25 Must-Watch Science Fiction and Fantasy Movies

By John J Joex

So many science fiction and fantasy movies and so little time. Metropolis, King Kong, War of the Worlds, Fantastic Voyage, Star Wars, The Terminator, The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, Inception . . . Plan 9 From Outer Space . . . and so many, many more. Where to start and which ones to watch? Well that's what this book is here to help you with. It may not cover all science fiction movies, and not even all of those mentioned above, but it gives you a heck of a good start starting point. This book begins with 1927’s Metropolis and then treks through 24 more genre films ending with 2009's Moon to give you an extensive look at some of the best of the best of science fiction and fantasy cinema. Each entry includes a synopsis, review/commentary, cast and crew information, as well as a few nuggets of tidbits and trivia relating to the films. Whether you are new to the genre and trying to figure out where to get started or a grizzled veteran who has logged many hours in the cinema watching sci fi, 25 Must Watch Science Fiction and Fantasy Movies is sure to entertain. And even if you have already seen the movies covered in the book, there's a good chance you could walk away knowing a little bit (or maybe even a lot) more about these films than you did previously.

A great primer for science fiction and fantasy cinema and a fun read as well!

• Language: English
• Publisher: John J Joex
• Release date: Jun 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781628903218

John J Joex

Blogger and writer focusing on science fiction and fantasy television, movies, books, comics, and more. Also working on genre fiction that I hope to have available in the next year.

Book preview

25 Must-Watch Science Fiction and Fantasy Movies

By John J. Joex

Copyright © 2013 by John J. Joex

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

First Edition, October 2013

ISBN: 1-62890-321-8

ISBN13: 978-1-62890-321-8

Cover image from Metropolis, 1927. This movie is currently in the public domain.

Cover design by John J. Joex

Table of Contents

Introduction

Metropolis (1927)

Frankenstein (1931)

King Kong (1933)

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Them! (1954)

Forbidden Planet (1956)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

The Birds (1963)

Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Quatermass and the Pit (aka 5 Million Years to Earth) (1967)

2001 A Space Odyssey (1968)

Planet of the Apes (1968)

The Andromeda Strain (1971)

Silent Running (1972)

Jaws (1975)

Star Wars (1977)

Alien (1979)

Dragonslayer (1981)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Blade Runner (1982)

The Abyss (Extended Cut) (1989)

Gattaca (1997)

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings (2001)

Children of Men (2006)

Moon (2009)

A Comment on My Film Ratings

Introduction

Georges Méliès silent short film A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune), which came out in 1902, is widely recognized as the first science fiction film (there are actually records of films with sci fi elements that predated it, but no copies of those appear to have survived). It’s actually a rather silly film that combines bits of Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon and H.G. Wells’ The First Men in the Moon and throws in plenty of fantasy elements as well. But it was still a ground-breaking movie for the nascent film industry because of its innovations in visual effects and is regarded by film historians as an important step forward for its day even if it is looked upon as a rather quaint relic nowadays.

In the hundred plus years that have followed, several thousand movies bases on science fiction, fantasy, and/or horror themes have made it to the big screen, and it would take a monstrous tome to catalogue all of them. Whether that’s necessary is definitely up for debate because while there are many very good examples of the genre out there, many, many more of them are quite forgettable. But the fact is that sci fi has produced some very important movies that have represented major steps forward for the genre and for film-making in general. And in this book, I cover twenty five of those which I consider Must-Watch science fiction and fantasy movies.

So am I saying that the selections in this book are the twenty five very best examples of the genre? Not necessarily. But an argument can be made that each and every one of them belong on a list of the Top 25 science fiction and fantasy movies, if not the Top 10 or Top 5. But really, I’m not trying to get at which ones are better than others, because that’s entirely too subjective and then people find themselves bogged down in arguments over which ones should and should not be included on the list, which misses the whole point.

The movies I have here have all been ground-breaking, important films that deserve recognition for their accomplishments. And that’s mainly what I am trying to do with this book and with the intended volumes that will follow. These are some of the absolute best films in the genre and ones that every sci fi fan should watch at some point. Of course, you have to measure films from different eras by different standards as 1927’s Metropolis--amazing as it was when it first came out--seems rather campy and crude compared to relatively more recent accomplishments in cinema like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, or Blade Runner (more on that below). But Metropolis was important for its day, helped advance the genre forward, and has many elements that still stand up with a modern day viewing (giving it the appropriate amount of leeway).

