Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time - Top 50 Science Fiction Films Counted Down

The whole point of a movie is to entertain, to impact us emotionally in some way, and to allow us to suspend our disbelief and to be drawn into a different world for approximately two hours. When I compiled this list of the best sci-fi movies of all time I wanted to pick films that accomplished those three things. However science fiction movies have another element to them as well. Each of these movies contains elements of the fantastic (at least at the time they were made). They are not constrained by the physical limits of our world, but rather by the imaginations of the writers who created them. While some are bound by the immutable laws of science, most take plenty of creative license to ensure maximum entertainment value.

When one thinks of a science fiction film the first thing that leaps to mind is space. Yes, a healthy number of these movies do in fact occur in space, but there are also plenty that occur within the boundaries of our own planet. Read on to see which of your favorite movies made the cut.

50 - Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi - Yes, the final chapter of George Lucas's original Star Wars trilogy sneaks onto the list. Granted, the fuzzy cuteness of the Ewoks will be off-putting to any hardcore science fiction fan, but other coolness like the final battle between Luke, Vader, and the Emperor, laser crossbows and the speeder bike chase scene manage to outweigh it. At least there was no Jar Jar in this one.

49 - Starship Troopers - One of the best things about science fiction movies is the fact that the acting doesn't have to be good, the plot can be ridiculous, and the movie can still be entertaining. This is the case with Starship Troopers. Yes, it is cheesy and incredibly over the top, but this movie about humans fighting a war against giant bugs had some very impressive special effects for its time, and despite the questionable acting still managed to keep audiences glued to the screen, waiting to see who would prevail in the battle of man vs. bug.