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Best Fantasy/SF movies of all time

by rose-taylor • Created 14 years ago • Modified 12 years ago
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  • 36 titles
  • Brigitte Helm in Metropolis (1927)

    1. Metropolis

    19272h 33mNot Rated98Metascore
    8.3 (194K)
    In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.
    DirectorFritz LangStarsBrigitte HelmAlfred AbelGustav Fröhlich
  • Village of the Damned (1960)

    2. Village of the Damned

    19601h 17mApproved77Metascore
    7.3 (20K)
    In the English village of Midwich, the blonde-haired, glowing-eyed children of uncertain paternity prove to have frightening powers.
    DirectorWolf RillaStarsGeorge SandersBarbara ShelleyMartin Stephens
  • 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

    3. 2001: A Space Odyssey

    19682h 29mG84Metascore
    8.3 (753K)
    When a mysterious artifact is uncovered on the Moon, a spacecraft manned by two humans and one supercomputer is sent to Jupiter to find its origins.
    DirectorStanley KubrickStarsKeir DulleaGary LockwoodWilliam Sylvester
  • Klaus Löwitsch, Mascha Rabben, and Karl Heinz Vosgerau in World on a Wire (1973)

    4. World on a Wire

    19732 epsNot RatedTV Mini Series76Metascore
    7.7 (7.1K)
    In the future, Simulacron, a computer project simulating reality, encounters strange occurrences after its leader's death. Dr. Stiller questions the sudden disappearance of a friend and wonders if Simulacron holds the answers.
    StarsKlaus LöwitschBarbara ValentinMascha Rabben
  • Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, and Kenny Baker in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

    5. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

    19772h 1mPG90Metascore
    8.6 (1.5M)
    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.
    DirectorGeorge LucasStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie Fisher
    all episodes
  • Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Miki Iveria, Hus Levant, Patrick Monckton, Brian Meehl, Kathryn Mullen, and Susan Westerby in The Dark Crystal (1982)

    6. The Dark Crystal

    19821h 33mPG66Metascore
    7.1 (75K)
    On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal, and to restore order to his world.
    DirectorsJim HensonFrank OzStarsJim HensonKathryn MullenFrank Oz
  • Sean Young and Kyle MacLachlan in Dune (1984)

    7. Dune

    19842h 17mPG-1341Metascore
    6.3 (189K)
    A Duke's son leads desert warriors against the galactic emperor and his father's evil nemesis to free their desert world from the emperor's rule.
    DirectorDavid LynchStarsKyle MacLachlanVirginia MadsenFrancesca Annis
  • Hanna Zetterberg in Ronia: The Robber's Daughter (1984)

    8. Ronia: The Robber's Daughter

    19842h 6mNot Rated
    7.3 (13K)
    Ronja, the only child of robber chief Mattis must learn to survive the dangers of her local wilderness. In secret she also befriends Birk, the son of a rivaling robber Borka.
    DirectorTage DanielssonStarsHanna ZetterbergLena NymanBörje Ahlstedt
  • Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

    9. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

    19841h 57m86Metascore
    8.0 (191K)
    Warrior and pacifist Princess Nausicaä desperately struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet.
    DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsSumi ShimamotoMahito TsujimuraHisako Kyôda
  • Castle in the Sky (1986)

    10. Castle in the Sky

    19862h 4mPG78Metascore
    8.0 (191K)
    Pazu's life changes when he meets Sheeta, a girl whom pirates are chasing for her crystal amulet, which has the potential to locate Laputa, a legendary castle floating in the sky.
    DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsMayumi TanakaKeiko YokozawaKotoe Hatsui
  • Peter Falk and Fred Savage in The Princess Bride (1987)

    11. The Princess Bride

    19871h 38mPG78Metascore
    8.0 (466K)
    A bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.
    DirectorRob ReinerStarsCary ElwesMandy PatinkinRobin Wright
  • Tom Cruise and Kirsten Dunst in Interview with the Vampire (1994)

