101 Sci-Fi Movies You Must See Before You Die

by Steven Jay Schneider

From the classic, low-budget Flash Gordon Saturday matinee serials of the 1930s and '40s to mammoth blockbusters like " Star Trek " and " 2001: A Space Odyssey, " filmdom's most imaginative contributions to science fiction are vividly recaptured in this compelling book. With intriguing insights from film critics and a wealth of factual details from historians and academics, general editor Stephen Jay Schneider has brought together the data, the drama, and the passions that have inspired movies about time travel, close encounters, distant planets, extraterrestrial monsters, alien invasions, and the many other story ingredients that enliven science fiction films. Plot summaries, cast and credit listings, and 200 dramatic illustrations recapture unforgettable moments from sci-fi hits that include " Alien, The Andromeda Strain, The Empire Strikes Back, The Fly, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Planet of the Apes, Silent Running, The Thing, " and many, many others. Illustrations include dramatic still shots from the films and memorable movie posters. Here is a reference volume that belongs on the bookshelf of every film buff and science fiction fan.

Genres: Nonfiction, Film, Reference, Media Tie In

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Steven Jay Schneider is a film critic, scholar, and producer with M.A. degrees in Philosophy from Harvard University and in Cinema Studies from New York University. He is the author and editor of numerous books on world cinema, most notably in the horror genre. They include Eurohorror, The Cinema of Wes Craven: An Auteur on Elm Street, Designing Fear: An Aesthetics of Cinematic Horror, Killing in Style: Artistic Murder in the Movies, Understanding Film Genres, and Traditions in World Cinema. He is also a consultant for film, television, and home video/DVD production companies, a curator for world horror film programs, and a staff member in development for Paramount Pictures. Among his recent titles are 501 Movie Stars and 501 Movie Directors, both available in North America from Barron's. Two additional titles from Barron's are scheduled for publication in Spring 09. They are 101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die and 101 Sci-Fi Movies You Must See Before You Die.

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most books (and lists) of this type, there's a lot of good stuff and a bit that's wrong (some of the selections are downright awful films) and even some misleading aspects (more than a copule of these films are fantasy, not sci-fi). Nonetheless this is good bit for film buffs (like myself) and for having lying around on the coffee table for conversation starters. Of course there are some movies I would have included and are not (the latest edition appears to have come out in 2016, so where's The Martian (2015)?). Still if you're looking for some insightful short essays on some of the best sci-fi (and a few fantasy) films in book form - here you go.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essentially this book is a long list, but hey! I love lists. You're mainly going to have fun working out which of these you've already seen, and patting yourself on the back (55) and then if you're a nerd like me listing down the ones left to see on your 'to watch' list (46).

The joy here though is that this is a great list. I don't agree with all the entries obviously but this is a wide range of films, from the well known juggernoughts like '2001' and 'Alien' to some I've never even heard of, I'd forgotten about or some that may approach Sci-Fi from a slightly different perspective.

Each film is given a couple of pages to expand on and a couple of pieces of trivia. Most importantly each film is written about with a degree of insight and intelligence. This is the perfect little gift for the film nerd in your life, trust me, I am one.

[Cecily · Rating 3 out of 5]

26 down, 75 to go...

[Kieran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having just read 101 Action Movies, I found this to be superior. It offers a great overview of science fiction films, including nearly all of the landmark films that define this beloved genre.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book as a kind of guidepost to explore science fiction films that I haven’t yet seen or have perhaps overlooked. In that regard, it fulfilled its goal to suggest a lot of movies I haven’t viewed.

However, as a survey of “essential” sci-fi films with a copyright of 2016, the book has serious blind spots that make me question the creators’ judgement and credibility. This is particularly evident from the 1990s onward, which have multiple egregious omissions:

* A.I. Artificial Intelligence
* Arrival
* Cloud Atlas
* Ex Machina
* The Fifth Element
* Inception
* Interstellar
* Snowpiercer
* Star Trek: First Contact
* Strange Days
* Sunshine
* Wall-E

To my mind, these overlooked titles come at the expense of many films from the pulp era that are perhaps more celebrated than they ought to be, or the inclusion of several sequels when one representative entry would have done (I don’t think anyone believes that Return of the Jedi is in the same league as The Empire Strikes Back).

The fun part of film is, of course, arguing things like this, but to leave out so many giants of the genre seems disingenuous to the mission of the book.

[Ryan Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great read overall! My biggest complaint is the blunder of the Godzilla entry. The author clearly didn't do enough research on the film (or perhaps even watch it) since he claims the original Japanese version was stop-motion. It was not. Godzilla was played in a suit by Haruo Nakajima in both "Gojira" and "Godzilla: King of the Monsters". How anyone could come to that conclusion is baffling.

[Ray Smillie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent selection of sci-fi films including a few I haven't seen and, amongst that few, a handful I have never heard of. A few errors re facts about certain films but very few books of this nature getting everything spot on. Probably better for someone relatively new to the world of science fiction flicks.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great mini look at some stand-outs in the cinematic world of science fiction.

[Sterling Wesson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a list.

[Yokusun Basi]

101 film di fantascienza

[Leila Anani · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a reasonable list of 101 sci-fi films from 1902 to 2007 - Each movie has a 2 page review and 2 pictures. A good overview of the genre, although perhaps focusing a little too heavily on the older films. Its caused me to discover some absolute gems such as the the 1966 Czech Who Killed Jessie? and Seconds (1966). But there are also some films I never EVER want to watch again such as Sleeper and the ponderous Stalker and The man who fell to earth.

Only going up to 2007 there are some starting more modern omissions such as Inception and Moon. Definitely helped me bulk up my sci-fi library :)

[Xander Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I didn't read every word of every film discussion--there are several films that I know I'll never bother watching because they're too old or too horror or whatever. But I did read a lot of the entries. I think it's a pretty good list, though I'm perplexed that a film like The Martian wouldn't have made it (this book was just published in October of 2016 so there would have been plenty of time to include The Martian). I also would have loved a little more insight on some of the films. That's what I was really reading it for.

[Jeff Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The selection is unusual but I enjoy the reviews of why these 101 movies made the list.

[Glenn Hammer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've heard of or seen most of them already. I did not agree with all of them but it is a good list

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

The descriptions aren't the greatest. Plenty of lists like that online. Did manage to add a dozen titles to my Netflix queue though so it was worth it in the end.

[Tommy · Rating 3 out of 5]

so and so..

[Garry Wyatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little history of science fiction films.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of movies from across the last century. Some good stuff and some eh stuff