Science fiction is one of the most intriguing genres to analyze in the context of cinematic history. Rife with everything from barnstorming blockbusters to indie gems, cerebral dramas, and even genre-meshing masterpieces that have come to be some of the medium’s most iconic pictures, its versatility has long been as impressive as its depth and its intrigue, a fact that is evident when one considers the vast array of sci-fi classics that have been released over the past 75 years.
Truly an evergreen genre, its greatest triumphs since 1950 are sprawled across the decades, ranging from modern sensations that highlight the technical possibilities of filmmaking the current generation of directors are blessed with to decades-old gems that pioneered new horizons for the industry in many different ways. Covering adventurous family blockbusters to bleak cerebral dramas, these sci-fi movies are the genre’s defining masterpieces over the last 75 years.
15
‘Forbidden Planet’ (1956)
One of the defining titles of 1950s sci-fi, Forbidden Planet stands as a landmark triumph of genre-focused filmmaking, a rich marriage of narrative influences and visual innovation that marks one of the decade’s most iconic titles of any genre. Running as a loose sci-fi adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” it follows the crew of a spacecraft as they travel to the distant planet of Altair IV to discover what happened to a colony they lost contact with. They arrive to find only two survivors, a father and his daughter, but they soon uncover a malevolent secret pertaining to the rest of the colony.
A film of many firsts—the first-time speed-of-light travel had been depicted on screen, the first story set on a planet orbiting a different star, the first robot with a distinct personality and morality—Forbidden Planet is a pioneering milestone in sci-fi cinema. While it does show its age on occasion, be it through certain performances or its portrayal of women, this classic sci-fi movie ultimately stands the test of time for its groundbreaking brilliance, impressive production value, and its core of philosophy and intelligence.
14
‘The Matrix’ (1999)
A revolutionary narrative idea delivered as one of the most spellbinding spectacles science-fiction cinema has ever seen, The Matrix defines blockbuster sci-fi at its most marvelously groundbreaking and intelligently complex. An elaborate exploration of reality and heroism, it unfolds as a computer hacker is exposed to the truth of the world, that the existence we know is a simulation propagated by a mechanical race that has humanity kept unconscious as an energy resource. As Neo (Keanu Reeves) receives mentorship from Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), he becomes the figure prophesied to save mankind from despair.
Its blending of thematic examinations of free will, awe-inspiring technical innovation, and incredible efficiency in telling an original and complex philosophical story made for not only one of the greatest triumphs in sci-fi cinema, but one of the defining pop-culture sensations of its time as well. Its influence on filmmaking at large remains incredibly prevalent, while its ambition to tell such a cerebral story with such an emphasis on style, spectacle, and sheer entertainment value ensures it will endure as a classic for many years to come.
13
‘Solaris’ (1972)
A great many sci-fi movies have left their mark on audiences with their cerebral might, thematically rich and nuanced examinations of profoundly human ideas that stick with viewers long after the movie has resolved. Andrei Tarkovsky was something of a specialist in this regard, and Solaris is a brilliant example of the Soviet director at his confounding, poetic, and thought-provoking best. Set in a distant future, a crew aboard a space station orbiting the planet Solaris all begin showing signs of insanity. A psychologist is sent to figure out the cause, but he soon finds himself experiencing a similar affliction.
At 166 minutes, Solaris is a commitment to watch, especially with its meticulous, slow-burn pacing and its overwhelming limitlessness in its endeavor to examine human nature through ideas of memory, guilt, grief, and the subconscious. Even well over 50 years on from its release, Solaris remains one of the most contemplative pictures the genre has seen, a deft yet mighty picture that is designed to make viewers consider their own beliefs while delivering a wonderfully complex tale of the value of technological progress against love, harmony, and peace.
12
‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ (1951)
The outright best sci-fi movie of the 1950s, The Day the Earth Stood Still turns 75 in 2026, but the passing of time has done little to impede its narrative might and its thematic urgency as it dissects issues of war, destruction, and the angst of the Cold War. It unfolds as an alien arrives in Washington, D.C., along with his robot bodyguard to deliver a message to Earth’s leaders about the destructive path of nuclear proliferation. While their ultimatum is initially met with a show of military might, the alien Klaatu (Michael Rennie) sees some hope for humanity in the form of a single mother and her young son.
A film of commanding moral convictions, The Day the Earth Stood Still shines not only as an illustration of the costly senselessness of war, but as a testament to the power of human unity as well. Its influence has been seen in a plethora of sci-fi movies since, but very few have been able to match it, even as its simple visual display has grown somewhat outdated compared to the visual feats movies of today can achieve. Timely and timeless, The Day the Earth Stood Still is a perfect example of sci-fi’s thematic gravitas and how the genre can use otherworldly stories to recontextualize contemporary issues of society.
11
‘The Thing’ (1982)
It is bewildering to think that The Thing started its life as a critically derided box office catastrophe, with its bleak and intense story of festering paranoia not being well received in 1982. In 2026, however, it stands as one of sci-fi’s greatest gems as well as a horror hit. Directed by John Carpenter, it follows a team of American scientists stationed in Antarctica as their base is infiltrated by an alien that can take the form of its prey. As the crew learn of its nature, they battle to overcome distrust as they fight for their lives.
