The Movie Future's so Bright - Especially for Arnold and Harrison (A Study in Contrasts)

Our family is a movie family, and one of our favorite genres is action, followed shortly by sci-fi. After a heated debate, we attempted to make a list of the top 10 best futuristic action movies. We couldn't agree which should be first, but we did finally end up with a list we could all live with.

1. Pitch Black (2000) A spaceship gets thrown off course and ends up crashing on an uninhabited plant with three suns. The characters have their own issues with each other until an eclipse causes, well, pitch black; then they realize there is something else to fear. This movie has beautiful people, crashes and explosions, some great humor alongside the drama and some pretty good plot twists. At least one of us would pick this futuristic flick as the best of the best.

2. Terminator 2 (1991) The first terminator movie is definitely a trend-setter, but the second one is even better. This time, two machines return from the future: one to kill John, one to save him. Great special effects alone make this one a super futuristic action film, but there is good storyline, too.

3. The Matrix (1999). This futuristic world sets humans as batteries. The machines have taken over, and only a few people survive in the real world; the world we think is real is The Matrix. This is one of the first movies in a long time that made the viewer really think. What is real? How do we know? Love interest, back-stabbing, massive gunfire and every other kind of combat are sure to please the action viewer.

4. Blade Runner (1982) Harrison Ford is a police type hunting down replicants, cyborg-type creatures that have gone bad. Inevitably, the hunter becomes the hunted. There may not be a lot of explosions here, but there is plenty of action. Interesting side stories and one of the best haunting endings make this one a keeper.

5. Logan's Run (1976) This is one of the best cheesy sci-fi flicks from the 70s. It focuses on a really fun futuristic society that only allows members to live until 30. It's no big deal until they suddenly take some of your years away. The main characters, none of whom would probably be familiar to younger audiences, hunt for Sanctuary. It's rather predictable and silly but still a fun couple of hours, at least for anyone over 30. My kids most definitely did not want to include this one on the list.

6. Star Wars (1977) How can you leave this off the list? Luke, Han, the ghost of Obi Wan Kenobi and R2D2 fight off the Empire to give the good people of the universe a chance to fight another day. Some people choose one of the later installments as better pictures, but we agreed this one was the best in many ways. The introduction of characters who have become so important in our society is one reason for this to be top ten best; the unpredictability and fun dialogue ("Everything's fine here, now, we're all fine. How are you?") are bonus.

7. Total Recall (1990) The consequences are a lot bigger than they seem in this Schwarzenegger movie set on Mars. Arnold is having some identity issues, and he is trying to straighten them out. You know a movie with Arnold will have plenty of shooting and explosions, and this one won't disappoint. The storyline here is almost believable in this day of hypocrisy and greed.

8. Alien (1979) One of the movies that made Sigourney Weaver, the space story has a lot of other big names and faces. They don't realize what danger they bring when they bring one of their injured back aboard. It may not have as much action as some of these other movies, but the action scenes there are work well. Even after 30 years, Alien is one of the scariest movies around, especially the dinner scene.

9. Westworld (1973) This one's even older, but it's definitely one of the best. What could be better than a shootout with a robot, a robot who can't die? Of course, when the tagline is "Westworld, where nothing can go wrong," you know everything is going to go horribly wrong, but you probably knew that going in. Richard Benjamin is one of my favorites, but what we really love about this movie is that it is a great, futuristic action movie that is set in the Old West, guns and all.

10. Escape from New York (1981) Snake Plissken is the best of Kurt Russell's tough guys. New York is now a free-for-all prison, but the President has crashed there, and Snake has been selected to get him out. Some really great fights and car chases make up for some silly dialogue, but the story and the well-developed main character are the real reason to watch.

Our individual lists would vary a bit, but chances are pretty good a group of 15-50 year olds would find this group of ten enjoyable.