50 best sci-fi films of all time, according to critics

- Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
- Metascore: 82
- Critic reviews: 44
- Runtime: 1 hour and 59 minutes

Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos offers his own experimental take on relationships in this bizarre outing. Set in a dystopian future, the film sends a man (Colin Farrell) to a place known only as The Hotel. There, he has a limited amount of time to forge a romantic bond. Should the man fail, he'll be transformed into an animal (or crustacean) of his choice, like so many others before him.

- Director: John Woo
- Metascore: 82
- Critic reviews: 25
- Runtime: 2 hours and 18 minutes

This clever actioner finds a cop (John Travolta) and a criminal (Nicolas Cage) reversing roles in the most literal of ways. Specifically, the cop undergoes surgery to take on the criminal's appearance, and vice versa. It all sets the stage for a series of explosive showdowns—the kind which only director John Woo can deliver.

- Director: Alex Cox
- Metascore: 82
- Critic reviews: 20
- Runtime: 1 hour and 32 minutes

This 1984 cult classic stars Emilio Estevez as an angry punk rocker named Otto, who's hired as a repo man and subsequently submerged in a world of constant zaniness. While fulfilling his newfound duties, he crosses paths with UFO conspiracy theorists, rival repo men, a deranged government scientist, and an otherworldly Chevy Malibu. Underpinning the comic narrative is a genuine punk ethos along with a range of anti-consumerist themes, which helps account for the movie's lasting appeal.

- Director: Irvin Kershner
- Metascore: 82
- Critic reviews: 25
- Runtime: 2 hours and 4 minutes

The second installment in the original "Star Wars" saga takes place three years after Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and the Rebel Alliance have destroyed the Death Star. Naturally, Darth Vader and his evil superior, Emperor Palpatine, aren't going down without a fight. Meanwhile, Luke hones his skills as a Jedi Knight under the tutelage of a wise old master named Yoda. The narrative culminates with what's arguably the most famous reveal in movie history.

- Director: Matt Reeves
- Metascore: 82
- Critic reviews: 50
- Runtime: 2 hours and 20 minutes

This "Apes" installment centers on the deadly war between hyper-intelligent apes and a rogue military faction of humans. Leading the apes is Caesar (Andy Serkis), while the humans are led by a savage colonel played by Woody Harrelson. After the conflict gets tragically personal for Caesar, he unleashes the full wrath of his army and paves the way for a violent showdown.

- Directors: Richard Donner, Richard Lester
- Metascore: 83
- Critic reviews: 16
- Runtime: 2 hours and 7 minutes

The Man of Steel (Christopher Reeve) takes on three powerful criminals from Krypton in this popular sequel. Production was a famously harrowing ordeal, during which the studio replaced director Richard Donner with Richard Lester, who reshot a number of scenes. In 2006, Donner's original cut was restored and released to considerable acclaim.

- Director: Sam Raimi
- Metascore: 83
- Critic reviews: 41
- Runtime: 2 hours and 7 minutes

Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy hit a high point with this heralded sequel, in which Peter Parker's web-slinging alter-ego (Tobey Maguire) takes on a multi-tentacled mad scientist (Alfred Molina). Despite his triumphs as a crime fighter, however, Parker suffers numerous setbacks in his personal life. For starters, the girl of his dreams (Kirsten Dunst) is engaged to another man. Needless to say, it can be hard out there for an adolescent superhero.

- Director: Richard Fleischer
- Metascore: 83
- Critic reviews: 6
- Runtime: 2 hours and 7 minutes

Adapted from the novel by Jules Verne, this technicolor classic set an early benchmark for the steampunk sub-genre. While investigating rumors of vicious sea monsters, three men encounter Captain Nemo (James Mason) and his advanced submarine.

- Directors: Kemp Powers, Pete Docter
- Metascore: 83
- Critic reviews: 55
- Runtime: 1 hour and 40 minutes

A recently deceased jazz pianist (voiced by Jamie Foxx) sneaks his way back to Earth in this spectacular Pixar outing. Creative expression provides for a consistent motif, lending the film's title its clever double meaning.

- Director: James Cameron
- Metascore: 83
- Critic reviews: 35
- Runtime: 2 hours and 42 minutes

With four sequels in various states of development, there's no wrong time to revisit this box-office-smashing sci-fi epic from James Cameron. In the film, a greedy corporation wants to mine the moon, Pandora, for a precious mineral and drive off the native Na'vi species. In order to do so, they give paraplegic Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) a Na'vi avatar and ask him to infiltrate the tribe. As Sully dives deeper into the Na'vi world, he begins to adopt their ways—and even falls in love with a female named Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). Groundbreaking 3D technology that took Cameron and company years to develop was instrumental to the movie's impactful visual experience.

