If you don’t already have a love-hate relationship with Rotten tomatoes and their movie rating system, a quick rundown of their top-rated sci-fi movies is likely to elicit an impassioned response. While their top 10 movies include some obvious sci-fi classics, there are some notable omissions and some surprising inclusions. In fact, most movie fans have probably never even heard of the top-ranked sci-fi movie on their list.
Surprisingly, only one movie makes it to the top 10 from the 1950s, the decade when science fiction really became a genre in its own right. Some classics don’t score high enough to make the top 20 movies, including 2001: A space odyssey (92%) and The Empire strikes back (94%). That may lead some to dismiss the Rotten Tomatoes ranking as rubbish, but the strength of the movies that made the top 10 list makes it hard to argue with the critics and viewers who gave their ratings.
The following are the top 10 movies of the sci-fi genre on Rotten Tomatoes, ranked by the “Tomatometer” of critic reviews. We only included films that are ‘Certified Fresh’, as those films must meet a minimum number of reviews, as well as reviews from a list of ‘top critics’. In cases where movies have the same “Tomatometer” score, the higher audience score determines the ranking. In addition, we only included movies that fall strictly into the sci-fi genre, as Rotten Tomatoes often assigns the genre to movies with only one sci-fi element as a plot device.
10 April and the Extraordinary World (2015)
Tomato meter: 97%; Audience score: 77%
This wonderfully entertaining French animated film features alternating historical timelines, steampunk and a talking cat, and those aren’t even the best parts. April and the Extraordinary World is set in an alternate universe from the 1940s where Napoleon’s descendants still rule France.
Technological innovation is at a steampunk-like level, with no radio, television or electricity. April, a teenager with a talking cat, goes in search of her parents, scientists who are being held by the government. With 2D, hand-drawn animation, the film’s rich characters have more soul than a year’s worth of major studio animation releases.
Movie fact: A Dalek from Doctor Who can be seen in the background at the government weapons facility.
9 Metropolis (1927)
Tomato meter: 97%; Audience Score: 92%
Fritz Lang’s masterpiece fascinates to this day. With visuals more captivating than most modern CGI goggles, Metropolis tells the story of a futuristic city where a permanent underclass of workers serves the privileged elite. When the son (Gustav Fröhlich) of the town’s founder falls in love with one of the workers (Brigitte Helm), he joins her in a revolution to set society right.
The 2008 discovery of missing original footage that was considered lost for eight decades only solidified its classic status. The film may be a standard critics’ darling, but it deserves to be.
Movie Facts: Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster loved the movie so much they used the title to name the fictional city in which the comic is set…The budget for Metropolis, adjusted for inflation, would be over $200 million amounts .
8 Back to the Future (1985)
Tomato meter: 97%; Audience score: 94%
Back to the future has been described as the perfect sci-fi comedy, and after all these years the film has lost none of its charm. Like so many great movies, Back to the future had its production setbacks, including the need to recast the character of Marty after six weeks of filming, replacing Eric Stoltz with the producers’ original choice for the role, Michael J. Fox. It’s easy to see that even with a stellar supporting cast and crackling script, Fox is the reason this movie works.
Movie fact: Ralph Macchio was offered the part of Marty, but turned it down. His love interest in Karate Kid, Elizabeth Shue, appeared in the film’s two sequels as Jennifer.
7 Repo Man (1984)
Tomato gauge: 98%; Audience score: 78%
Universal didn’t have much faith in it Repo Mana low-budget science fiction film by Alex Cox (Sid and Nancy) about a punk rocker (Emilio Estevez) who repossess a car with an alien connection. It was only released in 39 theaters in 1984, but critics hailed it as one of the best films of the year. The 1980s were very good for Emilio Estevez as he had hits in just about every genre, but this was the “Brat Pack” member’s breakthrough.
Movie fact: One of the executive producers for the film is Michael Nesmith, known as a member of the band The Monkees. He has a cameo in the film as a rabbi.
6 Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
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Tomato gauge: 98%; Audience score: 85%
Invasion of the Body Snatchers connected to the American public in 1956, which was already paranoid with the “Red Scare” of the time. The film has a B-movie premise, but the execution of an A-list classic. Kevin McCarthy plays a doctor who finds out that alien pods are hatching clones that are taking over every human in a small California town, and no one believes him. It’s a fast-paced conspiracy thriller that’s still a lot of fun to watch, with a great performance by McCarthy. The movie has seen several solid remakes, but the original remains the best.
