# "WIRED" Magazine's 20 Greatest Science Fiction movies ever made **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 21, 2002, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060 "2002-05-21T07:23:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/21 "2002-05-21T16:02:43Z")
Most egregious omissions:[ul][li] **Invasion of the Body Snatchers** (Original version)[/li][li] **The Thing** (Both versions, but especially John Carpenter’s take on the story.)[/li] **The Forbidden Planet** [/ul] ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/22 "2002-05-21T16:09:26Z")
When I turned to read the article in Wired (on good old paper) I knew how the list would go based on which was #1. Aha, Blade Runner. So it’s going to be a Sci-Fi geek’s list. And then Gattaca. Gattaca??? What true blue, die hard Sci-Fi geek remotely likes Gattaca? Considered an embarrassment to the genre. I couldn’t even stand to watch a half hour of it. The Matrix? Oh god, it’s going to be bad. Then down the list. Boys from Brazil? That’s not even Sci-Fi. Ditto Road Warrior. Wrong Star Wars film, etc. etc. I couldn’t figure out how these films were being judged. The little 3 part scale in the article made even less sense. The numbers were totally arbitrary. I think someone walked into a Blockbuster and wrote down a bunch of titles. No logic or sense to it whatsoever. A list that’s better forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![CurlyD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@CurlyD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurlyD)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/23 "2002-05-21T16:24:46Z")
How about **Fantastic Voyage**? Does anyone remember **Fiend Without a Face**? ---
**Author:** ![Matt\_Decker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Matt\_Decker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matt_Decker)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/24 "2002-05-21T17:24:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Barbarian \* > \*\*Is it just me, or is _Silent Running_ not actually on the list Matt posted? I’ve never seen the film anyway, so… \*\* Good catch. After I posted, I realized my mistake. (Does the SDMB allow you to edit your own posts, or not???) I meant “Soylent Green”, not “Silent Running”. Ooops. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/25 "2002-05-21T17:56:31Z")
_The Matrix_, and, to a lesser extent, _Tron_, were not so much showcases of _future_ technology, but of _contemporary_ technology. While both had groundbreaking special effects, and were influential for that reason, I don’t think that I’d rate them that high as films. _Tron_ can maybe stay on the list at a lower ranking, but _The Matrix_ is definitely off. _Soylent Green_, I have a hard time judging the movie on its own merits, without comparison to the short story it was based on. You know what Soylent Green is made of? Exactly what it sounds like, soy and lentils. The whole punchline of the movie was a shock-value afterthought, artificially tagged on. _Akira_ is way too freaky for my tastes, but at least they didn’t include that piece of meaningless trash _Dark City_ that some folks have nominated. And I suppose that they had to have a token anime on the list, so _Akira_ can stay. The rest of the movies on the list, I’ve either not seen, or I approve of their listing. I’d add a few, though: _Destination Moon_ wasn’t as well-received as it deserved to be, but it was groundbreaking in that it actually tried its darndest to **get things right** , a feature sadly rare among SF films. List it. Similarly, I’d like to see _Contact_ on the list: The book was better than the movie, but the movie was still damn good. _E. T._ definitely needs to be on the list. Like it or hate it, it was an undeniable smash at the box office, and had a lot of influence on American culture. They need to have one _Star Trek_ movie on the list. I personally like IV the best, but most fans seem to prefer II. Either one. As far as relative ranking, I’d probably put _2001_ at the head of the list, but then, I’ve never seen _Blade Runner_ or _GATTAGA_, so I can’t really judge that. And _Star Wars_ should at least be higher than _Jurassic Park_. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/26 "2002-05-21T18:07:07Z")
Sometimes choices are obvious for a good reason. How could you leave _Metropolis_ off any such list, just based on its lasting influence? Same for _Things to Come_. And _Gattaca_? Sounds like a joke. Among recent movies, I definitely would have included both _12 Monkeys_ and _Dark City_. And in God’s name, how could you leave off _Stargate_? Only kidding. ---
**Author:** ![Kirkland1244](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kirkland1244](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kirkland1244)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/27 "2002-05-21T18:52:47Z")
12 Monkeys would have been a good choice. Thank God they left of that disjointed nonsense Dark City. And the name of the Star Wars movie released in 1977 is “Star Wars: A New Hope.” Star Wars is the name of the series. I know, I know, this is a change, but deal with it, and don’t whine. And if they were to include a Star Trek film, it should be VI. Though I don’t think Trek belongs on here – Trek’s impact was on the TV, not the silver screen. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Salads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mr\_Salads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Salads)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/28 "2002-05-21T19:04:26Z")
