NIC WEISSMAN
TOP 10
SCI-FI MOVIES
ADDITIONAL INFO
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#10 - BLADE RUNNER

#10 - BLADE RUNNER
From Wikipedia:
Blade Runner is a 1982 American neo-noir dystopian science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and
starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos. The screenplay, written
by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is a modified film adaptation of the 1968 novel Do Androids
Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.
The film depicts Los Angeles in November 2019, in which genetically engineered replicants, which are
visually indistinguishable from adult humans, are manufactured by the powerful Tyrell Corporation as well
as by other "mega-corporations" around the world. The use of replicants on Earth is banned and they are
exclusively utilized for dangerous or menial work on off-world colonies. Replicants who defy the ban and
return to Earth are hunted down and killed ("retired") by special police operatives known as "Blade
Runners". The plot focuses on a desperate group of recently escaped replicants hiding in Los Angeles and
the burnt-out expert Blade Runner, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who reluctantly agrees to take on one
more assignment to hunt them down.
Blade Runner initially polarized critics: some were displeased with the pacing, while others enjoyed its
thematic complexity. The film performed poorly in North American theaters but has since become a cult
film. It has been hailed for its production design, depicting a "retrofitted" future, and remains a leading
example of the neo-noir genre. It brought the work of Philip K. Dick to the attention of Hollywood and
several later films were based on his work. Ridley Scott regards Blade Runner as "probably" his most
complete and personal film. In 1993, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National
Film Registry by the Library of Congress being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Blade
Runner is now regarded by many critics as one of the best science fiction films ever made.
Film critics were polarized as some felt the story had taken a back seat to special effects and that it was not
the action/adventure the studio had advertised. Others acclaimed its complexity and predicted it would
stand the test of time.
Blade Runner was released in 1,290 theaters on June 25, 1982. That date was chosen by producer Alan
Ladd, Jr. because his previous highest-grossing films (Star Wars and Alien) had a similar opening date (May
25) in 1977 and 1979, making the date his "lucky day". The gross for the opening weekend was a
disappointing $6.15 million.

#9 – THE TERMINATOR

#9 - THE TERMINATOR
From Wikipedia:
The Terminator is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by
James Cameron, written by Cameron and the film's producer Gale Anne Hurd,
and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton. It was
filmed in Los Angeles, produced by Hemdale Film Corporation and distributed by
Orion Pictures. Schwarzenegger plays the Terminator, a cyborg assassin sent back in
time from the year 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, played by Hamilton, whose
son will one day become a savior against machines in a post-apocalyptic future.
Biehn plays Kyle Reese, a soldier from the future sent back in time to protect Sarah.
Though not expected to be either a commercial or critical success, The Terminator
topped the American box office for two weeks and helped launch the film career of
Cameron and consolidate that of Schwarzenegger. In 2008, The Terminator was
selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the American National Film
Registry, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
The Terminator received widespread acclaim from critics and is considered by many
to be one of the best films of 1984. Positive reviews of The Terminator focused on
the action scenes and rapid pacing. Variety praised the film, calling it a "blazing,
cinematic comic book, full of virtuoso moviemaking, terrific momentum, solid
performances and a compelling story...Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast in a
machine-like portrayal that requires only a few lines of dialog.

