100 best reviewed Sci-Fi films on Rotten Tomatoes

Plekhanov · Post by **Plekhanov** » 2007-06-18 10:02am

Just noticed Rotten Tomatoes are doing a feature on the 100 Sci-Fi films that have reviewed best on their scale.

They seem to want to make you click through all 100 of them to see what they are so to save you the effort here's the complete countdown (borrowed from hererather than compiled by myself but I trust it's accurate).

100. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
99. Star Trek III: Search for Spock (1983)
98. Primer (2004)
97. The Thing (1982)
96. A Boy and His Dog (1975)
95. Dark Star (1974)
94. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
93. Dreamscape (1983)
92. It Came From Outer Space (1953)
91. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
90. Death Race 2000 (1975)
89. War of the Worlds (2005)
88. Flash Gordon (1980)
87. Return of the Jedi (1983)
86. Starman (1984)
85. Innerspace (1987)
84. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
83. Signs (2002)
82. Dark City (1998)
81. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
80. The War of the Worlds (1953)
79. Total Recall (1990)
78. Gattaca (1997)
77. Videodrome (1983)
76. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963)
75. The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
74. Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
73. Alphaville (1965)
72. Seconds (1966)
71. Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
70. Time After Time (1979)
69. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
68. The Abyss (1989)
67. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
66. Escape from New York (1981)
65. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
64. Pi (1997)
63. The Thing (1951)
62. Jurassic Park (1993)
61. Open Your Eyes (1997)
60. Robocop (1987)
59. Altered States (1980)
58. The Brother From Another Planet (1984)
57. Planet of the Apes (1968)
56. Westworld (1973)
55. Fantastic Voyage (1966)
54. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
53. They Live (1988)
52. Save The Green Planet! (2005)
51. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
50. Things to Come (1936)
49. District B13 (2006)
48. Serenity (2005)
47. Donnie Darko (2001)
46. Delicatessen (1991)
45. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
44. 12 Monkeys (1995)
43. Re-Animator (1985)
42. 2046 (2005)
41. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
40. THX 1138 (1971)
39. The Fly (1986)
38. Time Bandits (1982)
37. Them! (1954)
36. Blade Runner (1982)
35. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
34. Forbidden Planet (1956)
33. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
32. The Matrix (1999)
31. The Invisible Man (1933)
30. Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
29. Ghostbusters (1984)
28. Men in Black (1997)
27. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
26. Young Frankenstein (1974)
25. Gojira (1954)
24. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
23. Sleeper (1973)
22. Back to the Future (1985)
21. Repo Man (1984)
20. Mad Max (1979)
19. Frankenstein (1931)
18. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
17. Solaris (1972)
16. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
15. The Terminator (1984)
14. Brazil (1985)
13. Galaxy Quest (1999)
12. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
11. The Road Warrior (1981)
10. Aliens (1986)
9. Star Wars (1977)
8. The Host (2007)
7. Children of Men (2006)
6. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
5. Minority Report (2002)
4. Alien (1979)
3. Metropolis (1926)
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
1. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

So who's completely happy in every respect with the list and who's outraged?

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-06-18 10:17am

Minority Report is up way too high, Galaxy Quest is a pleasant surprise and I'm surprised to see 2046 in the list. Other than that, I wouldn't trust a list that compiles review data from such a broad range of dates, since the opinions on a film - Star Wars comes to mind - can vary greatly depending on when you ask.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2007-06-18 11:09am

For those just looking at the list posted, it should be known that it starts at 70.1 and goes up from there, so even stuff down at the bottom is still pretty high.

I'm wondering if it's only counting reviews contemporary at the time of the original theatrical release, and films often get reviewed very differently in hindsight...

phred · Post by **phred** » 2007-06-18 11:44am

I find it interesting that a spoof of Trek films is placed higher than any actual Trek films

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2007-06-18 11:59am

Motherfucking Signs is higher than Sky MOTHER-FUCKING Captain?! That list ought to be pelted by vegetables.

SKY CAPTAIN! CALLING SKY CAPTAIN!

Crazedwraith · Post by **Crazedwraith** » 2007-06-18 12:17pm

Escape from New York? Higher that ST VI? WT? EfNY is a mediocre action flick, its barely sci-fi.

CaptHawkeye · Post by **CaptHawkeye** » 2007-06-18 12:18pm

Return of the Jedi at number 87?

Are you fucking kidding me?

Plekhanov · Post by **Plekhanov** » 2007-06-18 12:40pm

Crazedwraith wrote:Escape from New York? Higher that ST VI? WT? EfNY is a mediocre action flick, its barely sci-fi.

How is it 'barely sci-fi'? It's set in the future and fictional technology plays an important role in the story, what's more sci-fi than that?

Also 'Escape from New York' is ace and pisses all over 'The Undiscovered Country'

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2007-06-18 01:15pm

I find it disturbing that The Matrix Reloaded scored higher than Dark City. And somehow fucking Galaxy Quest is #13?

Vaporous · Post by **Vaporous** » 2007-06-18 04:01pm

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind is second. Thats 98 blasphemies.

Nephtys · Post by **Nephtys** » 2007-06-18 04:07pm

How the hell is 'The Host' better than Terminator 2? A crappy, self-confused and overdramatized Korean move, better than /ALIENS/? Better than Back to the Future? Than the original Matrix? Etc.

