Movies-TV I've Seen and Recommend
by jaketest | created - 31 Jul 2012 | updated - 01 Nov 2016 | PublicMovies that have affected me in some way I consider positive, and that I feel could possibly be rewarding to someone else. An excessive inclusion of sci-fi, so if you didn't like sci-fi, you would probably be disappointed. Action movies are mixed with documentaries, and sappy love stories, classics and new releases. The only requirements are that I've seen them (and I remember something about them) and that I found something of value, especially if it was just fun.
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1. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
PG | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.
Director: George Lucas | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness
Votes: 1,450,010 | Gross: $322.74M
This formed an important part of my imagination. I realized a lot about my impressions of space. The soundtrack was a critical element that was missing in the last three prequels.
2. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
PG | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
After the Rebel Alliance are overpowered by the Empire, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.
Director: Irvin Kershner | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams
Votes: 1,380,147 | Gross: $290.48M
Many people found this to be too dark, but for me it fit right into the expectation of a "between" movie. From beginning to end the rebels are on the run, and by the end we are concerned that they may be losing the war - which is how we're supposed to feel. "Come on, goldenrod!" "I love you." "I know."
3. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
PG | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
After rescuing Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, the Rebel Alliance attempt to destroy the second Death Star, while Luke struggles to help Darth Vader back from the dark side.
Director: Richard Marquand | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams
Votes: 1,121,704 | Gross: $309.13M
A perfect END to the series. Please disregard the prequels. There are great effects in them, but they create a disturbance in the field, the aura generated in those generations of children. Lucas really has committed a crime by his slow and steady dismantling of the originals. There is a Orwellian quality to his alteration of the past. What if the same was done to history? Improve it here and there, add muppets to the beach at Normandy?
4. Star Trek (2009)
PG-13 | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
The brash James T. Kirk tries to live up to his father's legacy with Mr. Spock keeping him in check as a vengeful Romulan from the future creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time.
Director: J.J. Abrams | Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Leonard Nimoy
Votes: 620,346 | Gross: $257.73M
I enjoyed the beginning scene in this one the most, the crazy kid loose in a Mustang. The villain was horribly inadequate, though. But the idea of re-defining the whole Star Trek series by altering time is great. Any series could be restarted this way. In fact, you could merge dying series together by some sort of time entanglement. Seeing a young Kirk and a young Spock strengthened the Roddenberry line.
5. Star Trek (1966–1969)
TV-PG | 50 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.
Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols
Votes: 92,960
I watched this on TV originally. Kirk was the perfect father.
6. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
G | 143 min | Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi
When an alien spacecraft of enormous power is spotted approaching Earth, Admiral James T. Kirk resumes command of the overhauled USS Enterprise in order to intercept it.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan
Votes: 96,635 | Gross: $82.26M
A lot of people hate this, but after several viewings I began to understand it in the Gene Roddenberry ethos. Man-machine merger, Spock learning his identity (which is forgotten by Star Trek II.) Decker provides a nice foil to an aging Kirk.
7. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
PG | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
With the assistance of the Enterprise crew, Admiral Kirk must stop an old nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, from using the life-generating Genesis Device as the ultimate weapon.
Director: Nicholas Meyer | Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan
Votes: 129,241 | Gross: $78.91M
Khan and Kirk. Without Khan, Kirk would have been hard to take. "With my last breath I spit at thee." The son is awful, the ex-wife is awful. Spock and Kirk and Khan create a trifecta. The hate between Kirk and Khan, and the brotherhood/friendship between Kirk and Spock are twin pieces that somehow create a thematic resonance possibly beyond anything intended by the writers.
8. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
PG | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
To save Earth from an alien probe, Admiral James T. Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to San Francisco in 1986 to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it: humpback whales.
Director: Leonard Nimoy | Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan
Votes: 91,500 | Gross: $109.71M
All the elements of the old Star Trek are here, except with the proper nostalgic treatment by the characters for days gone by.
9. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
PG | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
On the eve of retirement, Kirk and McCoy are charged with assassinating the Klingon High Chancellor and imprisoned. The Enterprise crew must help them escape to thwart a conspiracy aimed at sabotaging the last best hope for peace.
