I'm sorry but The Island's in the top 5, and Independence Day didn't even get an honorable mention?

One cool thing though - if you watch the Matrix clip you posted, and 12-14 seconds into it you cue Inca Dance by Cusco it's pretty cool

make that 10-12 seconds

Independence Day was a fun flick, but it's definitely not top five material.  The Island was a much better film and far more original.

The original Time Machine needs mention somewhere in here.  The last star fighter is a totally cool flick, glad to see it on there.  One of my all time favs.  Trancers is missing, and Minority report shouldn't be honorably mentioned.

Some others - 2001: a space odyssey?  E.T., Planet of the Apes (original), Lawnmower man, War of the worlds (original), the Abyss, The Fly.  Just some thoughts.

Not that my opinion counts, I think I'm the only person in the world that actually enjoyed water world.  I'd also like to point out that Space Balls, while a comedy, also has some to notch Sci-Fi themes going on.

Hah! Holy crap... Lawnmower Man... I thought I was like, the only one on the planet that liked that movie...

Terminator 2 is still one of my all-time top favorite movies. It's sooo cool.

It's funny to see Trevor's Cadillac in the first one though. HUGE chase scene with a 1978 Cadillac Eldorado...

Never saw Trancers though it is now on my Netflix list per your recommendation. 

Minority Report barely made the honorable mention list and, for whatever reason, I overlooked E.T. Consider that corrected. I'm going to remove Minority Report and add E.T. to the honorable mention list.

2001:  A Space Odyssey is just too slow and boring and I can't believe we're getting recommendations for the mediocre Lawnmower Man. 

Spaceballs is a comedy in my book.  It will get its proper recognition later.

The Abyss was really good and almost made the honorable mention list.

You know I was going to say a LOT of stuff here, but I saw this comment by the author:

"The Island was a much better film and far more original."

After reading that, I had to dismiss ANY validity of this entire list.
As it appears you are unaware, The Island was a decent film the first time I saw it, and it was called Logans Run! OK, the plot was slightly different, but not enough to call any part of it "far more original". Reminds me of people who thought I am Ledgend was original,  it was when it was called Omega Man.

Considering a full half of my movie collection and favorite movies are Sci-Fi, I should post a lot here, but I just can't now.

TLM- I agree with 90%+ of what you said.

"As it appears you are unaware, The Island was a decent film the first time I saw it, and it was called Logans Run! OK, the plot was slightly different, but not enough to call any part of it "far more original"."

I don't even know where to begin.  First, Logan's Run and The Island are two very different movies. The plots are completely different, different settings, etc.  The first half-hours are kinda similar but other than that there are virtually no similarities. Second, even if The Island was a carbon copy of Logan's Run it would still be "far more original" than Independence Day.  The plot for Independence Day was little more than aliens invading earth, about the oldest and most recycled plot there is in sci-fi movies dating back to War of the Worlds.

I don't think being original is the only criteria for being top 5 material. 

I also don't think that just because a movie has a recycled plot, that that makes them disqualified.  If they do it the best, I don't really care if it's unoriginal.  I think most people think Independence Day was awesome. 

I don't think anyone is arguing that ID was shoddy, I very much enjoyed the movie.  But it was definitely a rehash.  They even make fun of themselves by making the old alien ship scientologist Will Smith pilots look close to the one's from the original War of the Worlds.

The virus thing was kinda lame too.

Hmm, a society living is a secluded area with people winning their death ending up with the captives escaping to the real world, nope not the same at all. If you like the idea of harvesting humans, I think Freejack is closer to original. (and as bad as it was, a better movie in my book)
As for being more original, if original means being imitated or copied less times, then I guess you are right, it is. ALL of that aside, it still has no place in the top 5, or probably 100. Most of your honorable mentions  are a LOT better.
I totally agree with Stephen. I liked ID4 and, even though it's plot had nothing that was recycled, I liked Mars Attacks.
I still think you are lacking criteria for what it takes to make these lists. You might also be more successful if you had more sub genres. Like Sci-fi/Drama, Sci-fi/Comedy, Sci-Fi/Action, Sci-Fi/Remake :-)

TLM- What do you mean "The virus thing was kinda lame too"???
Don't you know that super advanced aliens use 802.11g and can be infected from a Mac that shows the status of it's transfer cause the virus so large that it takes that long to transfer, then immediatly effects all of their systems and shows a video on all of the ships displays that humans can see too. That has to be the most realistic part of the movie.

First of all, Independence Day was a good movie. It's fun and rewatchable, two qualities every good movie needs. Just because it wasn't quite good enough to make this list doesn't mean its bad.

"Hmm, a society living is a secluded area with people winning their death ending up with the captives escaping to the real world, nope not the same at all."

In Logan's Run (correct me if I'm wrong, it's been a long time since I've seen this movie) they don't "win" their death.  The voluntarily go to a quasi-religious ceremony where they are killed because they are promised by the computers running the society that they will be reborn. They also have to report at the age of thirty which they know because the crystal implanted in their hands turns red or something.  So far none of that is even remotely similar to The Island.

Now the captives in each movie do escape outside, to the real world, but the real world in The Island is pretty much the world we live in today.  The setting is the near future and there are real cities with real people, etc.  The real world they escape to in Logan's Run is an abandoned version of the earth.  I think they find themselves in Washington D.C. but there are no people and weeds and wildlife have overtaken the planet.  They finally find an old man who I never really figured out what he had to do with the plot.  The Island was so vastly superior than this stupid movie though I can't believe we're even having this conversation.

"You might also be more successful if you had more sub genres. Like Sci-fi/Drama, Sci-fi/Comedy, Sci-Fi/Action, Sci-Fi/Remake :-)"

Probably but its hard enough to find the time for these posts as it is.  Don't hold your breath waiting for hundreds of posts on sub genre movie rankings.

