Whether it’s the campy beginnings of The Jetsons, or terrifying horror of the Alien franchise, Sci-Fi has been a success on the silver screen for decade, spawning TV Series, merchandise and even branded slots games. We take a look at some of the greatest moments in Sci-Fi history, and list the films that have influenced both cinema, and generations to come.

2001: A Space Odyssey 

image1 Kicking off this run down with one of the greatest and most influential films in cinematic history, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey changed both science fiction, and filmmaking for generations to come. It follows the astronaut David “Dave” Bowman and his ships sentient onboard computer HAL 9000 on a long distance voyage to Jupiter after the discovery of a featureless black monolith. The film was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress and preserved in the National Film Registry

Blade Runner

image2 This 1982 adaptation of the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick stars Harrison Ford and is set in a dystopian future Los Angeles, in a world where “replicants”, lifelike machines are manufactured by the Tyrell Corporation. The plot follows a group of recently-escaped replicants led by Roy Batty and Rick Deckard, who agrees to take on one last assignment to hunt them down. The film earned itself a sequel, due in November 2017.

Alien
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The first film in Ridley Scotts terrifying franchise, Alien follows the story of the commercial spacecraft Nostromo and its crew on their way back to earth. The ships on board computer wakes the crew from stasis after receiving a distress signal from a nearby planet, and the crew land on the planet to investigate. The film launched the career of lead actress Sigourney Weaver, and also starred the talents of John Hurt and Sir Ian Holm

Fifth Element

image4 Starring Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich and Gary Oldman, the film is set in the 23rd century, and surrounds the survival of planet Earth, which becomes the responsibility of a cab driver by the name of Korben Dallas after a young woman falls into his cab. They join forces to recover four mystical stones, essential for the defense of Earth against an impending attack. Despite polarizing opinions upon its release, it earned over $263 million dollars and has become a cult classic.

Ghost In The Shell

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Released in 1995, Ghost in the Shell was based on the manga of the same name, and was a critical and commercial hit upon its release. The film is set in a world where humans can be augmented, or replaced with completely cybernetic parts and follows Major Motoko Kusanagi and her team of Section 9. It earned itself a live action remake in 2017 starring Scarlett Johannsson and Takeshi Kitano.

Star Wars

image6One of the most influential films in cinema history, Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars IV: A New Hope) was directed by George Lucas and starred mostly unknowns Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford. The plot revolves around the Rebel Alliance, led by Princess Leia and its attempt to destroy the Death Star.

The Matrix

image7 The Matrix stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie Ann Moss & Hugo Weaving, and follows the computer programmer Thomas Anderson who leads a double life as the hacker Neo. The film portrays a dystopian world in which the reality perceived by most of the population is actually a simulated reality called “the Matrix”, created by machines to subdue the human population, whilst harvesting their bodies as an energy source. The film spawned a trilogy, and was a huge financial and critical success, having a knock on effect and influencing countless films and video games due to its unique approach to martial arts, special effects and film making.