June 12, 2002: The Online Film Critics Society (OFCS), the international association of the leading Internet-based cinema journalists, is celebrating the first century of science fiction filmmaking with a list of the Top 100 Sci-Fi Films of the Past 100 Years. At the top of the list, according to the 115 members of the OFCS, is Stanley Kubrick's cryptic 1968 masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Beginning with Georges Melies' 1902 fantasy A Trip to the Moon and continuing through this summer's top releases including Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones and the upcoming Minority Report, sci-fi has proven to be among the most durable and prescient of film genres. In celebrating a century of sci-fi films, the OFCS writers considered more than 400 titles spanning every decade and a variety of formats ranging from short subjects to animation to classics of global cinema.

Following 2001: A Space Odyssey in the Top 10 portion of the OFCS's list is Blade Runner (1982), Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982), Metropolis (1927), Brazil (1985), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), A Clockwork Orange (1971), and Alien (1979). The complete list with all 100 films can be viewed online at the OFCS web site, www.ofcs.org.

In polling the OFCS membership for this survey, the society invited its members to provide their choices for the century's greatest sci-fi offerings. "It's very interesting to see what a broad spectrum of films can be considered science fiction," says Erik Childress, editor of eFilmCritic.com and a member of the OFCS Governing Committee. "By letting our members vote with their own thoughts instead of tying them down with an absolute final ballot AFI-style, you get to see a wide array of titles that many, including myself, wouldn't even consider science-fiction (like Dr. Strangelove or Night of the Living Dead)."

Now celebrating its fifth anniversary, the Online Film Critics Society has been the key force in establishing Internet-based film journalism as a legitimate and invaluable source for high-quality journalism relating to the contemporary and classic cinema. The OFCS membership consists of writers from the U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America, Australia and Africa, with journalists representing many of the most important online news sites including Salon, Slate, TV Guide Online, the Apollo Guide, FilmCritic.com, Daily-Reviews.com and the Internet Movie Database.

The Society's web site, which has been hosted since January 2001 by the highly influential film resource Rotten Tomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com), provides the most comprehensive online listing of reviews and original interviews with the leading artists in today's cinema, plus links to the most important motion picture-related web sites. The annual OFCS Awards, announced on January 2, are widely regarded as a prime barometer in determining which individuals and films are top contenders for the Academy Award nominations.

The OFCS Governing Committee, elected in April for a one-year term, consists of Chicago-based Erik Childress of eFilmCritic.com, New York-based Phil Hall of Film Threat, and Liverpool's Ian Waldron-Mantgani of The UK Critic. The Governing Committee is the OFCS liaison with the film industry and the Net community.

For more information, visit the Online Film Critics Society at www.ofcs.org.

THE OFCS TOP 100 SCI-FI LIST
100 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) 
99 Slaughterhouse Five (1973) 
98 Escape from New York (1981) 
97 Time After Time (1979) 
96 Andromeda Strain, The (1971) 
95 Highlander (1986) 
94 Rocky Horror Picture Show, The (1975) 
93 Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, The (1984) 
92 Men In Black (1997) 
91 Fantastic Planet (Plančte sauvage, La) (1973) 
90 Until the End of the World (1991) 
89 Village of the Damned (1960) 
88 Starman (1984) 
87 Seconds (1966) 
86 THX 1138 (1970) 
85 Fahrenheit 451 (1966) 
84 Open Your Eyes (Abre los Ojos) (1997) 
83 Total Recall (1990) 
82 Silent Running (1971) 
81 On the Beach (1959) 
80 Invaders from Mars (1953) 
79 eXistenZ (1999) 
78 Time Bandits (1981) 
77 Akira (1988) 
76 Dawn of the Dead (1978) 
75 Dead Zone, The (1983) 
74 Star Trek: First Contact (1996) 
73 Fantastic Voyage (1966)
72 Cell, The (2000) 
71 Mad Max (1979) 
70 Sleeper (1973) 
69 Things to Come (1936) 
68 They Live (1988) 
67 Edward Scissorhands (1990) 
66 Quatermass and the Pit (a.k.a. Five Million Years To Earth) (1967) 
65 Strange Days (1995) 
64 Superman: The Movie (1978) 
63 Night of the Living Dead (1968) 
62 Starship Troopers (1997) 
61 Man Who Fell to Earth, The (1976) 
60 Them! (1954) 
59 Tron (1982) 
58 Thing From Another World, The (1951) 
57 Fifth Element, The (1997) 
56 Stalker (1979) 
55 Ghostbusters (1984) 
54 Trip to the Moon, A (Le Voyage dans la Lune) (1902) 
53 Altered States (1980) 
52 Gattaca (1997) 
51 Invisible Man, The (1933) 
50 City of Lost Children, The (Cité des enfants perdus, La) (1995) 
49 Independence Day (1996) 
48 War of The Worlds, The (1953) 
47 Jacob's Ladder (1990) 
46 Time Machine, The (1960) 
45 Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) 
44 Fly, The (1986) 
43 Pi (1998) 
42 Videodrome (1983) 
41 Truman Show, The (1998) 
40 Incredible Shrinking Man, The (1957) 
39 Frankenstein (1931) 
38 Iron Giant, The (1999) 
37 Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) 
36 Donnie Darko (2001) 
35 Dr. Strangelove (1964) 
34 Alphaville (1965) 
33 Abyss, The (1989) 
32 Forbidden Planet (1956) 
31 Robocop (1987) 
30 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) 
29 Jurassic Park (1993) 
28 Thing, The (1982) 
27 Road Warrior, The (1981) 
26 Solaris (1972) 
25 A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) 
24 La Jetee (1962) 
23 Bride of Frankenstein (1935) 
22 King Kong (1933) 
21 12 Monkeys (1995)
20 Contact (1997) 
19 Dark City (1998)  
18 Planet of the Apes (1968) 
17 Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) 
16 Terminator, The (1984) 
15 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) 
14 Day the Earth Stood Still, The (1951)
13 Back to the Future (1985) 
12 Matrix, The (1999) 
11 Aliens (1986) 
10 Alien (1979) 
9 Clockwork Orange, A (1971)
8 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) 
7 Brazil (1985) 
6 Metropolis (1927) 
5 E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982) 
4 Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) 
3 Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) 
2 Blade Runner (1982) 
1 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)