Sci-Fi Movies: Top 25

image from 2001: A Space Odyssey

Top 25 Sci-Fi Movies 18 lists (resources listed at bottom of page) were aggregated to create this list of the top 25 sci-fi films of all time. Movies and sequels have been listed together if each movie earned enough points indvidually to rank in the top 50. 1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 2. Blade Runner (1982) 3. Alien (1979) / Aliens (1986) 4. Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) 5. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) 6. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) 7. Metropolis (1927) 8. Back to the Future (1985) 9. Jurassic Park (1993) 10. The Terminator (1984) / The Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) 11. The Matrix (1999) 12. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) 13. Brazil (1985) 14. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) 15. Forbidden Planet (1956) 16. Solaris (Solyaris) (1971) 17. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) 18. The Fly (1986) 19. Planet of the Apes (1968) 20. A Clockwork Orange (1971) 21. Robocop (1987) 22. Wall-E (2008) 23. The Thing (1982) 24. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) 25. Avatar (2009) Resources: Dave’s Movie Database: Genre Lists ABC News/People Magazine (3/22/2011). “Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time” (includes top 5 sci-fi movies) American Film Institute (2016). “Top 10 Sci-Fi” CinemaBlend.com (2017). “30 Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time” Clarke, Arthur C. (1984). “Arthur C. Clarke’s list of the best science fiction films of all time” (top 12 list) GamesRadar.com (6/23/2019). “The 25 best sci-fi movies in this – or any other – galaxy” The Guardian (2004). “Scientists Top 10 sci-fi films” Guinness Book of Film (1999). “The Top 100 Films by Genre Type” (includes top 5 sci-fi films) HiConsumption.com (6/1/2014). “The 50 Greatest Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movies of All Time” IGN.com (Sept. 2010). “Top 25 Sci-Fi Movies of All Time” MentalFloss.com (6/19/2017). “The 10 Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time” Norman, Barry (1993). “100 Greatest Films of All Time” (includes top 10 sci-fi films) Online Film Critics Society (2002). “The Greatest Sci-Fi Films of All Time” (top 100 list) RottenTomatoes.com “100 Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time” Slant Magazine (8/9/2019). “The 100 Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time” Syfy.com “The Top 10 Science Fiction Films of All Time” Thrillist.com (1/4/2018). “The 50 Greatest Sci-Fi Films of All Time” Time Out (2014). “The 100 Best Sci-Fi Movies” Originally posted 8/30/2019; last updated 5/25/2023.