Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 space opera, 2001: A Space Odyssey has once again held onto a number one spot in science fiction history. Rolling Stone has revealed its 150 Best Science Fiction Movies of All Time list where the 55-year-old genre-defining film continues to come out on top in an industry that now spans over a century. While not the first film to delve into space travel and exploration or the potential consequences of artificial intelligence gone awry, Kubrick’s masterpiece hit the bullseye during the height of the Cold War space race. 2001: A Space Odyssey went on to win many awards and continues to be inspirational for modern filmmakers and even its iconic opening scene still manages to be featured in films, albeit usually for comedic purposes (Mel Brook’s History of The World Part I, Barbie).
Per Rolling Stone:
“It begins at the Dawn of Man and ends with the rebirth of humanity, with Homo sapiens having finally been granted one last evolutionary level-up. In between those two poles of the human experience — one in our prehistoric past, the other light years into our future (hope springs eternal) — Stanley Kubrick gives us what still feels like the benchmark for science fiction cinema that engages you in mind, body, and soul. It’s not just that his adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s short story “The Sentinel” has become part of our collective consciousness, enough that Barbie could kick off with an extended riff on one of its most famous scenes and everyone got the joke. Or that 2001 contains what may be the single best example of film editing as a communicative art form unto itself. Or that the closest the film has to an antagonist, the self-aware HAL 9000 supercomputer who discovers that machines are no more immune from neurosis and malice than its flesh-and-blood programmers are, is the character we end up feeling the most sympathy towards. “Daissss-yyyy… daisssss-yyyyy…”.
Although many could argue placement of the various titles on Rolling Stone’s list credit is due to the long-running publication for its inclusion of almost every science-fiction film that at one point has had a cultural impact. Be it from sheer ticket sales and popularity to head-scratching intellectual ponderings, the list covers a wide range of films going back to the silent era. For those wondering, 1995’s Tank Girl, based on a character introduced in Deadline comics from the late 1980s is at the end of the list at #150. Star Wars landed in ninth place.