed.
QED International / Tristar Pictures
Smart Rating: 92.76
Release Year: 2009
Starring: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James
A field operative (Sharlto Copley) for a company that oversees extraterrestrial refugees contracts a mysterious virus that begins to change his DNA.
Village Roadshow Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures
Smart Rating: 92.77
Release Year: 1999
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
A computer hacker (Keanu Reeves) joins forces with rebel warriors (Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss) to battle a malevolent cyberintelligence.
Star Film Company
Smart Rating: 92.87
Release Year: 1902
Starring: Jeanne d'Alcy, Georges Méliés, Victor André
A group of men are shot from a giant cannon in order to travel to the moon. They are captured by moon-men, but manage to escape and return to earth.
Walt Disney Pictures
Smart Rating: 92.87
Release Year: 2014
Starring: Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Jamie Chung
When a devastating turn of events thrusts them into the middle of a dangerous plot, a child prodigy (Ryan Potter), his robot (Scott Adsit) and their friends become high-tech heroes on a mission to save their city.
Lightstorm Entertainment / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 92.88
Release Year: 2009
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang
On an alien planet, a former Marine (Sam Worthington) falls in love with a blue-skinned warrior (Zoe Saldana) and sides with her people against humankind's encroachment on their lush world.
Anonymous Content / Focus Features
Smart Rating: 92.89
Release Year: 2004
Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst
A doctor's invention allows a couple (Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet) to erase the memories of their tumultuous relationship.
Anonymous Content / Focus Features
Smart Rating: 92.99
Release Year: 1982
Starring: Kurt Russell, A. Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter
Antarctic outpost men (Kurt Russell, A. Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter) fight a slimy alien able to assume the form of life it engulfs.
Joel Productions / Paramount Pictures
Smart Rating: 93.07
Release Year: 1966
Starring: Rock Hudson, Salome Jens, John Randolph
A sinister company turns a plain client (John Randolph) into a tall, dark and handsome Malibu artist (Rock Hudson).
Film Export A.G. / Warner Bros.
Smart Rating: 93.19
Release Year: 1978
Starring: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando
Jor-El (Marlon Brando) of Krypton sends his baby to Earth, where he grows up as Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) and works at the Daily Planet.
Film Export A.G. / Warner Bros.
Smart Rating: 93.35
Release Year: 1968
Starring: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter
An astronaut (Charlton Heston) and his team crash on a world ruled by intelligent, talking simians who treat humans like animals.
Film Export A.G. / Warner Bros.
Smart Rating: 93.35
Release Year: 2012
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) recruits a team of superheroes to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.
Amblin Entertainment / Universal Pictures
Smart Rating: 93.37
Release Year: 1993
Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum
An entrepreneur invites scientists (Sam Neill, Laura Dern), a mathematics theorist (Jeff Goldblum) and others to his jungle theme park featuring dinosaurs regenerated from DNA.
Strike Entertainment / Universal Pictures
Smart Rating: 93.47
Release Year: 2006
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine
When infertility threatens mankind with extinction, a disillusioned bureaucrat (Clive Owen) becomes the unlikely champion in the fight for the survival of Earth's population.
Legendary Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures
Smart Rating: 93.67
Release Year: 2010
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page
A thief (Leonardo DiCaprio) who enters people's dreams and steals their secrets gets a shot at redemption when he is given the dangerous task of planting an idea in someone's subconscious.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Smart Rating: 93.93
Release Year: 1956
Starring: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen
An astronaut (Leslie Nielsen) and crew land on Altair-4 in 2200 and find a mad doctor (Walter Pidgeon), his daughter (Anne Francis) and Robby the robot.
Walter Wanger Productions / Allied Artists Pictures
Smart Rating: 94.01
Release Year: 1956
Starring: Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, Carolyn Jones
A couple (Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter) discover that plant pods from space are replacing ordinary citizens.
Scott Free Productions / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 94.04
Release Year: 2015
Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig
Left behind by his crew, a stranded astronaut (Matt Damon) must find a way to survive on Mars, while NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring him home.
