There’s no shortage of science fiction that predicts a future far too unknown and unexplored to the common man, and usually those kinds of work are initially dismissed, only to become cult classics, no matter what medium they are told in. We’ve compiled a list of ten sci-fi movies that were ahead of their time in almost every aspect.
10: Gattaca (1997, IMDB link)
One of the finest “thinking-man” sci-fi of the last few decades, Gattaca features a vision of a society dominated by genetics. Andrew Niccol’s semi-dystopian story introduces a society where genes are not as means of eradicating deceases, but as way of classifying a human being from the day they’re born, in other words; genetic racism.
9: A Clockwork Orange (1971, IMDB link)
Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, an adaption of the novel by Anthony Burgess, showcases a thought provoking aspects of a dystopian society where youth gangs ruled, where violence and rape were the everyday norm. The relentless in portrayal of violence and psychological disorder has secured the film the title as one of the most sinister and dark science fiction films ever made.
8: Dark City (1998, IMDB link)
A somewhat sleeper hit of the late 1990s, ofter referred to as “the best film of 1998″ by Roger Ebert, Dark City is a neo-noir dystopian story about a man discovering he lives in a world controlled by beings with telekinetic powers. The movie loosely inspired works such as The Matrix, both in visual style and storytelling.
7: The Terminator (1984, IMDB link)
James Cameron’s first movie (unless you count “Piranha 2″), was an instant hit in 1984, raking in almost $80 million on a $4 million budget, and forever establishing Arnold Schwarzenegger as an action star. The Terminator popularized the aspect of “time travel”, and ever since then, if a movie included time travel, comparisons were always made to The Terminator.
6: Solyaris/Solaris (1972, IMDB link)
Andrei Tarkovsky, one of the most celebrated Russian filmmakers, made his breakthrough on the international scene with Solyaris, better known as Solaris outside of Russia. The movie centers around the planet Solaris, where a team of scientists have discovered an intelligent life form that begins to mess with their psychological state. The movie was remade in 2002, and was met with a lackluster reception.
5: Blade Runner (1982, IMDB link)
Ridley Scott’s sci-fi noir was a flop when it was initially released, shrugged by both audience and critics. But since then, its reputation as one of the finest sci-fi films ever made only increases year by year, as it’s constantly found on the best selling DVD lists around the world.
4: The Matrix (1999, IMDB link)
Undoubtedly one of the most stylistic and original films of the 1990s, The Wachowski brothers’ The Matrix not only had a story and concept unlike most sci-i films of its era, but featured visual effects that spawned a whole new categories, from “bullet time”, to its use of martial arts, The Matrix remains at the top of the list of any die hard sci-fi fan.
3: Star Wars (1977, IMDB link)
George Lucas space adventure was unlike anything anyone had seen, the movie took audiences by storm, instantly spawning rip-offs around the world, trying to cash in on the hysteria. It was so new that most studios in Hollywood initially passed on the idea, Star Wars has since spawned a whole universe, spanning everything from films, to books, games, and of course, merchandise of every kind.
2: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, IMDB link)
Widely considered as the greatest science fiction film ever made, A Space Odyssey was not only one of the most complex and interpreted films of its time (and still is), it also featured visual effects never before seen, the renderings of space ships were on par with Star Wars, which was released a good ten years later.
1: Metropolis (1927, IMDB link)
Fritz Lang’s dystopian sci-fi epic Metropolis was not only the most expensive film made at its time, but also the first ever true science fiction feature film. The art deco style and visual effects were so ahead of their time, there wasn’t anything like it for the next two decades. Despite its visuals, the movie wasn’t well received, and Fritz Land himself wasn’t satisfied with it, and it took a while — decades, really — before it was established as a cult classic, and one of the films that was far ahead if its time.
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And here we go, folks–time to go the eternal round-de-round of denial and obfuscations and allegations that makes up pretty much every new announcement of any serious quantity.
I think I just about swallowed my own tongue when I heard the baffling and downright shocking news that George “Total Wackjob” Lucas was about to stage a new 
Sci-Fi TV 
