As far as science-fiction films, here are just a few of my personal favorites from the "early days":

Metropolis (1926): Simply a magnificent film. I will add, however, that I absolutely hated the version that had the "score" by Giorgio Moroder. I felt that was an absolute travesty. Some may think I'm narrow minded, and that is their right; it's just my opinion.

Just Imagine (1930): I first saw this in 1970 at NYC's Museum of Modern Art. Almost 20 years ago, a local PBS station showed it once. It's a dated, corny, sexist, sci-fi musical starring a very young Maureen O'Sullivan and the now-forgotten John Garrick.

The Mysterious Island (1929): Shot as a silent film, a few talking sequences were quickly inserted when it became obvious that silent movies were rapidly going the way of the dinosaur. Not pure Jules Verne by any means, but still quite entertaining. Originally in two-color Technicolor, it's shown on TCM in b&w. (Only one color reel survives and is held at the UCLA Film & Television Archives.)

Things to Come (1936): Only a 93 minute version of this film seems to survive (at least in the US), and most available prints are public-domain. Pity. I've always liked this one; it used to turn up a lot on public television. Here's an interesting bit of trivia: The role of Theotocopolous was originally shot with Ernest Thesiger, but his scenes were scrapped and he was replaced by Sir Cedric Hardwicke. Evidently, the powers-that-be wanted a name with more "marquee value".

Signor V.