Classic Science Fiction Movies

All-Time Top 10

The decade-by-decade directory of science fiction movies includes a total of 14 that received 5-star ratings. With some difficulty I eliminated four and here present, in chronological order, my picks as the "Top 10 Science Fiction Movies of All Time."

King Kong
(1933 - 105 min) *****

Plot: Explorers find a gigantic ape who grows attached to a young maiden; but when the ape is brought to New York City, he goes wild and meets his fate at the top of the Empire State Building.

Fay Wray
Robert Armstrong
Bruce Cabot
Frank Reicher
Sam Hardy
Nobel Johnson
James Flavin
Directed by Merian Cooper, Ernest Schoedsack

The Day the Earth Stood Still
(1951 - 92 min) *****

Plot: An alien lands on Earth with his gigantic robot companion to impart an urgent message -- live in peace or be annihilated.

Michael Rennie
Patricia Neal
Hugh Marlow
Sam Jaffe
Directed by Robert Wise

War of the Worlds
(1953 - 85 min) *****

Plot: A group of scientists and military troops try to fight off an all-out Martian invasion of Earth. (Based on the novel by H.G. Wells.)

Gene Barry
Les Tremayne
Ann Robinson
Robert Cornthwaite
Henry Brandon
Jack Kruschen
Lewis Martin
Directed by Byron Haskin

Forbidden Planet
(1956 - 98 min) *****

Plot: Survivors of a spaceship crash meet the enigmatic Dr. Morbius, his beautiful daughter, their robot assistant Robby, and the dangerous creature of the Id. (Based on Shakespeare's play "Tempest.")

Walter Pidgeon
Anne Francis
Leslie Nielsen
Warren Stevens
Earl Holliman
Directed by Fred McLeod Wiloc

The Time Machine
(1960 - 103 min) *****

Plot: An inventor journeys forward in time to find that mankind has evolved into a placid race of people enslaved by vicious mutants called Morlocks. (Based on the novel by H.G. Wells.)

Rod Taylor
Yvette Mimieux
Alan Young
Sebastian Cabot
Directed by George Pal

2001: A Space Odyssey
(1968 - 139 min) *****

Plot: Man's evolution from the Stone Age to the Space Age culminates in the journey of two astronauts to Jupter, where they contend with their homocidal computer, HAL, and the enigmatic black monolith. (Based on a short story and the novel by Arthur C. Clarke.)

Keir Dullea
Gary Lockwood
William Sylvester
Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
(1977 - 135 min) *****

Plot: An ordinary man is mysteriously drawn to a desert mountain to witness mankind's first contact with space aliens.

Richard Dreyfuss
Melinda Dillon
Teri Garr
Francois Truffaut
Directed by Steven Spielberg

Star Wars
(1977 - 121 min) *****

Plot: With the help of two androids, a space pirate, and a Jedi Knight, a young man fights to save a universe and a princess from the evil Empire.

Mark Hamill
Harrison Ford
Carrie Fisher
Peter Cushing
Alex Guinness
Directed by George Lucas

E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial
(1982 - 115 min) *****

Plot: A cute alien lands near a suburban community and is befriended by a boy who helps him "phone home."

Dee Wallace Stone
Henry Thomas
Peter Coyote
Drew Barrymore
Directed by Steven Spielberg

Jurassic Park
(1993 - 126 min) *****

Plot: A billionaire invites a group of scientists to preview his planned amusement park which features cloned dinosaurs, who soon are on the loose.

Sam Neill
Laura Dern
Jeff Goldblum
Richard Attenborough
Bob Peck
Martin Ferrero
Directed by Steven Spielberg

It's my intention to periodically update this directory by including science fiction movies from each decade of the 21st Century and, at the same time, update my "All Time Top 10" list. Until then, "See you around the galaxy!"