Science fiction movies and books make the mind and imagination expand beyond its limits. Occasionally, it boggles the mind and can even lead to the discovery of new things. Science fiction movies can make one believe in things that would otherwise be considered impossible. Some of them even predict the future. Here are some Sci-Fi movies that have shaped our view of science and world:

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

This movie is among the greatest movies that were ever produced and it is not just about Sci-Fi. The movie was produced by Arthur C. Clarke. The movie crew was impressive and they perfectly told a seemingly beautiful story about life beyond Earth. The release date was in 1968 and they used  cool graphics that really portrayed how life will be there in outer space. One of the breakthroughs with this movie is that the spaceship used in the film was a collection of miniature model ships.

This short story provided a link between the past and the future. Dr. Dave Bowman (real name: Keir Dullea) and some astronauts enter space for a classified mission, HAL, their computer system running the ship begins to act strangely and this puts the crew at odds with the machine.

2. Back To The Future (1985)

This movie was among the first to attempt to combine two genres that normally wouldn't have mixed. They combined Sci-Fi with a touch of comedy and the results are awesome.

The two main lead actors were Michael J Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmet 'Doc' Brown, a local scientist, whose goal is to invent a time machine (from the body of a DeLorean car).

The movie brought DeLorean DMC 12 into a positive light which is, to this day, a rare collector's item. After its release, the movie swept the box office, and even today is among the highest money making movies.

3. The Matrix (1999)

This Sci-Fi movie is still fresh in people's memory since its release date in 1999. The 'bullet time' scene (slow motion bullet) made the action even more beautiful, has been copied endlessly.

The films focus on the plight of Neo (played by Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) trying to free humanity from the system while pursued by its guardians, such as Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving). The story incorporates references to numerous philosophical, religious, or spiritual ideas, among others the dilemma of choice vs. control, the brain in a vat thought experiment, messianism, and the concepts of inter-dependency and love. Influences include the principles of mythology, anime, and Hong Kong action films (particularly "heroic bloodshed" and martial arts movies).

4. Metropolis (1927)

This is the the foundation and even pillar of every Sci-Fi film, and greatly contributed to the growth of cinema.

This movie is a German Sci-Fi film set in the future, directed the brilliant film director Fritz Lang. It features a beautiful and ideal city sitting on top of a sad underworld where a badly treated workforce lives. A wealthy youth of the top world Freder (Gustav Fröhlich) finds out the horror in the city under theirs and seeks to help the workforce. During his quest, he meets the teacher Maria (Brigitte Helm), whose influence puts him at odds with his father who puts him in his black book.The movie exposed the disturbing discrepancies between the classes.

The movie, Metropolis, is so ahead of its time, that it is still a captivating today. 

5. The Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

This film is consider by most to be the one of the best 'action' movies ever made. It premiered in 1991. It blew away all the box office records. The movie was directed by James Cameron. The story line is a sequel to the first Terminator movie. The only thing that can stop the civilization from being eradicated by the robots is John Connor (Edward Furlong) but he is threatened by T-1000, the shapeshifter and terminator ( Robert Patrick). In a movie 'twist', this time around, the modified T-800, another terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is on a duty to 'protect' the young boy and his mother (Linda Hamilton). While on the run, little John develops a special bond with T-800.

6. Woman in the Moon (1929)

This beautiful 1929 film first initiated the moon travel idea seen in movies. Other movies began to copy their ideas. The film exhibited rocket ships, the countdown to the blastoff. It was the first time in the history of a movie that there was a countdown before launching a rocket. It is said that NASA borrowed this from the movie.

The plot of this silent movie is very simple. Humans take a spaceship to the moon (the orb), and discover that humans can survive in the atmosphere.

7. Star Trek (1966 - Present, The Series and Movies) 

The Star Trek series began in 1966. The creators of the series made good use of many Sci-Fi writers. Some events were adopted by video game developers such as  'Doom' and 'Quake'.  The mission of the Star Trek crew was and is "to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!"

Science fiction movies content is imaginative, but based in science. It relies heavily on scientific facts, theories, and principles as support for its settings, characters, themes, and plot-lines, which is what makes it different from fantasy. It takes us beyond what we can imagine and continues to  change our world view.

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