Top 10 Greatest Science Fiction Films of All Time

Ridley Scott's 1982 neo-noir sci-fi film was based on Philip K. Dick's 1968 novel and grossed $41.6 million worldwide. Although initially a box-office disappointment, it became one of cinema's most influential films. The 1992 Director's Cut and 2007 Final Cut cemented its status; the American Film Institute ranked it the 6th greatest sci-fi film ever made.

George Lucas's 1977 space opera grossed $775 million worldwide on a $11 million budget, making it the highest-grossing film of 1977. It won 6 Academy Awards and spawned a franchise worth over $70 billion. The film is credited with inventing the modern blockbuster era and introduced practical special effects through Industrial Light & Magic.

Ridley Scott's 1979 space horror film grossed $203.6 million on a $11 million budget and won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. H.R. Giger's xenomorph design has become one of cinema's most iconic creatures. The film launched a franchise of 8 films spanning 40+ years and redefined the science fiction horror genre.

The Wachowski Sisters' 1999 cyberpunk film grossed $467 million worldwide on a $63 million budget and won 4 Academy Awards including Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, and Best Sound Editing. Its bullet-time photography technique revolutionised action filmmaking and the simulation hypothesis concept entered mainstream philosophical discourse.

Fritz Lang's 1927 German expressionist epic is the oldest surviving major science fiction film and was the most expensive silent film ever made at 5 million Reichsmarks. Restored to near-completeness in 2010 after a print found in Buenos Aires in 2008, it was the first film added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2001.

Steven Spielberg's 1982 family sci-fi film grossed $792.9 million worldwide on a $10.5 million budget, making it the highest-grossing film of 1982. It held the all-time box-office record until 1993, won 4 Academy Awards, and received the 1983 Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film.

Christopher Nolan's 2014 sci-fi epic grossed $701 million worldwide on a $165 million budget. Physicist Kip Thorne served as executive producer and his work on the film's black hole visualisations led to a published paper in Classical and Quantum Gravity. The film won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 2015.

Alfonso Cuaron's 2013 survival thriller grossed $723.2 million worldwide on a $100 million budget. It won 7 Academy Awards including Best Director for Cuaron — the first Latin American director to win that award — Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects. Its opening sequence runs 12.5 minutes without a cut.

Denis Villeneuve's 2016 linguistic sci-fi film grossed $203.4 million worldwide on a $47 million budget and received 8 Academy Award nominations, winning Best Sound Editing. Based on Ted Chiang's 1998 short story Story of Your Life, it is widely cited as one of the finest examples of literary sci-fi adapted to screen.

Ridley Scott's 1982 neo-noir sci-fi film was based on Philip K. Dick's 1968 novel and grossed $41.6 million worldwide. Although initially a box-office disappointment, it became one of cinema's most influential films. The 1992 Director's Cut and 2007 Final Cut cemented its status; the American Film Institute ranked it the 6th greatest sci-fi film ever made.

George Lucas's 1977 space opera grossed $775 million worldwide on a $11 million budget, making it the highest-grossing film of 1977. It won 6 Academy Awards and spawned a franchise worth over $70 billion. The film is credited with inventing the modern blockbuster era and introduced practical special effects through Industrial Light & Magic.

Ridley Scott's 1979 space horror film grossed $203.6 million on a $11 million budget and won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. H.R. Giger's xenomorph design has become one of cinema's most iconic creatures. The film launched a franchise of 8 films spanning 40+ years and redefined the science fiction horror genre.

The Wachowski Sisters' 1999 cyberpunk film grossed $467 million worldwide on a $63 million budget and won 4 Academy Awards including Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, and Best Sound Editing. Its bullet-time photography technique revolutionised action filmmaking and the simulation hypothesis concept entered mainstream philosophical discourse.

Fritz Lang's 1927 German expressionist epic is the oldest surviving major science fiction film and was the most expensive silent film ever made at 5 million Reichsmarks. Restored to near-completeness in 2010 after a print found in Buenos Aires in 2008, it was the first film added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2001.

Steven Spielberg's 1982 family sci-fi film grossed $792.9 million worldwide on a $10.5 million budget, making it the highest-grossing film of 1982. It held the all-time box-office record until 1993, won 4 Academy Awards, and received the 1983 Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film.

Christopher Nolan's 2014 sci-fi epic grossed $701 million worldwide on a $165 million budget. Physicist Kip Thorne served as executive producer and his work on the film's black hole visualisations led to a published paper in Classical and Quantum Gravity. The film won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 2015.

Alfonso Cuaron's 2013 survival thriller grossed $723.2 million worldwide on a $100 million budget. It won 7 Academy Awards including Best Director for Cuaron — the first Latin American director to win that award — Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects. Its opening sequence runs 12.5 minutes without a cut.

Denis Villeneuve's 2016 linguistic sci-fi film grossed $203.4 million worldwide on a $47 million budget and received 8 Academy Award nominations, winning Best Sound Editing. Based on Ted Chiang's 1998 short story Story of Your Life, it is widely cited as one of the finest examples of literary sci-fi adapted to screen.