EMI Films / Columbia Pictures
Smart Rating: 94.47
Release Year: 1977
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr
An Indiana lineman (Richard Dreyfuss) and other UFO-sighters, beleaguered by earlier incidents, finally have documented contact with space aliens.
EMI Films / Columbia Pictures
Smart Rating: 94.6
Release Year: 1982
Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young
A specialized detective (Harrison Ford) in 2019 Los Angeles receives an order to terminate obsolete android slaves (Rutger Hauer, Sean Young).
EMI Films / Columbia Pictures
Smart Rating: 94.64
Release Year: 1991
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong
Two cyborgs from the future battle over the life of a teen (Edward Furlong) who will someday lead humanity against the machines.
EMI Films / Columbia Pictures
Smart Rating: 94.77
Release Year: 1982
Starring: Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Peter Coyote
A boy's close encounter with an alien stranded on Earth leads to a unique friendship in Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning film.
EMI Films / Columbia Pictures
Smart Rating: 94.93
Release Year: 1984
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn
A cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger) from the future arrives in 20th-century Los Angeles to kill the woman (Linda Hamilton) who will give birth to mankind's post-apocalyptic savior.
My column Sunday on journalists' challenges in the era of Donald Trump and fake news touched a nerve among readers.
Smart Rating: 94.96
Release Year: 2015
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Thirty years after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his young allies face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First Order.
My column Sunday on journalists' challenges in the era of Donald Trump and fake news touched a nerve among readers.
Smart Rating: 95.05
Release Year: 1968
Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester
Supercomputer HAL 9000 guides astronauts (Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester) on a trip to find the origins of humans.
Esperanto Filmoj / Warner Bros.
Smart Rating: 95.14
Release Year: 2013
Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney
The destruction of their shuttle leaves two astronauts (Sandra Bullock, George Clooney) stranded in space with no hope of rescue.
Creative Unit of Writers & Cinema Workers / Seagull Films
Smart Rating: 95.4
Release Year: 1972
Starring: Donatas Banionis, Natalya Bondarchuk, Jüri Järvet
A psychologist is sent to a station orbiting a distant planet in order to discover what has caused the crew to go insane.
Brandywine Productions / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 95.94
Release Year: 1979
Starring: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt
Crewmembers (Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver) aboard an interstellar freighter encounter a merciless monster that crawls around their ship's dark corridors and service ducts as it kills them one by one.
Brandywine Productions / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 96.29
Release Year: 1986
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn
On planet LV-426, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and a dwindling number of Marines battle an almost-unstoppable army of monstrous predators which wiped out an entire colony of humans, save for one little girl (Carrie Henn).
Brandywine Productions / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 96.37
Release Year: 1985
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover
A teen (Michael J. Fox) takes a crackpot's (Christopher Lloyd) DeLorean time machine to 1955 and sees his parents in high school.
Brandywine Productions / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 96.38
Release Year: 2008
Starring: Fred Willard
After years of tidying up an Earth devoid of humanity, a robot janitor (Ben Burtt) meets a mechanical scout and chases her across the galaxy.
Brandywine Productions / 20th Century Fox
Smart Rating: 97.17
Release Year: 1927
Starring: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich
An industrialist (Alfred Abel) rules a 21st-century city where the rich play above and slaves toil below.
</divLucasfilm Ltd.
Smart Rating: 98.86
Release Year: 1977
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Robots and other allies help a youth (Mark Hamill) and a space jockey (Harrison Ford) rescue a rebel princess (Carrie Fisher) and battle dark forces bent on intergalactic rule.
More like this...
More information
Most Popular
-
Gunfire during brawl at Tucson's Park Place leaves 2 wounded
-
Nancy Guthrie probe is not a cold case, Sheriff Chris Nanos says in wide-ranging interview
-
Driver falls 100 feet in fatal Catalina Highway crash
-
Tipoff time, TV assignment announced for Arizona's 2nd-round NCAA Tournament game
-
Quick turnaround to Sweet 16 game vs. Arkansas is a drill Wildcats already know
