10 Sci-fi Films That Didn't Win Best Picture

Well, Avatar didn't win Best Picture at the Oscars. Frankly, I'm relieved. Not just that James Cameron is an egomaniac who doesn't need any more stroking of his ego. And not just that Avatar even being nominated as Best Picture seemed to me more a publicity stunt than serious recognition. No, I'm relieved, because if you consider the truly great science-fiction films that didn't win an Oscar, you'll see that Avatar would have gotten something that far better films should have received. Here's a list of the 10 greatest sci-fi films that didn't win an Academy Award.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Blade Runner (1982)
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Metropolis (1927)
Star Wars (1977)
Alien (1979)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
War of the Worlds (1953)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

UPDATE: This list has been greatly expanded and updated. Go to the new version for more detail.