Deep and dark sci-fi

by thingadonta | created - 23 Oct 2011 | updated - 15 Apr 2017 | Public

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1. Gattaca (1997)

PG-13 | 106 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

64 Metascore

A genetically inferior man assumes the identity of a superior one in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.

Director: Andrew Niccol | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, Gore Vidal

Votes: 323,192 | Gross: $12.34M

One of the best for mine.

2. Dark City (1998)

R | 100 min | Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi

66 Metascore

A man struggles with memories of his past, which include a wife he cannot remember and a nightmarish world no one else ever seems to wake up from.

Director: Alex Proyas | Stars: Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, William Hurt

Votes: 212,276 | Gross: $14.38M

Similar to the Matrix

3. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

PG-13 | 146 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

65 Metascore

A highly advanced robotic boy longs to become "real" so that he can regain the love of his human mother.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Sam Robards

Votes: 322,998 | Gross: $78.62M

Under-rated for me, big hit in Japan for some reason, not so much the west.

4. Blade Runner (1982)

R | 117 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

84 Metascore

A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos

Votes: 823,008 | Gross: $32.87M

Over-rated for me,but still pretty good.

5. The Man from Earth (2007)

Not Rated | 87 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery

An impromptu goodbye party for Professor John Oldman becomes a mysterious interrogation after the retiring scholar reveals to his colleagues he has a longer and stranger past than they can imagine.

Director: Richard Schenkman | Stars: David Lee Smith, Tony Todd, John Billingsley, Ellen Crawford

Votes: 200,176

6. The Andromeda Strain (1971)

G | 131 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller

60 Metascore

Top scientists work feverishly in a secret, state-of-the-art laboratory to discover what killed the citizens of a small town and how the deadly contagion can be stopped.

Director: Robert Wise | Stars: James Olson, Arthur Hill, David Wayne, Kate Reid

Votes: 40,435 | Gross: $3.42M

Old but good sci fi story

7. Minority Report (2002)

PG-13 | 145 min | Action, Crime, Mystery

80 Metascore

John works with the PreCrime police which stop crimes before they take place, with the help of three 'PreCogs' who can foresee crimes. Events ensue when John finds himself framed for a future murder.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max von Sydow

Votes: 584,294 | Gross: $132.07M

Great story, a but weak in the ending

8. Tales from the Far Side (1994 TV Movie)

23 min | Animation, Comedy, Fantasy

A series of Gary Larsen's "Far Side" gags are turned into short animated gags, such as a Frankenstein cow; an insect airline's in-flight movie; deer, hunters, and UFOs; wolf home-movies; egg horror flicks; and cowboys & aliens.

Director: Marv Newland | Stars: Kathleen Barr, Doug Parker, Lee Tockar, Dale Wilson

Votes: 658

Gary Larson's Far side, actually pretty good short film versions, it may/may not be sci fi, but what is it then?

9. The Time Machine (1960)

G | 103 min | Adventure, Romance, Sci-Fi

67 Metascore

A man's vision for a utopian society is disillusioned when travelling forward into time reveals a dark and dangerous society.

Director: George Pal | Stars: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux, Sebastian Cabot

Votes: 44,837

The 2000 version was also ok, but this was better. Neither followed the book

10. 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: 950,509 | Gross: $78.90M

I thought the first in the series was always the best, the second not far behind.

11. King Kong (2005)

PG-13 | 187 min | Action, Adventure, Romance

81 Metascore

A greedy film producer assembles a team of moviemakers and sets out for the infamous Skull Island, where they find more than just cannibalistic natives.

Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann

Votes: 446,849 | Gross: $218.08M

If it isn't science fiction, then what is it? 'Fantasy' is a bit blurred with sci fi here. A good epic adventure.

12. Avatar (2009)

PG-13 | 162 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

83 Metascore

A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

Director: James Cameron | Stars: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez

Votes: 1,386,331 | Gross: $760.51M

Ok, but over-rated

13. 12 Monkeys (1995)

R | 129 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller

75 Metascore

In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.

Director: Terry Gilliam | Stars: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Joseph Melito

Votes: 646,646 | Gross: $57.14M

14. Grand Tour: Disaster in Time (1991)

PG-13 | 99 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi

Before they can complete renovations on their new inn, Widower (Ben Wilson) and daughter (Hillary) are visited by a woman seeking immediate lodging for her strange group of travellers. Why ... See full summary »

Director: David Twohy | Stars: Jeff Daniels, Ariana Richards, Emilia Crow, Jim Haynie

Votes: 3,101

Good story, well done

15. Groundhog Day (1993)

PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

72 Metascore

A narcissistic, self-centered weatherman finds himself in a time loop on Groundhog Day.

Director: Harold Ramis | Stars: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky

Votes: 685,010 | Gross: $70.91M

Yes its a comedy, but its also about time travel/sci fi, and its dark and gloomy until the end. One of my favourites anyway.

16. War of the Worlds (2005)

PG-13 | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

73 Metascore

An alien invasion threatens the future of humanity. The catastrophic nightmare is depicted through the eyes of one American family fighting for survival.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Miranda Otto

Votes: 475,185 | Gross: $234.28M

At least is was better than the 1950s version.

