4. Blade Runner
Blade Runner met with lukewarm reception upon its release but is now considered one of the definitive works of science fiction. In a dystopian Los Angeles, Blade Runner Rick Deckard is tasked to hunt down and destroy a group of escaped replicants who infiltrate Earth in order to meet their maker. With director Ridley Scott at the helm, Blade Runner is a stunning film that has some of the best production design in movie history. Its dark, shadowy visuals are reminiscent of film noir and have proven heavily influential on future films such as Dark City, Batman, Ghost in the Shell, and many others. Blade Runner used a variety of inventive shots and religious imagery and benefited from inventive camera angles and use of lighting. Blade Runner also used visual symbolism in order to push themes dealing with paranoia, memory, and what it means to be human.