IMDB Sci-Fi Top 50

Ted C · Post by **Ted C** » 2004-03-12 06:02pm

Top 50 List for SciFi

I find this amusing from a "versus" perspective. Registered users of the Internet Movie DataBase can rate a movie on a scale of 1-10. The site uses those ratings to rank movies by genre. Position on the list is apparently determined primarily by average rating (to one decimal place), with number of "votes" breaking ties (i.e., if two movies scored a 9.0, the one rated by more members gets the higher ranking).

The interesting aspect is that all three of the original Star Wars movies are in the top 10. Star Wars is #1, The Empire Strikes Back is #2, and Return of the Jedi is #15.

Only one Star Trek movie, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, made the list at all, and it's ranked #46. Recent movies are on the list (X2 is #24, for example), so it's not like they haven't had time to get ranked up there. It's just that they're average ratings must all be 7.4 or lower (compared to the 8.7's scored by the top two movies on the list).

I think this is a fairly decisive blow to Trekkies who want to compare Star Trek to Star Wars on subjective, "literary" grounds rather than objective, scientific grounds.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2004-03-12 06:08pm

that's. . . .odd. . . .a clockwork orange is considered science fiction?

Drooling Iguana · Post by **Drooling Iguana** » 2004-03-12 06:12pm

And 15 is now less than 10?

YT300000 · Post by **YT300000** » 2004-03-12 06:25pm

I'm amazed that Metropolis got #3, but the list is pretty close to what I think. Just bring RotJ to the top, along with The Terminator. And knock The Matrix down a few slots.

Sharp-kun · Post by **Sharp-kun** » 2004-03-12 06:32pm

YAY! End of Evangelion made it in!

Ted C · Post by **Ted C** » 2004-03-12 06:35pm

Drooling Iguana wrote:And 15 is now less than 10?

Doh! Smacked myself with my own editing. I originally noted that two of the Star Wars movies were in the top 10, and all were in the top 20. Obviously I didn't revise everything properly when I consolidated the statement. I'm really supposed to know better...

DaveJB · Post by **DaveJB** » 2004-03-12 08:28pm

Ugh... out of that top 50, only two Brit directors were involved - Ridley Scott for Alien and Blade Runner and James Whale for The Invisible Man (three if you actually believe that Dick Marquand had any real control over ROTJ).

IMDb ratings aren't always accurate though - unless you believe that INS and NEM are better films than TSFS, FC is better than TVH and TUC, and TFF is better than Gigli

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2004-03-12 08:31pm

2001 is beat out by The Matrix.

Shows you what these fuckers know...

DaveJB · Post by **DaveJB** » 2004-03-12 08:47pm

The Kernel wrote:2001 is beat out by The Matrix.

Shows you what these fuckers know...

One of the flaws of democracy. 2001 may be a better movie, but The Matrix has more mass-market appeal (read: fanboys), and is pretty much guaranteed to do better in voting.

KhyronTheBackstabber · Post by **KhyronTheBackstabber** » 2004-03-12 08:55pm

Monster A-Go Go is number 4 in the ten worst. That was one of my favorite episodes of MST3K.

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2004-03-13 03:10pm

I would like to see how the films would be ranked by viewers who've seen a majority of the films, and thus have a better vantage point in which to determine what is good and origional, and what is fan wanking and cliche.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2004-03-13 03:29pm

Darth_Zod wrote:that's. . . .odd. . . .a clockwork orange is considered science fiction?

It deals with the implications of a scientific advance (Super aversion treatment) on society.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2004-03-13 03:30pm

true. but it doesn't really have the elements of most science fiction shows/movies/books that i would consider it such.

Drooling Iguana · Post by **Drooling Iguana** » 2004-03-13 10:03pm

It takes place in the future. That's usually enough to qualify.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2004-03-14 10:53pm

The Truman Show?

That movie sucked.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2004-03-14 11:06pm

2001 sucked ass. I don't care what you think of the book, the movie was just Kubrick semen. I care for it not.

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2004-03-15 12:11am

Illuminatus Primus wrote:2001 sucked ass. I don't care what you think of the book, the movie was just Kubrick semen. I care for it not.

Overall, I didn't care much for it either (however I enjoyed the book), but you have to admit, the visual effects and minatures were awesome when you consider when that movie was made. In fact, the USS Discovery from that film has become my favorite ship in all of Sci-fi (and no, it has nothing to do with the fact that that ship can be considered a phallic symbol. If that were the reason, then my favorite would be V'Ger

)

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2004-03-15 01:37am

I am not entitled to find a movie cool because "at the time" it had "cool special effects."

Why be dishonest? Moi was born on September 25, 1986, and my idea of cool special effects distracting me and making stuff cool is not 2001.

Let's face it, this one of the reasons that "cool SFX" movies are still just barely above "shit" in the comparison section; you know they'll be dated and dumb in a couple years.

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2004-03-15 01:42am

Illuminatus Primus wrote:I am not entitled to find a movie cool because "at the time" it had "cool special effects.

You will note that I said that overall I did not care for it much either...

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2004-03-15 04:57am

Illuminatus Primus wrote:2001 sucked ass. I don't care what you think of the book, the movie was just Kubrick semen. I care for it not.

I have found that most people either hate it or love it (I'm the later obviously), but even if you hated it, you have to hand it to Kubrick for making a movie that totally redefined the way we think about motion pictures. 2001's visual and audio style did as much for the evolution of movies as George Lucas did with Star Wars. You may not like the movie but it certainly was groundbreaking.

KhyronTheBackstabber · Post by **KhyronTheBackstabber** » 2004-03-15 05:24am

2001 has kind of grown on me over time. When I was a kid I didn't care for it because there were no explosions, space fights, or any of that exciting stuff. But now, if I'm channel surfing and it's on I'll watch it.

Oh and on a side note. Darth Zod, I'm listing to "Welcome to Planet Motherfucker/Psychoholic slag" by White Zombie, and your sig is dancing in perfect time with it. It's quite amusing.

Montcalm · Post by **Montcalm** » 2004-03-16 11:41pm

OK Star Trek TWOK is way down the list,and Delicatessen is considered sci-fi

Post by **Vympel** » 2004-03-17 06:32am

Illuminatus Primus wrote:I am not entitled to find a movie cool because "at the time" it had "cool special effects."

Why be dishonest? Moi was born on September 25, 1986, and my idea of cool special effects distracting me and making stuff cool is not 2001.

Shit man you're young as. I'm 5 years older than you. Damn. That would make you 17. Always had the impression you were at least 20s. This bodes well for your future development.

Anyway, being born in 1981 doesn't make 2001 suck less, I'll say that.

IMO, only a select number of the Star Treks and the OT of SW manage to keep their SFX charm. Personally I think the prequels may end up looking like shit.

Bob the Gunslinger · Post by **Bob the Gunslinger** » 2004-03-18 05:17pm

IMO, only a select number of the Star Treks and the OT of SW manage to keep their SFX charm. Personally I think the prequels may end up looking like shit.

But it will be pretty, shiny, plastic-y shit.

Some really old special effects that I feel hold up well are Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion monsters. Sure, their movements are a little jerky, but couldn't one use a cgi blurring program to fix that with modern stop-motion?
CGI just looks flat next to a good textured model.

Julhelm · Post by **Julhelm** » 2004-03-18 06:32pm

Funny how Fail Safe is on the list when it is clearly not sci-fi o_O