Great Sci Fi

So I just finished 2001, the novel that is. Just wonderful. And the ending is so much better than the incomprehensible version in the movie.

This had put in me in mind of of the greatest science fiction movies ever. Below is my list. My criteria can be described as a series of questions. Is the movie watchable? Does the movie speculate about the future? I'm not including Star Trek, because I don't think the movies really do this. Nor does Star Wars which isn't really science fiction.

Serenity: Speculates about the future and brings up troubling questions about the quest for Utopia. Brilliantly creates a space western atmosphere.
2010: So much better than 2001. Lots of drama bugging out of Jupiter. The reconciliation with HAL, a computer, mind you, is moving. Ok, in 1985 people thought we'd be on the verge of war with the Soviets and that's a well done backdrop.
The 5th Element: I love how it takes something in our past and connects it to the future. The look and feel are unique, though this is a product of Luc Besson being French rather than innovative, futuristic thinking. The movie predicts a bright future that isn't Utopia.
Soylent Green: Pedestrian police drama taking place in the year 2022. The world is choked with people and pollution. The book is better of course, but visually this world is quite stunning and believable.
Children of Men: Speaking of depressing futures...the director missed the point of the book but his depiction of a world slowly dying out because there are no more children rings true. The feel of the movie is a directorial triumph.
Enders Game: Great adaptation of a classic book. Ben Kingsley, whose been mailing it in since 1982, gives a great performance. Grapples with difficult moral questions without being preachy. Love the twist at the end.
Forbidden Planet: Asks simply, where does all this technology take us and how far can we go? Aesthetically interesting.
War of the Worlds: Not the Tom Cruise version, god no. The combat sequence is exceptional, very detailed and holds up well even in this day and age.

Feel free to chime in, gentle readers.