So, an expert panel of top scientists have decided on the top 10 sci-fi movies of all time. In the end, their 'definitive' list is little more than a parade of the populist choices.
1. Blade Runner
2. 2001
3. Star Wars/Empire Strikes Back
4. Alien
5. Solaris
6. Terminator/T2
7. The Day The Earth Stood Still
8. War of the Worlds
9. The Matrix
10. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Ok, so the list isn't that bad. The likes of Blade Runner and 2001 are clear Sci Fi greats, but does the overly pretentious solaris (original version) really deserve a mention. Similarly, the court (of my head) is still out on The Matrix. Fantastic movie it may be, but it really didn't tell us anything new. It was more a mish-mash of common themes repackaged in an ultracool setting.
Also, why are movies packaged together, as in the case of Star Wars and Empire or T1 and T2? Are these movies incapable of standing the test alone? Viewed separately, Star Wars and Empire are distinctly different movies. The first is a fairytale about rescuing a princess, the second an illustration of the oppression of an evil empire upon it's rebellious subjects. I am of course simplifying, both of these movies have a lot more to them than that, but they are different movies. If you are going to lump them together, then where is the bubbly teddy bear finale (Return of the Jedi)? Where is T3?
Of course we can debate what makes a good sci fi till the apocalypse, and we still won't agree, but I think this may well have spurred me on to write a list of my own. Which of course leaves me with the problem of trying to write a sequel to this blog that tops my high-minded criticisms of the above list. Doh!
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