10 Years, 10 Best Science Fiction Films

By Johnny Cat in Film on Dec 14, 2009 at 4:12 pm

We’ve had quite a few sci-fi movies grace our screens these past ten years, and Avatar will cap off a decade of the genre’s efforts this Friday. But which ones were good enough to make it on Sci-Fi Squad’s top ten list? Their staff narrowed the winners down to eleven, actually, with two very similar independent films occupying the same entry.

Jacob Hall writes about one of his picks: Minority Report.

The film is an engrossing look at a startlingly realistic future where psychics are used to predict murders and “Pre-Crime” units arrest would-be killers in advance. It is also a rousing, muscular action film in the vein of Raiders of the Lost Ark and the only film in recent memory to have a jet-pack chase. A jet-pack chase. It raises fascinating questions about choice and destiny and how even the best intentions can be abused and corrupted. It features oddness not seen from Spielberg since the ’80s, including a cackling Peter Stormare and Cruise pursuing his own rogue eyeball down a hallway.

They did leave some very good titles off their alphabetical list. I’d have gone ahead and put Avatar on there for how it looks alone.

Link. (Photo: Dreamworks Entertainment)

Tags: 2000-2009, best, decade, list, Sci Fi, science fiction

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LisaL
Dec 14th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Some of them are ok, but some of them... BLEH.
The Man From Earth was AWFUL. I mean I liked that all it was was a bunch of people talking. It was different, but the reactions/acting of the people just completely ruined the movie.
Children of Men wasn't very good either.
Gail Pink
Dec 14th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
I agree enthusiastically with the inclusion of Primer, Time Crimes and Moon. One they left off but should have incldued is this year's breakthrough Sci-fi flim, District 9.
LisaL
Dec 14th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
*nodnod* I really enjoyed District 9
seekshelter
Dec 14th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
children of men was an amazing movie and probably more thought provoking in concept than Serenity, which i would have left off along with donnie darko. although i did like darko.... serenity was kinda..ehh.. but then again, i would add something like Ghost in the Shell:innocence...2046 or even Idiocracy
Wes
Dec 14th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
"... a startlingly realistic future where psychics are used to predict murders ..."

Did this statement make anyone else laugh?
c0ldfish
Dec 14th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
i need to checkout children of men, i've heard it's good (right lisal?)

i hate serenity and firefly tho, can't understand why people like that tripe. not only is it all totally ripped from the anime outlaw star (i'm always talking about this, lookit up, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Staxringold/Firefly) the production values are not low, but just in very poor taste. cinematography is dodgey, acting weak, so much hollywood cliche and lame action nonsense. why do people like these?
Kaz
Dec 14th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Minority Report? Tom Cruise? Seriously? The concept was good, but Cruise ruined everything...
seekshelter
Dec 14th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
nice... im glad im not the only one that noticed firefly was an outlaw star ripoff... joss whedon's stuff has this weird internet worship thing going that kinda glorifies anything that he does...even if its really not that great.
Torley
Dec 14th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Delighted to see Moon on there. Such a treat to watch when you've dimmed the lights and immerse wholly into what's unfolding before you. Clint Mansell's soundtrack complemented the stark, lens-flare-capped visuals magnificently. Overall, an unexpectedly marvelous cinematic experience.
Johnny Cat
Dec 14th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
I've been wanting to see Moon for a while now, and expected it to be on the list, but I was also expecting to see District 9. Never heard of The Man From Earth.

Anime isn't for everyone, and even if Whedon ripped it off, he made memorable characters and one beautiful ship, and gave sci-fi a breath of fresh air for a while. At least Serenity is a better watch than either Terminator 3 or Salvation, which didn't make the cut.
The Slapster
Dec 14th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
You'd put Avatar on the list, "how it looks alone." eh? Yeah, obnoxiously expensive movies MUST be great! I get the feeling this was a sponsored post.
JamesM
Dec 15th, 2009 at 12:17 am
I would have left Timecrimes off that list. Decent idea, horrible movie. About 1/3rd the way though I had to put it to 3x speed and speed-read the subtitles just to be able to finish the movie.

Stiff, horribly acted and really fooking irrational.
artbot
Dec 15th, 2009 at 12:19 am
This is a pretty dodgy list - some gems, some junk. C'mon, Serenity was passable space opera, but nothing more. I liked Donnie Darko, but it's not even really sci-fi, is it? At the very least, one of my all time faves is there, Children of Men. And Wall*E is the most overrated film of the decade. I love sci-fi, robots, and Pixar movies, but that thing was a giant, preachy bore.
ted
Dec 15th, 2009 at 12:40 am
I had to scan through the article. It just seemed like so much BS. Minority Report as "startlingly realistic"?

Star Trek shows a future "full of promise"? They killed off an entire planet for the sake of new scripts, and annihilated the future of the original Star Trek franchise.

And fawning like that over Wall-E? I liked the movie, but it wasn't the Second Coming.
Johnny Cat
Dec 15th, 2009 at 1:49 am
Oh yeah I forgot to mention in my original post that Avatar has an 86% rating on Rotten, and it's not even out yet.
LisaL
Dec 15th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Bleh, don't see how people can like Children of Men. Maybe it would be better a 2nd time around, but... doubt I'd like it any better.

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