- Director: Bong Joon-ho
- Metascore: 84
- Critic reviews: 38
- Runtime: 2 hours and 6 minutes

A disastrous climate experiment has killed virtually all life on the planet, forcing survivors to live aboard a constantly-moving train where humans are divided by an unjust hierarchy, with the lower class living in desperate squalor. A man named Curtis (Chris Evans) leads a revolt, encountering a host of surprises as he advances from room to room toward the upper-class cabins. Ed Harris, Tilda Swinton, and Octavia Spencer also star.

- Director: James Cameron
- Metascore: 84
- Critic reviews: 21
- Runtime: 1 hour and 47 minutes

What began as James Cameron's fever dream became this iconic sci-fi thriller and eventual (highly lucrative) franchise. In the film, a cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger) travels back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the mother of a future resistance leader. To combat the cyborg, future humans send back a man named Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), paving the way for deadly battle—and a head-scratching time-travel paradox.

- Director: Andrew Patterson
- Metascore: 84
- Critic reviews: 35
- Runtime: 1 hour and 31 minutes

Reportedly shot for just $700,000, director Andrew Patterson's feature debut is a masterclass in low-budget filmmaking. Set in the late 1950s, it sends a series of strange frequencies rippling through a small New Mexico town. Attention to detail is everywhere as the story builds toward its final reveal.

- Director: Rian Johnson
- Metascore: 84
- Critic reviews: 44
- Runtime: 1 hour and 59 minutes

Before finding himself at the center of a "Star Wars" storm, "The Last Jedi" director Rian Johnson churned out this inventive sci-fi flick. It stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a young hitman tasked with murdering mob targets sent back from the future. But when his own future self (Bruce Willis) appears before his very eyes, the hitman doesn't fulfill his obligation—kicking off a string of dramatic events.

- Director: Ulrich Köhler
- Metascore: 84
- Critic reviews: 9
- Runtime: 1 hour and 59 minutes

Described by critic Simon Abrams as a "lo-fi sci-fi character study," this German film tells the story of a bachelor named Armin. When all of mankind disappears, the borderline misanthrope experiences a newfound sense of freedom. But will the feeling last?

- Director: James Cameron
- Metascore: 84
- Critic reviews: 22
- Runtime: 2 hours and 17 minutes

This acclaimed sequel takes place 57 years after the original. Lt. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) wakes up from some much-needed hypersleep and soon enough, she and a crew of overzealous space marines are heading back to the same moon she visited decades ago. There, swaths of deadly xenomorphs lay in wait. Director James Cameron claims the film is an allegory for the Vietnam War, which might prompt some viewers to wonder whether the aliens are aggressors or victims.

- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- Metascore: 84
- Critic reviews: 25
- Runtime: 2 hours and 21 minutes

One of the most influential sci-fi films of all time, Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" chronicles the evolution of mankind from primate to interstellar explorer to all-seeing star child. Most of the film takes place aboard a spaceship where a group of astronauts squares off against a rogue supercomputer. Spoiler alert: unbeknownst to the astronauts, alien overlords have been guiding humanity all along.

- Director: Ridley Scott
- Metascore: 84
- Critic reviews: 15
- Runtime: 1 hour and 57 minutes

Powered by epic scenery, a noirish atmosphere, and an unforgettable score, this 1982 sci-fi classic stars Harrison Ford as a blade runner named Rick Deckard. At the behest of his superiors, Deckard must track down and eliminate four rogue replicants (i.e. humanoid androids with limited lifespans). As his quest unfolds, Deckard is forced to confront a range of philosophical conundrums about what it means to be human. In 2007, director Ridley Scott released "Blade Runner: The Final Cut," which many consider the ultimate version.

- Director: Rian Johnson
- Metascore: 84
- Critic reviews: 56
- Runtime: 2 hours and 32 minutes

Fans might still be divided over this "Star Wars" installment from Rian Johnson, but critics were far more united in their positive appraisal. In the film, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) begrudgingly helps Rey (Daisy Ridley) unlock the power of the force, while the Resistance and First Order engage in deadly battle. Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac's respective characters also return to the fold.