What’s science in Star Wars? Enlighten me. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/29 "2002-05-21T19:05:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kirkland1244 \* > \*\*12 Monkeys would have been a good choice. Thank God they left of that disjointed nonsense Dark City. > > And the name of the Star Wars movie released in 1977 is “Star Wars: A New Hope.” Star Wars is the name of the series. I know, I know, this is a change, but deal with it, and don’t whine. > \*\* If it’s a _change,_ then the movie as released in 1977 was called “Star Wars.” The words “A New Hope” didn’t appear anywhere. (No, in the original release, it doesn’t say "Episode IV: A New Hope in the initial crawl) I’m sorry, but “Star Wars” is the name of the movie. They could start calling Casablanca “Casablanca: A New Friendship With a Fat Vichy French Toady” but the proper name of the movie would still be “Casablanca.” Hell, I bought the Special Edition tape released in 1997, and that doesn’t say “A New Hope” anywhere on the box or the tape itself. I’ll go by the IMDB title as listed: [“Star Wars.”](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0076759) ---
**Author:** ![Tretiak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@Tretiak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tretiak)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/30 "2002-05-21T20:42:08Z")
_A Clockwork Orange_ is SCI-FI? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/31 "2002-05-21T21:27:53Z")
you know what I love about this thread? There isn’t a single post in it that hasn’t said something I violently disagree with. Oh, the joys of science fiction fandom. Anyway, I think I just channel my burning outrage at the list in the OP: 1. BLADE RUNNER: Very good film. I wouldn’t have given it the top spot, but whatever. 2. GATTACA: Haven’t seen it. 3. THE MATRIX: Third? _Third_? 4. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY: Shoulda been #1. 5. BRAZIL: Shoulda been #2. 6. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE: No, this shoulda been #2 7. ALIEN: I’d put Aliens before Alien, but at least the franchise made the list. 8. BOYS FROM BRAZIL: Haven’t seen it. 9. JURASSIC PARK: Not a chance. Sorry, no, nope, wrong, bad, incorrect, NOT A GOOD MOVIE. Not in any sense. 10. STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE: This should have been at least third. And it should have been _Empire Strikes Back_. 11. THE ROAD WARRIOR: I wouldn’t have put this on the list, but I can’t really argue against it. Good movie. 12. TRON: Uhh… yeah. How does this even remotely qualify? A good film if you’re either a) under the age of twelve or b) stoned out of your gourd. 13. THE TERMINATOR: No argument. 14. SLEEPER: Took me a few minutes to even remember this one. Been way too long since I’ve seen it, but I can think of so many films that should have been on this list, I just can’t defend its inclusion. 15. SOYLENT GREEN: Never seen it. 16. ROBOCOP: Another movie I personally wouldn’t have nominated, possibly due to my deep, abiding hatred of Paul Verhoeven. 17. PLANET OF THE APES (1968): Hell, I don’t care what Apes movie you stick in here, original, sequel, or remake. They all sucked. 18. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL: Yes! 19. AKIRA: More yes! 20. BARBARELLA: And Wired! just blew its credibility. _Barbarella_? Why not _Starship Troopers_? Why not the eight-hour directors cut of _Dune_? Why not _Pokemon: The Movie_? If you have to include a worthless and idiotic movie in this list, there are so many better choices. Movies that ought to be on here: Dark City, The Quiet Earth, Forbidden Planet, any version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (I like the Donald Sutherland version, myself) John Carpenter’s The Thing, at least one Star Trek movie (I vote II or First Contact), Dr. Strangelove, The Truman Show, Ghost in the Shell, and the list goes on and on… ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/32 "2002-05-21T22:23:55Z")
Definitely: \*\* 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL\*\* I don’t any reason why not: \*\* THE TERMINATOR PLANET OF THE APES (1968) AKIRA BLADE RUNNER GATTACA ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/33 "2002-05-21T22:31:06Z")
No argument, first rate: \*\* 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL\*\* I don’t any reason why not: \*\* THE TERMINATOR PLANET OF THE APES (1968) AKIRA BLADE RUNNER GATTACA TRON THE MATRIX BRAZIL A CLOCKWORK ORANGE ALIEN STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE THE ROAD WARRIOR SOYLENT GREEN ROBOCOP \*\* No:\*\* BOYS FROM BRAZIL JURASSIC PARK SLEEPER BARBARELLA\*\* Heinous omissions: \*\* Forbidden Planet Things to Come Solaris Metropolis \*\* Far more worthy than the ones in my “No” column: \*\* When Worlds Collide War of the Worlds The Incredible Shrinking Man Village of the Damned The Quiet Earth The Time Machine Journey to the Far Side of the Sun Invasion of the Body Snatchers\*\* I like the old stuff. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/34 "2002-05-21T22:39:01Z")
