AFI's 10 Top 10 Part VII: Sci-Fi

Here we are at the seventh of AFI's 10 Top 10 lists, this one for Sci-Fi films. Here's the list:

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
3. E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial
4. A Clockwork Orange
5. The Day the Earth Stood Still
6. Blade Runner
7. Alien
8. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
9. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
10. Back to the Future

Not a bad list. I'll take them one at a time.

2001: A Space Odyssey - I understand why it's on the list, but I have to admit, I've never quite gotten this film. The middle of the movie is a great story, it's the beginning, with the apes and the monolith, and the end, with the starchild, that I find puzzling and a bit boring. Maybe I'm just too thick for this one.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope - Yay Star Wars! It goes without saying that I would have been upset not to see one of the original Star Wars trilogy on the list. That said, I always felt the Empire Strikes Back was the better film, but I suppose I can accept the original Star Wars taking the slot on the list on the grounds of historical significance.

E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial - What a wonderful movie. It's all about the relationship between Elliot and his alien friend and it manages to hit all the right emotional buttons. Very glad to see it on the list.

A Clockwork Orange - You know, I wouldn't have thought of this as a Science Fiction film. But, of course, speculative fiction, which this certainly is, has always been a branch of science fiction, so it certainly belongs. I'm definitely glad to see it on one of these lists as it's my favorite Kubrick film. And, c'mon, how great is Malcolm McDowell?

The Day the Earth Stood Still - Did you know they were remaking (actually, I think they've already finished shooting it) this movie? With Keanu Reeves as Klaatu no less. There's even a trailer already up here. I only have one question. Why? It's not that the original isn't a good movie, to the contrary, the fact that it is good is reason enough to leave it alone. What is there to add in a remake?

Blade Runner - Got to love an old fashioned detective story set in a sci-fi landscape. Apparently Ridley Scott, the director, and Harrison Ford disagree over whether or not Deckard was a replicant. I never quite understood the reading of the film that said he was, but as I indicated above, I can be a bit thick sometimes so maybe I'm missing some obvious clues.

Alien - So, Ridley Scott and Stanley Kubrick really made out well on this list with two films each. Deservedly so, even if I don't completely get 2001. I do get, and love Alien though. I remember seeing this when I was a kid, it scared the hell out of me. It still holds up for me as one of the most truly scary movies ever. It might seem greedy to want two related films on the same list, bit I think the sequel, Aliens, deserves a spot on the list as well. It's just as good, but in a completely different way. Whereas Alien is a sci-fi/horror film, Aliens is a Sci-Fi/War film.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day - Why Terminator 2, a fine movie in its own right, and not the original Terminator? I feel that the original has the superior story even if the sequel is more notable for its effects achievements.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers - A classic sci-fi allegory from the paranoid days of the Cold War. Glad it made the list.

Back to the Future - And who doesn't love Back to the Future. This is one of those cultural touchstone movies that everyone of a certain age knows and loves. I'm certainly of the right age, so I'm happy to have it on the list.