It was called The Horse In Motion and it was barely more than a series of still pictures, but it's still considered the first movie as we now know them. That was the year 1878, and it's interesting to see how the medium has evolved in 150 years. The development of science fiction started relatively early in the age of movies, which is impressive considering the demands of the genre when it comes to special effects and the actual capabilities of film technology at the time.
Early filmmakers didn't shy away from the challenge, and the creativity apparent in older science fiction films is an achievement that should be admired. There are plenty of science fiction movies more than 50 years old that are still worth watching, and many of them have had a profound influence on how the genre would evolve in the late 20th century and beyond.
9 Fantastic Voyage (1966)
Fantastic Voyage broke a lot of ground for the future of science fiction in cinema. That's not just because it was nominated for five Academy Awards and actually won two of them, something unheard of at the academy at the time. A Man For All Seasons, a medieval period drama about Sir Thomas Moore, swept the awards that year, just to set the tone. But there was no denying that another genre was up and coming.
In addition to the film's technical merit and unique idea, the movie was also an interesting twist on a genre that had spent too much time musing on spaceships, aliens, and bad robots. This was about miniaturization instead, and years later the movie Innerspace would play with the same concept.
8 Godzilla (1954)
This was the movie that made Godzilla a cultural icon, and virtually no merchandising or localization was required. This introduced the concept of the "kaiju," or great big nasty monster, into science fiction. Instead of a mythical monster, like a Kraken, it was nuclear energy that had awoken the monster, leading it to rise and feed on humanity.
Toho, the original producers of Godzilla, would go on to make 32 more films and fight many more unique kaijus. Anyone who has watched anime can see how this evolved into a million different incarnations of the "monster," such as the Evas of Neon Genesis Evangelion or the titular monsters in Attack on Titan.
7 Forbidden Planet (1956)
It's a bit surreal to see a handsome young Leslie Nielsen being all heroic and serious, but that's part of what's great about Forbidden Planet. Instead of an external threat, like an alien landing or a monster disturbed by modern explosives, the danger lies within a technology that can read minds and manifest their dreams into physical reality. It's just as horrible as it sounds.
This movie looks forward to a time when humans traverse the stars for research, exploration, and curiosity. Today's science fiction borrows from it so much that it is tough to keep track of all the ways this film influenced the genre. Modern innovations include one of the first sentient robots, a brash young starship captain with a mission to fulfill, and a mysterious technology that is beyond human understanding.
6 A Clockwork Orange (1971)
A Clockwork Orange turned 50 last year, and its debut heralded it the beginning of a new wave of dystopian science fiction and literary adaptation. Not only is it an example of a unique type of science fiction, but also of modern literary adaptation. The movie is based on Anthony Burgess' novel of the same name and is one of Stanley Kubrick's most notorious films.
It's a surreal, chilling, and extremely violent look at an indifferent and amoral future that seeks nothing but the next cheap, drug-induced thrill. The audience actually feels sorry for these disgusting people at times, considering the chaotic society in which they have to exist.
5 The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)
This movie was remade in 2008, but it didn't have the same impact that the original did. The original screenplay was based on a short story by Edmund H. North in 1940, called "Farewell to the Master." Like many other science fiction movies of the era, it's set during the Cold War with the threat of nuclear annihilation omnipresent in the background.
Instead of an alien on the run or attacking from another world, an alien named Klaatu arrives in Washington, D.C., and claims he has a message for all humanity. Being that he's landed among humanity, however, he gets shot before he has a chance to tell anyone. He doesn't die, but escapes from the hospital where he is under guard to learn more about the new world he's found, and he's less than impressed.
4 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Even people who have never seen this movie are still familiar with it through parodies, tributes, and blatant imitations. Science fiction in movies had previously been limited by what the special effects, costuming, and art departments could accomplish. 2001: A Space Odyssey confirmed those days were coming to an end.
After this movie, it wasn't enough for science fiction to only win technical awards. It was nominated for no less than four Academy Awards that year, a stunning achievement for science fiction at the time, winning Kubrick one for special effects. Arthur C. Clarke, a renowned science fiction author, helped Stanley Kubrick write the screenplay.
3 The Day Of The Triffids (1962)
It seems like a silly concept at first, and certainly not something frightening, but the 1951 novel by John Wyndham is a chilling vision of acute dystopian horror. The movie wasn't exactly critically acclaimed but became a fan favorite, and it inspired a radio drama series and a television drama, along with modern movies like 28 Days Later and The Happening.
It's not just the attack of alien plants that pins humanity down and ends society as we know it, but the meteor shower preceding their arrival that takes away the eyesight of anyone who sees it. Not only do the film's characters have to fight aliens, but they have to fight them blindly. It's not just aliens, it's body horror, and this story had some influence on both horror and science fiction.
2 Metropolis (1927)
Metropolis is heralded in the present day as the first science fiction feature film, even though it was largely experimental and written as a mere treatment. The movie was made in Germany, and beyond the dystopian future, the movie depicts a search for an understanding between warring classes. The main character has a dream that technology will heal these social wounds somehow.
The original was 153 minutes long, and one of the main complaints critics levied against the movie was about the run time. It's laughable when compared to contemporary movies with epic lengths of three hours.
1 The War Of The Worlds (1953)
Up until this point, science fiction had been akin to fantasy, and not taken very seriously. The 1938 radio show of the same name fooled more than a few people into thinking aliens had actually invaded, which captured the public's imagination and ensured that the movie would be a hit when it was released.
Not only is it an audience favorite, but The War Of The Worlds also received some Oscar recognition with an award for Best Visual Effects. The concept of malevolent alien invasion has been revamped and remastered several times. The most recent version of this film a Spielberg production in 2008, but the impact, horror, and ick-factor have never been the same as they were with the original.