Director: Nicholas Meyer | Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan
Votes: 80,909 | Gross: $74.89M
The bad guy in this tale is excellent. Shakespeare is always a welcome addition to Star Trek. "Once more into the breach!" "Cry havoc, and loose the dogs of war." "Prick me do I not bleed?" The hate Kirk has for the Klingons is very socially relevant.
10. Star Trek: Generations (1994)
PG | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
With the help of long presumed dead Captain Kirk, Captain Picard must stop a deranged scientist willing to murder on a planetary scale in order to enter a space matrix.
Director: David Carson | Stars: Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, Malcolm McDowell, Jonathan Frakes
Votes: 87,064 | Gross: $75.67M
Is this the one with the Ribbon? 'Time is the fire in which we all burn." That line has stuck with me forever.
11. Iron Man (2008)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.
Director: Jon Favreau | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges
Votes: 1,125,179 | Gross: $318.41M
12. Alien (1979)
R | 117 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright
Votes: 951,193 | Gross: $78.90M
A bit gross, but critical to understanding Prometheus.
13. Aliens (1986)
R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Decades after surviving the Nostromo incident, Ellen Ripley is sent out to re-establish contact with a terraforming colony but finds herself battling the Alien Queen and her offspring.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Paul Reiser
Votes: 763,321 | Gross: $85.16M
14. Alien: Resurrection (1997)
R | 109 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Two centuries after her death, a powerful human/alien hybrid clone of Ellen Ripley aids a crew of space pirates in stopping the aliens from reaching Earth.
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Dominique Pinon, Ron Perlman
Votes: 263,518 | Gross: $47.75M
15. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
PG-13 | 112 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Bruce Banner, a scientist on the run from the U.S. Government, must find a cure for the monster he turns into whenever he loses his temper.
Director: Louis Leterrier | Stars: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt
Votes: 523,641 | Gross: $134.52M
16. Thor (2011)
PG-13 | 115 min | Action, Fantasy
The powerful but arrogant god Thor is cast out of Asgard to live amongst humans in Midgard (Earth), where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston
Votes: 900,417 | Gross: $181.03M
Hard to beat on a fun level.
17. Moon (2009)
R | 97 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Astronaut Sam Bell has a quintessentially personal encounter toward the end of his three-year stint on the Moon, where he, working alongside his computer, GERTY, sends back to Earth parcels of a resource that has helped diminish our planet's power problems.
Director: Duncan Jones | Stars: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey, Dominique McElligott, Rosie Shaw
Votes: 376,782 | Gross: $5.01M
This wasn't as easy for me to enjoy, but my 14-year old son really got into it, which surprised me.
18. Batman (1989)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure
The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl
Votes: 404,359 | Gross: $251.19M
Even though Bale took over the meaning of Batman, they all secretly worship Jack Nicholson's Joker.
19. Batman Begins (2005)
PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After witnessing his parents' death, Bruce learns the art of fighting to confront injustice. When he returns to Gotham as Batman, he must stop a secret society that intends to destroy the city.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe, Liam Neeson
Votes: 1,578,959 | Gross: $206.85M
The music is critical to this series. Listen to the strings as they manage to maintain the emotion when the story is thin.
20. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
PG-13 | 164 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Eight years after the Joker's reign of chaos, Batman is coerced out of exile with the assistance of the mysterious Selina Kyle in order to defend Gotham City from the vicious guerrilla terrorist Bane.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman
Votes: 1,827,970 | Gross: $448.14M
Josh loved Bane, the bad guy. He is impressive, even though the movie peters out, and there's confusion at the end.
21. The Dark Knight (2008)
PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine
Votes: 2,871,665 | Gross: $534.86M
The best of the series, with the Jokers incredible capture of American's fascination with indifference.
22. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure
In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies
Votes: 1,037,092 | Gross: $248.16M
Good lines, good story, good music, great pacing. The girl is a bit off for me, but only a bit.
23. Man on Fire (2004)
R | 146 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In Mexico City, a former CIA operative swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Dakota Fanning, Radha Mitchell
Votes: 389,718 | Gross: $77.91M
A bit depressing, but incredible "Man" power is expressed throughout, strong and silent, unstoppable rage.
