10 Sci-Fi Movie Masterpieces So Great That They Became the Blueprint

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Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts.

The sci-fi genre is one of the most prolific and influential, racking up an impressive catalog of films that all ages can enjoy, from timeless masterpieces such as Metropolis to modern classics like Everything Everywhere All at Once. While there are many incredible sci-fi movies, a select few stand out as truly groundbreaking, serving as a blueprint for future films.

Any film can be great, but few prove to go one step further, abandoning tropes and clichés in favor of a unique direction. It doesn't always turn out, but sometimes, it will change the course of cinema. These 10 movies rewrote the genre and provided a new blueprint for how the sci-fi genre could be utilized.

10 ‘Superman’ (1978)

Christopher Reeve flying in the Superman (1978) movie directed by Richard Donner

James Gunn is now in control of DC, and the first film of the DCU is Superman, the best version of the character since Richard Donner's original. The OG follows Superman’s (Christopher Reeve) origin, from the destruction of Krypton to his teenage life in Smallville to his debut as the titular hero. However, his most formidable challenge will be stopping Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) and his evil scheme.

Fans first think of Superman as a superhero film, which it is, but it is also a sci-fi movie and therefore eligible for this list. Donner’s film served as the blueprint for the modern superhero genre, adapting comic book characters and treating the mythos with sincerity and technical excellence. The optical production and cinematography were groundbreaking for the time, making viewers truly believe a man could fly. Superman acts as a crucial inspiration for the superhero and sci-fi genres alike.

9 ‘Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior’ (1981)

Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky walking down a lonely highway holding a gun in Mad Max 2 The Road Warrior.

Sci-fi comes in many shapes and sizes; some feel like superhero films, while others are the typical space opera most fans think of. But the post-apocalyptic genre is also a form of sci-fi, and there is no better film in this genre than Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. Years after the apocalypse, the remnants of humanity fight for oil, food, and bullets. Still, one lone warrior, Max (Mel Gibson), is the last person trying to maintain balance and dispense justice.

Mad Max 2 wrote the visual playbook for the post-apocalypse, creating a dry, desolate wasteland where survivors fight for any remaining resources with desperate greed and helplessness. The punk-rock aesthetic was also unique for its time and remains so, serving as a staple of cinematic history. Forgoing the typical nuclear winter apocalypse, this redefining film set the standard for the genre, blending high-octane action with tribal reality.

8 ‘Back to the Future’ (1985)

Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd as Marty McFly and Doc Brown in 'Back to the Future'

There are many time-travel movies, but none are as special as Back to the Future. When Marty (Michael J. Fox) accidentally travels back in time, he needs to figure out how to escape without messing with the future. By altering the past, Marty slowly fades away; he needs to fix his actions and then get the younger version of the Doc (Christopher Lloyd) to help him return to his time.

Time travel has always been a fascinating topic ingrained in the sci-fi genre, but when it was just starting to get stale, Back to the Future spiced it up with pure entertainment value. This film provided a blueprint for narrative logic and causal paradoxes. A paradox is complicated and hard to understand, but Back to the Future simplified it for everyone, turning the butterfly effect into a straightforward, high-stakes plot. With a perfect script and a balance of humor, character development, and sci-fi, this time-travel film redefined how the general audience consumed the genre.

7 ‘The Terminator’ (1984)

Arnold Schwarzenegger riding a motorcycle in 'The Terminator'

Terminator is one of the biggest sci-fi franchises of all time, and while the newer films aren’t the best, the originals are all-time classics. The Terminator follows a cold and cruel cyborg traveling back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), knowing that her son will lead a rebellion against the robots in the future.

Being afraid of technology, or techno-paranoia, is a common fear nowadays, but it wasn’t always like this — not until The Terminator gave fans in the 1980s something to be afraid of. The unrelenting villain is an iconic trope popularized by the blueprint this movie set. The Terminator is a suspenseful thriller that pioneered the AI uprising story way ahead of its time, cementing itself as one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time.

6 ‘Alien’ (1979)

Sigourney Weaver as Lieut. Ellen Ripley aboard a spacecraft in the science-fiction–horror film Alien.

James Cameron is a true sci-fi aficionado, first breaking ground in the genre with The Terminator and then with Aliens. While the second film is just as good, the first Alien film set the standard for its sequels. When a crew on a spaceship wakes up from their deep sleep, they are greeted by a terrifying alien running rampant on the ship, prompting the crew to do anything they can to survive.

