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TOP TEN SCI-FI MOVIES

Let's face it, we are all just trying to kill time until football season starts. So here is another way to waste time. What are your top ten favorite science fiction movies?

I am opinionated and biased on this topic but don't let that deter you. From childhood I have loved science fiction movies. The problem of course is that the more one watches the more one realizes what a fine line there is between good, great and horrible. I could write for pages on why Avatar is one of the worst science fiction movies ever made. I could also write on why Spielberg spoils all of his movies by making them about 1 hour too long. Don't even get me started on Star Wars movies. I tried to watch these but after three or four of these I gave up trying to find anything redeeming in them.

The problem with sci-fi is that for every good movie there are 100 really bad ones. To be sure we watch these too just for fun. But what are the ones that stand the test of time? Here is where it becomes subjective. There were so many great movies in the past including films like "Metropolis" from 1927 which is an all time favorite of mine but which does not make my top ten this year because my list keeps changing. Another favorite is a more recent movie "Solaris" which contains the psychological elements I love in good sci-fi. "The War of The Worlds" (1953) is in my opinion the superior version but people used to good special effects tend to dismiss these older movies along with "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951) and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1956). I could name dozens more of my favorites but they would be in my top 100 list, not my top ten.

So without further ado here is my current top ten list:

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (mysterious plot, commentary on evolution and the ballet of space travel)

2. Forbidden Planet (Shakespearean plot, creepy mood and a great tall tale)

3. The Abominable Snowman (this Hammer film is not so much a monster flick as a brooding reflection on our connection to each other as a species)

4. Fire In the Sky (suspend disbelief and be carried away in this excellent mystery tale)

5. The Quiet Earth (wistful and psychological with the kind of ending that sci-fi does best)

6. Frankenstein (1931 - often imitated and even parodied, this is one classic movie)

7. Andromeda Strain (another twist on what happens when we encounter things current science cannot deal with)

8. Naked Lunch (literate and weird beyond words)

9. The Host (Korean homage to the classic sci-fi horror formula)

10. Silent Running (these robots were the original cuties before Star Wars ripped them off)

Honorable mention: "On the Beach" "Moon" "Blade Runner" "Children of Men"

FanPosts do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the FTRS writing staff, and are spotlighted purely to create discussion.

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