#8 – WALL - E

#8 - WALL-E
From Wikipedia:
WALL-E is a 2008 American computer-animated science-fiction comedy film produced by Pixar
Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton, the story
follows a robot named WALL-E, who is designed to clean up an abandoned, waste-covered Earth
far in the future. He falls in love with another robot named EVE, who also has a programmed task,
and follows her into outer space on an adventure that changes the destiny of both his kind and
humanity. Both robots exhibit an appearance of free will and emotions similar to humans, which
develop further as the film progresses.
After directing Finding Nemo, Stanton felt Pixar had created believable simulations of underwater
physics and was willing to direct a film set largely in space. WALL-E has minimal dialogue in its
early sequences; many of the characters do not have voices, but instead communicate with body
language and robotic sounds, which were designed by Ben Burtt. It is also Pixar's first animated
feature with segments featuring live-action characters.
WALL-E was released in the United States and Canada on June 27, 2008. It grossed $23.2 million
on its opening day, and $63.1 million during its opening weekend in 3,992 theaters, ranking
number one at the box office. This ranks as the fifth highest-grossing opening weekend for a Pixar
film. Following Pixar tradition, WALL-E was paired with a short film, Presto, for its theatrical
release.
WALL-E was met with critical acclaim, scoring an approval rating of 96% on the review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes. It grossed $521.3 million worldwide, won the 2008 Golden Globe Award for
Best Animated Feature Film, the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form,
the final Nebula Award for Best Script, the Saturn Award for Best Animated Film, and the
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature as well as being nominated for five other Academy
Awards at the 81st Academy Awards. WALL-E ranks first in TIME 's "Best Movies of the Decade".
The film is seen as a critique on larger societal issues. It addresses consumerism, corporatism,
nostalgia, environmental problems, waste management, human impact on the environment, and
risks to human civilization and the planet Earth.

#7 – CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND

#7 - CLOSE ENCOUNTERS IN THE THIRD PHASE
From Wikipedia:
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film,
written and directed by Steven Spielberg. Close Encounters was a
long-cherished project for Spielberg. In late 1973, he developed a
deal with Columbia Pictures for a science fiction film. Though
Spielberg received sole credit for the script, he was assisted by Paul
Schrader, John Hill, David Giler, Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins, and
Jerry Belson, all of whom contributed to the screenplay in varying
degrees. The title is derived from UFO-ologist J. Allen Hynek's
classification of close encounters with aliens, in which the third kind
denotes human observations of aliens or "animate beings."
Made on a production budget of $18 million, Close Encounters was
released in November 1977 to critical and financial success,
eventually grossing over $337,700,000 worldwide.
The film was nominated for eight Oscars at the 50th Academy
Awards.

#6 – STAR WARS

#6 - STAR WARS
From Wikipedia:
Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) is a 1977
American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas.
Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise centered on a film
series created by George Lucas. The franchise depicts a galaxy described
as "far, far away" in the distant past, and portrays Jedi as a representation
of good, in conflict with the Sith, their evil counterpart. Their weapon of
choice, the lightsaber, is commonly recognized in popular culture. The
franchise's storylines contain many themes, with influences from
philosophy and religion.
The first film in the series, Star Wars, was released on May 25, 1977, by
20th Century Fox and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. It
was followed by two sequels, released at three year intervals. A prequel
trilogy of films were later released between 1999 and 2005.

#5 – ALIEN

#5 - ALIEN
From Wikipedia:
Alien is a 1979 science-fiction horror film directed by Ridley
Scott. The eponymous Alien and its accompanying elements
were designed by Swiss surrealist artist H. R. Giger.
Alien received both critical acclaim and box office success,
receiving an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, Saturn
Awards for Best Science Fiction Film, Best Direction for Scott, and
Best Supporting Actress for Cartwright, and a Hugo Award for
Best Dramatic Presentation, along with numerous other award
nominations. It has remained highly praised in subsequent
decades, being inducted into the National Film Registry of the
Library of Congress in 2002 for historical preservation as a film
which is "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In
2008, it was ranked as the seventh-best film in the science fiction
genre by the American Film Institute, and as the 33rd greatest
film of all time by Empire magazine.

#4 – E.T.