Movie fact: The movie was supposed to end with Kevin McCarthy yelling at the camera as he tried to warn people, but to no avail. The studio demanded that new scenes be shot for the beginning and end of the film, creating “bookends” that showed the authorities getting to know the pod people and allowing for a hopeful ending. Richard Deacon, best known for playing Mel Cooley on The Dick Van Dyke Show, appears as a doctor in these scenes.
5 Aliens (1986)
Tomato gauge: 98%; Audience score: 94%
There are those who claim that Aliens is superior to Alien, but that’s like trying to choose a favorite child. Both movies are unrivaled sci-fi horror classics, but Aliens is a visceral action masterpiece, while Alien was the perfect claustrophobic thriller. Sigourney Weaver is perfect in both films, but here the Ripley character has more emotional depth, playing a mother role to the orphaned Newt (Carrie Henn).
It’s an iconic performance and it’s no wonder the movie was Weaver’s favorite Alien to make movie. The supporting cast of Marines, led by Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton, add humor as well as a reasonable voice as Paxton’s Hudson never fails to say what the audience is thinking.
Movie fact: James Cameron wrote the screenplays for Aliens and Rambo: First Blood Part II at the same time.
4 Alien (1979)
Tomato gauge: 98%; Audience score: 94%
There have been plenty of sci-fi horror movies, but none are as perfect as Ridley Scott’s Alien. The story of a bloodthirsty creature hunting the crewmen of a spacecraft made Sigourney Weaver an icon, and Alien continues to frighten the public to this day. The “chestburster” scene has lost none of its shock value even after 40 years. Like another famous monster movie, Jaws, the alien and facehugger get limited screen time. They only appear for about four minutes in all, and yet their presence is felt throughout this masterpiece.
Movie fact: This is the only movie role for Bolaji Badejo, who plays the alien. The 6′ 10″ Nigerian resident died of sickle cell anemia in 1992 at the age of 39.
Tomato meter: 99%; Audience score: 72%
Surprisingly, ET the alien: is the only Steven Spielberg film in the sci-fi top 10, with Close Encounters of the Third Kind (94%) and Jurassic Park (91%) doesn’t even make the top 20 on Rotten Tomatoes. The story of a friendly alien who befriends a family while trying to connect with home is perhaps Spielberg’s most entertaining sci-fi film, helped immensely by the film’s fantastic child actors. While Henry Thomas is unforgettable as Elliott, Dew Barrymore steals every scene she’s in, with many of her best lines added.
Movie fact: Harrison Ford filmed a cameo for the movie, playing Elliott’s school principal, but it was cut.
2 The Terminator (1984)
Tomato counter: 100%; Audience Score: 89%
James Cameron’s 1984 classic about a time-travelling cyborg on a mission to change the past holds up decades later, even if some of the makeup and special effects haven’t. That’s part of the charm of it The terminatoras every other aspect of the movie is absolutely fantastic, with a great performance from Linda Hamilton and perhaps the most perfect casting of all time starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as the killer robot.
Movie fact: Lance Henriksen, who plays a detective in the film, was originally considered for the role of The Terminator before Schwarzenegger was cast.
1 stalker (1979)
Tomato counter: 100%; Audience Score: 92%
stalkera 1979 sci-fi brainteaser from Russia directed by renowned author Andrei Tarkovsky (Andrew Roelevyears 1972 Solaris). It’s a movie largely unknown even to devoted sci-fi fans, but it’s available to stream on HBO Max. However, once you’ve seen it, you’ll understand why it’s rated so highly. It’s a surreal, meaningful movie experience that deserves more attention.
Set in an unnamed country, the film follows three men attempting to enter “The Zone”, an area outside of a derelict village where something from outer space has crashed or landed on purpose. The government won’t let anyone in and shoot anyone who tries. However, rumor has it that within The Zone there is a room that will grant any wish. Two of the men, a professor and a disillusioned writer, want to enter The Zone and find the room. The third man, a ‘stalker’, escorts them inside and along the way we learn their motivations for going there.
stalker is not an easy movie to watch; it requires you to listen, pay attention and think. It’s slow and there’s a lot of talking, but you’ve probably never seen anything like it. Prepare to watch it twice to fully appreciate it.
Movie fact: Much of the film had to be reshot after a film processing lab accidentally destroyed a large portion of the original negative. It’s one of the reasons why the look and tone of the film’s story shifts at times.