17. Planet of the Apes (1968)

G | 112 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi

79 Metascore

An astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet where highly intelligent non-human ape species are dominant and humans are enslaved.

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner | Stars: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans

Votes: 193,176 | Gross: $33.40M

The orignal and best

18. The Black Hole (1979)

PG | 98 min | Action, Sci-Fi

52 Metascore

A research vessel finds a missing ship, commanded by a mysterious scientist, on the edge of a black hole.

Director: Gary Nelson | Stars: Maximilian Schell, Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms

Votes: 27,984

An oldie but a goodie

19. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

PG | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

71 Metascore

To save Earth from an alien probe, Admiral James T. Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to San Francisco in 1986 to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it: humpback whales.

Director: Leonard Nimoy | Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan

Votes: 91,469 | Gross: $109.71M

The whale one was the best for mine, along with the 7th.

20. Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)

Approved | 129 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

An Edinburgh professor and assorted colleagues follow an explorer's trail down an extinct Icelandic volcano to the earth's center.

Director: Henry Levin | Stars: James Mason, Pat Boone, Arlene Dahl, Diane Baker

Votes: 19,566 | Gross: $10.00M

Another oldie but goodie

21. WarGames (1983)

PG | 114 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

77 Metascore

A young man finds a back door into a military central computer in which reality is confused with game-playing, possibly starting World War III.

Director: John Badham | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, John Wood, Dabney Coleman

Votes: 110,729 | Gross: $79.57M

under-rated

22. Pleasantville (1998)

PG-13 | 124 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

71 Metascore

Two 1990s teenage siblings find themselves transported to a 1950s sitcom where their influence begins to profoundly change that colorless, complacent world.

Director: Gary Ross | Stars: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen, William H. Macy

Votes: 136,312 | Gross: $40.57M

Time travel, a good story

23. The Truman Show (1998)

PG | 103 min | Comedy, Drama

90 Metascore

An insurance salesman discovers his whole life is actually a reality TV show.

Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich

Votes: 1,196,250 | Gross: $125.62M

24. Contact (1997)

PG | 150 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

62 Metascore

Dr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine.

Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt

Votes: 293,073 | Gross: $100.92M

Sagans farewell feature

25. The Island (2005)

PG-13 | 136 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

50 Metascore

A man living in a futuristic sterile colony begins to question his circumscribed existence when his friend is chosen to go to the Island, the last uncontaminated place on earth.

Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Ewan McGregor, Djimon Hounsou, Steve Buscemi

Votes: 327,630 | Gross: $35.82M

Under-rated

26. Equilibrium (2002)

R | 107 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

33 Metascore

In an oppressive future where all forms of feeling are illegal, a man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system and state.

Director: Kurt Wimmer | Stars: Christian Bale, Sean Bean, Emily Watson, Taye Diggs

Votes: 347,001 | Gross: $1.20M

27. The 6th Day (2000)

PG-13 | 123 min | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi

49 Metascore

A man meets a clone of himself and stumbles into a grand conspiracy about clones taking over the world.

Director: Roger Spottiswoode | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Rapaport, Tony Goldwyn, Michael Rooker

Votes: 127,907 | Gross: $34.60M

28. 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: 1,306,634 | Gross: $210.61M

a little sappy but ok

29. 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: 1,379,596 | Gross: $290.48M

the best of the star wars films

30. Jurassic Park (1993)

PG-13 | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

68 Metascore

A pragmatic paleontologist touring an almost complete theme park on an island in Central America is tasked with protecting a couple of kids after a power failure causes the park's cloned dinosaurs to run loose.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough

Votes: 1,066,973 | Gross: $402.45M

a good idea, movie was sappy though

31. Westworld (1973)

PG | 88 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

77 Metascore

A robot malfunction creates havoc and terror for unsuspecting vacationers at a futuristic, adult-themed amusement park.

Director: Michael Crichton | Stars: Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, Norman Bartold

Votes: 62,958 | Gross: $16.06M

one of crichtons better films

32. Oblivion (I) (2013)

PG-13 | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

54 Metascore

A veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.

Director: Joseph Kosinski | Stars: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko

Votes: 553,088 | Gross: $89.02M

Not as good as minority report, but pretty close, which is saying something. Ending a bit weak as why didn't the TET scan the bomb and false passenger?

33. Elysium (I) (2013)

R | 109 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

61 Metascore

In the year 2154, the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth. A man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds.

Director: Neill Blomkamp | Stars: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga

Votes: 471,030 | Gross: $93.05M

Not quite as good as District 9 but pretty close. Similar movie

34. Predestination (I) (2014)

R | 97 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

69 Metascore

As his last assignment, a temporal agent is tasked to travel back in time and prevent a bomb attack in New York in 1975. The hunt, however, turns out to be beyond the bounds of possibility.

Directors: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, Noah Taylor, Madeleine West

Votes: 304,679 | Gross: $0.07M

Mesmerising and convoluted time travel thriller hunting a rogue terrorist. Very very good.

35. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

PG-13 | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

71 Metascore

A soldier fighting aliens gets to relive the same day over and over again, the day restarting every time he dies.

Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson

Votes: 736,772 | Gross: $100.21M



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