In the wake of my review of the dismal Prometheus (the word still prompts that “I feel a yawn coming on” feeling), a reader asked for my own Top Ten list of favorite science fiction films. Below is a list of more than ten, in no particular order. A few notes are in order: (1) I have excluded super hero films (e.g., The Dark Knight, Avengers, etc.) and fantasy (e.g., Lord of the Rings, Princess Bride), since those aren’t science fiction. (2) inclusion on the list means I have watched them all multiple times — the sort of movie that, if I see it while someone is channel surfing (I rarely watch TV), I’ll feel the urge to make them stop so I can watch at least some of it. (3) I like these movies for different reasons — a clever premise, several great scenes, imagination, that sort of thing. (4) Ancient Aliens isn’t a movie, or that would be on the list. Here they are:

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
The Matrix
Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek (2009)
Alien
Aliens
Star Wars
Empire Strikes Back
Contact
Knowing
Stargate
Super 8
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Jurassic Park
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Independence Day
Gattaca
X-Files: Fight the Future
Predator
The Boys from Brazil