Outer space. Inner space. New worlds. Tech frontiers. Artificial intelligence. The best science-fiction movies take us to places beyond our own imagination, dreaming up impossible futures that inevitably go on to shape our own technological advances. Great sci-fi delivers mind-bending visuals packed with mind-blowing ideas, probing everything from the human experience to the future of humanity. It's a genre that contains multitudes – from fast, funny, colourful space adventures, to dark dystopian tragedies, set in the present, far future, or even a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
If you're wanting a list of the best sci-fi movies of all time, you're in the right place – the Team Empire hivemind has communed in the cloud to come up with a list of the most iconic sci-fi cinema, from modern masterpieces, to game-changing greats. From Spielberg to Scott, Kubrick to Carpenter, there's something here for everyone. Read on and prosper.