Top 25 Sci-Fi Movies: Part 2

Part 2 of the Top 25 Science Fiction Movies list continues with several more entries in the list! If you missed Part 1, click here.

21: Pacific Rim

Japanese mecha anime brought to life, Pacific Rim is the definition of a fun popcorn flick! Sure, it might be a ripoff of Evangelion and the plot contains some holes, but that’s not the point. The robots, referred to as Jaegers, have a real sense of height to their movements, and not just CGI objects created to sell merchandise *coughTransformerscough*. 

Love it or hate it, Pacific Rim knows exactly what it is, a ridiculously fun action packed summer popcorn flick. It takes a genre that has been relegated to corny Japanese films and anime, and gives it the big-budget Hollywood treatment. In many ways, it is a first of its kind, for western media at least, and let’s hope that the sequel will be even better! 

20: The Thing (1982)

After repeated requests from fellow reviewer, Matthew Birkhofer, to watch and review John Carpenter's The Thing, I finally watched, and I was not disappointed. In the same vein of Ridley Scott's Alien, The Thing is a sci-fi horror thriller that you put you on the edge-of-your-seat at points. The film is also a remake of The Thing from Another World (1951), which makes The Thing one of the best remakes of all-time.

John Carpenter's direction might lack the sustained tension of other horror thrillers of the era, but when it tries to shock the viewer with gruesome violence and a few jump scares, it definitely succeeds. What appealed to me most are the practical effects used to portray The Thing. Sometimes it might look a little corny by today's standards, but as a fan of the art, the FX crew did excellent work on the film. A full review of the film will come eventually.

19: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

"KHAAAAN!" Of the many Star Trek films, The Wrath of Khan is, unquestionably, the iconic one in the franchise, and according to many, it is the best. For me, First Contact and the 2009 Star Trek might be the most fun for me, but The Wrath of Khan will always be the most memorable. It captures the core aspects of what makes Star Trek, Star Trek, whereas the 2009 film, as fun as it is, is closer to a Star Wars rip-off.

As for the film itself, the pacing a little slower than necessary, but it makes up for it with an engaging battle between Kirk and Khan. The battle contains many allusions to Moby Dick, which is referred in the film. An interesting fact is that Kirk and Khan never meet face-to-face, which mirrors a battle between two submarine captains. The most iconic and memorable part for me is in the climax, and if you have not seen film, I will not spoiler. I reference the scene when I am in front of a glass door with my brother, so you should know what I am talking if you have seen it. 

18: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

The film that launched the famed Studio Ghibli, and Hayao Miyazaki's second feature film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind remains one of the best works by the Oscar winning director. Set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where humanity survives on the remaining habitable land. However, unlike most post-apocalyptic films, Nausicaä takes a more optimistic approach as it conveys themes of environmentalism without being terribly overt.

At times the animation shows its age, but it is certainly on par with the Disney films of the era, except much more mature, yet still appropriate for most older children. It is the type of film that truly appeals to audiences of all ages.

Have you seen the movies in this part of the list? What do you think of the list so far? Please comment below, and check back tomorrow for my review of Interstellar!

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