1.BLADE RUNNER: This dystopian vision of the future is by far the most favoured when it comes to sci-fi films, but Ridley Scott is the king when it comes to sending the eerie chill into our bones. Darkened alleyways, perpetual rain, and oily Chinese takeaways – it almost sounds like a typical Friday night out in Ireland but it is, in fact, the setting for Scott’s film, in which the Blade Runner (Ford) must tackle a bunch of resilient (not to mention philosophical..”tears in the rain”? What a line!) replicants.
2.GATTACA: This has a special place in my heart because it’s the only film which adequately explores the whole arena of genetic screening/designer off-spring. It is a sad, quiet ode to the nature of humanity, the strengths and weaknesses we acquire at birth and those we harbour in our soul. There is the resilient hope of one man, Vincent, who has never expected anything (as he is deemed inferior by his genes). And then there is the consuming despair of Jerome, a man who has lost everything as a result of an unforseen accident. It sounds a bit true-drama esque, but believe me its really not all that clichéd.
3.THE FIFTH ELEMENT: Luc Besson’s film is garnished with crazy costumes and features a disgruntled but amusing Bruce Willis. It’s a future I’d happily live in. Things to enjoy are Gary Oldman’s transparent half-plastic cap and Leeloo’s excellent fight scene intercut with the Diva’s operatic performance.
4.ClOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND: After watching this, who hasn’t wished they could build such a monumental structure out of mere mashed potato? For me this is the film which really captures the unsettling thrill of discovering possible alien life. It’s the classic concept, full of memorable images, from the alien spacecraft to the shadowy hints of the aliens themselves. And who can forget that tune?
5.SUNSHINE: It received one hell of a mixed reaction but after watching it all I felt was an odd sense of awe at the craziness of the universe. We all know the sun is going to burn out some day, so I commend Danny Boyle for imaging how we’d solve the problem -with a giant bomb, that’s how! The film may steal aplenty from 2001: A Space Odyssey and numerous other sci-fi films, but it puts it all together nicely. Sometimes it’s good to fly so close to the sun (of copycatting) and not get completely burned.
So there’s my top 5. Many omissions but no concessions. Any additions you’d make?
RedShiftBlue 
