Best Science Fiction films of the decade

10: SOLARIS (2002)

This is based on a novel by the Polish writer Stanislaw Lem, and borrows heavily from the 1972 Russian version. It's the strange story about a group of isolated astronauts seeing strange visions, with the real world and dream world blending into each other as the film progresses. George Clooneys career is amazing. From Killer tomatoes to being that hot guy on ER and a shit Batman, he's become widely regarded as one of the best actors working in Hollywood. The cunts a good director too.

9: THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY  (2005)

DON'T PANIC. Yes it's the film version of one of the funniest science fiction book series ever made. This film was always going to be good. If it wasn't then geeks (like myself) around the world would have been hunting the people responsible and reciting some Vogon poetry to them. The only thing that bugs me about it is that they set up The restaurant at the end of the universe and haven't bloody made it yet. Get your finger out assholes.

8:  SUNSHINE (2007)

I think my favourite thing about Danny Boyle is that you have no idea what he's going to make next. He went from the amazing 28 days later to Millions to Sunshine to Slumdog Millionaire. The guy doesn't hang about in one genre, but while he's there he makes an awesome film for that genre. Better than some directors that have been hanging around in that scene for years. This is better than any of the Science Fiction Steven Spielberg has done and he bloody loves the space and aliens. As with some Danny Boyle films the ending goes a bit  awry but it doesn't harm the film in any way.

7: STAR TREK (2009)

Sitting in the cinema waiting for this to come on I felt wrong. The whole thing was wrong. A kid did the whole live long and prosper thing when I was going to get my ticket but other than that it was just like going to see any other film, not a Star Trek one. This film made Star Trek cool, people who wouldn't go near Nemesis or First Contact were sitting next to me. It was almost like a mass of people patting you on the back for years of service in geekland. It was an awesome film too, a high packed action space adventure. Which is pretty much what Star Treks always been about. Still kind of weird though.

6: MOON (2009)

Zowie Bowie makes a film. A bloody awesome film too. It has the same feeling as an old bleak 60s or 70s Science Fictions film, like Silent Running or 2001. It deals a lot with the loneliness of it all. Sam Rockwell is so good in this film, he should have won an award or two. He plays Sam Bell who's coming to the end of his three year service on the moon when things start to go wrong. I could tell you what they are but that would ruin your enjoyment of the whole thing, and you will enjoy it. It's bloody brilliant.

5: THE FOUNTAIN (2006)

This was originally going to be a big budget film with Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt, Pitt left the production and suddenly the budget was halved, and in steps Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz to save the day. A lot of people hate Hugh Jackman, after watching this I couldn't be one of those. I love this film so much, it's one of those films that I kept thinking about for days after seeing it. A lot of people didn't understand it. I just connected with it. Aronofsky making another good film, like no one saw that coming.

4: INCEPTION (2010)

Yeah Inception only made number four. I bloody loved this film, Christopher Nolan does it again. Almost every film he's made in the last decade has appeared in these lists at some point with the exception of Batman Begins, he's one of the best directors currently working in Hollywoodland. Excuse me if I'm repeating myself here but this film blew me away. Again a lot of people didn't understand it. I have no idea why, it's a science fiction film. Deal with it.

3: SERENITY (2005)

Being a huge geek I fucking loved Firefly, I tried to stay away from it because it got cancelled before I'd even caught an episode and from what people were saying it was going to be upsetting. Being the geek I am I couldn't stay away for long and bought it on dvd, and yes I was very very very very sad when I got to the end and realised that was it. Till the film. What a fucking movie. It was the perfect way to end the whole thing, I would love to see another one but it didn't make enough money in the States, the bastards. It also does what Return of the Jedi should have and kills a character towards the final act which puts you on edge as you realise that any character could be dead by the end of the film. I'm getting goosebumps just talking about it. I think I know what I'll be watching tonight.

2: CHILDREN OF MEN (2006)

Clive Owen is another actor a lot of people hate. I bloody love the guy. Like all of the films on this list it blew me away. The fact intelligent science fiction is still being made is a fucking miracle when all you usually get is crap like Skyline. That made me want to throw up out my nose. Humanity is dying out, people aren't having babies anymore, the last person was born 18 years ago, and he's just died. Clive Owen is wrapped into protecting what could be mankind's salvation. I love a good dystopian vision of the future, and like most good science fiction it uses the environment to make commentary about the stupidity of the world we're living in.If you haven't seen it. You bloody well should. Oh and it's another film with Michael Caine in it too. He gets about a bit for an old fella.