    12. Interview with the Vampire

    19942h 3mR62Metascore
    7.5 (363K)
    A vampire tells his epic life story: love, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger.
    DirectorNeil JordanStarsBrad PittTom CruiseAntonio Banderas
  • Ghost in the Shell (1995)

    13. Ghost in the Shell

    19951h 23mTV-MA76Metascore
    7.9 (165K)
    A cyborg policewoman and her partner hunt a mysterious and powerful hacker called the Puppet Master.
    DirectorMamoru OshiiStarsAtsuko TanakaIemasa KayumiAkio Ôtsuka
  • Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, and Madeleine Stowe in 12 Monkeys (1995)

    14. 12 Monkeys

    19952h 9mR75Metascore
    8.0 (664K)
    In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.
    DirectorTerry GilliamStarsBruce WillisMadeleine StoweBrad Pitt
  • Claire Danes and Yuriko Ishida in Princess Mononoke (1997)

    15. Princess Mononoke

    19972h 13mPG-1376Metascore
    8.3 (460K)
    While seeking to cure himself of a curse, young warrior Ashitaka stumbles into a conflict between the people of Iron Town and Princess Mononoke, a girl raised by wolves, who will stop at nothing to prevent the destruction of her home.
    DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsYôji MatsudaYuriko IshidaYûko Tanaka
  • Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, and Bruce Willis in The Fifth Element (1997)

    16. The Fifth Element

    19972h 6mPG-1352Metascore
    7.6 (527K)
    In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr. Zorg at bay.
    DirectorLuc BessonStarsBruce WillisMilla JovovichGary Oldman
  • Penélope Cruz in Open Your Eyes (1997)

    17. Open Your Eyes

    19971h 59mR
    7.7 (75K)
    A very handsome man finds the love of his life, but he suffers an accident and needs to have his face rebuilt by surgery after it is severely disfigured.
    DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsEduardo NoriegaPenélope CruzChete Lera
  • Pleasantville (1998)

    18. Pleasantville

    19982h 4mPG-1371Metascore
    7.5 (140K)
    Two 1990s teenage siblings find themselves transported to a 1950s sitcom where their influence begins to profoundly change that colorless, complacent world.
    DirectorGary RossStarsTobey MaguireJeff DanielsJoan Allen
  • Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Joe Pantoliano, and Carrie-Anne Moss in The Matrix (1999)

    19. The Matrix

    19992h 16mR73Metascore
    8.7 (2.2M)
    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.
    DirectorsLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsKeanu ReevesLaurence FishburneCarrie-Anne Moss
  • Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, and John Rhys-Davies in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

    20. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

    20012h 58mPG-1392Metascore
    8.9 (2.1M)
    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.
    DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodIan McKellenOrlando Bloom
    all three
  • Spirited Away (2001)

    21. Spirited Away

    20012h 4mPG96Metascore
    8.6 (910K)
    During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.
    DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsDaveigh ChaseSuzanne PleshetteMiyu Irino
  • Cameron Diaz, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and John Lithgow in Shrek (2001)

    22. Shrek

    20011h 30mPG84Metascore
    7.9 (773K)
    A mean lord exiles fairytale creatures to the swamp of a grumpy ogre, who must go on a quest and rescue a princess for the lord in order to get his land back.
    DirectorsAndrew AdamsonVicky JensonStarsMike MyersEddie MurphyCameron Diaz
  • Tom Cruise in Minority Report (2002)

    23. Minority Report

    20022h 25mPG-1380Metascore
    7.6 (602K)
    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.
    DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsTom CruiseColin FarrellSamantha Morton
  • The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004)

    24. The Place Promised in Our Early Days

    20041h 30mTV-PG
    6.8 (16K)
    In an alternate postwar timeline, Japan is divided into the Union-controlled North and the US-controlled South.
    DirectorsMakoto ShinkaiYoshio SuzukiStarsHidetaka YoshiokaMasato HagiwaraYuka Nanri
  • Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

    25. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

    20041h 48mR89Metascore
    8.3 (1.1M)
    When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories forever.
    DirectorMichel GondryStarsJim CarreyKate WinsletTom Wilkinson

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