By merging the slasher genre with science fiction, Alien created a sci-fi horror movie that traumatized a generation of fans and then some. Using claustrophobia, the terrifying unknown, and the astoundingly eerie art of H.R. Giger, this movie and its creature embodied horror like no other. Avoiding the man-in-a-suit trope, the movie used mechanical parts that created something truly different. Plus, the emphasis on a blue-collar crew introduced a new focus that served as a blueprint for the future.

5 ‘The Matrix’ (1999)

The 1990s were an excellent decade for movies, and it ended on a bang with one of the best sci-fi films of all time, and the newest on this list. The Matrix follows Neo (Keanu Reeves), a computer hacker recruited into the rebellion against the machines. However, he must choose whether he wants to live a comfy fake life or fight for what is real.

The Matrix is a blueprint in many ways, primarily through its visual style and innovations in cinematography and technology. With mind-bending visuals and the legendary bullet time moment, The Matrix is visually striking and monumental. The overall story isn’t too special, but its focus on the rise of the internet and the dangers it poses was era-appropriate and hit a chord with many fans. Nearly every other modern action sci-fi was inspired by The Matrix’s choreography, philosophical themes, and technical/digital effects.

4 ‘Blade Runner’ (1982)

Everyone loves a good cyberpunk film, and the movie that started it all was Blade Runner. Other movies, TV shows, anime, and video games that use cyberpunk all derive from this movie. Deckard (Harrison Ford) is forced back into his old job as a replicant hunter, and his new mission has him chasing down four escaped replicants, but things get complicated when he falls in love with a different one.

Blade Runner 2049 is arguably better, but the original set the stage for the cyberpunk genre going forward. Constant rain, neon-drenched skylines, and noir vibes define cyberpunk, and it all comes from this film. Using philosophical themes and a hint of nihilism for the future, Blade Runner’s world is a staple of sci-fi. Blending new vibes and themes with old-school noir concepts, cyberpunk never got better than this, and that is why it hasn’t evolved past it.

3 ‘Godzilla’ (1954)

The monster genre is profitable and engaging, with everyone loving a brawl between two giant beasts. However, it started on a tonally different note with Godzilla. After a hydrogen bomb test wakes up an ancient creature at the bottom of the ocean, it arises to wreak havoc on Japan with natural cruelty. While the residents try to survive, the military attempts to stop the creature, with little luck.

Godzilla is a blueprint for many things, and while it is mainly known for its somber allegory and being a socially conscious monster movie, it is recognized for its giant monster fights. There aren’t many sci-fi movies that tackle a relevant issue like Godzilla, which handled the matter with precision and nuanced writing. The monster and catastrophe genre used the playbook Godzilla wrote, sometimes with a complex, meaningful story and other times with massive destruction to drive them.

2 ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (1968)

Sci-fi is a complex genre that can almost be anything it wants, but one of the main things fans think of is a grand space adventure into the unknown, and that is because of 2001: A Space Odyssey. When a space crew discovers a mysterious artifact on a planet, their navigation device becomes sentient and tries to stop them, leading to a mind-bending, memorable adventure.

Stanley Kubrick is one of the greatest directors of all time, and 2001: A Space Odyssey might be his magnum opus, redefining the sci-fi genre. Prioritizing scientific realism and philosophical depth, this movie felt unbelievably real and profound, giving viewers much to think about, assuming what they are seeing is true. The visuals were groundbreaking, building a giant centrifuge set that enabled actors to walk up walls and create a seamless sense of artificial gravity. 2001: A Space Odyssey explored the great beyond and the human mind with mind-bending visuals, unconventional storytelling, and marvelous technical achievement, leaving a masterpiece for fans to enjoy far into the future.

1 ‘Star Wars’ (1977)

It may have come out a long, long time ago, but Star Wars isn't too far away, especially now, where fans can stream it at home. While it is now called Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, it used to be just Star Wars. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) must accept his destiny as a Jedi and take on the tyrannical Empire to save the galaxy.

Before Star Wars, sci-fi was clean, pristine, and shiny, but it redefined the genre by introducing a well-worn aesthetic, revealing a future that isn’t as ideal as one might think. This atmosphere may be familiar now, but it wasn’t always. The production design was also ahead of its time, using current technology to create a distinct sci-fi vibe that is recognizably Star Wars. The franchise also set the scene for high-speed, kinetic space dogfights, not to mention its blend of politics, fantasy, classic filmmaking, inspired stories, and grittiness created a new way to look at sci-fi that has stuck ever since. Star Wars also established the blockbuster franchise blueprint, enabling series to create never-ending universes with prolific stories, for better or worse.

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