The late, great Bill Paxton appeared in a slew of classic sci-fi movies from The Terminator to Aliens, although not all of his contributions to the genre were so successful. When Bill Paxton passed away in 2017, countless tributes were paid to the star by fellow actors and filmmakers alike. Paxton’s reliable screen presence elevated everything from the underrated thriller Frailty to the blockbuster Titanic.
Over the decades, the actor carved out a niche as a versatile star. However, much like how Kevin Bacon's love of horror is evident from his screen CV, one genre appeared more often than others in Paxton’s oeuvre. Paxton appeared in fourteen sci-fi movies during his lengthy career, from goofy kid’s comedies to brutal sci-fi horror outings.
Paxton’s love of sci-fi was clear from a glance at his list of credits, and the genre provided him with some of his most iconic roles. However, sci-fi did not always love Paxton back, as proven by some of his lesser releases in the genre. Although Paxton’s sci-fi output leaned more toward classic than tragic, there were a few duds among his many hits, as proven by a ranking of every Bill Paxton sci-fi movie.
14. The Circle
Fortunately for Paxton, his planned Alien Vs Predator 2: Requiem cameo never came to be. As a result, his weakest sci-fi outing is the 2017 Dave Eggers adaptation The Circle. A relentlessly smug satire of social media and Silicon Valley, The Circle tells the tale of an idealistic young woman who gains a job at a Google stand-in only to discover that the corporation is as shady as any sci-fi fan could guess. While largely inoffensive, The Circle has nothing new to say and doesn’t have much fun saying it.
13. Weird Science
Paxton’s role as Chet, the lunkheaded older brother, is one of the best things in Weird Science. Other than the actor’s part, the 1985 sci-fi comedy struggles with how dated its creepy premise is. Even original Home Alone scribe John Hughes can’t make the tale of two teens accidentally inventing a digital dream girl less creepy than it sounds, and when the writer/director tries to, Weird Science becomes the one thing worse than creepy—boring.
12. Spy Kids 3: Game Over
By 2003, director Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids was on its third movie and the joke had worn thin. Despite some fun 3-D effects and an incredible cast including Sylvester Stallone, Salma Hayek, Elijah Wood, and Paxton, Spy Kids 3: Game Over doesn’t bring anything new to the franchise. However, it remains a fun diversion and anarchic enough to satisfy younger viewers, even if the overly familiar story of kids trapped in a video game was played out even before the movie’s release.
11. Thunderbirds
The world did not need a live-action adaptation of the cult kids puppet show Thunderbirds. That said, a Thunderbirds movie could have been worse. Directed by Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Jonathan Frakes, this family adventure has a self-aware sense of humor and a few fun set-pieces but was ultimately too familiar and self-consciously cheesy for many viewers. Lacking the goofy charm of the original series, Thunderbirds was a passable kids movie that did little to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
10. The Colony
2013’s The Colony was called derivative and overly familiar upon release, and there is no denying that the dystopian sci-fi thriller is not the most original outing in the genre. However, The Colony is a lot of fun, and its story of a group of apocalypse survivors being forced underground and fending off killer cannibals is often as tense as it is well-worn. With 2021’s Wrong Turn reboot telling a similar story with less humor and no fun sci-fi elements, The Colony deserves credit for being far from the worst subterranean survival horror even if it does underuse its future setting.
9. Spy Kids 2
Spy Kids 2 is a stronger movie than its predecessor, thanks in no small part to Paxton’s involvement. The action-packed, self-aware sequel features a faster pace, a funnier script, and even more charming turns from veteran stars like Paxton than Spy Kids, and it is the strongest kid’s sci-fi in the actor’s lengthy CV. Admittedly, Spy Kids 2 may not be the best sci-fi sequel to star Paxton, but it can boast the achievement, like the earlier sci-fi sequel Aliens, of being a rare sequel that matched its original.
