AFI’s Top 10 Sci-Fi List – Are they kidding me?

AFI Top 10 AFIs Top 10 Sci Fi List – Are they kidding me?

My wife and I recently caught a part of the latest AFI special counting down the Top 10 films in the various genres. Fortunately, I caught the part featuring their list for Top 10 Sci-fi films of all time and I say fortunately because it spared me from the mistake of wasting my time watching the rest of this special.

To bring everyone up to speed, here’s the AFI’s picks for the top 10 sci-fi films of all time (in order of how they were presented during their special) -

10 – Back to the Future
9 – Invasion of the Body Snatchers
8 – Terminator 2: Judgement Day
7 – Alien
6 – Blade Runner
5 – The Day the Earth Stood Still
4 – A Clockwork Orange
3 – E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial
2 – Star Wars – A New Hope
1 – 2001: A Space Odyssey

Okay, while I get the reason behind “2001” being at the top of the list, there are some choices, and omissions, that boggle the mind. For example, could someone explain to me how “Star Wars – A New Hope” beats out such classics as “The Day The Earth Stood Still”, “Blade Runner” and “Alien”? Oh, sure, when it came out in ‘77, “Star Wars – A New Hope” was revolutionary and it certainly has impacted the world of visual effects and sound. But outside of the technical wonders of that film, what else is there that justifies it being listed at number 2? I would at least give it to them if they put “The Empire Strikes Back” instead since it builds on the technical advancements of “Star Wars – A New Hope” and has a compelling storyline to boot. The emphasis during the show on “Star Wars” revolutionizing visual effects also draws a spotlight on one omission – “The Matrix”, a film which not only revolutionized visual effects wizardy as well, but also created an interesting fusion of the science fiction and martial arts genres.

Of course, science fiction isn’t just about fancy explosions or ‘cool’ special effects sequences, one reason why I think films like the original version of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” and “The Day The Earth Stood Still” should have placed far higher. Both these films relied instead on their story and a fascinating examination of contemporary social issues like our tendency toward self-destructive measures or paranoia brought on out of a fear of those who are different from us – themes that even today are quite significant and relevant.

Another inclusion that bears much head-scratching is “E.T – The Extra-Terrestrial”. Now while I’ll admit that I enjoyed this film immensely when it first came out, the thing is I was a kid at that time and this was really a movie directed at kids. Was it cute? Absolutely. Was it heart-warming and nice to see an alien that wasn’t hell-bent on dominating our world? Sure. But those aren’t qualifiers that I would use to argue it being placed as one of the 10 best science fiction films of all time. And if we’re going to assume that they felt the need to include a Spielberg film in the list, there is a more obvious choice – “Close Encounters of The Third Kind”. Not only did Dreyfus give a fantastic performance in this film, but the visual effects in this film, much like “Jaws”, gave you just enough of the UFOs to believe people were seeing them while keeping them mysterious and unknown. How the AFI could have “E.T.” on here and not “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” is beyond me.

I’m sure everyone can agree on this final “what were they thinking” inclusion – “Back To The Future”. Really? Are they kidding? What, did they run out of ideas here? Oh sure, “Back to the Future” is a fun film and I admit I saw this and the 2 sequels in the cinema when they came out. But let’s be clear here – I never saw this as being anything other than a summer comedy and certainly not a film that one would utter in the same breath with “Alien”, “2001” or “Invasion of The Body Snatchers”. It’s amazing no one thought of such alternates as “Planet of The Apes”, “TRON”, and “The War of the Worlds” (Bryon Haskin’s 1953 version, not that Spielberg mess) just to name a few. I know I’ve read others raise their eyebrows over the omission of “Star Trek” from the Top 10 list and I’d agree that “Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan” deserves consideration, but I’d also throw in “Galaxy Quest” as well since the more times I watch it, the more I find things to like in it.

In any case, I stopped paying attention to these AFI specials some time ago when they made a list that was fraught with such absurd choices and omissions as this list here. Guess they still haven’t learned how to be consistent in their selection of noteworthy cinematic efforts.

Eh, no loss. I’m fully capable of making that decision on my own anyways.