Like every science fiction fan, I was at the theater to watch StarWars The Force Awakens over mine and Dennis’s Christmas break. We enjoyed it a great deal. I don’t care about what other people decided to argue about. To me, the films must stand alone and it does.
So I decided to make a lists about those certain films that are pleasurably rewatchable. Some of these films are new, some are classics. but here are my favorite dramatic and horror science fiction films. You will totally notice that I tend to love double features.
1) Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986)
Directed by Ridley Scott
The Nostromo receives a distress call from an unexplored planet. After searching for survivors, the crew including Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt realize a deadly alien has joined them. For new viewers of this film, it is easy to forget how groundbreaking it actually was.
In the sequel, Aliens, the planet that they found the alien on has been colonized. When they lose contact with the colony, Signory Weaver and space marines go back to discover what happened. With all practical effects, these movies still holds up. I have to be honest I don’t generally watch Alien 3 which I feel is the weakest film in the franchise. Aliens Resurrection is okay. Sometimes we watch it as a triple feature, just because we are in an aliens type of mood. And if we need a fourth film we can always slide in AVP or Prometheus. 
2) The Thing (1982)
Directed by John Carpenter
A US scientific team in the Antarctic Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, Keith David, David Clennon are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the creatures it kills.
3) The Thing from Another World (1951)
Directed by Christian Nyby, Howard Hawks
Starring, Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, and James Arness, this film follows a group of scientists and the US Air Force fend off a blood-thirsty alien organism while at a remote arctic outpost. What I love about this film compared to the 1982 version, is that the characters joke with each other and seem to really enjoy this film while still taking it seriously.
4) Interstellar (2014)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
A team of explorers, which includes Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity’s survival. Other than a pointless death in the middle of the film, I loved this movie.
5) The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)
Directed by Val Guest
Two English reporters, played by Leo McKern and Edward Judd, discover the USA and Russia unwittingly test atomic bombs at the same time. This alters the nutation and the orbit of the Earth.
This film romanizes the time when being a science reporter was an exciting job that actually paid a salary. It is a classic End of the World tale. 
6) The Prestige (2006)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman are stage magicians who try to one-up each other in an attempt to create the ultimate stage illusion. Scarlett Johansson steals the show in a supporting role and David Bowie appears as Nikola Tesla. While it is not a traditional “science fiction” film it has science fiction and fantasy elements.
7)2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick and
2010 (1984)
Directed by Peter Hyams
In 2001, Humanity finds a mysterious, obviously artificial object buried beneath the Lunar surface and, Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester with the intelligent computer H.A.L. 9000, sets off to discover its origins and purpose.
In 2010, a joint U.S.-Soviet expedition with John Lithgow, Helen Mirren, Roy Scheider are sent to Jupiter to learn what happened on the mission in 2001. I admit my sacrilege. I would rather watch 2010, than 2001. Though honestly, I tend to watch both of them at once so it doesn’t matter.
8) Blade Runner (1982)
Directed by Ridley Scott
In this gritty dystopian police drama, Harrison Ford plays a blade runner who must pursue and terminate four replicants, Rutger Hauer, Daryl Hannah, Joanna Cassidy and Brion James who returned to Earth to find their creator in hope to lengthen their shortened lifespans.
9) Jurassic Park (1993)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
A theme park/zoo—that spares no expense—suffers major corporate espionage that allows its cloned dinosaur to escape their pens and try to eat Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum.
(Note: I love this first one, I don’t necessarily love the sequels.)
10) When Worlds Collide (1951)
Directed by Rudolph Maté
As a new star and planet hurtle toward Earth, a small group of scientists, technicians and industrialists frantically work to complete the rocket which will take 40 survivors to their new home. Starring Richard Derr, Barbara Rush, Peter Hansen in a slightly annoying love triangle, the rest of the movie is fantastic.
And one more: that I have only seen once, but I think its very rewatchable, so I’m going to give it an honorable mention: The Martian.
What movies can you watch again and again?
ZB's Blog of Awesomeness 
Posted by D.A.Cairns on January 19, 2016 at 8:18 pm
There are 3 sci fi films in my top ten films of all time. I never get tired of of watching the Star Wars films or the Star Trek films, but they aren’t in my top 10 becasue i think of them differently. For this same reason James Bond films, aren’t in my top ten either although I love James Bond.
My top 3 sci fi films, which I have watched and enjoyed more times than I can count, are: Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Total Recall (original version) and The Matrix.
Posted by Elizabeth Guizzetti on January 21, 2016 at 8:41 pm
Oh I LOVE Total Recall (original version) and The Matrix too!
Posted by Evan Witt on January 21, 2016 at 5:29 am
Really gotta agree with you on The Thing, although it’s hard to pin down why. It’s just very… rewatchable, in a way that most horror films aren’t.
Posted by Elizabeth Guizzetti on January 21, 2016 at 8:51 pm
Personally, in both early versions of The Thing, even the minor characters have some personality–not just the hero–so we care when they get killed/turned. While the 50’s version is 100% white and in black and white, everyone no matter what their rank/gender throw ideas at each other to battle the thing.
In the 80’s version, thought its 100% male, it has a racially diverse cast so it doesn’t feel like a Kurt Russel vehicle of the 80’s but a current film–except the computer scenes of course. 🙂
Unfortunately, I didn’t find The Thing (prequel) from 2011 rewatchable because there are too many current movie tropes to “add tension” such as though The Thing just needs to touch you for transmission, for some reason it needs to have a long fight with the main character at the end.
Posted by Pete Denton on January 25, 2016 at 7:48 pm
I love watching The Thing. Ticked so many boxes. Great setting, character interplay. It was also the first proper 18 certificate film I watched.
Posted by Grandtrines on January 27, 2016 at 4:37 am
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