24. Green Lantern (2011)
PG-13 | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Reckless test pilot Hal Jordan is granted an alien ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers that inducts him into an intergalactic police force, the Green Lantern Corps.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong
Votes: 296,169 | Gross: $116.60M
Hey, very corny, but still fun!
25. Superman (1978)
PG | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando
Votes: 187,576 | Gross: $134.22M
My favorite version.
26. Superman II (1980)
PG | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.
Director: Richard Lester | Stars: Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty
Votes: 114,655 | Gross: $108.19M
27. Total Recall (1990)
R | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
When a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or is he?
Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Rachel Ticotin
Votes: 354,677 | Gross: $119.39M
Good clean fun. Lots of action, quirky story, Phillip K. Dick again.
28. Minority Report (2002)
PG-13 | 145 min | Action, Crime, Mystery
John works with the PreCrime police which stop crimes before they take place, with the help of three 'PreCogs' who can foresee crimes. Events ensue when John finds himself framed for a future murder.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max von Sydow
Votes: 584,505 | Gross: $132.07M
29. Mission: Impossible (1996)
PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
An American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny
Votes: 470,417 | Gross: $180.98M
30. Mission: Impossible II (2000)
PG-13 | 123 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
IMF agent Ethan Hunt is sent to Sydney to find and destroy a genetically modified disease called "Chimera".
Director: John Woo | Stars: Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandiwe Newton, Ving Rhames
Votes: 377,810 | Gross: $215.41M
31. Blade (1998)
R | 120 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
A half-vampire, half-mortal man becomes a protector of the mortal race, while slaying evil vampires.
Director: Stephen Norrington | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, N'Bushe Wright
Votes: 299,058 | Gross: $70.09M
32. Blade Runner (1982)
R | 117 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos
Votes: 823,305 | Gross: $32.87M
Which cut? Who cares! The ending is confusing on all of them.
33. Con Air (1997)
R | 115 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Newly-paroled ex-con and former U.S. Ranger Cameron Poe finds himself trapped in a prisoner-transport plane when the passengers seize control.
Director: Simon West | Stars: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Colm Meaney
Votes: 319,358 | Gross: $101.12M
34. The Terminator (1984)
R | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A human soldier is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine, sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman whose unborn son is the key to humanity's future salvation.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Paul Winfield
Votes: 924,466 | Gross: $38.40M
35. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
R | 109 min | Action, Sci-Fi
A machine from a post-apocalyptic future travels back in time to protect a man and a woman from an advanced robotic assassin to ensure they both survive a nuclear attack.
Director: Jonathan Mostow | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Kristanna Loken, Claire Danes
Votes: 418,610 | Gross: $150.37M
36. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick
Votes: 1,174,453 | Gross: $204.84M
37. Spawn (1997)
PG-13 | 96 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An elite mercenary is killed, but comes back from Hell as a reluctant soldier of the Devil.
Director: Mark A.Z. Dippé | Stars: Michael Jai White, John Leguizamo, Martin Sheen, Theresa Randle
Votes: 72,299 | Gross: $54.97M
Too gross?
38. Predator (1987)
R | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Horror
A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall, Elpidia Carrillo
Votes: 455,019 | Gross: $59.74M
39. Die Hard (1988)
R | 132 min | Action, Thriller
A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson
Votes: 945,823 | Gross: $83.01M
Key to your man voyage. "Yippie Kayee mother *beep* Woo hoo!
40. Die Hard 2 (1990)
R | 124 min | Action, Thriller
John McClane attempts to avert disaster as rogue military operatives seize control of Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.
Director: Renny Harlin | Stars: Bruce Willis, William Atherton, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson
Votes: 383,162 | Gross: $117.54M
An excellent follow on to Die Hard, with a pretty good villain.
41. Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
R | 128 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
John McClane and a Harlem store owner are targeted by German terrorist Simon in New York City, where he plans to rob the Federal Reserve Building.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson, Graham Greene
Votes: 408,252 | Gross: $100.01M
42. Outbreak (1995)
R | 127 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Army doctors struggle to find a cure for a deadly virus spreading throughout a California town that was brought to America by an African monkey.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey
Votes: 137,803 | Gross: $67.82M
Pretty cool. Hoffman and Russo work as a pair. He is such a bindlestiff and she's such a bitch, they sparkle. And Freedman is great as always. What's not to love? The scenario is perfectly set up, and the comedy is well played.
