The 20 most epic moments in sci-fi movies

With The Matrix,  the Wachowskis were two of their generation's most visionary filmmakers. At the center of the story is Keanu Reeves' Neo, who realizes that he is a sort of chosen one figure. The film is visually stunning and thematically dense, and, given that its story focuses on the efforts of Neo and his allies to destroy the Matrix and restore humans’ consciousness, there are many epic moments. Arguably the most visually striking, however, is the one which shows Neo dodging bullets. It’s one of those moments designed to be a landmark in cinema, and so it has proven to be. It remains the perfect matching of form and function.

After establishing how apes gained enhanced intelligence in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the franchise continued in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The film sees Caesar contending not just with the human survivors but also with Koba, one of his vengeful lieutenants. Ultimately, Koba betrays Caesar and leads an attack on a human colony, and there’s something immensely thrilling about seeing an army of apes ride to war. Like so many of the other entries in this franchise, a great deal of the epic effect comes from the way it neatly inverts the usual hierarchy of man and animal, showing just how fragile humanity’s hegemony remains. 

Steven Spielberg has shown time and again that he is a director who truly appreciates the magic of the moving image and wants to cultivate a sense of wonder in his viewers. In E.T. the Extraterrestrial, he turned his attention once again to aliens. The title character is a beloved part of pop culture history, somehow utterly strange yet irresistibly charming. The film is an adventure from beginning to end, and no ‘80s child will ever forget the moment when Elliott and E.T. use the former’s bike to fly across the face of the moon. It is such an epic moment it even became the basis for the logo of Spielberg’s production company, Amblin Entertainment. 

Lars von Trier’s Melancholia is one of the director’s bleakest films, focusing on the inevitable collision of Earth with a rogue planet known as Melancholia. The title is fitting, as the various characters find themselves hopeless as their fate approaches. In the film’s epic final scene, several surviving characters huddle under a small bundle of sticks as the planets collide, bringing fire and ruin to everything and everyone. It’s a sublime moment of spectacular destruction, encouraging the viewer to simply embrace the absolute oblivion that science fiction can provide. 

The novel The Body Snatchers has been adapted several times to the cinema, but the 1978 version has arguably the most chilling ending. As the movie unspools, most of the human characters fall victim to the body-stealing aliens until only Matthew and Nancy seemingly remain. However, as Nancy soon learns, Matthew has become one of them, and the last scene shows him screeching at Nancy. It’s a shocking moment for both the audience and the characters, demonstrating the bleak cynicism of one of the most troubling decades in American history. 

Ridley Scott has long been one of Hollywood’s most versatile directors, capable of working in almost any genre. With Alien, he demonstrated remarkable skill in both sci-fi and horror. In the scene in which Kane watches in horror, an alien creature bursts out of his chest. It’s one of those moments that have become synonymous with the franchise. It’s one of those moments that signifies the permeability of the human body, and for this reason, it remains just as horrifying now as it was when the film was first released. Contrary to the film’s tagline, many people hear the man’s screaming, and the scene deserves its epic reputation. 

Few science fiction series have had as much longevity as Star Trek, which has become a sprawling franchise. Unsurprisingly, quite a few epic moments have occurred throughout franchise history, but Spock’s death in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan remains one of the truly great moments. The entire scene, particularly the beautiful and evocative parting of Spock and Kirk, highlights what has made the former such a beloved character. If anyone were going to sacrifice himself so that others might survive, it would be Spock, and it features one of Leonard Nimoy’s most soulful and heartfelt performances as the character. 

Back to the Future is arguably one of the most beloved films from the 1980s, and it’s easy to see why. Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox are perfectly cast as Doc and Marty McFly, and it’s still fun to watch them together. The film is a lot of fun from beginning to end, but it also has its fair share of epic moments, particularly when Marty gets hurtled into the past in the DeLorean. It’s one of those moments seemingly designed to be immortal, and it made sure that the car in question became a part of pop culture history.

Some villains are so larger-than-life that they become pop culture icons in their own right. Darth Vader is one of these villains, and this much is obvious from the moment he appears in all of his metallic majesty in the first Star Wars film. With his assured stride, his heavy breathing, and his musical accompaniment, he is the epitome of a great villain. His actions in the first film and subsequently are, of course, important, but his first appearance is his most epic, and it cemented his status as one of the best villains in the history of the movies.

While the Star Wars prequel trilogy might have its problems, it does have its emotionally resonant and epic moments, none more so than the final duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin on Mustafar. It’s the culmination of Anakin’s tragedy, as he has fallen so completely to the dark side that he can no longer see the truth. Ewan McGregor is at his very best in these moments, and he superbly conveys Obi-Wan’s sense of heartbreak that his student and best friend have become so corrupted that there can be no rescuing him from his demise. Though he emerges triumphant from their battle, it’s clear that this has only come with a tremendous cost, which will continue to affect them both for years to come. 

