Top 50 Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Comic Book Movies of All Time: Part 4

35. Finding Nemo– In 2003, Pixar created what, in my opinion at least, was the best movie of the year, and would have been a benefactor of ten nominees. The story of Marlin, a desperate father trying to find his son, with the help of a ditzy friend Dory (brilliantly done by Ellen DeGeneres), was sweet, exciting, and hilarious. Not to mention that Pixar cast this entire picture under the sea, in a brilliant colorful world of mystery, madness, and well, a lots of water. But despite its fishy setting, Finding Nemo is one of those great Pixar classics that makes you forget that what you are seeing is only imagination.

34. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – I had to include at least one Harry Potter on the list, for not only being one of the most successful movie series of all time, but for consistently wowing critics and audiences all over the world. My personal favorite was this quirky entry by Alfonso Cuaron, the third book in the series, which introduces us to the character of Sirius Black. Harry Potter, all of the movies, are not only fantastical tales of wizards, witches, storybook creatures, and of course, a little bit of magic. But they are stories of growing up, for those of us that grew up with Harry in real time, these next two movies are the end of a magical ride.

33. Return of the Jedi – Not to spoil the surprise, but all three of the original Star Wars movies makes this list, and it’s obvious why this one is the first. It was not as spellbinding as its predecessors, and may have a little too much fur from the Ewoks, but no one can deny the cultural significance of this final chapter in the greatest series of all time. Furthermore, the movie itself is a wild, entertaining ride that ties up loose ends, and once again transports us into George Lucas’ incredible world.

32. 12 Monkeys – This is only one of the Terry Gilliam movies on the list, and while many will find it surprising that it is so high up, I think that it is to its credit, being one of the most underrated sci-fi classics of all time. To put it simply, it is a “masterpiece of madness” (IMDB user). The story of a man who time travels in order to learn more about the disease that has destroyed mankind, Gilliam has created a world of dark gloom, and terrifying consequences. He also happened to create one that is devastatingly well made, a story that is taut and interesting, and, of course, it doesn’t hurt that he had a great cast led by Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis.

31. The Terminator – While its sequel is considered a modern masterpiece, The Terminator in itself is a classic. It is the story of a cyborg in the future sent to kill a woman named Sarah Conner, whose son is the only for the future of humanity. Like most James Cameron movies, the storyline doesn’t always succeed, and the acting, well c’mon it’s Arnold, but when it comes to Terminator, none of that matters. Like all Cameron movies, the point of it is to enjoy the immenseness of it all, the incredible visuals, the high-paced action, the marvels of a new and strange world, and of course, the thought that because of this movie, we got Judgment Day.