#4 – E.T.
From Wikipedia:
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (often referred to simply as E.T.) is a 1982 American science
fiction-family film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg
The concept for the film was based on an imaginary friend Spielberg created after
his parents' divorce in 1960. In 1980, Spielberg met Mathison and developed a
new story from the stalled science fiction/horror film project Night Skies. It was
shot from September to December 1981 in California on a budget of US$10.5
million. Unlike most motion pictures, it was shot in roughly chronological order, to
facilitate convincing emotional performances from the young cast.
Released on June 11, 1982 by Universal Pictures, E.T was a blockbuster, surpassing Star Wars
Episode IV: A New Hope to become the highest-grossing film of all time—a record it held for
eleven years until Jurassic Park, another Spielberg-directed film, surpassed it in 1993. It
remains the 48th highest-grossing film of all time, and the highest-grossing film of the 1980s.
Critics acclaimed it as a timeless story of friendship, and it ranks as the greatest science fiction
film ever made in a Rotten Tomatoes survey. It was re-released in 1985, and then again in 2002
to celebrate its 20th anniversary, with altered shots and additional scenes.
Critics acclaimed the film as a classic. Roger Ebert wrote, "This is not simply a good movie. It is
one of those movies that brush away our cautions and win our hearts. The film was nominated
for nine Oscars at the 55th Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Gandhi won that award,
but its director, Richard Attenborough, declared, "I was certain that not only would E.T. win,
but that it should win. It was inventive, powerful, [and] wonderful. I make more mundane
movies

#3 – METROPOLIS

#3 - METROPOLIS
From Wikipedia:
Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist epic science-fiction drama
film directed by Fritz Lang. Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou wrote the
silent film,
It is regarded as a pioneering work of the science-fiction genre in movies,
being among the first feature length movies of the genre.
Made in Germany during the Weimar Period, Metropolis is set in a
futuristic urban dystopia and follows the attempts of Freder, the wealthy
son of the city's ruler, and Maria, a poor worker, to overcome the vast
gulf separating the classes of their city. Filming took place in 1925 at a
cost of approximately five million Reichsmarks, making it the most
expensive film ever released up to that point. The motion picture's
futuristic style shows the influence of the work of the Futurist Italian
architect Antonio Sant'Elia.
The film met with a mixed response upon its initial release, with many
critics praising its technical achievements and social metaphors while
others derided its "simplistic and naïve" presentation. Because of its long
running-time and the inclusion of footage which censors found
questionable, Metropolis was cut substantially after its German
premiere: large portions of the film went missing over the subsequent
decades.

#2 – THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

#2 - THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
From Wikipedia:
The Empire Strikes Back (also known as Star Wars Episode V: The
Empire Strikes Back) is a 1980 American epic space opera film
directed by Irvin Kershner. Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan wrote
the screenplay, with George Lucas writing the film's story and serving
as executive producer. The second release in the Star Wars franchise
Following a difficult production, The Empire Strikes Back was released
on May 21, 1980. It received mixed reviews from critics initially but
has since grown in esteem, becoming the most critically acclaimed
chapter in the Star Wars saga; it is now considered one of the greatest
films ever made. It became the highest-grossing film of 1980 and, to
date, has earned more than $538 million worldwide from its original
run and several re-releases. When adjusted for inflation, it is the 12th-
highest-grossing film in North America.

#1 – 2001: SPACE ODISSEY

#1 – 2001: SPACE ODYSSEY
From Wikipedia:
The film follows a voyage to Jupiter with the sentient computer Hal
after the discovery of a mysterious black monolith affecting human
evolution. The film deals with the themes of existentialism, human
evolution, technology, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial life. It is
noted for its scientifically accurate depiction of space flight, pioneering
special effects, and ambiguous imagery. It uses minimal dialogue, and
sound in place of traditional narrative techniques; the score consists of
classical music such as The Blue Danube and Also sprach Zarathustra.
Despite initially receiving mixed reactions from critics and audiences,
Space Odyssey garnered a cult following and slowly became the
highest-grossing North American film of 1968. It was nominated for
four Academy Awards, and received one for its visual effects. Today,
critics and filmmakers regard it as one of the greatest and most
influential films ever made.

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