1: DISTRICT 9 (2009)

I'm not going to lie to you. I was shouting at the screen towards the end of this film. A lot. Like I was almost jumping on my seat in the cinema. It's one of those films that I watched whilst trying not to scream holy shit when the next awesome thing happened. This film snuck up on me. Someone told me about some new science fiction film that was meant to be quite good , so I looked into it online. It looked a little better than the usual Independence Day kind of crap, and it was already out in America so I didn't have long to wait. FUCKING HELL IT WAS AMAZING. Like Children of Men it was a proper science fiction film that made a commentary about the way we currently live our lives, but it was wrapped up in an amazing extravaganza that was just a joy to watch. Not just the best of the decade, but one of the best of all time. Yeah I said it.

Best Comic book films of the decade

10: V FOR VENDETTA (2006)

I remember hearing about the comic book for years but never being able to find it anywhere. Finally got the graphic novel on a trip to Canada in a basement comic store in Montreal. It was awesome. Like most people I was terrified of going to see this, when you have a comic book like V for Vendetta you never know what you're gonna get when you go to see the film. A lot of things had changed. It no longer seemed to have the balls of the comic, but the changes they made didn't hurt the film and it turned out to be pretty awesome.

9: IRON MAN (2008)

I've never really liked Iron Man as a character, the only version of him I ever enjoyed was in The Ultimates. Thankfully it appears that was Robert Downey Jr and Jon Favreau's favourite version too. This film has no right to be as good as it is, but it's the performance of Robert Downey Jr and the comedy they manage to inject into the film that turned it into the beast it became. For a while I even forgot how crap Iron Man was, and if a film can do that, it can do anything.

8: HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY (2008)

You can tell Guillermo Del Toro made Pans Labyrinth between the first and second Hellboy films, the mythical world he builds is awesome and a lot of it is straight out of the comic book. Something he never quite managed in the first one. Not saying the first ones bad, it just lacked a lot of the supernatural elements synonymous with Hellboy. He's always been one of my favourite characters and it's a film that could have been done very badly if the wrong director had been attached to it. Hopefully Guillermo Del Toro will get to make another one soon.

7: THE INCREDIBLE HULK (2008)

I'm going to go on  record as saying I didn't actually mind Ang Lees version of the Hulk. The crazy CGI fest at the end was hideous but up till then I was with it. This one doesn't balls it up in the same way. It seems to mix elements of the comic book and TV series together and creates something awesome. I've loved the Hulk since I was a kid and was giggling throughout the film with giddy excitement. Which can only be a good thing. Kind of gutted Ed Norton isn't playing the Hulk in the Avengers but these things happen in Hollywoodland. Bastards.

6: SIN CITY (2005)

It's not often you go to see a film based on any form of literature and what's on the page is exactly what's on the screen. It was such a strange experience going to see it. As with most of the films on this list I was a fan of the comic but I never expected such an amazing spectacle. The technique they used doesn't always work, The Spirit was fucking hideous, but it would have been horrendous is they'd just shot it like a normal film. Totally blew me away.

5: SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (2010)

Having read Scott Pilgrim I couldn't think of a way to turn it into a film. Thankfully Edgar Wright did, and what a film he made. It has all the elements a fan of the graphic novels could want, and it's a bloody good film if you've never read it. Which can only be a good thing, right? Apparently according to some reviewers you'll only like this film if you're under 30. Fuck you. Fuck you right in the ass.

4: KICK ASS (2010)

Nicolas Cage is awesome in this. Let me say that again, Nicolas Cage is awesome in this. How often have we been able to say that in the last decade. I know the rest of the cast are also awesome, Hit Girl steals every scene she's in, but I still found it hard to get past the fact that Nicolas Cage had managed to be good in another good film. Only took him seven years. Crap I better say something about this film. I fucking loved every minute of it, how's that ?

3: HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2005)

It's official, Viggo Mortenson brings out some crazy thing in David Cronenberg which allows him to throw his genius at the screen in a new and amazing way. I'd never read the graphic novel of this, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one either. Cronenberg has always managed to tap into something deep down inside of me and this is no different. It succeeds on so many levels. If you haven't seen it, you really have to.

2: WATCHMEN (2009)

They were never going to be able to fit the full 12 issues of the comic into this film. The fact they managed to get as much of it in and not only make a film that made sense but highly enjoyable is a fucking miracle. Terry Gilliam had said for years that it was impossible to make, and he's a fucking genius. Obviously some things had changed which meant some other things had to change but the end product is mind blowing. It's one of the most perfect comic book films ever made and at no point tries to hide away the violence or depravity of the original work. I can't wait for Snyders Superman, the guy knows how to make a good comic book film.

