Essential SF Movies

Over at SFSignal, JP is looking for a list of movies that every wannabe SF fan should see. His first list contained 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, and the Matrix. Predictably the comments soon lost sight of JP's initial criteria and turned into "my favorite SF movies of all time are . . ."

As a result, JP is seeking to define a list of "Essential SF Movies," but this time broken into subcategories:

1. Newbie friendly
2. Must be seen
3. Hidden gems
[4. - Optional -for compleatists only]

Let's see if we can help him out. See extended entry. . .

I am only listing movies I have seen, not movies I know I should see but haven't seen yet. I've put an "NF" after the ones I think belong primarily in another category but that are also newbie friendly.

Newbie Friendly
ET: The Extra Terrestrial
Jurassic Park
War of the Worlds (1953)

Must be Seen:
2001: A Space Odyssey
Star Wars (NF)
Blade Runner
Metropolis
A Clockwork Orange
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (NF)
Planet of the Apes (the original from my birth year - 1968) (NF)
Alien
Aliens (NF)
The Day the Earth Stood Still

Hidden Gems
Colossus: The Forbin Project
The Iron Giant (NF)
Silent Running
Outland

That's a start.

Posted by JohnL at April 30, 2004 11:27 PM