- Director: Alfonso Cuarón
- Metascore: 84
- Critic reviews: 38
- Runtime: 1 hour and 49 minutes

Based on a novel by P.D. James, this gripping thriller takes place in a future where humans are no longer able to reproduce. Amidst a backdrop of perennial chaos, a former activist (Clive Owen) escorts an important young woman to a sanctuary at sea. What makes the woman so important? She's the first human being to get pregnant in years.

- Director: Terry Gilliam
- Metascore: 84
- Critic reviews: 18
- Runtime: 2 hours and 12 minutes

This Terry Gilliam classic takes place in a bureaucratic retro-future where a desk worker (Jonathan Pryce) dreams of escaping the daily grind. After being mistaken for a terrorist, the worker flees from government officials with the girl of his dreams by his side. Despite its debt to George Orwell's "1984," this is a film that comes bursting with sheer originality. Robert De Niro co-stars.

- Director: Leos Carax
- Metascore: 84
- Critic reviews: 34
- Runtime: 1 hour and 55 minutes

This award-winning, dreamlike drama centers around a man named Mr. Oscar (Denis Lavant) who can assume various identities. As Mr. Oscar hops from one appointment to the next, he alternately becomes an old woman, a red-haired kidnapper, a father, and a Chinese gangster, among other roles. While the narrative remains somewhat elusive, most critics were enraptured by the film's pervasive, imaginative style. Eva Mendes and Kylie Minogue co-star.

- Director: Brad Bird
- Metascore: 85
- Critic reviews: 29
- Runtime: 1 hour and 26 minutes

Time has been kind to Brad Bird's debut feature, which had a disappointing run at the box office. Now a cult classic, the film chronicles the relationship between a young boy and a giant robot from outer space. The two evade capture from a government agent determined to destroy the robot at all costs. Not only does the film make for an entertaining visual ride, but it comes underscored by Bird's own philosophical musings.

- Director: Bong Joon-ho
- Metascore: 85
- Critic reviews: 35
- Runtime: 1 hour and 59 minutes

Years after an American pathologist dumps 200 bottles of formaldehyde down the drain, a mysterious creature appears in Seoul's Han River. So goes this environmental monster movie from South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho. When the creature abducts a young girl by the name of Hyun-seo, her family sets out to save her.

- Director: Valentyn Vasyanovych
- Metascore: 85
- Critic reviews: 10
- Runtime: 1 hour and 48 minutes

Valentyn Vasyanovych's visually sumptuous drama takes place in eastern Ukraine after a disastrous war with Russia. Against a dystopian backdrop, a traumatized soldier and humanitarian activist embark on a life-changing mission.

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- Metascore: 86
- Critic reviews: 7
- Runtime: 1 hour and 57 minutes

From legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki comes this environmental parable that takes place in a future world on the brink of extinction. As two warring parties threaten to take the planet past a point of no return, Princess Nausicaä struggles to keep the peace. On the heels of this film's success, Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli, the company behind a number of cinema's most enduring animated classics.

- Director: Gabriel Mascaro
- Metascore: 86
- Critic reviews: 8
- Runtime: 1 hour and 41 minutes

This erotic Brazilian drama takes place in the year 2027 and offers a dystopian glimpse of future romance. In her effort to keep couples together, a bureaucrat enlists the help of a religious cult. "A profound cinematic question about the nature of the country's conflicted soul," wrote critic Eric Kohn for IndieWire.

- Directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
- Metascore: 87
- Critic reviews: 50
- Runtime: 1 hour and 57 minutes

Anyone can wear the mask in this computer-animated adventure, which introduces Spider-Man to a series of alternate dimensions. Its transfixing visual style layers 2D ink over 3D technology to generate a hand-drawn effect. An untitled sequel is scheduled for release in 2022.

- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- Metascore: 87
- Critic reviews: 26
- Runtime: 1 hour and 56 minutes

In this epoch-making adventure comedy, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) travels back in time and inadvertently becomes the object of his own mother's affection. To preserve his future existence, Marty must play matchmaker between his teenage father (Crispin Glover) and mother (Lea Thompson), all while evading the wrath of a bully named Biff. Thankfully, he has a little help from zany scientist Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd).

