Sci fi action movies take viewers to a land of imagination where disbelief is suspended and anything is possible. They take viewers back to their childhood, when anything that can be imagined can come true. This genre of movie is a way for people to escape from the dreary, mundane existence of their everyday lives. The following is a guide to the best sci fi action movies of all time. The movies are grouped by genre, but not listed in order of rank.

Sci Fi Action Movies in Space

The first group of sci fi action movies is focused on space travel. They contain aliens, but their focus is not on any one particular species of alien. They have a significant amount of their scenes set in space.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Although many fans foam at the mouth for the newest reboot of Star Trek by J.J. Abrams, The Wrath of Khan is the best Star Trek movie ever made by light years. Taking the classic tale of Moby Dick and setting it in space, this movie tackles classic themes such as aging, death, rebirth, and revenge. The scene where Spock dies is a surefire tearjerker.

Star Wars IV: A New Hope

From the opening scene where the Imperial Star Destroyer just goes on and on, this movie rewrote the sci fi action genre forever. The tale of a simple farm boy that finds out he is special and ¨takes his first steps into a wider world, ¨ it has a little bit of everything. Scores of aliens, space battles, a moon sized space station, a rescue of a princess and light sabers delight viewers. It is the most fun and most viewed of any movie on the list.

Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

Takes all of the fantastic elements of the first film, and then puts a much more mature spin on it. The gut check moments just keep coming: the defeat of the Rebel Alliance at Hoth, the torture and freezing of Han Solo, the betrayal by Lando Calrissian, and the announcement that Vader is Luke´s father.

Sci Fi Action Movies Featuring Aliens

The next group of sci fi action movies focuses on aliens. All of them have introduced classic aliens that have become a part of our pop culture.

Alien

The famous tagline of this classic reads, ¨In space, no one can hear you scream.¨ The tagline indicates what kind of movie this is. Full of terror and fear, this film introduced perhaps the most famous alien in cinema history. The scene where the alien explodes out of the stomach remains one of the most shocking scenes ever.

Aliens

The first of four James Cameron movies to be on this list, Aliens took the premise of the first film and expanded it exponentially. Full of much more action than the first film, this movie has an emotional core to go along with its action-packed scenes. The climactic battle between Ripley using the power loader and the alien queen is one of the best fight scenes ever.

Predator

The only movie to ever feature two future governors, this film introduced a truly terrifying alien. The concept of an alien that hunts human beings is wonderful for frightening the audience. This is one of Schwarzenegger´s classic performances.

Avatar

Although the story is slightly hackneyed, the movie is the most amazing technological achievement in cinema history thus far. Seeing this movie in 3D was the most amazing cinematic experience since the original Star Wars.

Sci Fi Action Movies About Robots and Artificial Intelligence

As technology becomes more and more advanced, these types of movies become scarier and scarier.

The Terminator

Yet another James Cameron classic, The Terminator was the first great sci fi action movie to show a version of the future when our quest for technological advancement would have the potential to destroy us. This movie made Schwarzenegger a star.

Terminator II: Judgment Day

Although the original is a classic, the sequel is superior. The liquid metal terminator is simply magical. The best aspect of the film is its message that destiny is a falsehood. As Sarah Connor says, ¨No fate but what we make.¨

The Matrix

This mind-bending movie became an instant classic. The reason that this movie is so successful is three-fold. The first reason is the amazing fight scene choreography by Yuen Woo Ping. The second is the slow-motion 360 degree cinematography by the Wachowski brothers. The final reason is that this film is much more intelligent than the typical sci fi action movie. Its philosophical musings about the nature of reality address questions that are fundamental to the human experience.

Blade Runner

Taking film noir and throwing it on top of a sci fi movie, this Ridley Scott classic is a classic for its visual effects and intelligence. Its fundamental question about how artificial intelligence should be treated by mankind is one that may need to be addressed in our lifetimes. movies.