Best of the Decade: Sci-Fi Movies

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FULL LIST: Techland’s 10 Best Sci-Fi Movies of the Decade

Any top ten list is, by its nature, biased. It is subjective, rash and almost always deliberately provocative. It’s one guy’s attempt to make a statement.

So when it came to be my turn in Techland’s best-of-the-decade marathon, I was less than surprised when some of my picks sparked passionate arguments among my colleagues. I believe it was Peter who said he was “deeply offended” by my pick for the best sci-fi film of the decade. I was quick to retort that I hated, hated, hated the iPhone. I think he knew I was lying.

Given the agony I’ve caused the writers of Techland, I can’t even begin to imagine what’s going to happen when all of you, our loyal readers, start to see what I’ve done here.

(More on Time.com: The 10 Worst Things About the Worst Decade Ever)

First, a few important pointers: I didn’t really include any fantasy films. No Dark Knight. No Lord of the Rings. No Harry Potter (not that any Potter films would have made my top 10 fantasy films list anyway).

I included one romance that you might not deem science-fiction. But given that the story relies on neuroscience, and medical technology that does not yet exist, I’m not sure how you can claim it isn’t sci-fi.

Since I was focusing on science-fiction, I didn’t really consider any monster films – though, as you’ll see, I did feel that one monster title straddled enough genres to be included in the consideration set.

You’ll notice a lack of Star Wars. This is for no other reason than the latest Star Wars films suck.

There’s also no Avatar, because we wrote this list before we saw the film (read our Avatar review here).

The goal here – much like my ongoing project to determine the 5 most underrated sci-fi masterpieces (which will resume Friday) – is to stoke conversation. To make you purge your memories as to the sci-fi adventures you enjoyed the most over the past ten years. The visions of outer space, inner space, the future and the past that made you stand up and cheer. The movies that made you rethink the way the universe works.

So let’s get the great debate going. What titles have I missed? What pieces of garbage have I embraced? Am I an underappreciated genius? An overpaid hack?

Perhaps all of the above? Click on the link below to see my picks.

FULL LIST: Techland’s 10 Best Sci-Fi Movies of the Decade

More on Time.com:

Cover Story: The Decade From Hell

Tech Buyer’s Guide 2009

The 50 Best Inventions of 2009