8. Monolith
In 1993's Monolith, A pair of cops are bemused by encountering what appears to be an extraterrestrial serial killer. The story may sound familiar, as variations on the same plot can be found in both the Dolph Lundgren vehicle I Come In Peace and 1987’s The Hidden. However, with a campy John Hurt as the villain and killer chemistry between Paxton and his co-star, Monolith is still well worth a watch for fans of police procedural/sci-fi mashups, if a touch derivative.
7. Slipstream
1989’s trippy sci-fi Slipstream desperately wants to be a Mad Max movie, though Waterworld may be a more apt comparison. Paxton stars as a nomadic wanderer in the wind-ravaged far future who helps a convict evade Mark Hamill’s dogged lawman. Essentially a post-apocalyptic Western, Slipstream has ambition to spare and features some stunning imagery, but its threadbare story never truly grips. However, the movie is in many ways a striking genre outing.
6. Impulse
1984's Impulse tells the tale of a small town hit with an outbreak of mass madness thanks to an earthquake. An early role for Paxton, this disquieting sci-fi is not quite horror but features some unnerving moments in its offbeat story. Not cohesive enough to be a cult classic, Impulse is nonetheless an arresting sci-fi that is worth seeking out—even if viewers never really find out what it is all about.
5. Edge of Tomorrow
2014’s Edge of Tomorrow, aka Live. Die. Repeat, aka the Tom Cruise movie where he keeps dying, has an ingenious premise. The idea of watching Cruise’s hero attempt the same suicidal mission over and over, re-spawning after each death, makes for compelling drama, and Edge of Tomorrow milks the conceit for all it is worth. The alien foes are not memorably designed and veterans like Paxton and Brendan Gleeson are underused, but Edge of Tomorrow remains an irresistibly fun sci-fi thriller.
4. Taking Tiger Mountain
1973’s Taking Tiger Mountain very nearly never saw the light of day thanks to its tortured production. Based on legendary Beat poet William S. Burrough’s novella Blade Runner (Ridley Scott’s movie took the title, but otherwise no relation), Taking Tiger Mountain is an audiovisual trip. Nominally a dystopian sci-fi story, this experimental effort is more about atmosphere than story and many viewers will find it frustrating, overlong, and pointless. However, Taking Tiger Mountain is also hypnotic, visually arresting, and often more moving than fans might anticipate, even if it is undeniably odder than most of Paxton’s sci-fi projects.
3. Predator 2
1990’s Predator 2 brought the titular monster to the urban jungles of LA and reinvigorated the franchise in the process, offering a brutal and bloody sequel to the stellar 1987 original. Predator 2’s fast-paced thrills make it one of Paxton’s best sci-fi movies, a slick and fun sequel that built on the appeal of the original and added a few clever twists to the eponymous monster’s mythology. If there’s any flaw with the movie, it’s that Paxton doesn’t last long enough in his short-lived role.
2. The Terminator
On the subject of great sci-fi movies that killed off Paxton far too fast, 1984’s The Terminator is a classic sci-fi chase thriller and one of the actor’s best contributions to the genre. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first outing as the titular android assassin is as much a horror as it is a sci-fi movie and remains a thrilling, brutal high point for the franchise. Terminator 2: Judgment Day’s dynamic flip may have added humor and heart to proceedings, but in terms of sheer impact and thrills, The Terminator remains hard to beat even to this day.
1. Aliens
1986’s Aliens is comfortably Paxton’s best sci-fi movie, and arguably even the best movie in its legendary franchise. While the debate rages on over whether Cameron’s action-forward sequel or Scott’s claustrophobic original is the superior movie, one thing that can be said for certain is that Aliens is a masterpiece on its own terms. From the terrifying Alien Queen to Sigourney Weaver’s iconic turn as the now-even-tougher Ripley, to the killer chase sequences, to Paxton’s legendary line, “Game over man!” (an ad-lib by the actor), Aliens is filled with elements that would go on to define the sci-fi horror sub-genre in decades to come. Easily Bill Paxton’s strongest sci-fi, Aliens is also a contender for one of the genre’s best movies in general.