The most influential sci-fi movie ever made, according to science

To some people, movies are nothing more than Friday night entertainment – a trip to the cinema with bucket loads of popcorn or a night in on the sofa with pizza and Netflix ready to go. Yet, it’s sometimes easy to forget how significant the act of consuming cinema really is. Films shape our narrative of the world, perpetuating certain ideas or altering our viewpoints on important topics.

Whether you prefer a slacker comedy or a highbrow drama, all movies—no matter the genre—have the power to affect the culture we live in and even enact significant change as a result. The films we watch shape our attitudes towards certain belief systems, inventions, and groups of people. This is one of the key reasons why representation and diversity on screen are so important; without variety, a hegemonic ideal is perpetuated to the masses, negatively affecting those who exist outside of these margins. 

Science fiction might be a gateway for escapism for many people – many of us love watching people fight in space or attempt to save themselves from terrifying alien creatures – but the genre allows us to learn a considerable amount about our humanity. Dig a little deeper, and Alien, according to some viewers, offers up an impressive analysis of gender, specifically the differences between men and women, with the alien that bursts out of Kane’s chest presenting us with a twisted take on the fears of childbirth.

The genre can also be great for communicating our innate human fears of otherness, whether that be through alien creatures or rapidly evolving technology. 2001: A Space Odyssey expressed this fear well, with the artificial intelligence assistant HAL becoming sentient and causing chaos out of human control – despite the fact he was created by humans in the first place.

Whether you like sci-fi movies or not, you can’t deny their influence over our widespread understanding of themes like space, dystopia, and alternative realities that are far removed from our own. But what is the most influential sci-fi movie of them all, according to science? Many would argue that a title like Metropolis, the 1927 silent film about a futuristic world, or perhaps Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey are likely the most influential sci-fi movies of all time, but they’d be wrong.

According to the University of Turin’s study entitled ‘Identification of key films and personalities in the history of cinema from a Western perspective’, it’s actually Star Wars that holds the title of the most influential sci-fi movie of all time. The paper states, “Our objective is to measure the success of a movie by accounting how much it has influenced other movies produced after its release, from both the artistic and the economic point of view.”

It’s not hard to see why Star Wars is the most influential science-fiction film, considering that the 1977 movie revolutionised cinema. Not only did it gross $410million upon its release, but it also spawned a huge franchise that is beloved by many across the world. The movie needed flashy special effects to make the cosmic setting look as realistic as possible, so director George Lucas created Industrial Light & Magic, a visual effects company that has since gone on to spearhead many developments in the world of animation and special effects.

Without Industrial Light & Magic, it’s hard to imagine what cinema would be like today. Thanks to Star Wars, massive blockbuster movies became the norm, as did huge franchises. Star Wars wasn’t just a film. It was a phenomenon. The movie is instantly recognisable to people who haven’t even watched it, with quotes and characters becoming permanent fixtures within popular culture; these days, you can even deck yourself out in Star Wars merch, ride themed roller coasters, and build the movie’s world out of LEGO. With more entries to the franchise arriving every few years, fans still can’t get enough of Star Wars.

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