"Logan's Run (correct me if I'm wrong, it's been a long time since I've seen this movie) they don't "win" their death.  The voluntarily go to a quasi-religious ceremony where they are killed because they are promised by the computers running the society that they will be reborn"

sounds like the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics

Which were absolutely amazing by the way. 

They really were. 

WORST SCI FI MOVIE EVER - SUPERNOVA!!!  And, it's not even close or up for debate.  That movie is a steaming pile of donkey shit!

And, Star Wars Episode III needs to be in there somewhere - that movie completely rocked and tied most everything together very nicely...even wiped the mind of the protocol droid at the end.

Episode III was definitely the best of the new Star Wars movies, but I didn't like how Anakin changed so quickly.  I mean one minute he's debating whether to help the Emperor or not and the next he's chopping down toddlers in the Jedi temple like a homicidal maniac. 

And I never saw Supernova but I don't see how it could be worse than Battlefield Earth or Bicentennial Man.

I saw Supernova, but I don't remember what it was about. Was that a computer generated / cartoon movie? I seem to recall it was???

If we're talking cheese sci-fi movies... I have a TON on VHS that I used to buy from the local movie rental place. They would sell them for $1 buck when they were trying to switch to DVD. I used to force myself to watch one a week... and it was actually pretty cool.

Like, I've got one movie called "Interface" where a bunch of IBM PC Terminals (those massive ones from the late 70s)... and the main frame grew it's own conciousness. Basically, a bunch of Dungeons and Dragons players started taking their orders from the main frame, and they started killing students. The only famous person in the movie was Lou Diamond Philips... and he had a 5 second roll as a punk in an alley that didn't even say anything.

Then there was some other movie... I think it was called "Life Pod"? It was from like the early 80s... the entire movie took place inside a mock up space capsule... pretty funny.

All those movies are pretty crappy, but... most of the actors were decent enough that they were watchable...  

Holy crap! I just looked it up. Interface was in fact Lou Diamond Philip's very first movie role! hahah!!!

Episode III was definitely the best of the new Star Wars movies, but I didn't like how Anakin changed so quickly.  I mean one minute he's debating whether to help the Emperor or not and the next he's chopping down toddlers in the Jedi temple like a homicidal maniac. 

I agree 100% with this.  So don't ever say we don't agree with something.

 Yahoo users just came out with their definitive list:

5. Return of the Jedi

4. The Empire Strikes Back

3. Transformers

2. Starwars

1. Iron Man

Transformers?!?! Ugh.

I wasn't really considering Iron Man but no way Transformers should be in the Top 5.

A.I.  should be the worst sci-fi film ever

That sounds like it came from a person who never saw Bicentennial Man.

The people who accept these movies as the BEST science fiction are plain idiots!!!

Transformers- Horrible!!! Just another Michael Bay pure action movie like Armageddon, another terrible science fiction movie. And The Island sucks!!! Star Wars is just too unrealistic and childish to be considered great. Blade Runner is dark but it ain't complicated. Your list just seems to be a list of the coolest science fiction not the top science fiction.

Aside from that, Serenity should've at least made it's way up there, c'mon people!

Psyfy, I have to agree with MC. You say that you want the "top" science fiction movies? What is defined as top? Surely, I think Dune, DefCon-5, Attack of the Killer Mutant Llamas, are all top movies. But... what the general concensus of what is defined as "top" are the movies that sell the most tickets, merchandise, and stand the test of time. (Surely, Pumpkinhead just sucked... no redeeming value from that movie whatsoever).

TLM, unfortunately I wasted an hour and a half of my life last night watching the completely unredeemable Trancers movie per your recommendation.  It was horrible.  The storyline was dumb and nothing was ever explained (how did Whistler make people with "weak minds" Trancers, etc.), the acting was horrible (though it was funny to see a young Helen Hunt) and the special effects were typical early 80's fare.  Nothing was special about this movie except its overall awfulness.  This movie was just one of several low budget 80's sci-fi films where little thought, money or effort was put into. 

Did you watch it with your wife?  Every guy I know loves that movie, except now two people.  The other also decided to watch the film with his wife.  I bet you would "think" that the new legend of shoalin was equally lame if you watched it first with a woman.

First, you should never, ever compare watching Trancers with New Legend of Shaolin.  Second, I did not watch it with my wife.  I watched it by myself.  It was just plain bad.  No matter who I watched it with, this movie would not have been good. 

You know, I don't know how Sci-Fi this really is... but, I would highly recommend watching Idiocracy. I don't want to give too much of the plot away. It's one of those movies that I think are so good, that it's probably just best to not know anything about it, and just rent it and see it without anyone telling you what it's about.

But it's REALLY good. It's a comedy, but it's also pretty scary too... hahah... not in a gorey sense, but in a political sense.

I HIGHLY recommend this.

Todd, where are you on the defense of Trancers?  My respect for Matthew Cochrane is at an all time low right now is all I'm saying.  The Santa Trancer in the film should have been up for an Oscar or something and that's just off the top of my head.

Idiocracy is a great film.

Oh, please... he stands alone in this thread. I had to re-read it a few times before I realized he was talking negatively about it. I mean... the plot lines are rich with content. The drunken baseball player, the guy who collects fire trucks... the movies are so awesome that it all seems like one long story to me, that I have a hard time remembering which movie was which.

The Santa Trancer definitely stands out... I'll never forget that scene... scariest moment in my life. It made me question everything about society. What other movies can move you like that?

Idiocracy!  Ah man I forgot all about the movie.  Great stuff

foxnews.com has a list of the 10 worst baseball movies ever and Major League is on the list.  what morons!!!(*$&(&^*@&^!!!