Science Fiction in the Cinema

The early science fiction films of the ‘50s and ‘60s gained only ‘B movie’ status, despite the talents of producers like Roger Corman. But when Stanley Kubrick revolutionised the genre in 1968 with his movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, they were rapidly elevated to main feature status.

From then on, science fiction novels provided extraordinary material that was voraciously adapted by the film industry. Some of these films achieved such cult status or mass appeal that they became inseparable from the history of film.

The list is endless, but fifteen of these films stand out as the most representative of the contribution made by science fiction to film. Among these classics of the genre are Metropolis, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., Blade Runner, Star Wars, Alien and The Terminator.