George Lucas once named the “ultimate science fiction movie”
When it comes to sci-fi, there are very few people who can rival the influence of American filmmaker George Lucas. As the creator of the single-most definitive sci-fi franchise in the history of cinema, Lucas changed the foundations of the genre with Star Wars. Using pioneering special effects to tell a universal story about the eternal battle between good and evil, Star Wars pushed the boundaries of sci-fi and became a global phenomenon.
Although Star Wars has now become synonymous with commercially successful storytelling, that wasn’t always the case. Nobody, including Lucas, foresaw the meteoric trajectory of the project when it encountered multiple obstacles during production. The current legacy of Star Wars might have been complicated by lacklustre additions to the franchise, but the incredible achievements of the original are simply undeniable.
As one of the most watched and studied sci-fi films in history, a lot has been written about Lucas’ approach to the genre. Ranging from the incomparable filmography of Akira Kurosawa to the grand westerns of John Ford, the director drew on a wide range of sources while making Star Wars. However, the inspirations that came from exclusively sci-fi projects have also been recorded in an extensive list compiled on MUBI.
It’s no surprise that Lucas’ selection contains the brilliant 2001: A Space Odyssey, the enigmatic gem that expanded everyone’s definition of what cinema can be. Lucas once said: “Stanley Kubrick made the ultimate science fiction movie, and it is going to be very hard for someone to come along and make a better movie, as far as I’m concerned. On a technical level, [Star Wars] can be compared, but personally, I think that 2001 is far superior.”
The compilation on MUBI includes all kinds of sci-fi entries, ranging from low-budget cult films to arthouse gems by directors like Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut. However, in Lucas’ mind, nothing comes close to the majestic artistry displayed by Kubrick in his 1968 magnum opus. A film that continues to withstand the test of time, it’s a staggeringly original attempt to create a visual representation of anthropology and human evolution.
In an age when technology has been integrated into almost every sphere of life, there is no movie that is more relevant than 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is an apocalyptic warning by an artist who was ahead of his time, urging us to consider the consequences of our relentless expansion into the unknown. While everyone has their own preferences when it comes to sci-fi, one common entry in almost everyone’s list is this ambiguous masterpiece.
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