On June 17, 2008 (on CBS) AFI will again air its AFI’s 100 Years…. series announcing the top 100 films. Instead of clumping all movies for all genres together, this time around AFI is choosing the top 10 movies of 10 major genres. Film Tops List #28 covered Animated, Fantasy and Gangster films. This list will cover AFI’s nominations for Science Fiction, Western and Sports films.

SCIENCE FICTION

Science Fiction has become one of my truly favorite genres. After watching The Matrix I just fell in love with the genre and realized I had always liked Sci-Fi actually. I used to watch My Secret Identity, Sliders and Out of this World when I was younger because of the Sci-Fi nature of the show. Other worlds, exceptional possibilities and science are fascinating!

• 151A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
  DreamWorks, 2001
• 152ALIEN
  Twentieth Century-Fox, 1979
• 153ALTERED STATES
  Warner Bros., 1980
• 154THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN
  Universal, 1971
• 155BACK TO THE FUTURE
  Universal, 1985
• 156THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS
  Warner Bros., 1953
• 157BLADE RUNNER
  Warner Bros., 1982
• 158CHILDREN OF MEN
  Universal, 2006
• 159A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
  Warner Bros., 1971
• 160CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
  Columbia, 1977
• 161COCOON
  Twentieth Century-Fox, 1985
• 162CONTACT
  Warner Bros., 1997
• 163THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL
  Twentieth Century-Fox, 1951
• 164DESTINATION MOON
  Eagle-Lion, 1950
• 165E.T. -THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL
• 166ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK
  AVCO Embassy, 1981
• 167ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
  Focus, 2004
  This is perhaps the best whimsical science fiction romance film I’ve ever seen. Smart, damn well written and full of substance. It’s a thinking person’s film.
• 168FANTASTIC VOYAGE
  Twentieth Century-Fox, 1966
• 169THE FLY
  Twentieth Century-Fox, 1986
  The Fly is a classic film that although feels very dated watching it in the 2000s, has lasting power. It’s your classic beauty and the beast story with a science fiction twist. Love it!
• 170FORBIDDEN PLANET
  MGM, 1956
• 171FRANKENSTEIN
  Universal, 1931
• 172THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN
  Universal, 1957
• 173INDEPENDENCE DAY
  Twentieth Century-Fox, 1996
  I run hot and cold with Will Smith films, but when Independence Day came out in 1996, I watched it and loved it.
• 174INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERSAllied Artists, 1956
  Hands down, this is my favorite classic science fiction film. Unlike most black and white science fiction films, Invasion was not intolerable to watch because of the really, really bad acting and really bad special effects. I suppose because the plot has a psychological undertone that’s more to do with something we can all truly relate to: the fear of loved ones becoming other people and suddenly being alone.
• 175THE INVISIBLE MAN
  Universal, 1933
• 176IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE
  Universal, 1953
• 177JURASSIC PARK
  Universal, 1993
  I just loved Jurassic Park for the basic idea of the film. The idea of dinosaurs once again roaming the world after thousands of years of extinction.
• 178MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME
  Warner Bros., 1985
• 179THE MATRIX
  Warner Bros., 1999
  Though science fiction films, like technology itself, has evolved in leaps and bounds, The Matrix in 1999 just blew me away. The special effects and the philosophical and psychological undertones and scientific concepts were just amazing.
• 180MEN IN BLACK
  Columbia, 1997
• 181MINORITY REPORT
  Twentieth Century-Fox, 2002
• 182PLANET OF THE APES
  Twentieth Century-Fox, 1968
• 183REPO MAN
  Universal, 1984
• 184ROBOCOP
  Orion, 1987
• 185ROLLERBALL
  United Artists, 1975
• 186SILENT RUNNING Universal, 1972
• 187SOYLENT GREEN
  MGM, 1973
• 188STAR TREK: THE WRATH OF KHAN
  Paramount, 1982
• 189STAR WARS: EPISODE IV -A NEW HOPE
  Twentieth Century-Fox, 1977
• 190STARMAN
  Columbia, 1984
  I watched the Starman TV show way back when but had never seen the film until a couple of years ago and I must say it’s quite good and even elegant.
• 191THE STEPFORD WIVES
  Columbia, 1975
  The Stepford Wives is one of those “what if” films that really captured the scenario of what if men replaced their wives with robots so they can control them. Of course the film is more of a feminist and moral commentary. It works and it’s great either way.
• 192TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY
  TriStar, 1991
  At the time, 8 years before The Matrix, T2 was a fascination for me. More than anything I was fascinated by the T-1000’s metallic, changeable makeup than anything. Watching the film now is a bit painful considering Edward Furlong’s acting is just awful and the writing borders on cheesy many times. But, at the time, back in the early 1990s, T2 brought it!
• 193THEM!
  Warner Bros., 1954
• 194THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD
  RKO, 1951
• 195THE TIME MACHINE
  MGM, 1960
• 196TOTAL RECALL
  TriStar, 1990
• 197TRON
  Disney, 1982
• 1982001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
  MGM, 1968
• 199THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
  Paramount, 1953
• 200 WESTWORLD
  MGM, 1973

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