When science and technology are combined in film, nothing is out of reach. Science fiction movies portray a futuristic reality that is not possible with current information and knowledge, but the prospect of it fills the viewer with excitement.
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Rotten Tomatoes ranks the movies according to their “TOMATOMETER.” The score that each film receives on the TOMATOMETER is a compilation of reviews from publications or individual critics that can be seen in print, broadcast, and online outlets.
The following films have been given the best classic science fiction movie reviews by Rotten Tomatoes critics.
“Metropolis” (1927)
TOMATOMETER: 99 percent
AUDIENCE SCORE: 92 percent
The Rotten Tomatoes critics describe “Metropolis” as “a visually awe-inspiring science fiction classic from the silent era.”
This classic science-fiction film is set in a futuristic city that’s divided between the stunning, cultured utopia and a bleak and overworked underclass. The son of the city’s authoritative mastermind discovers the brutalities under the city and falls in love with a worker teacher with a prophecy. This ends up putting him at odds with his father.
“Gravity” (2013)
TOMATOMETER: 97 percent
AUDIENCE SCORE: 80 percent
Rotten Tomatoes critics consider Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity” an “eerie, tense science fiction thriller that’s masterfully directed and visually stunning.”
A brilliant medical engineer accompanies a veteran astronaut on a shuttle mission. Catastrophe strikes as the shuttle is destroyed on what was supposed to be a routine spacewalk. Both the astronauts are lost and are only tethered to each other. Floating in the blackness with nothing in sight, both must travel deeper into space for a chance to get back home.
“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982)
TOMATOMETER: 98 percent
AUDIENCE SCORE: 71 percent
According to the Rotten Tomatoes critics, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” is “both an exciting sci-fi adventure and a remarkable portrait of childhood…and [it] remains a piece of movie magic for young and old.”
This classic science fiction movie tells the story of a friendly alien and a shy child, who exhibits bravery and helps the alien get back to his home planet.
“Alien” (1979)
TOMATOMETER: 97 percent
AUDIENCE SCORE: 94 percent
“Alien” is described as a “modern classic” that
“blends science fiction, horror, and bleak poetry into a seamless whole” by the Rotten Tomatoes critics.
In a Jaws-style extraterrestrial nightmare, the commercial vessel Nostromo receives a distress call. After not finding anything, the crew head back; however, it is too late when they find out that an alien lifeform has invaded the vessel. What follows is the stalking and systematic killing of the crewmembers by the alien.
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