43. V for Vendetta (2005)
R | 132 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
In a future British dystopian society, a shadowy freedom fighter, known only by the alias of "V", plots to overthrow the tyrannical government - with the help of a young woman.
Director: James McTeigue | Stars: Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Rupert Graves, Stephen Rea
Votes: 1,179,563 | Gross: $70.51M
I love psychic torment for some sick reason. I love "Remember, remember, the 5 of September" or however it went. I love the idea of blowing up "Parliament."
44. Predator 2 (1990)
R | 108 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
The Predator returns to Earth, this time to stake a claim on the war-torn streets of a dystopian Los Angeles.
Director: Stephen Hopkins | Stars: Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Kevin Peter Hall, Rubén Blades
Votes: 182,669 | Gross: $30.67M
As usual, people didn't like this, because no Arnold, but Danny Glover is cool, and the effects are cool.
45. Falling Down (1993)
R | 113 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An ordinary man frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society begins to psychotically and violently lash out against them.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey, Rachel Ticotin
Votes: 206,731 | Gross: $40.90M
"I'm the bad guy?" Love this. I always feel like this is my story. It's me the middle-aged white guy who's out of luck. Hershey is the biggest bitch on earth, she plays it sooo cool. Nooo, she didn't do anything to deserve this. Hah!
I know, I got the wrong message. oops.
46. Judge Dredd (1995)
R | 96 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
In a dystopian future, Joseph Dredd, the most famous Judge (a police officer with instant field judiciary powers), is convicted for a crime he did not commit and must face his murderous counterpart.
Director: Danny Cannon | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Rob Schneider, Jürgen Prochnow
Votes: 124,962 | Gross: $34.69M
Diane Lane is great, Stallone is perfectly over the top and it works. "I am the Law!" The graphics aren't bad, the ideas are fairly classic science fiction.
47. Planet of the Apes (1968)
G | 112 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
An astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet where highly intelligent non-human ape species are dominant and humans are enslaved.
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner | Stars: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans
Votes: 193,357 | Gross: $33.40M
"Get your damn hands off me, you filthy ape." Charleton Heston defined anger management. I took some of this in to my personality at an early age, and came to regret it later in life.
48. Planet of the Apes (2001)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In 2029, an Air Force astronaut crash-lands on a mysterious planet where evolved, talking apes dominate a race of primitive humans.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Roth, Michael Clarke Duncan
Votes: 229,210 | Gross: $180.01M
A confusing version, but worth watching for fun.
49. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
PG-13 | 105 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A substance designed to help the brain repair itself gives advanced intelligence to a chimpanzee who leads an ape uprising.
Director: Rupert Wyatt | Stars: James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, Karin Konoval
Votes: 559,404 | Gross: $176.76M
Very interesting ideas! I love anything with genetics. Of course it breaks the entire mythology of the earlier 70s series. Don't let them confuse you.
50. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
G | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
The sole survivor of an interplanetary rescue mission searches for the only survivor of the previous expedition. He discovers a planet ruled by apes and an underground city run by telepathic humans.
Director: Ted Post | Stars: James Franciscus, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, Linda Harrison
Votes: 51,436 | Gross: $19.00M
51. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
G | 93 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Ten years after a worldwide series of ape revolutions and a brutal nuclear war among humans, Caesar must protect survivors of both species from an insidious human cult and a militant ape faction alike.
Director: J. Lee Thompson | Stars: Roddy McDowall, Claude Akins, Natalie Trundy, Severn Darden
Votes: 33,797 | Gross: $8.84M
52. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
PG | 88 min | Action, Sci-Fi
In a futuristic world that has embraced ape slavery, Caesar, the son of the late simians Cornelius and Zira, surfaces after almost twenty years of hiding out from the authorities, and prepares for a slave revolt against humanity.
