I think I’d like to try watching through this list in 2024. There are lots on here I’ve always meant to see, some I have seen, and a few I dread rewatching.
Below are the top 11, because this list finally recognizes Starship Troopers for the fine film I’ve always known it to be. I had to struggle to stay awake through Children of Men, so don’t trust my taste.
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
- Stalker (1979)
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
- Blade Runner (1982)
- Alien (1979)
- Under the Skin (2013)
- Children of Men (2006)
- Metropolis (1927)
- Star Wars (1977)
- The Matrix (1999)
- Starship Troopers (1997)
The rest of the list is mainly David Cronenberg films.
I could quibble about the exact rankings (move Dark Star up 90 places) but there doesn’t seem to be any glaring omissions and few if any films that don’t have at least one unique element.
Stalker. . . that’s the one set in. . . eastern Europe or Russia? Right?
I didn’t care for that one.
Otherwise this list looks adequate but a little cliché. I think 2001 and Close Encounters are WAY overrated.
As I got into the top 50, I was getting worried there were going to be some glaring but understandable omissions – movies that were too niche, too blockbuster, too Tom Cruise – but was relieved to see them all. Minority Report, Edge of Tomorrow, Annihilation, Ex Machina, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Starship Troopers would have been in that list if you hadn’t called it out.
There are a few I wouldn’t have included so high up, but I don’t know what I’d replace them with so I can’t complain. I too think 2001 should be more in the 30-40 range, not tops.
Only 66 that I’ve definitely seen all of. There are others I’m sure I’ve seen parts of but I don’t remember if I’ve seen the whole thing, and ones I might have seen decades ago but now don’t remember clearly if I have or not. A bunch of the list I’m embarrassed for not seeing.