Popular Mechanics recently released a list of The 10 Best Sci-Fi Movies—As Chosen By Scientists. I shared it on my Facebook page, of course. And as tends to happen, a conversation broke out among my friends pointing out films that were omitted from the list and those that should have been. Basically, the sort of thing you'd expect to happen when anyone makes a list of the 10 best anything.
But it got me thinking... what makes "The Best Sci-Fi movies"? Surely if there can be a *best*, you must first define the criteria by which the things are judged. So I thought I would set down what makes "The Best Sci-Fi Movies" to me.
1) It has to be be art, damn it!
That seems pretty obvious, right? Whether it's the gorgeous cinematography in Close Encounters of the Third Kind or the incredible production design that built Metropolis, "The Best Sci-Fi Movies" should be able to stand up against the artistry any other genre.
2) It should be technically innovative.
From Georges Méliès' A Trip to the Moon to Alfonso Cuarón immersive Gravity, sci-fi movies have pushed the bounds of what can be done in the medium of film for over 100 years. And that's something to be proud of, I think. To be called "The Best", a sci-fi movie needs to "wow" the audience and give them something that has never been seen before.
3) It needs to have something to say.
I'm sorry to all of the space cowboys and star princesses out there, but sci-fi has always been an amazing vehicle to examine the human condition. War? Religion? Class? Politics? All are fair game. "The Best Sci-Fi Movies" should give you something to chew on that goes deeper than the laser blasters and witty one-liners.
4) It has to be fun!
You can also substitute "exciting", "engaging", or "something that won't cause your friends to murder you for having subjected them to it." Unfortunately, that's where films like Star Trek: The Motion Picture and nerd-favorite 2001: A Space Odyssey suffer in comparison to the likes of Star Wars (1977) or Star Trek (2009). While we geeks may love to spend several ponderous hours watching characters gape in awe at stunning visual effects sequences and contemplate the meaning of existence while slow classical music inevitably thrums in the background, films of that type have very limited cross-over appeal. And shouldn't that be the point? Why make a movie at all if next to no one wants to watch it? And what right do we have to complain about the success of Duck Dynasty or the latest romcom if the movies we feel are more deserving of that success are... you know... freaking boring? Ultimately, "The Best Sci-Fi Movies" should be accessible to all comers, whether they be Academy Award judges or a group of friends gathered around the tube with pizza and beer on a Friday night.
So, can any sci-fi movies meet each of these criteria? I would humbly suggest that Planet of the Apes (1968) excels in each category. Can your favorite sci-fi movies say the same? And what do you make of my list? Did I leave something off? Or should I have?
What makes a "The Best Sci-Fi Movies" to you?
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