Director: J. Lee Thompson | Stars: Roddy McDowall, Don Murray, Ricardo Montalban, Natalie Trundy
Votes: 35,954 | Gross: $9.81M
53. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
G | 98 min | Action, Sci-Fi
The world is shocked by the appearance of three talking chimpanzees, who arrived mysteriously in a U.S. spacecraft. They become the toast of society, but one man believes them to be a threat to the human race.
Director: Don Taylor | Stars: Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Bradford Dillman, Natalie Trundy
Votes: 39,235 | Gross: $12.30M
54. Zombieland (2009)
R | 88 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
A shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, a gun-toting bruiser in search of the last Twinkie and a pair of sisters striving to get to an amusement park join forces in a trek across a zombie-filled America.
Director: Ruben Fleischer | Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, Abigail Breslin
Votes: 621,544 | Gross: $75.59M
Quirky and violently silly, the mix of sadism with tenderness is beyond acceptable in a PC society, so that's why I love it.
55. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
PG-13 | 146 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
A highly advanced robotic boy longs to become "real" so that he can regain the love of his human mother.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Sam Robards
Votes: 323,093 | Gross: $78.62M
You may hate this one, it's pretty slow and long, but Spielberg captures a flavor of modern sci-fi that you won't find many places. It's not hard sci-fi like 2010.
56. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
G | 149 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
After uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter
Votes: 719,737 | Gross: $56.95M
Sooooo slow, be careful. The message is tricky to find; I don't think Kubrik's vision matches Clarke's story, but it's a very intriguing one. 2010 goes into a more explicit outlining of Clarke's message.
57. Fallen (1998)
R | 124 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Homicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution, the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese's style.
Director: Gregory Hoblit | Stars: Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, Embeth Davidtz
Votes: 92,635 | Gross: $25.19M
Creepy. Negative and dark. Not very funny, but the sheer volume of hopelessness for the situation makes you cringe.
58. Speed (1994)
R | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A young police officer must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph.
Director: Jan de Bont | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton
Votes: 392,036 | Gross: $121.25M
Dennis Hopper. I love his evilness. Sandra Bullock is exaggerating the bimbo here, but it's not really offensive. The premise is enough to keep your attention.
59. The Matrix (1999)
R | 136 min | Action, Sci-Fi
When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.
Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
Votes: 2,053,907 | Gross: $171.48M
My kind of paranoia. Some don't think Keanu was effective, but as a stunted human struggling against an electromechanical world I think his bland expressions fit perfectly. The grey universe seems to grant a subtlety to his face that isn't there in his other work.
60. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
R | 138 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Freedom fighters Neo, Trinity and Morpheus continue to lead the revolt against the Machine Army, unleashing their arsenal of extraordinary skills and weaponry against the systematic forces of repression and exploitation.
Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
Votes: 630,806 | Gross: $281.49M
61. The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
R | 129 min | Action, Sci-Fi
The human city of Zion defends itself against the massive invasion of the machines as Neo fights to end the war at another front while also opposing the rogue Agent Smith.
Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
Votes: 543,674 | Gross: $139.31M
62. Contact (1997)
PG | 150 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Dr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt
Votes: 293,179 | Gross: $100.92M
As strange as the story is, and with the awkward pacing, a 14-year old still can enjoy it, which I found unusual. The questions of faith are great when reflected in a story about first contact. The setting of SETI was nice to see in a film. SETI is a short chapter in human history, and at least for that reason this film is worth watching. Foster brings an idealism to the search of the heavens.
63. The 6th Day (2000)
PG-13 | 123 min | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A man meets a clone of himself and stumbles into a grand conspiracy about clones taking over the world.
Director: Roger Spottiswoode | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Rapaport, Tony Goldwyn, Michael Rooker
Votes: 127,949 | Gross: $34.60M
Pretty dumb, don't look for good sci-fi story or you'll be disappointed. If you treat it as entertainment, you'll be fine.
64. True Lies (1994)
R | 141 min | Action, Comedy, Thriller
A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used-car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton
Votes: 281,053 | Gross: $146.28M
Entertaining, and at times overly silly. But fast-paced and the sidekick works.
65. The Fugitive (1993)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Dr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of murdering his wife, must find the real killer while being the target of a nationwide manhunt led by a seasoned U.S. Marshal.