1: THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)

I watched this again recently and it just keeps getting better the more I see it, and I went to see it in the cinema twice. There's not a bad performance in this film. Aaron Eckhart is perfect as Harvey Dent and his turn is probably the best acting performance in the film. Don't get me wrong Heath Ledger was amazing as the Joker but Eckhart deserves just as much praise, if not more. I know he didn't die or anything but that's not his fault. The saddest thing about this film is that the Joker won't make an appearance in the next one. The whole 'we need each other' speech gives me goosebumps and is the most accurate portrayal of the relationship between the Joker and Batman I've ever seen on film, very The Killing Joke.

Best Family films of the decade

10: THE INCREDIBLES (2004)

Pixar do superheroes, this film was always going to be a lot of fun and as usual with Pixar, I wasn't disappointed. One of the best non comic book superhero films ever made. It's basically Watchmen for kids, superheroes have been banned and are now living everyday lives. After losing his job Mr Incredible gets an offer he can't refuse, madness ensues. I think the best thing about pixar films is that they don't dumb down their films for kids, making them watchable for adults. I wish George Lucas could have done the same thing with new Star Wars films. My childhood would feel a little less raped.

9: SPIRITED AWAY (2001)

I do love studio Ghibli films, they allow our children to be taken to strange worlds Hollywood is too scared to go near. I mean there's talking animals in a Ghibli film but they aren't cute bloody Zebras singing songs and dancing. It's also good having an awesome voice cast, as any anime fan knows the usual caliber of English actor for anime is fucking horrific. At times it can make a great film almost unwatchable. If you haven't seen any Ghibli films and want something for the kids to enjoy I'd also check out Howls Moving Castle, Ponyo, and My Neighbour Totoro. I feel the need to warn you that once you start down the Ghibli road, you won't stop.

8: ENCHANTED (2007)

I would love to act cool and pretend I don't love this film but it would be a blatant bloody lie. Even James Marsden can't fuck it up for me. A Disney princess comes through to the real world, meets Patrick Dempsey (without the Extra Anchovies) and falls in love. It puts a big fucking grin on my face every time it's on, and it's on a lot. Amy Adams is amazing as the Disney Princess come to life, as proven with later films like Doubt, the girl can bloody act.

7: WALL-E (2008)

Another Pixar film and we're not even halfway through. I think the only thing people may find shocking about this film being in the top ten is that it's not in the top five. It's a great film with hardly any dialogue but both you and the kids will find it hard to pull yourselves away until the end of the film. Just pure Pixar related genius.

6: CORALINE (2009)

I am a huge fan of Neil Gaiman and I loved this book. The films not quite as creepy as the book, even if it is a creepy ass movie, but I think it's gets the feel and emotion of the book right. If they'd made this film as creepy as the book it would be in the horror film section, animated or not. MirrorMask and Stardust were in this list before I got it down to the final ten. Hopefully more of his books will make it into films over the next decade. The Graveyard Book would make for an excellent creepy family film.

5: UP (2009)

I feel the need to warn you all now that this is the last Pixar film on this list. It was by far my favourite of their films made in the last decade. I know a lot of people will go on about Toy Story 3 but I don't think it matched up to this one. It was good fun and ended the series well but if I was to sit down to watch a film and had the choice of those two, this would win every time. Oh and if you watch the film without crying or feeling sad at the beginning then you're dead inside. Even Clarence couldn't save you.

4: THE LAST MIMZY (2007)

Some of you may not have heard of this film. It didn't set the box office on fire or have a massive marketing campaign behind it, but I love it. Not many films are made these days which remind me of the films made when I was a kid, this did. I'm not saying it's a carbon copy of any of films like Flight of the Navigator or War Games, it just felt the same. To explain the story fully would take me a while to do it justice, just go out and buy the fucking thing. It's awesome.

3: HARRY POTTER 

(2001, 2002, 2004,2005,2007,2009, 2010)

I don't think I could have made this list without putting Harry Potter in it. Like the books the first two films weren't very good but from The Prisoner of Azkaban they were awesome. The funny thing is this isn't a particularly safe bet for a kids film. If this was just a script and not a book these films would never have been made. The fact that they've managed to make them all, almost managing to keep the same cast throughout is almost unheard of in any film series. I don't know what all the UK actors are going to do with themselves now. These films have also pretty much bank rolled Warner Brothers for the last decade too. I think the film industry is going to miss these films as much as we are.

