2001 – A Space Odyssey

A mysterious monolith appears on the moon, and an investigation of a mysterious signal it emits to Jupiter leads the US to send the ship Discovery One to investigate, and when they get there, that's when things get really trippy… The legendary director Stanley Kubrick created so many memorable characters, from the drugged-out maniac Alex in A Clockwork Orange to Humbert Humbert in Lolita, but none had the incredible impact of the malfunctioning computer HAL. One of the most best constructed films of all time, with ground-breaking special effects and instantly recogniseable cinematography, 2001 has become the gold standard for all realistic science fiction worlds. It's hard science fiction three quarters of the way through, and when we go into a world that is an experimental sort of techno-fantasy, it becomes a masterpiece.   Why it's on the list The most thoroughly imagined version of the near-future of the late 1960s, 2001 – A Space Odyssey  is masterful in its use of visual effects, set design, music, and props. It's as realistic a science fiction film as you'll ever see.