Throughout his career, Steven Spielberg has shown himself to be one of Hollywood’s most versatile and talented directors. His skills are very much on display in Jurassic Park, the big-screen adaptation of Michael Crichton’s haunting novel. The film features cutting-edge CGI, and even now, seeing the dinosaurs brought to life is breathtaking. Nothing beats the first appearance of the Tyrannosaurus rex, however, and this mammoth dino is the epitome of human hubris and nature’s power to break free–both literally and metaphorically — from all of the frail controls that human beings try to place upon it. 

The major success of the first Planet of the Apes film led to several sequels, and while they vary in quality, the first of them, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, has its fair share of epic moments. The film focuses, in particular, on an astronaut, Brent, who follows in Taylor’s footsteps as he finds himself at a loss on this planet ruled by apes. He soon finds other beings on this planet, and he falls afoul of mutated humans. However, the real shock is that these malformed people worship a doomsday bomb that has the power to destroy the entire planet. It’s a moment both sublime and ridiculous, and it neatly taps into the atomic anxieties percolating in 1970s American culture. 

Alex Garland’s Annihilation  is one of those films that can't be unseen. When a team of scientists, including Natalie Portman’s Lena, investigate a mysterious anomaly known as the Shimmer, they soon find that the phenomenon alters their DNA, with terrifying results. In one particularly pivotal moment, Ventress, the leader of the expedition, dissolves into a swirling vortex, having been totally taken over by whatever force motivates the Shimmer. It’s haunting, beautiful, and utterly sublime, and it’s a reminder of what science fiction can accomplish when it dares to reach into the realm of the unknown and the terrifying.

Denis Villeneuve is one of the most talented directors working in sci-fi today, and with Dune, he finally found a project worthy of his talents. Based on the beloved novel by Frank Herbert, it focuses on the young Paul Atreides as he finds himself thrust into the position of chosen one, with all of the burdens and sacrifices that are required. In one of the film’s most beautiful and devastating scenes, the Atreides forces are attacked by those of their ancestral enemies, the Harkonnens. It’s a scene filled with grand orchestration and overwhelming visuals, a testament to Villeneuve’s skills as a director and the titanic scope of Herbert’s story.

While the sequel trilogy of Star Wars films might have received a mixed reception, most would acknowledge that Rogue One is a genuinely great film. It is a thrilling piece of filmmaking, focusing on Jyn Erso, a young woman who finds herself drawn into the effort to defeat the Empire. While Erso and her companions ultimately succeed in getting the plans for the Death Star to the forces of the Rebellion, they ultimately perish when the Death Star is unleashed on Scarif. The scene in which Jyn and Cassian embrace while a wave of destruction races toward them is heartbreakingly epic, and it reminds the viewer just how many sacrificed their lives so that the Rebellion could defeat the Empire. 

Throughout much of the 2010s, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was the franchise that couldn’t be beaten, and it had its fair share of epic moments. The pinnacle, however, was during the climactic battle against the genocidal Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, when at last, the Avengers and all of those who have been restored appear to strike back against the Titan. It evokes the moment in the first Avengers film where the beloved characters first united, and it is also a climactic moment for those devastated when so many were killed with the Snap. In the world of comic book movies, no one ever remains truly dead.

For many, The Empire Strikes Back is the crowning achievement of the Star Wars saga. It’s easy to see why, as the film has many climactic and exciting moments. None are quite as intense as the duel between the powerful Darth Vader and the young Luke Skywalker, and the moment in which Vader reveals that he is Luke’s father is one that has been etched into the annals of popular culture. It’s the moment that changes everything for the young hero, shattering his idealism and adding a new and deeply personal element to the fight against the overwhelming power of the Empire. 

Planet of the Apes has proved to be a remarkably enduring sci-fi franchise, and in the 2010s, it was given a bit of a rebirth with Rise of the Planet of the Apes. This particular entry focuses on Andy Serkis’ Caesar, a chimp who gains enhanced intelligence due to an Alzheimer’s drug. Ultimately, he leads his fellow apes to freedom from human enslavement, and the moment he finally speaks the word “no” is powerful and shocking in equal measure, as much to his fellow apes as it is to those sitting in the audience. Once he finally learns to speak, nothing will ever be the same for the apes or their human masters. 

Few movie endings have proved as influential or devastating as the conclusion to 1968’s Planet of the Apes. Charlton Heston’s Taylor spends the entire film trying to figure out what kind of a planet would have apes ruling over humans, only to find the Statue of Liberty in ruins on a desolate beach, revealing to him (and the audience) that he has been on Earth all along. Even now, when most people know the ending, it still packs an emotional punch. It turns out that the only thing more dangerous to humanity than talking apes are humans themselves. No culture rises so high that it can’t be brought into ruin by its own hubris. 

Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is undoubtedly one of the most ambitious films ever, and it set a very high standard for the sci-fi genre. It’s filled with many grand moments, but none are quite as trippy or as truly epic as the moment when the film’s main character, David Bowman, is transformed into a being known as the Star Child. It’s a moment pregnant with infinite possibility, even though the precise meaning of the moment remains unclear. Like the best moments in science fiction, it stays with the viewer long after the film is over.