- Director: James Whale
- Metascore: 87
- Critic reviews: 15
- Runtime: 1 hour and 11 minutes

Legendary horror director James Whale delivered this black-and-white adaptation, in which a scientist unlocks the power of invisibility. Unfortunately, side effects may include total insanity. It was recently remade into a blockbuster thriller starring Elisabeth Moss.

- Director: Ryan Coogler
- Metascore: 88
- Critic reviews: 55
- Runtime: 2 hours and 14 minutes

One of 2018's biggest box office hits was likewise a smashing success among critics and audiences. Set in the fictional world of Wakanda, an African nation where a precious mineral powers a range of technological advancements, the film sees Prince T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returning home to rule as king. T'Challa adopts the role of Black Panther and tries to prevent his country from plunging into war.

- Director: Richard Kelly
- Metascore: 88
- Critic reviews: 15
- Runtime: 1 hour and 53 minutes

Cult sensation "Donnie Darko" stars Jake Gyllenhaal as the title character and employs a truly mind-bending premise. After Donnie undergoes a near-death experience, he encounters a range of inexplicable phenomena. Meanwhile, a mysterious rabbit man counts down toward the end of the world. Viewers are still trying to figure this one out.

- Director: Ridley Scott
- Metascore: 89
- Critic reviews: 34
- Runtime: 1 hour and 57 minutes

As the timeless poster art for this sci-horror movie attests, "In space, no one can hear you scream." That's bad news for the crew aboard the spaceship Nostromo, which picks up a deadly alien lifeform from a distant moon. Ultimately, a heroine named Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) must use her wits and weaponry to eradicate the hostile threat. A slew of sequels and prequels followed.

- Director: George Lucas
- Metascore: 90
- Critic reviews: 24
- Runtime: 2 hours and 1 minute

Cinema's most enduring franchise began with this 1977 masterpiece in which Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and the Rebel Alliance take on Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) and the Evil Empire. Before Luke and company can take down the Death Star, they must rescue Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) from Vader's evil clutches. Helping Luke along the way is Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), two robots, and a hairy Wookie named Chewbacca.

- Director: George Miller
- Metascore: 90
- Critic reviews: 51
- Runtime: 2 hours

The "Mad Max" saga culminated with this action-packed installment, starring Tom Hardy in the title role. After crossing paths with a vicious warlord, Max and a rebel named Furiosa (Charlize Theron) embark on an explosive adventure across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. According to one critic, the movie "vibrates with the energy of a veteran filmmaker working at the top of his game."

- Director: Aleksei German
- Metascore: 90
- Critic reviews: 13
- Runtime: 2 hours and 50 minutes

This critically praised Russian sci-fi film sends a group of scientists to a distant planet, where a native civilization is undergoing its medieval phase. Bound by a set of non-violent principles, the scientists try to help the locals without challenging society's broader tenants. Ultimately, the scientists find themselves grappling with the ultimate question: What should one do if he or she has the power and knowledge of a god?

- Directors: Ernest B. Schoedsack, Merian C. Cooper
- Metascore: 90
- Critic reviews: 12
- Runtime: 1 hour and 40 minutes

Long before the remakes and reboots, there was the original "King Kong," in which a film crew crosses paths with a gigantic island ape. After the ape is captured and brought back to New York City, it unleashes all sorts of havoc upon the populace. Thanks to a variety of revolutionary special effects, the movie was a major success on all fronts, saving RKO Studios from the brink of bankruptcy.

- Director: Don Hertzfeldt
- Metascore: 90
- Critic reviews: 7
- Runtime: 1 hour and 2 minutes

This experimental work from Don Hertzfeldt employs a myriad of visual effects while weaving a trilogy of animated short films into one unified whole. The film tells the story of Bill, who's undergoing a mental breakdown and consequently experiencing all sorts of vivid hallucinations. As Bill's journey unfolds, Hertzfeldt explores a number of philosophical themes through an absurdist lens.

- Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
- Metascore: 90
- Critic reviews: 8
- Runtime: 2 hours and 47 minutes

Russian auteur Andrei Tarkovsky adapted the legendary sci-fi novel of the same name by Stanislaw Lem to deliver this psychological slow burn. It takes place on a distant planet where scientists are studying a mysterious, intelligent entity. After one of the scientists goes insane, a man is sent to replace him—only to lose his own grip on reality.

- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Metascore: 90
- Critic reviews: 10
- Runtime: 2 hours and 15 minutes

Leave it to Steven Spielberg to present the rare sci-fi movie where aliens legitimately come in peace. Depicting parallel storylines, the film follows an electric lineman (Richard Dreyfuss) as he experiences a range of paranormal phenomena and becomes obsessed with UFOs as a result. Meanwhile, legions of scientists try to figure out how to communicate with advancing extraterrestrials.