2: FANTASTIC MR FOX (2009)

I'm going to say something quite controversial here, I don't like Wes Andersons films. I've tried to watch them many times but I've never been able to get into them. Until now. I loved this film, the things I wouldn't usually like about a Wes Anderson film worked really well in animation. The voice cast are awesome and the film just works throughout. As a child I loved the book, the same could be said for anything written by Roald Dahl, the guy was just a machine at tapping into my imagination. The film isn't that much like the book, but it does have the feel of a Roald Dahl novel. If you haven't seen it, then get the cus out there and buy it.

1: 9 (2009)

This is based on a short film Shane Acker made in 2005 that was nominated for on oscar. It may look like a Tim Burton film, and even though he is a producer, thankfully he pretty much had bugger all else to do with it. Sorry I know he's got a lot of fans but recently his films have just been okay. This is the kind of film Tim Burton should have been making over the last ten years. It has the same look and feel as a Burton film but manages to be engaging as well as pretty to look at. It's the future, a rag doll wakes up to find itself in a post-apocalyptic future. Humanity has been wiped out, but he may hold they key to it's salvation. It's pretty dark but you have to see this film, even if you don't have kids. 

Best Action films of the decade

10: REIGN OF FIRE (2002)

This is another one of those films I love and a lot of people hate. In my defence though it is a film set in modern day with dragons in it, add Batman to the mix and what’s not to like about this film. One more time Batman vs dragons. Awesome.

9: SHOOT EM UP (2007)

It would be wrong to miss this film out an action top ten because let’s face it, the film is just action. Crazy over the top action with tons of guns and death. It’s not often you get a film that does exactly what it says on the tin. I could talk about the performances, which are good, but ultimately it’s the action that makes this film awesome. Fuck any form of plot that you can’t write in more than one sentence, just give me more fucking guns.

8: PATHFINDER (2007)

Karl Urban is the new Judge Dredd, fuck yeah. In this he’s a Viking brought up by a Native American tribe. He doesn’t know much about being a Viking, but he does know how to kill them when they fuck with his tribe. When I was making this list I was very aware of putting in awesome films you may not have had the pleasure of watching instead of filling it with films you’ll have seen twenty times. This is one of those films, and it’s fucking awesome. On a side note, if you haven’t seen Jesus in Outlander, you should. It’s awesome.

7:  FROM PARIS WITH LOVE (2010)

This is the most enjoyable film John Travolta has made in years. Probably because he plays a maniac drug fuelled special agent so he gets to be crazy John and not mental Scientologist John. He teams up with an aid to the US ambassador in France (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) to investigate a drugs ring. This is another one of those films I wasn’t expecting much from but loved. Even just for Jonathan Rhys Meyers carrying around a vas filled with cocaine for most of the film.

6: ONG BAK (2003)

I wish Tony Jaa would make another good film. Since this one he’s pretty much done fuck all worthy of mentioning. Warrior King was basically Ong Bak replacing the statue with an elephant and the sequels to this just don’t live up to expectations. Shame really cause when this came out it looked like we had a new martial arts star in the making. Bugger.

5: INGLORIUS BASTARDS (2009)

Quentin tarentino doing a war film like it’s a western. Fuck me. I love the way it doesn’t even pretend to be historically accurate. Fuck history we have a film to make. This is the most fun war movie ever made, how often can you say that? There are no flaws to this film. Even Eli Roths acting can’t bring it down. I can’t wait to see what Tarentino gives us next, can you?

4:  BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF (2001)

Mark Decascos is awesome, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Though I am ashamed to be using the word awesome again, but when you’re making a list of things you enjoy it’s hard not to. This is a French martial arts film set in 1764. The king sends two men to slay a beast that’s been terrorising the French countryside. It’s kind of reminiscent of Hound of the Baskervilles, but with a whole lot of ass kicking going on.

3: KILL BILL (2003,2004)

I’m putting them both together. Yeah I am fully aware of how different the two films are, but I wasn’t going to put on in the top ten and not the other. Uma Thurman is an ex assassin brutally beaten and left for dead on her wedding day, when she wakes up from a coma she seeks revenge. It’s stylish, and so much fun. It also has an appearance from the amazing Sonny Chiba. I love that man, GI Samurai is one of my favourite films of all time. Pure mental.

2: LORD OF THE RINGS (2001,2002,2003)

Yeah I decided to put another series of films together. Let’s face it they all would have been in here. It’s not often a film comes out that actually lives up to your expectations. I’ve been a fan of the books since I read them as a kid. A sad kid that was partial to blood bowl and warhammer fantasy role play but the less said about that the better. A lot of people don’t like the changed ending from the book, but by then I didn’t care. Although I would have liked to see what Guillermo Del Toro would have done with the Hobbit I’m looking forward to more of the same from Peter Jackson. Let’s face it though, if you aren’t under 12 the Hobbit’s a little bit shit. Just saying.

