Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, starring Harrison Ford and set in a bleak LA of the future, has been named the greatest sci-fi movie of all time by the Titan Magazines-run sci-fi website, Totalscifionline.com.
The online publication has produced a definitive list of the top 100 films in sci-fi, with the 1982 film beating off strong competition to take the top slot.
Stanley Kubrick’s epic 2001: A Space Odyssey comes in second place, while the first release of the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is at number three.
As the news breaks that Ridley Scott is set to make Alien 5, his first entry in the franchise is named the fourth best sci-fi movie of all time, and Metropolis, Fritz Lang’s iconic film from the silent period, completes the top five.
The authoritative list spans more than a century of movies in the sci-fi genre, with current release Moon making position 74, and the pioneering A Trip to the Moon from 1902 in the top fifteen.
Other entries in the list include two versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a plethora of titles from the genre’s 1970s heyday such as Silent Running, The Man Who Fell To Earth and The Andromeda Strain, and classic films by Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Russian master Andrei Tarkovsky.
Surprisingly, the recent smash hit Star Trek movie prequel makes the list, but comes in at a lowly 93. Two other Star Trek movies, The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country, are adjudged to be superior entries in the franchise, coming in at 19 and 67 respectively.
“It’s odd to think that Blade Runner was not a critical or commercial success on its initial release in 1982,” commented Matt McAllister, Editor of Totalscifionline.com. “Some critics dismissed it as a case of style over substance. Yet while the depiction of a neon-lit future LA is still breathtaking, Ridley Scott’s film is backed up a real sense of sadness, fear and longing. It also contains career-best performances from Harrison Ford as Deckard and Rutger Hauer as the charming, feral Roy Batty, and terrific supporting performances from the likes of Daryl Hannah and Sean Young.
“However many times you’ve seen Blade Runner before, it retains its awe-inspiring power. A sci-fi masterpiece.”
The Top Ten:
1. Blade Runner (1982)
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
3. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
4. Alien (1979)
5. Metropolis (1927)
6. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)
7. The Terminator (1984)
8. The Planet of the Apes (1968)
9. E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial (1982)
10. Solaris (1972)
• To view the ‘Top 100 films in sci-fi’ list in full, visit:
http://totalscifionline.com/features/3809
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Film