Any such list that manages to include the idiotic _Boys from Brazil, Barbarella,_ and _Jurassic Park_ at the expense of **Metropolis, Forbidden Planet** and Don Siegel’s **Invasion of the Body Snatchers** is a list made by morons. Personally, I would’ve added \*The City of Lost Children, Close Encounters, \* and _Bride of Frankenstein_ ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/35 "2002-05-22T03:01:31Z")
Mephisto writes (inside a spoiler box, but I don’t care) that Kubrick dropped the last chapter of _A Clockwork Orange_. That’s not quite correct. The early American editions of _A Clockwork Orange_ dropped the last chapter. Kubrick decided that he liked it that way better. Several years ago, the new American editions of the book had the last chapter re-inserted. Rather than _12 Monkeys_, I would include _La Jetee_, the film which _12 Monkeys_ was loosely based on. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/36 "2002-05-22T04:08:21Z")
I must interject: \*Jurassic Park[/i[ is getting a bad rap. First of all, the movie was pretty good. No, the science wasn’t accurate; neither was the claptrap in “Star Wars,” either. As a movie, it was fun and quite competently written and directed. Mot importantly, though… well, I guess nobody remembers anymore, but the movie’s effects were groundbreaking. I’m a little disappointed everyone has already forgotten that “Jurassic Park” was the beginning of all this really glitzy live action computer animation stuff. It was CGI like you’d never seen it before at the time, and frankly it still holds up today; I honestly believe the effects in that movie were better done than a lot of CGI-heavy films today. “Jurassic Park” was the first major sci-fi hit that used CGI as such an integral part of the movie’s visual presentation. I still remember the first shot of a dinosaur, the brachiosaur they drive by; the entire crowd just gasped in amazement, because NOTHING like that had been done before. “Jurassic Park” deserves credit for being one of the things that ushered in CGI in live action films. Given the fact that it was 1. A pretty good movie, 2. An tremendously influential movie, 3. A technically groundbreaking movie, and 4. Immensely popular, …I would say that Jurassic Park is UNQUESTIONABLY one of the 20 best and most important sci-fi films ever made. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/37 "2002-05-22T05:30:40Z")
I gotta take issue with you, **RickJay** on _Jurassic Park_. I saw it in the theater and positively _hated_ the movie. It was, at best, eye candy. The plot was blatently cribbed from _Jaws_ and _WestWorld_, and wholly unoriginal. Then there was the fact that things happened in that movie were _insanely_ illogical. Let’s see, you’ve developed a spectacular technology and are able to do something which is insanely controversial (namely cloning) and instead of cloning a bunch of herbavores and making the place a giant petting zoo, thus making the folks opposed to cloning look like ravening loons, you clone T-Rexes and velociraptors along with the herbavores and plan on turning tourists loose among them??? Plenty of points for style, but minus several million for good thinking. As for _Wired_’s list, I have to join in with those who’re shocked that _Metropolis_ isn’t on it. The effects are still amazing in some scenes, and don’t look a bit dated. I’d also add _Until the End of the World_ and certainly one of the Godzilla films deserves to be on there. ---
**Author:** ![Mephisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@Mephisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mephisto)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/38 "2002-05-22T05:40:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wendell Wagner \* > \*\*Mephisto writes (inside a spoiler box, but I don’t care) that Kubrick dropped the last chapter of _A Clockwork Orange_. That’s not quite correct. The early American editions of _A Clockwork Orange_ dropped the last chapter. Kubrick decided that he liked it that way better. Several years ago, the new American editions of the book had the last chapter re-inserted. > > \*\* What I actually said in my spoilerbox was that Kubrick “deleted” the last chapter of the book; what I should have said was “omitted.” Otherwise, nothing I said is incorrect. Kubrick became aware of the final chapter of the original version of _A Clockwork Orange_ during the writing of the screenplay and decided to leave it out. Or drop it. Or whatever. I’m not big on useless quibbles over semantics. I’m sure most people familiar with the book and movie understood what I meant. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/39 "2002-05-22T09:34:13Z")
Chill out, Mephisto. I wasn’t criticizing you. I was just saying that the idea of leaving out the last chapter wasn’t original with Kubrick, but it was the way it was in the early American editions of the book. I don’t consider that a trivial point of semantics, and if it bothers you, you’re going to bothered a lot on the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060/40 "2002-05-22T09:53:31Z")
Feh, _2001_ is a genuine snooze-fest. Watch with your thumb of the fast-forward button. It may get a place for its influence on later films, but the movie itself is a real bore. In addition to dumping _Boys from Brazil_ in favour of _Terminator II_, ditch _Barbarella_ for _Star Trek II_. Aside from seeing a young Jane Fonda nearly nude… actually, aside from that, there isn’t a whole lot about this film which is memorable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wired-magazines-20-greatest-science-fiction-movies-ever-made/110060.md?page=3)