20 Sci-Fi Movies EVERY Film Fan Should Have Seen

4. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

Considering how virtually everything about visual cinema has advanced over the past 40 years, it would be easy for something of old to lose a bit of its lustre over time, and yet that couldn't be further from the truth in the case of Close Encounters of The Third Kind.

A film that is literally billed as the one that "changed movies forever" in its 40th anniversary trailer, Steven Spielberg's stunning spectacle is rightfully considered one of the most revolutionary pieces of cinema of all time. And while a lot of that had to do with the cutting-edge special effects (that were jaw-dropping for the time and still hold up to this day), it's real strength lay in how those visuals served as a backdrop to a genuinely thrilling narrative.

With a focus on humanity and its reaction to the unknown, to the intricate pacing that forces you the edge of your seat, Close Encounters didn't just tick all of the sci-fi boxes, it invented most of them - setting a standard that every movie in the genre would be judged by and few would ever match.