Your top 5 sci-fi movies (and why)

49 going on 79 good grief I forgot about that.
I keep seeing this meme on multiple social media platforms and when I do, I suddenly feel much less old.

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On the one hand, I want to say that we should get away from turning yet another thread into a debate about Star Wars, and we should return to my personally preferred pedantry of arguing about what is or what is not sci-fi. On the other hand, the overwhelming focus on Star Wars in this thread is res ipsa loquitur evidence that it's science fiction. So, carry on. :p

And on that note:



Obi-Wan also chopped off a dude's arm in a bar fight. Obi-Wan didn't start that fight, but he sure escalated it pretty quickly. Too bad the Jedi don't have any non-lethal combat skills, or that the Force doesn't have any way of calming the emotions of the weak-minded.

Also, for perspective, Obi-Wan was 57 in A New Hope.
57 is not old.....
 




I gather we're ignoring the 50's here? There's some that (though they've mostly disappeared into the rear view mirror at that point) were considered kind of important earlier.
Indeed, the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) anti-Communist subtext was interesting and it scared me when I saw it. Didn't want to go to sleep that night.
 

Indeed, the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) anti-Communist subtext was interesting and it scared me when I saw it. Didn't want to go to sleep that night.

The very first example I was going to give, in fact (though I'm not personally fond of it). I guess it also depends on whether you're talking about movies that had a broad impact, or a strong one in SF fandom: I'm not sure how well how many were well remembered outside of the latter, but within it at least The Day the Earth Stood Still and Forbidden Planet left a pretty good shadow. That's not even getting into the ones that set the stage for every similar movie that came after like Them!

But I suppose you can make an argument that before, say, 2001, mot people perceived SF films as pulp junk to one degree or another. I'm not entirely sure how true that is, but its not an entirely unfounded argument.
 

The very first example I was going to give, in fact (though I'm not personally fond of it). I guess it also depends on whether you're talking about movies that had a broad impact, or a strong one in SF fandom: I'm not sure how well how many were well remembered outside of the latter, but within it at least The Day the Earth Stood Still and Forbidden Planet left a pretty good shadow. That's not even getting into the ones that set the stage for every similar movie that came after like Them!

But I suppose you can make an argument that before, say, 2001, mot people perceived SF films as pulp junk to one degree or another. I'm not entirely sure how true that is, but its not an entirely unfounded argument.
My mother loved going to the matinee movies on weekends when she was young. She loved all those 'weird stories'. Later, when I was old enough in the 70s, we would watch late night reruns of these movies. Fun times.

2001 (1968) certainly raised the bar visually. It made space travel look believable.
 

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