- Director: Spike Jonze
- Metascore: 91
- Critic reviews: 47
- Runtime: 2 hours and 6 minutes

Featuring a premise that gets more relevant by the day, this 2013 film centers on the romantic relationship between a lonely writer (Joaquin Phoenix) and his high-tech operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). Despite their intense feelings for one another, invariable differences threaten to pull the two lovers apart. Amy Adams, Chris Pratt, and Rooney Mara co-star.

- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Metascore: 91
- Critic reviews: 30
- Runtime: 1 hour and 55 minutes

This classic family film depicts the symbiotic relationship between a young boy and a visiting alien. Despite their unbreakable bond, the boy must figure out how to get the alien back to its home planet before it perishes here on Earth. Awash with uplifting music and a number of iconic scenes, "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" is both timeless and utterly nostalgic.

- Director: James Whale
- Metascore: 91
- Critic reviews: 15
- Runtime: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Mary Shelley's timeless novel laid the groundwork for this similarly iconic film, about a mad scientist and his monster. It spawned a number of sequels and turned actor Boris Karloff—who played the monster—into a Hollywood legend.

- Directors: Béla Tarr, Ágnes Hranitzky
- Metascore: 92
- Critic reviews: 8
- Runtime: 2 hours and 25 minutes

Rife with tension and style, this haunting Hungarian drama sees a small town lose its collective mind during the arrival of a mysterious circus. The film is presented in black and white and unravels over the course of 39 shots that center around a catastrophic riot. Not only did critics adore the work, but the BBC placed it on its "The 21st Century's 100 Greatest Films" list.

- Director: Mick Jackson
- Metascore: 92
- Critic reviews: 5
- Runtime: 1 hour and 52 minutes

Examining the long-term effects of nuclear war, this British documentary-style drama takes place in a working-class city. Winner of numerous BAFTA Awards, the TV movie depicts various inhabitants of Sheffield, England, before and after a nuclear attack. While researching for the film, director Mick Jackson consulted with various scientists, including Carl Sagan.

- Director: Don Siegel
- Metascore: 92
- Critic reviews: 16
- Runtime: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Despite its reputation as a political allegory, this gripping invasion movie was intended as a "thriller, pure and simple," according to its creators. And not just any thriller, but one of the most iconic in the genre. In the film, a small-town doctor (Kevin McCarthy) fears that members of the local community are being replaced by alien intruders. As it turns out, the doctor is right.

- Director: Andrew Stanton
- Metascore: 95
- Critic reviews: 39
- Runtime: 1 hour and 38 minutes

"WALL-E," one of Pixar's most topical efforts, takes place on an abandoned Earth that's been overridden by mountains of garbage. At the heart of the film is the titular character, a lovable robot who wades through the endless piles of trash and pockets the occasional memento. Upon boarding a spaceship, the robot finds out what humanity's been up to after all these years.

- Director: James Whale
- Metascore: 95
- Critic reviews: 16
- Runtime: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Dr. Frankenstein gives his famous monster a female companion in this beloved sequel. Its unique combination of thrilling horror, earnest emotion, and clever subtext puts the film in a class of its own. A modern remake is reportedly in development.

- Director: Alfonso Cuarón
- Metascore: 96
- Critic reviews: 49
- Runtime: 1 hour and 31 minutes

After their shuttle gets destroyed, a medical engineer (Sandra Bullock) and a veteran astronaut (George Clooney) struggle to survive in this blockbuster. To bring the story to life, director Alfonso Cuarón employed a range of groundbreaking effects—many of which required serious technological innovation behind the scenes. More than a box office smash and critical darling, this is among the few sci-fi films to win an Academy Award for Best Director.

- Director: Fritz Lang
- Metascore: 98
- Critic reviews: 14
- Runtime: 2 hours and 33 minutes

This German masterwork from Fritz Lang isn't just one of the most important sci-fi movies ever made, it's also an absolute benchmark of the silent film era. Set in a future city where the wealthy live a carefree existence, the film follows a privileged man as he journeys underground. There, he discovers an entire working-class society toiling to keep the machines running above the surface. With help from a beautiful woman and an eccentric inventor, the man sets out to make society fair to people from all walks of life.