Discover the best science-fiction movies of the 1950s, the golden age when the movies mind-melded with the public consciousness. Through sci-fi, all the things poking and prodding at everyday American life launched themselves upon the sliver screen. (Also they were super cheap to make; can’t be blowing all your post-war prosperity bucks on rubber masks and strings for flying saucers.)
Things looking up thanks to Space Age optimism? That was reflected in the two movies that kicked off the sci-fi craze of the decade: Destination Moon and Rocketship X-M, dueling 1950 productions racing for title of first serious outer-space feature.
Threat of Cold War nuclear annihilation and the fatal chase of the arms race? See! The War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Invaders From Mars, On the Beach, and even Plan 9 From Outer Space.
The Hollywood Blacklist and McCarthyism got you eyeballing your neighbors with suspicion? Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Got bugs and pests invading your curated suburban home and sullying the white picket fence out front? Creature features forever: Them!, The Fly, Tarantula, The Blob, The Black Scorpion, and Creature From the Black Lagoon.
Beyond our borders, Japan launched the longest-running sci-fi series with Godzilla, with quick follow-up rides Godzilla Raids Again and Rodan. In England, the cross sci-fi experiments with horror were lead with The Quatermass Xperiment and The Curse of Frankenstein.
We’ve collected every science-fiction movie from the ’50s and ranked them by Tomatometer score, with Certified Fresh movies first, including The Thing From Another World (based on the same source material of John Carpenter‘s The Thing), Forbidden Planet (in color and shot ultra-wide), and The Incredible Shrinking Man.
#1
Adjusted Score: 106996%
Critics Consensus: One of the best political allegories of the 1950s, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is an efficient, chilling blend of sci-fi and horror.
#2
Adjusted Score: 104653%
Critics Consensus: Socially minded yet entertaining, The Day the Earth Stood Still imparts its moral of peace and understanding without didacticism.
#3
Adjusted Score: 100955%
Critics Consensus: Deliciouly funny to some and eerily presicient to others, The Fly walks a fine line between shlocky fun and unnerving nature parable.
#4
Adjusted Score: 103418%
Critics Consensus: More than straight monster-movie fare, Gojira offers potent, sobering postwar commentary.
#5
Adjusted Score: 99613%
Critics Consensus: One of the best creature features of the early atomic age, Them! features effectively menacing special effects and avoids the self-parody that would taint later monster movies.
#6
Adjusted Score: 99979%
Critics Consensus: Shakespeare gets the deluxe space treatment in Forbidden Planet, an adaptation of The Tempest with impressive sets and seamless special effects.
#7
Adjusted Score: 98278%
Critics Consensus: As flying saucer movies go, The Thing From Another World is better than most, thanks to well-drawn characters and concise, tense plotting.
#8
Adjusted Score: 90591%
Critics Consensus: A curiously sensitive and spiritual addition to the Universal Monsters line-up, tacking on deep questions about a story who is shrinking to death.
#9
Adjusted Score: 85010%
Critics Consensus: A solid, atmospheric creature feature that entertains without attempting to be deeper than it needs.
#10
Adjusted Score: 101710%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#11
Adjusted Score: 100446%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#12
Adjusted Score: 94013%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#13
Adjusted Score: 94274%
Critics Consensus: One of Disney’s finest live-action adventures, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea brings Jules Verne’s classic sci-fi tale to vivid life, and features an awesome giant squid.
#15
Adjusted Score: 93484%
Critics Consensus: Though it’s dated in spots, The War of the Worlds retains an unnerving power, updating H.G. Wells’ classic sci-fi tale to the Cold War era and featuring some of the best special effects of any 1950s film.
#16
Adjusted Score: 90550%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#17
Adjusted Score: 89303%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#18
Adjusted Score: 87259%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#19
Adjusted Score: 87072%
Critics Consensus: A silly but fun movie with everything you’d want from a sci-fi blockbuster — heroic characters, menacing villains, monsters, big sets and special effects.
#20
Adjusted Score: 84502%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#21
Adjusted Score: 84463%
Critics Consensus: It Came From Outer Space is a pulpy-but-effective psychological sci-fi picture, with a provocative message about xenophobia.
#22
Adjusted Score: 84875%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#23
Adjusted Score: 80806%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#24
Adjusted Score: 80591%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#25
Adjusted Score: 50896%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#26
Adjusted Score: 67600%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#27
Adjusted Score: 79935%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#28
Adjusted Score: 79296%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#29
Adjusted Score: 77228%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#30
Adjusted Score: 75910%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#31
Adjusted Score: 75910%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#32
Adjusted Score: 74535%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#33
Adjusted Score: 74013%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#34
Adjusted Score: 72259%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#35
Adjusted Score: 71114%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#36
Adjusted Score: 70272%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#37
Adjusted Score: 72014%
Critics Consensus: In spite of its chortle-worthy premise and dated special effects, The Blob remains a prime example of how satisfying cheesy B-movie monster thrills can be.
#38
Adjusted Score: 67843%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#39
Adjusted Score: 67937%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#40
Adjusted Score: 67456%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#41
Adjusted Score: 67014%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#42
Adjusted Score: 63958%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#43
Adjusted Score: 51297%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#44
Adjusted Score: 69849%
Critics Consensus: The epitome of so-bad-it’s-good cinema, Plan 9 From Outer Space is an unintentionally hilarious sci-fi “thriller” from anti-genius Ed Wood that is justly celebrated for its staggering ineptitude.
#45
Adjusted Score: 64403%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#46
Adjusted Score: 63152%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#47
Adjusted Score: 63273%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#48
Adjusted Score: 60342%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#49
Adjusted Score: 38172%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#50
Adjusted Score: 47730%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#51
Adjusted Score: 55477%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#52
Adjusted Score: 40270%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#53
Adjusted Score: 45403%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#54
Adjusted Score: 43183%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#55
Adjusted Score: 40592%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#56
Adjusted Score: 40276%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#57
Adjusted Score: 33800%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#58
Adjusted Score: 28793%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#59
Adjusted Score: 36111%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#60
Adjusted Score: 36781%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#61
Adjusted Score: 34159%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#62
Adjusted Score: 28574%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#63
Adjusted Score: 33138%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#64
Adjusted Score: 30592%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#65
Adjusted Score: 29114%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#66
Adjusted Score: 20272%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#67
Adjusted Score: 15910%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#68
Adjusted Score: 17937%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#69
Adjusted Score: 13016%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#70
Adjusted Score: 13074%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#71
Adjusted Score: 148%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.