Lord of the Fireflies

Move over Star Wars, Alien and Blade Runner, there’s a new kid on the science fiction block. A long-established hierarchy of classic SF movies has been shattered by a new pretender: Joss Whedon’s Serenity is your new favourite film.

Whedon’s spin-off from the prematurely axed Firefly was the resounding winner in our recent online poll, picking up an Earth-shattering 61% of the vote. Second-placed Star Wars (the perennial champion of“best ever” SF lists) grabbed 28%.

It’s a remarkable performance from a movie that, less than two years since its original 2005 release, has already forced its way into the company of the all-time greats. Here at SFX Towers, we’re surprised but delighted – Whedon’s universe is one of the finest science fiction creations of the last decade, and it’s great to see that even five years after the original series was cancelled, Firefly lives on.

Here’s the full top ten:
1. Serenity
2. Star Wars
3. Blade Runner
4. Planet of the Apes
5. The Matrix
6. Alien
7. Forbidden Planet
8. 2001: A Space Odyssey
9. The Terminator
10. Back to the Future

SFX Magazine is the world's number one sci-fi, fantasy, and horror magazine published by Future PLC. Established in 1995, SFX Magazine prides itself on writing for its fans, welcoming geeks, collectors, and aficionados into its readership for over 25 years. Covering films, TV shows, books, comics, games, merch, and more, SFX Magazine is published every month. If you love it, chances are we do too and you'll find it in SFX.