Live Poll: Favorite Oscar-Nominated Best Picture Science Fiction Movie?

Of the two genres, if I had to choose one it is more fantasy than science fiction. Both the original short story and film are already classified in the fantasy romantic drama genres. But, It does pops on several sites dedicated to science fiction, many asking the same question: Is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button science fiction? To me a film about a man aging backwards just screams science fiction. I was on the fence for its inclusion, but decided it belonged more than it didn't.

As of 2018, there have been 546 films nominated for Best Picture and 90 winners. The movie is probably just outside the Top Ten for the most science fiction themed movie of all the 546 Best Picture nominees. Relatively speaking, for the Oscars it about as far out there in terms of science fiction as Oscar is willing to embrace. There are about a dozen other science related movie nominees. But, they clearly don't belong in the category due to their biographical and historical stories, like The Right Stuff and Apollo 13, negating the "fiction" portion of the science fiction genre.

The question is tempered to allow for movies that maybe borderline.The question doesn't overstate the claim of being in the Science Fiction genre. Instead, of asking of a movie is a "science fiction" movie or "in the science fiction genre" it simply asks only if the movie has "elements of the science fiction genre"  It is the successful melding of the non-science fiction and science fiction narratives that got this film its nomination, without both I doubt it would have been nominated in the first place.

Bottom line, if a poll taker disagrees with the classification, they can choose not to vote for it. Otherwise, it is an available option for those agree and it would be their first choice. Options that are truly debatable will never get any serious traction to contend anyways.

P.S. I can see your point now, Both, Groundhog Day and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button have the central part of their story lines left unexplained. Both movies leave it up to the viewer how to interpret how the time-loop and reverse-aging occur. Some might take a scientific approach and would classify the phenomena as science fiction. Others, might look to the supernatural for an explanation as classify it as fantasy. As Fantasy movies have some or all of the following elements: fantastic themes, magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, and exotic fantasy worlds. I guess it comes down to your perspective, although it might be hard to classify these films as both from a single person perspective if the sole item that defies explanation. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope seems to be both, in contrast since the science fiction elements seem to be different the fantastical elements.

I have provisionally removed The Curious Case of Benjamin Button from the answer pool to give it some more thought.I also would like to hear how other perceive the movie. Does it have elements of either Fantasy, Science Fiction or both?

Pop Quiz:
Why do we celebrate National Science Fiction Day on January 2?

Hint: The book In Memory Yet Green ... provides the answer.

I only became aware of the reason yesterday because I read "NATIONAL SCIENCE FICTION DAY. National Science Fiction Day is celebrated annually on January 2nd by millions of science fiction fans across the United States. The date of January 2 was chosen for National Science Fiction Day as it corresponds with the birth date of famed science fiction writer Isaac Asimov." prior to the post.

It did initially strike me as a bit odd that his birth date was chosen. not so much that I disagree with the choice. But, I perceived Asimov more as a first among equals with over other top contemporaries or earlier writers. All of these top five could have been in the running 1.Isaac Asimov 2.Philip K. Dick 3.Arthur C. Clarke 4.H. G. Wells. 5.Robert A. Heinlein

I first thought it would have gone to whoever is considered the "father of science fiction", but I guess there multiple contenders for the title with H. G. Wells, Jules Verne, Mary Shelley and even Hugo Gernsback sometimes garnering the label. This confusion and Asimov status and popularity probably to his birth date being used.

"To me a film about a man aging backwards just screams science fiction."

Then you should add a lot of stories about Merlin to the science fiction genre.  According to several versions, the sorcerer was born as an old man and ages backwards.

"Merlyn from "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White. He remembers the future, and as such serves as partial excuse for the book's Anchronism Stew. More recent adaptations of Arthurian legend often use this detail in some form. Pay enough attention to The Sword in the Stone and a pretty powerful effect of this comes into play when Wart (Arthur) meets Merlyn for the first time. After Merlyn has figured out that it really is the first time they've met, tears come to his eyes for no apparent reason. It's not elaborated on as such, but if you think about it, Merlyn just realized that from his perspective, this is the very last time he and Arthur will ever see each other."

For other characters who age backwards, see: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MerlinSickness

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"but I guess there multiple contenders for the title with H. G. Wells, Jules Verne, Mary Shelley and even Hugo Gernsback sometimes garnering the label."

Some give this title to the ancient satirist Lucian of Samosata (c. 125-180). His satirical novel "A True Story" is the first known work to include travels in outer space, alien lifeforms, and interplanetary warfare (between rival space empires). Some see this a classic example of science fiction. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_True_Story

Lucian is the same writer who wrote the original version of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", which was updated and modernized in 1797 by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sorcerer%27s_Apprentice#Similar_stories

Which science fiction genre movie options do you suggest would come close to 2001: A Space Odyssey, that were both not listed in the poll and  were Oscar-nominated in the Best Picture category?

@urbanemovies​ 

Doesn't Everything Everywhere also qualify?

@Peter_pbn​ That's a good question.

Even, though sci-fi is only ranked as the fifth or sixth genre listed on most movie sites for Everything Everywhere and it doesn't come across as an overtly science fiction movie. I would have to agree for two reasons:

1) The question as phrased, allows for its inclusion. Which of these Oscar-nominated Best Picture movies with elements of the science fiction genre is your favorite?

2) Its theme of the multiverse permeates the entire movie, so it would seem like a non-brainer, even though it doesn't slap you in the face, like most sci-fi films. It reminds me of a 1976 movie that had a monster killing people and spent the whole movie terrorizing a town's inhabitants. Thus, fitting the classic definition of a horror genre film, yet 'Jaws' didn't slap you in the face as a horror film either. Most people don't immediately classify Jaws as horror either. So, I would agree it fits the bill as a sci-fi film for the purpose of this poll.