The American Film Institute, commonly referred to as AFI, is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the film art form. In effect, AFI compiles ranking lists regarding film topics such as best movie heroes and villains, the 100 greatest American films of all time, the best movie quotes, and the best 10 films in each film genre.
As curated by the American Film Institute, the 10 best science fiction films are ranked as follows. These films range from plot and decade of release, resulting in a varied list that guarantees that at least one title will be agreed with as having its prestigious place on AFI's 10 best sci-fi films.
10 Back to the Future
The film responsible for anyone knowing what a DeLorean is in the 21st century, Back to the Future is one of the best films to come out of the 80's and one of the best American sci-fi films, period. Back to the Future is about Hill Valley teen Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, who is accidentally sent to 1955 through a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his kooky scientist friend, Dr. Emmet Brown played by Christopher Lloyd.
Marty must ensure his nerdy father and rebellious mom get together at their high school dance or him and his brother and sister will never be born. The film makes great use of Michael J. Fox's and Christopher Lloyd's comedy skills, giving the film a down-to-earth air despite the potentially confusing timeline matters.
9 Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
An early sci-fi film, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, provided a template on how to tackle societal and political matters through implicit ways in science fiction. The film follows a small-town doctor who slowly discovers that an alien invasion is occurring around him. The aliens grow from plant spores that fell from space and once at full maturity, replicate the appearance and memories of the human closet to it.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers was one of the first science fiction films to use traditional sci-fi characteristics and use them to convey a deeper meaning, helping this movie to be deemed culturally and historically significant enough to be selected for preservation by the Library of Congress.
8 Terminator 2: Judgment Day
A fantastic sci-fi film that comments on time travel, technology, and war, Terminator 2: Judgement Day is also the rare case where a sequel is more beloved and more critically acclaimed than its original counterpart, The Terminator.
This is exemplified in AFI's list where the first Terminator film is not even on the list. With jam-packed action, a great soundtrack, and a thought-provoking premise, Terminator 2: Judgement Day is a classic sci-fi film that is remembered just as fondly today as when it came out 30 years ago. It helps that the film has an enduring catchphrase, "Hasta la vista, baby".
7 Alien
Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi masterpiece is the first film of the Alien franchise and according to AFI, the highest regarded Alien film of the series. The film follows a crew in deep space, who once they investigate a distress call from an unknown ship, the crew is met with a horrifying alien attack.
Lauded for its special effects and acting, Alien has gone on to be preserved for the National Film Registry and deemed significant by the Library of Congress. The film also launched the career of Sigourney Weaver in the iconic role of Ripley.
6 Blade Runner
A cerebral film with lofty existential themes, Blade Runner is a duly highly regarded sci-fi film and often noted as one of the best of the sci-fi genre. Another Ridley Scott film - one of his best science fiction films - Blade Runner follows an officer and blade runner named Deckard that is tasked with tracking down and destroying four replicants, which are sentient robots that were deemed illegal after a replicant uprising on a faraway planet.
On Deckard's journey to destroy, or retire, the replicants, he is faced with questions of what it means to be human and the accuracy or inaccuracy of perception of reality. Further, the film paints a bleak portrait of a potential future with animals being extinct and a highly polluted atmosphere, connecting to concerns that modern audiences have for the environment.
5 The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
The oldest sci-fi film on AFI's list, The Day the Earth Stood Still was made at a time when science fiction stories and films were not deemed artistically significant and were instead reputed to be cheap and second-rate works. The Day the Earth Stood Still is about an alien who comes to earth amid the nuclear arms race and tells Earth that people must live peacefully together or be destroyed for fear of being a danger to other planets.
The film's documentary style mixed with the typical sci-fi elements of the plot set this film apart from the contemporary science fiction films of the age and before. In effect, many sci-fi films afterward tackled science fiction seriously instead of playing it campy as done previously to The Day the Earth Stood Still.
4 A Clockwork Orange
A dark film that was both acclaimed and condemned upon its release, the controversial A Clockwork Orange is an incredibly unique and completely individual take on the sci-fi genre. Tackling lofty themes like free will, morality, psychology, and incarceration, in a dystopian Britain allows the film to use science fiction elements in the production design, costumes, and sound to comment on these topics that were valid questions raised during the era of its production and release - as well as still being societal questions now, 40 years after the movie's debut.
The film follows charismatic sociopath gang leader Alex who, upon imprisonment for his gang crimes, undergoes experimental rehabilitation therapy. In addition to being an exceptional science fiction film, as deemed by the AFI, A Clockwork Orange is also an iconic 70's counter-culture movie.
3 E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial
Steven Spielberg's heartwarming film E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial is about a lonely boy and his alien friend who has become stranded on Earth. One of Spielberg's most beloved films, E.T. is a bonafide family classic as well as being an incredibly wholesome take on the sci-fi/alien film genre.
E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial approaches the sci-fi genre in a less intellectual way, instead targeting the viewers' emotions. One could argue that the film is more about a lonely little kid and his family dynamics post-free love era, which saw the destruction of many two-parent families, rather than an alien flick. However, it is this infusion of family drama, alien movie, and child's point of view that makes E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial a classic family sci-fi film.
2 Star Wars
The film that is the most loved in the galaxy, Star Wars has rocked people's worlds from its release. The fervor over Star Wars has not died down despite the film's age. With three direct prequels, three sequels, spin-off series, spin-off films, a Christmas special, theme parks, and billion-dollar merchandising, Star Wars is an American culture behemoth, all made possible by the 1977 film.
Borrowing from samurai films and westerns, Star Wars builds upon existing film genres and adds to it through the use of the complete cosmos world-building within the film. With memorable characters and the numerous quotable lines, it is with good reason that Star Wars ranks high on AFI's bests science fiction films list.
1 2001: A Space Odyssey
An arthouse approach to science fiction, 2001: A Space Odyssey tackles ideas of the sci-fi genre, such as space, technology, and tenets of human civilizations, and elevates those science fiction ideas to fit an artistic and experimental sensibility. The film is highly visual with sparse dialogue. As a result, the lack of dialogue forces the viewer to gain their own meaning of the film and the different visuals presented.
2001: A Space Odyssey was praised ad nauseam upon its release for the special effects of the film, making many conspiracy theorists question if Kubrick, this film's director, directed the 1969 moon landing, as the special effects looked that realistic. The special effects of the film have held up throughout the years and even surpass some current sci-fi films' computer-heavy special effects.
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