Director: Andrew Davis | Stars: Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Julianne Moore
Votes: 318,764 | Gross: $183.88M
66. U.S. Marshals (1998)
PG-13 | 131 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard and his team of Marshals are assigned to track down Sheridan, who has been accused of a double-murder.
Director: Stuart Baird | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Wesley Snipes, Robert Downey Jr., Joe Pantoliano
Votes: 113,391 | Gross: $57.17M
67. The Negotiator (1998)
R | 140 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, a skilled police negotiator accused of corruption and murder takes hostages in a government office to gain the time he needs to find the truth.
Director: F. Gary Gray | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, David Morse, Ron Rifkin
Votes: 154,992 | Gross: $44.48M
68. The Punisher (2004)
R | 124 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An undercover FBI agent becomes a vigilante and sets out to unleash his wrath upon the corrupt businessman who slaughtered his entire family at a reunion.
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh | Stars: Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Samantha Mathis, Laura Harring
Votes: 170,608 | Gross: $33.81M
69. Fight Club (1999)
R | 139 min | Drama
An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Meat Loaf, Zach Grenier
Votes: 2,324,867 | Gross: $37.03M
70. X-Men (2000)
PG-13 | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In a world where mutants (evolved super-powered humans) exist and are discriminated against, two groups form for an inevitable clash: the supremacist Brotherhood, and the pacifist X-Men.
Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen
Votes: 646,751 | Gross: $157.30M
71. X2 (2003)
PG-13 | 134 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
When anti-mutant Colonel William Stryker kidnaps Professor X and attacks his school, the X-Men must ally with their archenemy Magneto to stop him.
Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen
Votes: 576,310 | Gross: $214.95M
72. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
PG-13 | 107 min | Action, Sci-Fi
The early years of James Logan, featuring his rivalry with his brother Victor Creed, his service in the special forces team Weapon X, and his experimentation into the metal-lined mutant Wolverine.
Director: Gavin Hood | Stars: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, Danny Huston
Votes: 530,726 | Gross: $179.88M
73. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
PG-13 | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
The human government develops a cure for mutations, and Jean Grey becomes a darker uncontrollable persona called the Phoenix who allies with Magneto, causing escalation into an all-out battle for the X-Men.
Director: Brett Ratner | Stars: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen
Votes: 540,885 | Gross: $234.36M
74. X: First Class (2011)
PG-13 | 131 min | Action, Sci-Fi
In the 1960s, superpowered humans Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr work together to find others like them, but Erik's vengeful pursuit of an ambitious mutant who ruined his life causes a schism to divide them.
Director: Matthew Vaughn | Stars: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon
Votes: 723,877 | Gross: $146.41M
75. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
PG-13 | 178 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean
Votes: 2,007,729 | Gross: $315.54M
Not like the books; yes, we know. Now we can get past that and just enjoy the massive scale.
76. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
PG-13 | 179 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
While Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron's new ally, Saruman, and his hordes of Isengard.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom
Votes: 1,784,374 | Gross: $342.55M
77. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
PG-13 | 201 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom
Votes: 1,979,798 | Gross: $377.85M
78. The Mist (2007)
R | 126 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A freak storm unleashes a species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher
Votes: 340,546 | Gross: $25.59M
Warning: This movie upset me deeply, but as a sci-fi it makes a critical point about our assumptions about aliens.
79. Transformers (2007)
PG-13 | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
An ancient struggle between two Cybertronian races, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, comes to Earth, with a clue to the ultimate power held by a teenager.
Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson
Votes: 674,987 | Gross: $319.25M
Not that good, may take it off. I love the machines and battles, but somehow the complex graphics and motion underwhelms. Maybe a 600 KHz screen would make it more enjoyable. I spent most of the time trying grasp at whizzing detail. Still, I enjoyed it on some baffled and dazed level.
80. Casino Royale (2006)
PG-13 | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
After earning 00 status and a licence to kill, secret agent James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007. Bond must defeat a private banker funding terrorists in a high-stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, Montenegro.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright
Votes: 694,714 | Gross: $167.45M
81. 300 (2006)
R | 117 min | Action, Drama
In the ancient battle of Thermopylae, King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fight against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. They face insurmountable odds when they are betrayed by a Spartan reject.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West
Votes: 864,514 | Gross: $210.61M
Uber-man, but some of the Persian decadence is pretty gross.
