Top 5 Stand Alone Sci-Fi Films w/ The Film Connoisseur

It was a great privilege recently to be invited by The Film Connoisseur to come up with my Top 5 stand alone science-fiction movies. It was a challenging task because the rules of inclusion dictated that films that were a part of a franchise or series had to be excluded. So before I had even got down to thinking out went 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Village of the Damned (1960), Alien (1979) and The Terminator (1984). All films that might have otherwise qualified. My list eventually began to take shape and I began to realise the extent to which the tradition of franchising had shaped the cinematic landscape for sci-fi from the 1970’s onwards. My awareness that sci-fi could be a cerebral, philosophical, metaphysical, and allegorical form of cinematic expression was highlighted at the age of 17 when I followed up a viewing of Men in Black (1997) with my first viewing of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001. A light bulb went off in my head, and from that point onwards my attitude to the genre and to the potentialities of cinema was altered forever. 2001 might be boring to some, but one cannot underestimate the breadth and scope of its ideas. In many ways that film alone led me on a path that would eventually end in the libraries of academia and my steadfast belief that cinema is the great art form of the 20th century and beyond. It was a film that truly altered my perception of cinema - and it was science-fiction. All this week The Film Connoisseur will be counting down our selections until the unveiling of the No 1 film on Friday. If you haven’t already I urge you to check out Francisco’s excellent blog, which is always well written, lively, intelligent and overflowing with enthusiasm for the wonderful world of cinema. Follow the links below for the results.

Number 5

Number 4

Number 3

Number 2

Number 1

© Shaun Anderson 2010