Top 10 Science Fiction/Fantasy Films

As a general rule, I don't like to list anything as my favorite or rank them from one to ten. I prefer to have tiers (levels) that I would include as my best. This system allows me to consider several films that are very different on equal footing. Each of them has left an impression on the genre that has made them unforgettable. Considering they span eight decades of film-making, they are quite remarkable. I also included some TV Science Fiction. I felt that although this list is about movies, it's also about the genre of science fiction /fantasy. Everything in this top level is to me the best. Every one of them has a reason and a meaning for being on this list. They are in no particular order:

THE LORD OF THE RINGS (all 3 films, as one) - Peter Jackson's brilliant homage to Tolkien's fantasy. It wasn’t just the screen adaptation that was brilliant, but it showed his deep respect, passion and reverence for the original book. An unforgettable score, set and costume designs that literally brought the feel of the book directly to the screen. Only a devoted fan could have accomplished such a huge undertaking. Jackson found the balance between those who never read the books, with those who had. He identified specific memorable scenes from the original material (book), then accurately reconstructed them onto the screen, connecting them like pearls on a string, while adapting the story to fit the medium. My only regret was itdidn’t win the twelfth Oscar to make it the most "oscar-ed" film in motion picture history, and yet all three films did win a total of 17 Oscars which puts it in a category all its own.

KING KONG (1933) – It’s the original Kong. It’s the one film that most science fiction directors, special effects and visual artists consider the seminal film, the template for all epic films of its kind that were to come. It defined the genre of what was to become the fantasy film. It's the great Kong, the eight wonder of the world. It put the newly built Empire State building onto the cinematic map as one of the most important structures ever built. It's also the retelling of the Beauty and the Beast legend that has captivated audiences and readers since it was written.

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956) – The only science fiction film that I know that featured no alien technology. It could be classified as a mystery, a social satire on a communist takeover of a free society in the mid-fifties. But it's that look of horror and that drop of dirty cave water dripping from the tip of Kevin McCarthy’s nose as he looks into Becky's (Dana Winters) eyes in the cave scene as he realizes that she has become a pod person that sealed that picture as one of my top ten favorites. It also made me look twice at Brussel Sprouts before I would eat it. Filmed in just 2 weeks in stark black and white, with memorable performances by Carolyn Jones (Morticia Adams from the TV show, The Addams Family). If anyone hasn’t seen that film, they should go out and rent it or buy it. It's a true classic.

FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956) – A solid piece of outstanding science fiction, as a loose reinterpretation of Shakespeare's Tempest. Walter Pigeon as a philologist studying an ancient, extinct society; Leslie Nielsen as the Captain of the space craft, with a backdrop of cheesy set and costume designs which often reminds me that it’s the progenitor of Classic Star Trek that would come ten years later. And of course, Robbie the Robot, a miniature of which has sat on my desk for years. The eerie sound effects are astounding and worthy of a classic that has stood for five decades as one of the greatest science fiction classics of all time. No film is more deserving of being considered on any top ten list as this one. Its message is timeless, and its psychological implications of "monsters from the Id" still relevant to contemporary human evolution.

ALIENS – This is the movie that redefined the meaning of hero, and expanded it to include women. Segourney Weaver shines in this "thumpa-thumpa" heart pounding thriller that was also the first performance by any actor to receive an academy award nomination, as best actress, for a science fiction role. Although Aliens is the film to be on this list, Alien deserves a place as part of the film’s back-story. Every sequence of events lead the audience down a path of adrenaline-filled danger as Weaver is continually faced with confrontation that at the very end defines the meaning of what heroism is: heroism isn't overcoming one's fear to act, but acting in spite of one's fear. This is the reason it's on my list.

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) – "Gort, klatuu barata nicto" says Patricia Neal to the robot, and although some may see this film as dated, with not so hot special effects, it’s the message of the film that places it on my top ten list. A film relevant to its time. One that explores the consequences of nuclear arms proliferation by a world that has no clue of its effects on others. It suggests that we aren't all alone, and it draws our attention to possibilities of life from other parts of the galaxy. It reminds us that with all scientific advancements comes recognition that we are responsible for how those achievements are used, constructively and destructively.

FANTASIA (1940) – It belongs on my list because it was a brilliant concept to create visual interpretations (cartoons), and play them to classical music. Imagine, this was created in 1940 before computer technology was even conceived. Each sequence is as perfect, for adults as well as children. Its instructive orchestral sequences explains different kinds of music structures as it illustrates various ways music tells a story.

LA BELLE ET LA BETE (Beauty and the Beast - 1946) - Jean Cauteau’s French version of the classic fairy tale. Done in black and white, I still remember the arms jutting out of the walls holding the candelabras and the surrealistic ambiance the movie created. It redefined the love story and emphasized the importance of measuring love and beauty by the quality of one's heart rather than by what one sees on the outside. It should remind anyone making lists of their top films, not to forget foreign language films. There are so many out there that are deserving of credit. I had to include at least one. This was the one that I choose.

THE TIME MACHINE (1960) - A classic by any measure. Imagine being able to travel through time. Who hasn't had that fantasy? A worthy score, appropriately set at the turn of the century as was envisioned by H.G. Wells, with thought-provoking themes of how our society may develop in the future. Excellent special effects. I would love to have a miniature version of the actual time machine on my desk right next to my miniature of Robbie the robot, from forbidden planet, and the robot miniature from the TV series "Lost in Space" (danger, Will Robinson). Anyone who knows where I can find one, let me know, please.

PLANET OF THE APES (70’s) - Charleston Heston’s claim to Sci- Figlory, a film that was a social satire. It was brilliantly written, well acted, but it was the very last scene as Heston rides on the beach when he discovers the truth of where his destiny truly was that made the film worthy of my top 10 list.

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (1960) - I liked the journey, the adventure, and Jules Verne. The whole idea of going inward, searching to the center of the earth, rather than outward toward space was almost an allegory for a search into ones own nature. What's the point of searching outward unless you know where and who you are to begin with?

THE TWILIGHT ZONE - Although many would argue that the Twilight Zone was not Sci-Fi, it went beyond Sci-Fi and fantasy. Anything as imaginative as what was presented weekly for our consideration, is in my mind within this category, and deserves recognition as one of the truly significant anthology series of all time. It focused so much of its attention on the IRONIC TWIST, the unexpected. It expanded the boundaries of our imagination and took us on a journey that went into other dimensions of thought and reality. I added it to this list because it belongs here.

Classic STAR TREK & THE NEXT GENERATION (TNG) - Both series deserve to be on this list for different reasons: Classic Trek for breaking so many barriers during the sixties, and creating some of the most memorable characters in Sci-Fi history. TNG, which will be illustrated in its own essay which will be posted, for your consideration at some later date.

I am sure I have forgotten some that I will agree also belong on the list of top ten, which, in my case is more than 10. Which of these would be placed on your list?

references:
The Lord of the Rings
King Kong (1933)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Forbidden Planet
Aliens
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Fantasia
Beauty and The Beast
The Time Machine
Planet of the Apes
Journey to the Center of the Earth
The Twilight Zone
Star Trek