abe55

Results thus far as voted by the members:

Best of AFI's top Sports movies: Rocky
Best of AFI's top Sci-Fi movies: ???

lamphorn

This was really tough for me. I narrowed it down to Blade Runner and 2001 and ultimately went with 2001... but in a different moment I might have gone for Blade Runner. Both are towering achievements.

I know this list was compiled by AFI, but does anyone else find it weird that they count E.T. and Star Wars as science fiction? I would argue that they're wonderful fantasy stories but have no element of science fiction in them. Back to the Future and Alien are also questionable examples of "science fiction" in my opinion.

NoirFan

I find A Clockwork Orange's inclusion a bigger stretch as Sci-Fi than either one of those. My vote was for 2001.

lamphorn

I thought about that one but can justify it to a certain extent because it deals with the ethical dilemma that can arise with the technology of mind/behavior alteration.

hasslein

Once again AFI left off the best in the category IMHO. Sports - Slap Shot, Sci- Fi - Planet of the Apes

tonyc3742

A Clockwork Orange is at least as much science fiction as Star Wars: ANH, if not more.

http://scifi.about.com/od/scififanta...SCIFI_defs.htm

Ray Bradbury
"Science fiction is really sociological studies of the future, things that the writer believes are going to happen by putting two and two together."

Isaac Asimov
"Modern science fiction is the only form of literature that consistently considers the nature of the changes that face us, the possible consequences, and the possible solutions. That branch of literature which is concerned with the impact of scientific advance upon human beings"

John W. Campbell, Jr.
"The major distinction between fantasy and science fiction is, simply, that science fiction uses one, or a very, very few new postulates, and develops the rigidly consistent logical consequences of these limited postulates. Fantasy makes its rules as it goes along...The basic nature of fantasy is "The only rule is, make up a new rule any time you need one!" The basic rule of science fiction is "Set up a basic proposition--then develop its consistent, logical consequences.""

I knew I had read the "one (or few) ifs, and presenting effects of those" definition somewhere, I thought it was Asimov, but I'll take Campbell's word for it.
There are many science fiction aficionados who believe Star Wars is not science fiction at all. However, Hollywood seems to think spaceships = scifi.
Actually the "one if" idea is espoused by many SF personalities, especially golden age and earlier: Groff Conklin, Heinlein, Wolleheiim.
Reading many of those quotes, I'm more strongly calling ACO "science fiction". Even apart from the "one if", the more expansive definition is "fiction that presents the effects on society of certain scientific advances", and ACO definitely presents that.

PopcornTreeCt

Blade Runner

inri222

Since Solaris is not there, I'll go with 2001


No Metropolis in the top 10?????????????????
WTF

PopcornTreeCt

It's American films. Tarkovsky's Solaris should be on there but it's not.

Ginwen

I like A Clockwork Orange (which I've always considered to be Science Fiction, and first saw at a Science Fiction Convention in the late 70's) best of those movies.

vcuram

2001 and Blade Runner >>>>>>>> everything else on that list, especially Star Wars, ET, T2, and BTTF, which all blow like the solar wind.

JumpCutz

2001 by a light year. It is Kubrick's finest hour.

Rockmjd23

A Clockwork Orange is not an American film.

Daytripper

For me, THE best sci-fi film is a tie between "Blade Runner" and "Alien". And a close second is "Close Encounters".

inri222

Actually it is English language films.
Which I comepletely forgot when I mentioned Metropolis.

Decker

2001 edging out Alien and Blade Runner.

coli

Original Star Wars is my favorite movie of all-time, but Back to the Future is a close second.

Yakuza Bengoshi

Ditto.

Palaver

Going with Star Wars. I know it's not the "best" film to chose from, but the 10 year old in me won't let me vote any other way.

Sean O'Hara

Typical nonsensical AFI list -- Star Trek II is superior to any of the Star Wars films, and Forbidden Planet deserves a spot more than The Day the Earth Stood Still.

Charlie Goose

From that list, it's BttF easily.

JOE29

Invasion of the Body Snatchers ( 1977 ) Donald Sutherland. was my choice.
I bought A clockwork Orange last week and it was ok but didn't make the cut in my book.

Larry C.

2001 here.

Doughboy

2001. Not my favorite from that list, but arguably the finest and most important sci-fi movie ever made.

islandclaws

I picked the film from that list that I most enjoy, and that is A Clockwork Orange.