82. Cloverfield (2008)
PG-13 | 85 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A group of friends venture deep into the streets of New York on a rescue mission during a rampaging monster attack.
Director: Matt Reeves | Stars: Mike Vogel, Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan, T.J. Miller
Votes: 420,781 | Gross: $80.05M
Another example of an unsettling sci-fi, with a tragic twist. Done from a seemingly childish perspective, after letting go my stereotypes I was able to find an excellent story.
83. War of the Worlds (2005)
PG-13 | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
An alien invasion threatens the future of humanity. The catastrophic nightmare is depicted through the eyes of one American family fighting for survival.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Miranda Otto
Votes: 475,361 | Gross: $234.28M
The story between the father and son, trying to keep his family together through an unsettling first contact gone wrong, is a powerful message for me, as a paranoiac worried about the collapse of civilization. See also Year Zero.
84. The Postman (1997)
R | 177 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A nameless drifter dons a postman's uniform and bag of mail as he begins a quest to inspire hope to the survivors living in post-apocalyptic America.
Director: Kevin Costner | Stars: Kevin Costner, Will Patton, Larenz Tate, Olivia Williams
Votes: 78,333 | Gross: $17.63M
I know we all hate Kevin Kostner, but what a basic apocalyptic story. The action is constant, the story is twisted, the villain is pretty clever, and I love the little bits of Shakespeare thrown in.
85. Waterworld (1995)
PG-13 | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In a future where the polar ice-caps have melted and Earth is almost entirely submerged, a mutated mariner fights starvation and outlaw "smokers," and reluctantly helps a woman and a young girl try to find dry land.
Director: Kevin Reynolds | Stars: Kevin Costner, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Dennis Hopper, Tina Majorino
Votes: 210,008 | Gross: $88.25M
Everyone hates, especially women, but try to see the clever ideas there. The idea of water as an exchange mechanism is great. The ship he lives on is very clever.
86. Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
R | 96 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A data courier, literally carrying a data package inside his head, must deliver it before he dies from the burden or is killed by the Yakuza.
Director: Robert Longo | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Dolph Lundgren, Dina Meyer, Ice-T
Votes: 76,211 | Gross: $19.08M
Geeky stuff. A hint of punk/cyber tech sci-fi. Not many films picked up these themes.
87. Donnie Darko (2001)
R | 113 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
Director: Richard Kelly | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne
Votes: 850,293 | Gross: $1.48M
Not fast-paced, but so unusual and dark.
88. 28 Days (2000)
PG-13 | 103 min | Comedy, Drama
A big-city newspaper columnist is forced to enter a drug and alcohol rehab center after ruining her sister's wedding and crashing a stolen limousine.
Director: Betty Thomas | Stars: Sandra Bullock, Viggo Mortensen, Dominic West, Elizabeth Perkins
Votes: 54,435 | Gross: $37.17M
89. The Plague Dogs (1982)
PG-13 | 103 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
Two dogs escape from a laboratory and are hunted as possible carriers of the bubonic plague.
Director: Martin Rosen | Stars: John Hurt, Christopher Benjamin, James Bolam, Nigel Hawthorne
Votes: 8,810
No one else likes this, but I like to cry for no apparent reason sometimes. The concept of two souls not worth a damn to the world except as experiments or as dangers is a strange sort of film. The ending (and beginning) hit me harder than anything. If you bother to watch, you must make note of the terse dialogue and how it portrays the world views of each of the characters, and how something important happens in the very last three lines. If you miss this, you missed the film.
90. The Vanishing (1988)
Not Rated | 107 min | Mystery, Thriller
Rex and Saskia, a young couple in love, are on vacation. They stop at a busy service station and Saskia is abducted. After three years and no sign of Saskia, Rex begins receiving letters from the abductor.
Director: George Sluizer | Stars: Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Gene Bervoets, Johanna ter Steege, Gwen Eckhaus
Votes: 44,245
French subtitles; very slow pacing. Caused nightmares for me and my dad, so if you have a sensitive nature, you might skip.