Serving as an allegorical tale tied to America’s simmering cultural anxieties relating to the Cold War, The Thing is a ferocious masterpiece, an immersive classic of sci-fi and horror cinema that bolsters the brilliance of its dread-inducing atmospheric might with incredible practical effects that make the terror truly visceral. Claustrophobic, cold, and creepy, it is one of the most striking and impressionable sci-fi movies of all time, and has become a timeless classic of filmmaking brilliance and cinematic suspense.
The 1980s stand as a golden era of sci-fi cinema, with Steven Spielberg’s family adventure classic one of the most iconic and beloved pictures of the decade. A powerful story of friendship and defiance, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial follows the titular alien as he is left stranded in California when his shipmates are forced to leave Earth in a hurry. When young Elliot (Henry Thomas) discovers him, he decides to protect him, forming a unique friendship in the process and even recruiting his siblings to help E.T. get back to his home and stay out of the clutches of the U.S. government.
Emblematic of Spielberg’s talent for warmth, wonder, and charm, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is one of the most inviting spectacles sci-fi cinema has ever seen. It occupies an air of mythic intrigue conjured by its spellbinding science-fiction punch, but also by its sways of playful fun, its outbursts of pulsating tension, and even its inflections of suspense and horror. Capturing the essence of movie magic with heartfelt sincerity and sweetness, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial has stood the test of time as a moving illustration of childhood and an infectious masterpiece of sci-fi adventure.
9
‘Back to the Future’ (1985)
Going from one 80s classic to another, Back to the Future is another dazzling sci-fi adventure that epitomizes the romanticized tone of the era in its story of time-travel adventure and high school romance. It follows Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), who finds himself sent back in time 30 years to 1955, where his accidental interruption of his parents’ first encounter jeopardizes his existence. Working with his eccentric scientist friend Emmet “Doc” Brown (Christopher Lloyd), he hatches a scheme to ensure his parents attend the school dance together so he can return to an unchanged 1985.
Flaunting a flawless combination of adventure, comedy, and heart, while also soaring off its litany of note-perfect performances, its ingenious screenplay, and its infectious tempo, Back to the Future is as immersive as it is triumphant. Also buoyed by Alan Silvestri’s rousing score, the film is defining of science-fiction splendor at its most vibrant and fun, and its classic status is sure to remain for decades to come.
8
‘Stalker’ (1979)
The scope of science fiction is one of the genre’s greatest strengths. It can present spellbinding stories of excitement, adventure, and wonder, but it can also delve into philosophical depths and examine human complexity in ways few other genres can. Stalker is emblematic of sci-fi cinema at its most cerebral and thematically loaded, with the Andrei Tarkovsky classic following a writer and a scientist as they are led through a restricted zone by a guide with hopes of discovering a mythic place known as ‘The Room,’ which supposedly grants wishes.
Like many of Tarkovsky’s pictures, Stalker exhibits a wafting, poetic beauty, not only in the intricacies and complexities of its story and characters, but in its lingering, meditative pauses on images of profound impressionability as well. With the artist and the academic as its lead characters, it presents the duality of man, using its eerie post-apocalyptic setting to conjure an absorbing atmosphere where philosophical musings are enriched, and the integral search for meaning is made obsessively thought-provoking.
7
‘Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)
The landscape of cinema was revolutionized with the release of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope in 1970, a pioneering triumph in the establishment of blockbuster entertainment, with its intoxicating marriage of science-fiction adventure and traditional storytelling creating a rich world of wonder. Incredibly, given the impact of the original film, many deem the sequel to be even better. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back sees the intergalactic struggle between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance intensifying as Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) travels to Dagobah to continue his Jedi training while his friends are lured into Darth Vader’s (James Earl Jones) trap.
Living up to its space opera grandiosity, The Empire Strikes Back flaunts an awe-inspiring sense of scope and a pulsating penchant for high drama that works in concert with its darker tone and heightened complexity to create one of the most entrancing viewing experiences of all time. Its standing as one of the most iconic pictures of all time can’t be denied, with its brilliance embodying the majesty of the Star Wars franchise when it is operating at its very best.
6
‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ (1991)
The marriage between science fiction and action thrills has presented a great many enthralling masterpieces over the years. None has been so good as Terminator 2: Judgment Day. A display of James Cameron’s blockbuster brilliance at its very best, the pulse-raising classic offers an eye-popping extravaganza of crunching carnage, car chase chaos, and gun-toting grandeur as it sees a T-800 terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) sent to 1991 Los Angeles to protect John Connor (Edward Furlong), the future leader of humanity’s resistance against Skynet, from an advanced T-1000 machine (Robert Patrick) which has been dispatched to eliminate him.
While its bash-and-crash action may be its most apparent appeal, Terminator 2: Judgment Day also features interesting thematic observations on the dangers of A.I. and the complexity of morality vs. programming in machines, two ideas that are intrinsically tied to sci-fi storytelling. Further bolstered by revolutionary special effects, including the groundbreaking use of CGI to realize the T-1000’s liquid metal composition, Terminator 2: Judgment Day stands as one of the most beloved sequels of all time, an intoxicating action spectacle, and a sci-fi masterpiece of immense and enduring popularity.
