‘2001’ and beyond: Neil deGrasse Tyson names his top 10 sci-fi films

The astronaut Bowman (Keir Dullea) in the memory space of the computer Hal in "2001: A Space Odyessy." (Warner Bros.)
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In the original "Planet of the Apes, " indigenous characters discuss the arrival of three astronauts, including one played by Charlton Heston. (20th Century Fox)
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Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson try to make an escape in 2005's "The Island." (Merrick Morton/DreamWorks)
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Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian, Malin Akerman as Silk Spectre II, Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan, Matthew Goode as Ozymandias, Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl and Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach in 2009's "Watchmen," directed by Zack Snyder. (Warner Bros.)
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Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) takes on one more assignment in 1982's "Blade Runner." (Warner Bros.)
LinkNeil deGrasse Tyson has taken television audiences on a tour through the universe with his series, “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,” which concludes its 13-episode run on Fox Sunday and on National Geographic Monday, before arriving on Blu-ray Tuesday. But when the acclaimed astrophysicist turns to the skies for entertainment, what does he like to watch? Hero Complex reached out to the man himself to find out.
Find his picks for his 10 favorite sci-fi films — and one distinguished runner-up, in his own words below.
I like big-budget science fiction films. My list, with two exceptions, bears this out. I want science fiction films to stretch the talent and imagination of visual effects experts. And the film above all else should create a vision of the future we either know that we don’t want, or know that we do.
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951): The story was so strong and compelling that the film did not require heavy special effects or monsters or violence to be simultaneously hopeful and terrifying.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): Perhaps the first film to be all about the discovery of alien intelligence yet not show what it looks like, knowing that our imagination could surely do a better job than Hollywood. In any case, it was a visual orgy of space travel and space exploration that we remain far from achieving, even 13 years after the 33 years-in-the-future it portrayed.
Planet of the Apes (1968): Saw this again recently and it held up over all these years in many important details. Had not appreciated when I first saw it. The hierarchy of apes that ran the planet, chimps were the academics, baboons were the soldiers, orangutans were the diplomats. An action-adventure movie that was an insightful mirror to our lives and our civilization.
The Terminator (1984): Deftly woven action, violence, sentient machines, a heroine and time travel. All stitched together in a tight and scarily plausible storyline. And, when you think about it, a perfect acting vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger, as a mostly mute terminator, whom many would rather look at than listen to.
The Quiet Earth (1985): Low budget, low distribution. One of many films that imagine for you what life might be like if you were the last person alive on Earth. In this case, the premise, the story, the casual science literacy of the main character, keeps the viewer in suspense the entire time, wondering what the hell happened and why.
Contact (1997): The second film that I know of that is all about contact with alien intelligence and yet does not offer you a glimpse of what they look like. Perhaps it’s no surprise that Carl Sagan advised Arthur C. Clarke to not show aliens in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and “Contact” itself is Carl Sagan’s Story. A brilliant exploration of how our culturally and religiously pluralistic society might react to the knowledge that we have been contacted by a species more intelligent than we are.
Deep Impact (1998): There have been many asteroid/comet disaster films. But this one took the time to get most of the physics right, and made sure you cared about all the characters in the film so that their prospect of dying matters to the viewer. And Morgan Freeman’s portrayal of the president of the United States may be the best ever.
The Matrix (1999): My top film in any category. From the opening credits to final scenes, every moment of this film is so fully conceived and so well executed that in spite of the complete fantasy world portrayed, the viewer was there, experiencing it with the characters themselves.
The Island (2005): Apart from too many minutes of gratuitous chase scenes, I think this movie is profound in its message as well as visually stunning. A rare study of science in the service of vanity, mixed with an exploration of corporate profits, human identity and free will. I’ve always viewed “Gattaca” (1997) as a lower-budget cousin of this film.

From left, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian, Malin Akerman as Silk Spectre II, Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan, Matthew Goode as Ozymandias, Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl and Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach in 2009’s “Watchmen,” directed by Zack Snyder. (Warner Bros.)
Watchmen (2009): I don’t know if I am alone in thinking that “Watchmen” is the best-of-genre among all superhero films. I liked it because the characters had fully expressed, complex personality profiles. They experience love, hate, revenge, megalomania, moral anguish and trepidation. Nothing polished about them. For this reason, they were all more real to me. If the world really did have superheroes in it, “Watchmen” is the world it would be.
Runner-up…
Blade Runner (1982): This story was simultaneously deep and scary. But I never warmed to it the way so many lovers of the genre have. Which makes this comment more of a confession than a review.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson
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