Red Planet (2000)

Red Planet (2000)

[6] Val Kilmer headlines this serviceable sci-fi survival story of astronauts who become stranded on Mars. As their oxygen depletes and their damaged robot accidentally enters 'war mode' and hunts them down, their commander in orbit (The Matrix's Carrie-Anne Moss)…
Westworld (1973)

Westworld (1973)

[6] Before Jurassic Park, author Michael Crichton hit it big with another sci-fi thriller set in an amusement park -- 1973's Westworld, a film he also directed. Richard Benjamin and James Brolin star as wealthy guests at a Wild West-themed…
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

[3] Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) plays a younger version of the character Charlize Theron played in 2015's brilliant Mad Max: Fury Road in this prequel co-written and directed by series creator George Miller. We learn Furiosa's backstory -- how she…
These Are the Damned (1962)

These Are the Damned (1962)

[6] Here's a weird offering from Britain's Hammer Films that's so surprising and bewildering, you might overlook its shortcomings. In England, an American tourist (Macdonald Carey) is picked up by a young woman (Shirley Anne Field) who lures him into…
Alien: Romulus (2024)

Alien: Romulus (2024)

[2] The seventh film in the Alien franchise is by far the worst of the litter, featuring a juvenile cast lacking any charisma who lead us through a tediously dull pastiche of the series' greatest hits. Alien: Romulus reeks of…
The Thing (1982)

The Thing (1982)

[10] This movie does two things extraordinarily well. It transports me and it terrifies me. Before anything scary even happens, director John Carpenter (Assault on Precinct 13, Starman) succeeds in creating an atmosphere of mystery and suspense that locks me…
Cocoon: The Return (1988)

Cocoon: The Return (1988)

[5] The old folks who left Earth in a UFO at the end of Cocoon are back for an unnecessary sequel that retreads the first film in so many ways, it's shameful. The entire cast and composer James Horner return…
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

[6] Keanu Reeves (Speed, The Matrix) stars as Klaatu, an alien visiting Earth to assess whether humanity deserves to live or die in this remake of the 1951 atomic-age classic. Humanity's potential for atomic annihilation takes a more ecological bent…
Rollerball (1975)

Rollerball (1975)

[7] In this dystopian sci-fi tale, James Caan plays the star player in a global, corporate-sponsored game called 'Rollerball'. It's televised all over the world and very popular, combining elements of hockey, football, and basketball, in a bowl-shaped arena. Some…
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

[7] Writer/director Steven Spielberg follows up his immensely successful Jaws with this tale of extra-terrestrials and government conspiracy. Richard Dreyfuss stars as a family man whose encounter with a UFO brings him into contact with a grieving mother (Melinda Dillon)…