How the hell is Star Trek: First Contact better than Blade Runner or ST6?

Pick · Post by **Pick** » 2007-06-18 04:15pm

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is sci-fi? I guess... sort of

. I still didn't really like it though--and at #2?! And The Matrix Reloaded shouldn't be on that list. Anywhere.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2007-06-18 04:32pm

Remember, the ranking is based on how the films were reviewed by critics.

Nephtys wrote:How the hell is Star Trek: First Contact better than Blade Runner or ST6?

It wasn't actually until ten years later with the release of the Director's Cut that Blade Runner actually received overwhelmingly positive critical recognition: critics thought little of it back in 1982.

Additionally, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (which sort of has a science fiction premise, if you bend the rules enough) was more or less universally loved by critics, many who thought it would be destined for Oscar nominations (which it never received, thanks to be released totally outside of Oscar Season).

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-06-18 04:35pm

(which sort of has a science fiction premise, if you bend the rules enough)

What do you mean, "bend the rules"? It's a story about how a piece of technology beyond current science affects the lives on the main characters. It may have been primarily a drama, but it's still SF.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2007-06-18 04:38pm

I'd say it's a drama with a science fiction premise/plot element, that in the end isn't really that important to the plot. So it's not really much of a science fiction film to my criteria, much like how Children of Men is also only borderline science fiction.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2007-06-18 04:42pm

Ghetto E: On second thought, I really shouldn't comment about Eternal Sunshine..., since I still haven't personally seen it. All I'll say is that from what I've read and heard about the film, it's more widely considered drama than science fiction.

Plekhanov · Post by **Plekhanov** » 2007-06-18 04:44pm

It's a more refreshing list than many of it's type and it's certainly nice to see films like:

Flash Gordan
Sleeper
Primer
Escape from New York
Open Your Eyes
Pi
They Live
The Road Warrior

Up there, some films like Signs, War of the Worlds 2005 & The Matrix Reloaded obviously shouldn't be anywhere near the top 100 of course and some others like Time Bandits and District B13 hardly seem like sci-fi.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-06-18 04:47pm

All I'll say is that from what I've read and heard about the film, it's more widely considered drama than science fiction.

Oh, it is mainly a drama - but all good SF is also something else, something more.

Without spoiling too much, the technology plays a crucial role in the movie, not just as a backdrop, but as an active part of the story.

Plekhanov · Post by **Plekhanov** » 2007-06-18 04:48pm

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Ghetto E: On second thought, I really shouldn't comment about Eternal Sunshine..., since I still haven't personally seen it. All I'll say is that from what I've read and heard about the film, it's more widely considered drama than science fiction.

Why can't it be a sci-fi drama?

Anguirus · Post by **Anguirus** » 2007-06-18 05:06pm

Wow, The Host and Children of Men are WAY up there. I wonder if this is because of their inherent worth, or that recent reviews are kinder to sci-fi/fantasy films?

Interestingly enough, I saw each of those at the same theatre and haven't gotten the DVDs yet.

Also, Godzilla at #25! Excellent!

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2007-06-18 05:21pm

Plekhanov wrote:
Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Ghetto E: On second thought, I really shouldn't comment about Eternal Sunshine..., since I still haven't personally seen it. All I'll say is that from what I've read and heard about the film, it's more widely considered drama than science fiction.
Why can't it be a sci-fi drama?

On one hand, I totally agree, although from another perspective, I sort of object. It's a weird analytical battle that's been going on in my head since high school.

On the agreeing side, I think that science fiction should be regarded as a bit more of a higher genre that's often just as sophisticated as many of the other "straight" ones: looking at the highest grossing or revolutionary films, most of them are within the fantastic.

On the disagreeing side, I think that it should be possible to classify a film as belonging to a singular "more serious" genre even if it takes place in a more fantastical setting or features such a basic premise. For example, I think it should be possible to conceive, produce, and classify a film that takes place in the year 4000 AD and/or outer space as a "romantic drama" and discard the "science fiction" tag if it ultimately is simply a romantic drama and the fantastical setting is ultimately of little to no consequence. Specifically, this is how I personally view Children of Men, and I believe that's also how it was approached during production.

Ultimately, a conflict I've never been able to sort out.

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2007-06-18 06:41pm

97 for Carpenter's The Thing?

That is off by somewhere in the region of 96 places.

First contact above Wrath of Khan?

Madness I Say, madness.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2007-06-18 06:48pm

Critics overall hated The Thing upon release.

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2007-06-18 07:07pm

Movies I have seen that I don't feel belong on a top 100 list:

A.I. Artificial Intelligence - maybe if it had been 15 minutes shorter, it would deserve a spot.

Star Trek: First Contact - it was better than anything else since Generations. That's about all I can say good about this movie.

Children of Men - wha?

this might make my 100 Most Overhyped Films list, but that's about it. If it made top 100 at all, it'd be down in the 90s

E.T. should not be #1. I don't know what should, but in retrospect it was a fun movie but not a great movie. I haven't seen Eternal Sunshine, but I would put Metropolis higher.

And how Empire Strikes Back scored higher than Star Wars I can't figure out. ESB is, in my opinion, the weakest of the original trilogy, because it is the bridge film.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2007-06-18 07:14pm

Eternal Sunshine has a sci-fi element as a major plot point, but the movie itself I would not classify as sci-fi.

It is a good movie, though.