It has no soundtrack; right there you lose people. The film, like most good films, asks the viewer a question: What is love to you? When the chips are down, what are you willing to do? Beyond that, if you gave up all for love, and lost everything, but achieved more knowledge of love than most people ever do, would you be grateful?
These are the questions that try men's souls.
91. The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
R | 100 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A computer scientist running a virtual reality simulation of 1937 becomes the primary suspect when his colleague and mentor is murdered.
Director: Josef Rusnak | Stars: Craig Bierko, Gretchen Mol, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Vincent D'Onofrio
Votes: 77,299 | Gross: $15.50M
This may not be appreciated; I love recursive universe stories. Good for the paranoid.
92. Gattaca (1997)
PG-13 | 106 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A genetically inferior man assumes the identity of a superior one in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.
Director: Andrew Niccol | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, Gore Vidal
Votes: 323,312 | Gross: $12.34M
Some think this is over stylized, and, as usual, I'm baffled by this snooty perspective. When looked at as a story about our childhood beliefs, about the relationships between brothers. Do you have beliefs about genetics, that it defines you, or have you thought about it? It's a valid question we should ask ourselves, it's one that the Socratics couldn't ask themselves. It's the scientific revelation of a philosophic question.
93. Lord of War (2005)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama
An arms dealer confronts the morality of his work as he is being chased by an INTERPOL Agent.
Director: Andrew Niccol | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan
Votes: 337,017 | Gross: $24.15M
Based on a true story, fun.
94. Men in Black (1997)
PG-13 | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
James, an NYC cop, is hired by Agent K of a secret government agency that monitors extraterrestrial life on Earth. Together, they must recover an item that has been stolen by an intergalactic villain.
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio
Votes: 613,103 | Gross: $250.69M
Entertaining.
95. Inside Man (2006)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A police detective, a bank robber, and a high-power broker enter high-stakes negotiations after the criminal's brilliant heist spirals into a hostage situation.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer
Votes: 398,029 | Gross: $88.51M
Moody and quiet.
96. The Puppet Masters (1994)
R | 109 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
The Earth is invaded by stingray-shaped alien "slugs" that ride on people's backs and control their minds.
Director: Stuart Orme | Stars: Donald Sutherland, Eric Thal, Julie Warner, Keith David
Votes: 9,708 | Gross: $8.64M
Follows the Heinlein book more closely than any other adaptation, but overlooked by Heinlein fans. The detail into the alien invasion, the mechanics are great, and not out of the book, but perfect additions.
97. Iron Man 2 (2010)
PG-13 | 124 min | Action, Sci-Fi
With the world now aware of his identity as Iron Man, Tony Stark must contend with both his declining health and a vengeful mad man with ties to his father's legacy.
Director: Jon Favreau | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle
Votes: 868,751 | Gross: $312.43M
I love the drunken robot scene, it's just funny.
98. I, Robot (2004)
PG-13 | 115 min | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
In 2035, a technophobic cop investigates a crime that may have been perpetrated by a robot, which leads to a larger threat to humanity.
Director: Alex Proyas | Stars: Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, Alan Tudyk
Votes: 575,593 | Gross: $144.80M
Will Smith makes any movie fun. And the hint of a message, which only geeks will appreciate. The questions from the robot ("Can you?") and Smith's animosity provide a great baffle for the conflict of man vs. machine.
99. Short Circuit (1986)
PG | 98 min | Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
Number 5 of a group of experimental robots in a lab is electrocuted, suddenly becomes intelligent, and escapes.
Director: John Badham | Stars: Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg, Fisher Stevens, Austin Pendleton
Votes: 66,359 | Gross: $40.70M
Too cute for most macho men, but the robot is so optimistic and childlike, and the Indian stereotype is racist and funny.
100. Short Circuit 2 (1988)
PG | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Robot Johnny Five comes to the city and gets manipulated by criminals who want him for their own purposes.
Director: Kenneth Johnson | Stars: Fisher Stevens, Michael McKean, Tim Blaney, Cynthia Gibb
Votes: 26,867 | Gross: $21.63M
Just as funny as the first, surprisingly.
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