Editing Science fiction film (section)

===1930s–1950s===
{{See also|List of science fiction films of the 1930s|List of science fiction films of the 1940s|List of science fiction films of the 1950s}}

In the 1930s, there were several big budget science fiction films, notably ''[[Just Imagine (film)|Just Imagine]]'' (1930), ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' (1933) and ''[[Things to Come]]'' (1936). Starting in 1936, a number of science fiction [[comic strip]]s were adapted as [[Serial film|serials]], notably ''[[Flash Gordon (serial)|Flash Gordon]]'' and ''[[Buck Rogers (serial)|Buck Rogers]]'', both starring [[Buster Crabbe]]. These serials, and the comic strips they were based on, were very popular with the general public. Other notable science fiction films of the 1930s include ''[[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein]]'' (1931), ''[[Bride of Frankenstein]]'' (1935), ''[[Doctor X (film)|Doctor X]]'' (1932), ''[[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931 film)|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'' (1931), ''[[F.P.1]]'' (1932), ''[[Island of Lost Souls (1932 film)|Island of Lost Souls]]'' (1932), ''[[Deluge (film)|Deluge]]'' (1933), ''[[The Invisible Man (1933 film)|The Invisible Man]]'' (1933), ''[[Master of the World (1934 film)|Master of the World]]'' (1934), ''[[Mad Love (1935 film)|Mad Love]]'' (1935), ''[[The Tunnel (1935 film)|Trans-Atlantic Tunnel]]'' (1935), ''[[The Devil-Doll]]'' (1936), ''[[The Invisible Ray (1936 film)|The Invisible Ray]]'' (1936), ''[[The Man Who Changed His Mind]]'' (1936), ''[[The Walking Dead (1936 film)|The Walking Dead]]'' (1936), ''[[Non-Stop New York]]'' (1937), and ''[[The Return of Doctor X]]'' (1939). The 1940s brought us ''[[Before I Hang]]'' (1940), ''[[Black Friday (1940 film)|Black Friday]]'' (1940), ''[[Dr. Cyclops]]'' (1940), ''[[The Devil Commands]]'' (1941), ''[[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941 film)|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'' (1941), ''[[Man Made Monster]]'' (1941), ''[[It Happened Tomorrow]]'' (1944), ''[[It Happens Every Spring]]'' (1949), and ''[[The Perfect Woman (1949 film)|The Perfect Woman]]'' (1949). The release of ''[[Destination Moon (film)|Destination Moon]]'' (1950) and ''[[Rocketship X-M]]'' (1950) brought us to what many people consider "the golden age of the science fiction film".

In the 1950s, public interest in space travel and new technologies was great. While many 1950s science fiction films were low-budget [[B movie]]s, there were several successful films with larger budgets and impressive special effects. These include ''[[The Day the Earth Stood Still]]'' (1951), ''[[The Thing from Another World]]'' (1951), ''[[When Worlds Collide (1951 film)|When Worlds Collide]]'' (1951), ''[[The War of the Worlds (1953 film)|The War of the Worlds]]'' (1953), ''[[20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)|20,000 Leagues Under the Sea]]'' (1954), ''[[This Island Earth]]'' (1955), ''[[Forbidden Planet]]'' (1956), ''[[Invasion of the Body Snatchers]]'' (1956), ''[[The Curse of Frankenstein]]'' (1957), ''[[Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959 film)|Journey to the Center of the Earth]]'' (1959) and ''[[On the Beach (1959 film)|On the Beach]]'' (1959). There is often a close connection between films in the science fiction genre and the so-called "[[monster movie]]". Examples of this are ''[[Them!]]'' (1954), ''[[The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms]]'' (1953) and ''[[The Blob]]'' (1958). During the 1950s, [[Ray Harryhausen]], protege of master King Kong animator Willis O'Brien, used [[stop motion|stop-motion animation]] to create special effects for the following notable science fiction films: ''[[It Came from Beneath the Sea]]'' (1955), ''[[Earth vs. the Flying Saucers]]'' (1956) and ''[[20 Million Miles to Earth]]'' (1957).

[[File:Gojira 1954 Japanese poster.jpg|thumb|upright|Poster for the 1954 Japanese monster film ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'']]

The most successful monster movies were Japanese film studio [[Toho]]'s ''[[kaiju]]'' films directed by [[Ishirō Honda]] and featuring special effects by [[Eiji Tsuburaya]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.roberthood.net/obsesses/godzilla.htm | title = A Potted History of Godzilla | first = Robert | last = Hood | access-date = 2008-02-09 | archive-date = 2012-11-18 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121118074252/http://www.roberthood.net/obsesses/godzilla.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.kensforce.com/Gojira_aka_Godzilla_1954.html | title = Gojira / Godzilla (1954) Synopsis | access-date = 2008-02-09 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071224140420/http://www.kensforce.com/Gojira_aka_Godzilla_1954.html | archive-date = 2007-12-24 |url-status = dead}}</ref> The 1954 film ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'', with the title monster attacking Tokyo, gained immense popularity, spawned multiple sequels, led to other kaiju films like ''[[Rodan (film)|Rodan]]'', and created one of the most recognizable monsters in cinema history. [[Japanese science fiction]] films, particularly the [[tokusatsu]] and kaiju genres, were known for their extensive use of [[special effect]]s, and gained worldwide popularity in the 1950s. Kaiju and tokusatsu films, notably ''[[Warning from Space]]'' (1956), sparked [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s interest in science fiction films and influenced ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' (1968). According to his biographer [[John Baxter (author)|John Baxter]], despite their "clumsy model sequences, the films were often well-photographed in colour ... and their dismal dialogue was delivered in well-designed and well-lit sets."<ref>{{cite book|last=Baxter|first=John|date=1997|title=Stanley Kubrick: A Biography|page=[https://archive.org/details/stanleykubrickbi00baxt/page/200 200]|location=New York|publisher=Basic Books|isbn=0-7867-0485-3|url=https://archive.org/details/stanleykubrickbi00baxt/page/200}}</ref>