“2001: A Space Odyssey” 1968. The film that launched the modern era of sci-fi spectaculars (and set the standard for special effects), this dreamlike meditation on space, time and the origins of man and civilization still resonates, managing to evoke new impressions with each successive viewing.

“The Day the Earth Stood Still” 1951. The archetype “close encounter” film, this tale of an alien coming to Earth to deliver a message of caution remains unrivaled for its mixture of drama and excitement; a socially relevant treatise on human capacity and shortsightedness.

“Planet of the Apes” 1968. Rod Serling’s script continues to impress in this futuristic tale about a wayward astronaut’s frightening discovery of a world in which man no longer rules the roost, put over with stunning makeup design and intense dramatic realism.

“Blade Runner” 1982. Regardless of which version (there are four of them!) you happen to watch, Ridley Scott’s dark imagining of a mangled future calls into question the notion of human singularity. Dismissed by some, it is a visionary work of corporate malfeasance and new horizons.

“The Man Who Fell to Earth” 1976. Australian director Nicholas Roeg’s heady mix of social commentary and sci-fi convention follows an alien whose search for water in order to save his dying planet is undermined by the hedonistic trappings of Earth culture.

“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” 1977. A re-imagining of “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” Steven Spielberg’s box-office blockbuster is a surprisingly human tale of what can happen when one’s consciousness is inexplicably raised; masterful special effects and solid performances throughout.

“The Terminator” 1984. James Cameron’s franchise-launching effort is an elliptical, time-bending story about the future trying to preserve the status quo by changing the past, a mission that results in a battle to the death between a powerful cyborg and the soldier sent to stop it.

“The Empire Strikes Back” 1980. The best of the Star Wars sextet, this second entry is more than a special effects extravaganza; it’s the ultimate Saturday swashbuckling serial of outer space daring do, with a cast of characters that are simply without equal.

“The Matrix” 1999. Trend-setting sci-fi film asks whether life is “real” or merely a dream, posited through a story concerning man’s battle with a race of machines that may, or may not have, already conquered Earth.

“Solaris” 2002. This re-make of Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky’s mind-bending sci-fi classic is even better than the original as it follows a recently widowed psychiatrist who travels to a manned space station that has suddenly fallen silent.