So don’t worry too much about trying to rank the best science fiction and fantasy movies out there. That will only lead to frustration and arguments. Just consider these as examples which are almost universally accepted as among of the best and most important films in the genre. If your favorite is not included here, chances are that I will get to it soon enough. But consider these as well because they provide an expansive survey--beginning in the 1920’s and continuing to just a few years ago--which demonstrates the accomplishments of science fiction and fantasy in cinema overly nearly one hundred years.

And for those of you deathly paranoid of any information that might ruin a movie you have not seen already, I will emphasize the standard disclaimer: WARNING!!! SPOILERS AHEAD!!! For each of the entries below, I provide a brief synopsis plus a review and commentary (and throw in some interesting facts here and there as well). I try not to get too spoilerly, and actually avoid it as much as possible in some places. But then some of these movies have been around so long and are so well known, chances are that the spoilers have been floating freely about for years. And some of the analysis in my entries rely upon knowledge of the films, so there’s just no way to avoid it. But one more time, just for good measure: WARNING!!! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Comment on my sources: Much of what I have compiled here was amassed from years of reading magazines (anybody remember those?) and books, watching making-of documentaries, and of course surfing the web. A lot of the facts I have confirmed with research on the Wikipedia and IMDb sites, though I don’t typically cite either of those unless I am referring to a particular piece of information or including a quote. You can find much of what I have covered here at those two locations, but why do all that digging when I have it right here? If I did happen across one of these nuggets of information in a particular book or specific site, then I usually do note that here as a source. Or if I include an actual quote, then I typically cite the source as well. I do highly recommend checking out the Did You Know? sections from the IMDb entries if you are jonesing for more trivia, though you will find yourself quickly sucked in and hours will melt away without you even noticing.

If you like what you read here, then watch for future volumes in this series as well as other books that I have written covering the science fiction and fantasy genres:

Currently Available:

Cancelled Sci Fi TV: 1949-2015: The Ultimate Guide to Cancelled Science Fiction and Fantasy Shows over the Past Sixty-Plus Years

Why Were They Cancelled? The Plight of Sci Fi TV in the Face of the Unforgiving Nielsens and Networks

Sci Fi Trifles: Useless but Essential Pop Culture Tidbits and Trivia from the Worlds of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror

Sci Fi Genre Gems: Lost, Forgotten, and/or Underappreciated Nuggets from the Worlds of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror

Metropolis

Directed By: Fritz Lang

Produced By: Erich Pommer

Written By: Thea von Harbou, Fritz Lang (Uncredited)

Starring: Alfred Abel, Brigitte Helm, Gustav Fröhlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge

Original Release: 1927

Rating: 4 ½ out of 5 Stars

Synopsis: In the world of the future, the wealthy and well-to-do live the life of luxury in the magnificent skyscraper city of Metropolis, while beneath the surface workers toil in misery to keep the city above running. Freder (Gustav Fröhlich), son of the city’s leader Joh Frederson (Alfred Abel), is one of those who lives a life of leisure and recreation until he meets Maria (Brigitte Helm), one of the workers from below, who shows him the children that live beneath the city and tells Freder these are his brothers (metaphorically speaking). Freder is moved by Maria and decides to find out more about her and the world beneath the city. He ventures down there just as an accident results in fatalities among several of the workers. He then confronts his father who is enraged that Freder was allowed to go beneath the city. Frederson also finds out about a plan among the workers to unite and send a mediator to the city to petition for better working conditions and living arrangements. He turns to his former associate Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) who has successfully created a mechanical human (though never referred to in the movie as a robot). Frederson, who wants to replace the workers with more of these machines, asks Rotwang to give his creation the likeness of Maria and to send it to the workers to incite them to violence so that he can call the authorities against them. This plan gets out of control, though, as the machine-doppelganger stirs up a riot that leads the mob to destroy the machines below causing a breakdown in the city’s hydraulic system which threatens to flood the workers’ city and endangers the lives of their children. And ultimately this leads to a climactic confrontation between the workers below and the city rulers from above.

Why It’s a Must-Watch Movie: Fritz Lang’s Metropolis delivered a game-changing film on both the technical and artistic levels and introduced cinema audiences to an unparalleled vision of a dystopic, industrialized future that at the same time commented on contemporary society.

Review/Commentary: Back in the silent era of film-making, science fiction movies were a rarity and a blockbuster quality genre film was almost unheard of at that time. Perhaps 1925’s Lost World might count in this category and maybe even 1924’s Aelita. But special effects had not reached the level of technical sophistication anywhere near that needed to bring most science fiction concepts to the screen with any degree of credibility. Still, Metropolis succeeded in doing just that and it was the most expensive movie filmed at the time of its release. Yet Lang made good use of his budget in creating an expressionist film that