1: RAMBO (2008)

Stallone has made so many good films that no one has paid attention to. I’m not sure how, but at some point in my life Stallone became awesome. I looked back at his old films and they were awesome, even the ones I used to hate. Is there an age you get to when the guy suddenly becomes a legend? This film has possibly the greatest end sequence of any film, ever. I spent the whole time giggling uncontrollably, rocking back and forth. I may have even begun to salivate. It’s possibly the most violent film on the list and is very deserving of all praise. Stallone is the fucking man. But then again I also love Howard the Duck.

Best Thrillers of the decade

10: INSOMNIA (2002)

I loved Memento, so I was curious to see what Chris Nolan would do next. Little did I know at the time that he’d become one of my favourite directors within the space of 5 films. Thank god though, Tim Burton hasn’t made a great film in ages and Jon Carpenter just hasn’t made anything. This is a remake of a Norwegian film, and goes to prove that not all remakes are shit. Just the majority of them are.

9: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007)

There's very few Coen brothers films I haven't enjoyed. The only one that comes to mind was the remake of The Ladykillers, but they were messing with a classic there so I'll let them off. This is an awesome film a lot of people hated due to the pace. I though it was perfect though.

8: THE PRESTIGE (2006)

Three films in and there’s already two Christopher Nolan films. Bloody hell. This is the last in the thrillers list, though there are two other films in the sci fi and comic book lists. Alarmingly that means only one of his films from the last decade hasn’t appeared here. Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman and Michael Caine are all awesome in this. I love David Bowie playing Tesla too.

7: TAKEN (2008)

Liam Neeson rules this fucking movie. He plays an ex serviceman who’s daughter is kidnapped whilst he’s away on holiday. He then proceeds to go after the fuckers to get his daughter back. The only thing I don’t like about this film is the car chased towards the end. It just seems like he’s constantly going past the same bridge, but I’m just being picky, this film is awesome.

6: BLACK SWAN (2010)

Arrenofsky is another amazing director that keeps spewing out films made of awesome. I just caught this and had to rewrite the list to fit this one in. Natalie Portman is so good. I forget she can act after her dodgy performances in the star wars films, though that may have had something to do with the crappy script and George Lucas forgetting how to direct a film. Bugger it though, you have to see this film. Managed to talk about the film without mentioning the lesbian scene too. Wait, damn.

5: DONNIE DARKO (2001)

This is one of those films a lot of people didn’t understand. Fucking idiots, just go with the film, you don’t have to understand every second of it. Have you never seen a David Lynch film. Seriously though I enjoy films that take you on a ride, this is one of those. One thing that bugs me about this film, at the end when everything changes it means that Patrick Swayze doesn’t get caught. Go wolverines

4:  HARD CANDY (2005)

It’s another film with a paedophile in it, YEAH. Or is he, That’s the question that’s asked throughout this film . For those of you who don’t know it. A girl (Ellen Page) meets up with a guy who’s been chatting with her online. She chats with him and goes home with him to see some pictures??? She starts drinking, it’s all very ominous. Then he passes out. When he wakes up she’s got him tied to a chair, it’s all been a plan of hers to fuck up a paedophile. But the question runs whether or not he is a paedophile throughout the film. Don’t worry, by the end you know, but the journey to get there makes this an amazing film.

3: INFERNAL AFFAIRS (2002)

This film was remade by Martin Scorsese as The Departed, I still prefer this one. The film follows Ming (Andy Lau) and Yan (Tony Leung) leading parallel lives. One a cop undercover with the triads, the other a triad mole working with the police. I love Andy Lau and this is one of his best performances. If you’ve only seen the Scorsese one, get a hold of this. Actually just buy the whole trilogy, you won’t be disappointed.

2: EASTERN PROMISES (2007)

I don’t know what happened to David Cronnenberg. He’s made a career out of making strange horror science fiction films like Videodrome and the naked lunch. Then all of a sudden you get History of Violence (see the comic book films top ten) and this. Fuck me ragged with a tiny Christmas tree. This film focuses on the Russian mafia in the UK. Viggo Morenson plays the mobs cleaner, but like a transformer, there’s more to him than meets the eye.

1: OLD BOY (2003)

Holy shit, like seriously holy shit. This film is part of Chan-wook Parks vengeance trilogy, none of them fill you with joy. But what the fuck did you expect from the vengeance trilogy. Oh Dae-su (Min-sik Choi) is kidnapped and wakes up locked in a room. He’s there for 15 years, still not knowing what the hell he’s there for. When he gets out he tries to find out. Brutal film that kept me gripped throughout.