Written by Colleen Bement, Editor
The Oscars are coming up and guess what favorite sci-fi movies of mine never won an award for Best Picture: You guessed right. None of them.
Don’t get me wrong. I love watching the Academy Awards. But films that win Best Picture rarely get a second look in my house, and I’m also not here to defend my cinematic taste. These movies might make serious film critics cringe, but every single one of them has earned a permanent spot in my nerdy little heart. I will never tire of watching them and they’re not trying to be perfect. But they are endlessly entertaining, addictingly quotable, and surprisingly clever every time I watch them. I’m even pretty confident that I’m not the only one who considers at least a few of these to be classics.
Take a journey with me through my personal hall of fame for gloriously silly movies. I’ve even included the IMDB user ratings because sometimes the internet actually gets it right. A few of them actually score above a 7.0 or above. These are ranked in order of the insane number of times I’ve watched them. Do any of these live in your heart too?
Independence Day (1996) IMDB: 7.0
I start off this list with this 4th of July classic and it’s not a shock that I’ve watched it more times than any of the others. My holiday is simply not complete without Will Smith welcoming the alien to Earth with a punch, and Bill Pullman’s famous speech to the troops. This movie is enormous, loud, cheesy as hell, and kind of magnificent. Jeff Goldblum saves humanity with a laptop virus! With the way things are looking lately here on Earth, do you think he can do it again?
Armageddon (1998) IMDB: 6.7
An asteroid is headed to end all life on Earth. NASA trains oil drillers to be astronauts to blow it up. This motley crew led by Bruce Willis is our last hope. Yes, that’s the plot. Yes, it works. And yes, I cry every single time I watch it. Michael Bay did what he does best–turn the volume up to 11 and entertain the hell out of us. And the soundtrack? Come ON, it’s Aerosmith! Steven Tyler belts out “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” and the movie has my whole heart.
The Fifth Element (1997) IMDB: 7.6
Leeloo. Multipass. Opera. I know that the Dolce Suono & Diva Dance song is in your head now. And Bruce Willis! It’s not the first time Willis has had to save the day, let alone save the universe. Then there’s Chris Tucker and his chaotic performance. Let’s not forget about the brilliant Gary Oldman. My favorite line of his was “If you want something done, do it yourself. Yep!” The Fifth Element is so wildly imaginative and visually stunning that it transcends any silliness entirely. I actually consider this movie to be great. And I’m not alone. A friend of mine hand-crafted the Elemental Stones for his fireplace, and it’s nice to know some other nerd loves the movie as much as I do.
Evolution (2001) IMDB: 6.1
Aliens land in Arizona. David Duchovny moons a general. A fuzzy no-nose chimp terrorizes big strong military guys. A community college professor and his buddy try to save the world with Head & Shoulders shampoo. I mean…it’s ridiculous and it’s also completely wonderful. I hope Duchovny didn’t leave The X-Files to make this movie, but for me, Evolution is comedy gold.
Them! (1954) IMDB: 7.2
Giant ants terrorize New Mexico after nuclear testing goes wrong. This one is an absolute classic. I remember watching it as a kid and I thought the ants were the coolest, and I never looked at ants the same way again. For a 1950s sci-fi, it holds up surprisingly well and delivers genuine tension and excitement. Between the giant ants and Godzilla, you would think the world would learn to get rid of nuclear weapons!
Mars Attacks! (1996) IMDB: 6.4
Tim Burton gave us a hilarious throwback to 1950s sci-fi that is absolutely unhinged in the best possible way. Martians with giant brains who love donuts, Jack Nicholson in his usual craziness, and one of the most absurd plot resolutions in movie history. A star-studded cast including a young Natalie Portman who figured out that it wasn’t the dove that caused the problems. Even Tom Jones knew a way to survive the alien apocalypse.
The Island (2005) IMDB: 6.8
The Island treats us to that indulgent Michael Bay over-the-top style that begs us to turn up the volume. Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson play very attractive clones who discover that they’re being harvested for spare parts and go on the run. It’s part sci-fi thriller, part insane action, and has an incredibly clever plot that tugs on our emotions. No matter how many times I watch it, I’m still entertained.
Paul (2011) IMDB: 6.9
As a total nerd, this film steals my heart at every turn. Two British sci-fi comic-con nerds road-trip across America in a motor home come across an actual alien while checking out all of the alien landmarks. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are perfect nerds, and Seth Rogen as the lovably crude alien makes me laugh so hard my cheeks hurt! Their adventure together is pure joy from start to finish.
But here’s what I REALLY want to know: Do we share any of these favorites? Are there some on this list that you would defend just as passionately as I do? Or am I alone in my gloriously silly cinematic universe? Either way, I feel it’s time to pop large quantities of popcorn and watch every single one of these gems again.
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