Ten Essential Science Fiction & Fantasy Films
A Personal View by Van Plexico

(in chronological order)

Star Wars
1977
"You're all clear, kid-- now let's blow this thing and go home!"
Many feel the "Empire" sequel was superior, but the original Star Wars
was the real phenomenon.  It hit Hollywood and the world like a meteor
and changed everything.  From the unforgettable opening Star Destroyer
attack to the final desperate race against the clock to destroy the
Death Star, the pace never let up-- nor did the excitement nor the sense
of awe and wonder.  A  staggering achievement of filmmaking.

Star Trek:  The Motion Picture
1979
"List them as... missing."
Not exactly an action-packed roller coaster of a movie, and it all
seemed rather dull back in the day, but viewed through grown up eyes,
it holds up as a beautiful and inspiring voyage into the unknown.  The
climactic scene involving Decker's and Ilia's sacrifices still carries
undeniable power and wonder.

Blade Runner
1981
"It was called... retirement."
A film that has only become more appreciated and beloved in the years
since its release.  Enormously influential and extremely affecting, and
utterly beautiful in its own way, depicting a future world that's all
too plausible-- and possible.

Star Trek II:  The Wrath of Khan
1982
"I feel... young... as when the world was new."
Arguably the most exciting and fun of all the Trek films, it gave us
the heroes at their most "human" and vulnerable, and a  villain worthy
of those heroes' greatest efforts.  The pristine and seemingly
untouchable ships of the first film are here blasted  and blown apart
with abandon.  And it saved the franchise-- had it tanked, there might
have been no "Next Generation," let  alone more Trek films and further
series.  (Some would argue this would have been a good thing...)

2010:  The Year We Make Contact
1984
"All these worlds..."
Not quite as grandiose and awe-inspiring as the original, but much
quicker-paced and more accessible.  The Cold War politics at work in
the background of the entire story make it all seem extremely current
and relevant to its day.  And it provides quite satisfying answers to
the seemingly impenetrable mysteries of the first film.

Highlander
1986
"There can be only one!"
And there should have been.  Even so, a rogue's gallery of wretched
sequels and a mediocre TV spinoff series
are not enough to deny the glory of the original film.   We'd never
really seen anything like it before.

Predator
1987
"If it bleeds, we can kill it."
The quintessential Ahnold action movie, bridging the gap between
his early military-esque films and the later, big-budget SF
extravaganzas.  It's all there.

The Crow
1994
"It can't rain all the time."
Get past the violence and mayhem and you have an underlying story that
is gut-wrenching and devastating-- the story of a love so strong that
it can reach out from the grave to, if not set things right, at least
bring a bit of justice to the world.

The Matrix
1999
"Misss...ter  Annn...derson..."
So original, so influential, so breathtaking. 

Unbreakable
2000
"You don't have a mark on you."
Probably the first "superhero" film ever to play it utterly, totally
"straight" from beginning to end.  A completely serious film  with a
constant sense of foreboding and mystery, the revelation near the end
that it's actually a comic book film comes as a  shock and a pleasant
surprise.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2001
"I'm glad you're with me, Sam."
Peter Jackson took a beloved fantasy masterpiece and imbued it with
overwhelming emotion and power.  Greater than Frodo's physical journey
is his personal voyage from "mere" Hobbit to hero.  By the time we reach
the end of the film, and Frodo sets his jaw and closes his hand over
the Ring he's tried desperately to rid himself of for most of the story,
we know that he is a different person than the one who started out from
Hobbiton.  While his arduous trip to Mt. Doom still lies ahead, his real
 journey is complete-- he has become a hero.