In 1902, French film director George released Méliès Le Voyage dans La Lune (1902), which translates to A trip to the moon. It is the first sci-fi movie to be shot, inspired by titles like from the earth to the moon and Around the moon — two novels by Jules Verne. And since the movie came out more than a century ago, filmmakers from all over the world have reinvented the medium thanks to their creative sci-fi endeavours.
This list provides a detailed overview of the years that will be written about in the movie history books in which multiple high-quality sci-fi movies were released. Not too many qualifications to keep track of. Whether their value is based on critical acclaim upon release, how well the movie has aged, or in some cases on numbers at the box office, these are a decade of great sci-fi movies.
10/10 1986
Both Aliens (1986) by James Cameron and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) were among the top-grossing films of their year. They were also absolute hits with critics, and then they just aged beautifully. They are there to be considered the best movie of their respective franchise, although those cases are often made Alien (1979) and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982).
Another notable sci-fi movie was The fly (1986) by David Cronenberg. Its body-horror nature may have shocked some fans of the genre, but tread lightly — the film’s huge cult following will likely turn your head.
9/10 2016
This made the most recent year on the list the second highest-grossing film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016). From a fan point of view, this could very well remain the most favorable entry of the new one Star Wars movies, and even the best since the original trilogy. But 2016 also saw a sequel to another massive sci-fi franchise with Star Trek on (2016), directed by Justin Lin. It made a lot of money and garnered even more impressive thoughts from critics.
This year’s other sci-fi movies include Arrival (2016), directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Amy Adams, who was nominated for eight Academy Awards and entered the books as a staple of modern science fiction. Plus, Klaverveldlaan 10 (2016) could be considered a psychological thriller, but it could also easily be classified into its respective genre.
8/10 1997
What is so notable about this 12-month period is the many sub-genres tackled by the collection of sci-fi films. Perhaps most notable was the sci-fi action movie: The fifth element (1997) by Luc Besson, Face/Off (1997) by John Woo, and Starship Troopers (1997) by Paul Verhoeven all fit in this list.
But there were also two sci-fi horror movies in it Mimic (1997) by Guillermo Del Toro and Cube (1997) by Vincenzo Natali, along with a sci-fi comedy thanks to Men in black (1997) by Barry Sonnenfeld. And what’s more, most of these films were not only critical darlings, but also commercial successes.
7/10 2015
If mainstream titles are your thing, 2015 was a great year for sci-fi movies: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) and Jurassic world (2015) debuted at number one and two at the box office, respectively. And yet they remain in the top ten highest-grossing films ever made.
Those are clearly on the more popular end of the science spectrum, with sequels still pumping out of both franchises. The Martian (2015) by Ridley Scott also made a lot of money at the box office and also received eight nominations at the 88th Academy Awards. It wouldn’t win either of them, but Ex Machine (2015) by Alex Garland brought home gold for Best Visual Effects. It’s probably the standout title from 2015 in terms of sheer quality, and it helped make the year here at number eight.
6/10 1984
Frankly, there are several sci-fi movies worth mentioning from this highly respected year of cinema. Perhaps most remarkable was The terminator (1984) by James Cameron. It put the American blockbuster on the map and gave cinema some classic moments that have stood the test of time ever since. Other major releases include Dune (1984) by David Lynch, Star man (1984) by John Carpenter, ed Star Trek III: The Quest for Spock (1984) by Leonard Nimoy.
However, the most influential film of this year could very well have been The Last Starfighter (1984), directed by Nick Castle. Its $15 million budget barely doubled and it only has a 76% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it has since gained a cult following and will forever be remembered for its influence on the use of computer-generated imagery.
5/10 1999
Just after the moment of release, when the tickets had been tracked and all the numbers accounted for, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999) was the second highest-grossing film ever made. There won’t be much time devoted to George Lucas and his juggernaut franchise here – more on that later – but it’s worth noting that this was undoubtedly the highest quality entry of the prequel trilogy.
One film that was undoubtedly worth discussing was The Matrix (1999) by Lana and Lilly Wachowski. This is one of those that really transcended the genre, as sci-fi nerds weren’t the only ones raving about the fight scenes with engaging cinematography as they referenced blue pills and red pills. And the other movie that 1999 went for was galaxy quest, a science fiction comedy starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman. It holds up wonderfully today.
4/10 1979
If readers were to be questioned, it probably is Alien (1979) would top the list as the fan favorite of every film on the list. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film follows Ellen Ripley as part of the Nostromo starship crew battling a deadly alien life form aboard the Nostromo, and the project was an absolute hit. It made $185 million on an $11 million budget, and has since been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
It also has a whopping 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, one of the highest ratings you’ll read about today. The winner in that regard, however, undoubtedly goes to Mirror (1979) by André Tarkovsky. With a 100% approval rating, it’s consistently cited as one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made, finally landing here in 1979 at number four.
3/10 1968
For starters, it’s impossible to overstate the power and influence of Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi epic. 2001: A space odyssey (1968). Its existence alone is enough to warrant a spot on this year’s list A space odyssey entered the National Film Registry and will forever be remembered as one of the greatest films ever made. However, that wasn’t all this year had to offer.
Franklin J. Schaffner came out a few months before Kubrick’s masterclass Planet of the Apes (1968). The film has survived on the National Film Registry and spawned multiple twenty-first century sequels. There weren’t many notable sci-fi films from 1968, but those two are among the most significant entries the genre has seen. And they came out just a few months apart.
2/10 1977
At the 50th Academy Awards, an aspiring film composer named John Williams was nominated for Best Score, not for one film, but for two. Star Wars (1977) by George Lucas will forever be the most important film the genre has ever seen, and with good reason. The other movie that Williams was nominated for — Close Encounters of the Third King (1977) – saw direction under Steven Spielberg.
Of course, everyone knows to what extent the original Star Wars (1977) changed movies – and the entertainment industry in general, from comics and video games to television and theme parks. But Close encounters seems to fall further by the wayside with each passing year. Which makes it interesting that, when they were filming their respective projects, George Lucas speculated that Spielberg’s film would prevail over his own. He couldn’t have been more incorrect.
1/10 1982
If there was a year that came to mind when readers read the title of this article, 1982 was undoubtedly the year. Without it, sci-fi movies and the industry as a whole might not be as far along as they are today, and thanks to the myriad of titles released in this 12-month span. Most notable was the revolutionary extent to which computer-generated effects were used in Steven Lisberger’s Tron (1982) still reverberates throughout the industry.
Other sci-fi movies this year are ET the alien (1982), Stephen King’s blockbuster, on top of both Blade Runner (1982) and The thing (1982) — two of the more respected sci-fi films of all time. After adding Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) into the mix, it becomes abundantly clear that this was science fiction’s best year.