2001: A Space Odysee (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)

Stanley Kubrick`s Scifi epos could easily be called the mother of all Scifi Movies. There are elements like the AI called HAL 9000 that became sci-fi staples. Impressively this movie was made before computers regularly had screens. CGI techniques have not been invented yet. Douglas Trumbull was using a technique called “Slit-scan photography” to create the outer-worldly visual effects used in the final chapter of this cinematographic masterpiece.

I was lucky enough to watch this on a huge projector hooked up to a nice 5.1 Soundsystem. This movie is grand in scale and has a huge emphasis on sound and image composition. It is an epic film masterpiece designed for the big screen. An absolute must-watch not only for Scifi nerds. This is a movie every Film enthusiast should have watched.

Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)

Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Dan O’Bannon. The movie feature Sigourney Weaver in one of her best roles. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and her crew members on the NOSTROMO face one of the most frightening monsters in movie history. The movie had a tremendous impact and influenced how the interior of spaceships would look like in sci-fi movies and video games for decades to come. This is by far the best movie in the franchise and it is well worth rewatching it today. In my opinion, the movie is still unbeaten in the space horror genre.

Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977)

For most people this movie certainly needs no introduction. The space fable became a mainstream culture phenomenon and the first 6 movies are unbeaten in their genre until this day. The heart touching story of Anakin, qui gon jinn, Yoda and the Jedis is a classic that aged gracefully. Even the CGI heavy prequels have something unique about them and close the narrative circle of the first batch of released films. Unfortunately, the latest three movies are a hot mess. Since the acquisition of Star Wars by Disney the movies completely lost their soul. Especially Episode 8 was a disaster for many fans around the world. Rian Jhonson “subverted expectations” by destroying beloved characters such as Luke Skywalker and turning him into a boy stabbing bum that does neither honor the code of the Jedi nor his own legacy. So keep in mind that this recommendation counts only for episodes 1-6 and not the Disney versions by Jar Jar Abrams and Rian Jhonson.

Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)

This Scifi movie gem has a timeless art direction and still holds up to this day.

In 2019 Los Angeles, former policeman Rick Deckard is detained by Officer Gaff, and brought to his former supervisor, Bryant. Deckard, whose job as a “blade runner” was to track down bioengineered humanoids known as replicants and terminally “retire” them, is informed that four replicants are on Earth illegally. Deckard begins to leave, but Bryant ambiguously threatens him and Deckard stays. The two watch a video of a blade runner named Holden administering the Voight-Kampff test, which is designed to distinguish replicants from humans based on their emotional response to questions. The test subject, Leon, shoots Holden on the second question. Bryant wants Deckard to retire Leon and the other three Nexus-6 replicants: Roy BattyZhora, and Pris.

The film operates on multiple dramatic and narrative levels. It employs some of the conventions of film noir, among them the character of a femme fatale; narration by the protagonist (in the original release)

MATRIX (The Wachowski Brothers, 1999)

This movie didn`t lose any of its actuality over the past 20 years. This action movie inspired a generation by asking questions that are well worth asking. The movie had exceptional special effects usage, a standout style of Martial Arts choreography, and a simply brilliant and gripping plot. After the blockbuster success of the first movie, things went a bit downhill from there. Matrix Reloaded and Revolution aren`t completely botched efforts, but they do not come even close to the first movie. The movie is tons of watch to watch, even more than 20 years after its initial release.

I hope you liked this list. If you have suggestions for movies that are missing please feel free to drop them into the comment section below.

Much Love,