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“Gonzo” is a matter of taste, not a formal science-fiction category. In a 2013 Gizmodo list, Charlie Jane Anders used it for films that go beyond merely funny or unusual and feel like a “total trip.” The ten picks below preserve that reader-nominated list’s original order; they are not a critic poll, a box-office ranking, or an objective scorecard.
What makes these films “gonzo”?
The common thread is eccentric excess: a premise, performance, setting, or tonal shift that seems delighted to go further than conventional science fiction would. The list moves freely across space opera, post-apocalyptic adventure, teen comedy, punk satire, supernatural action, and surreal comedy. Its descriptions suggest useful ways to choose among the films—premise, setting, comic or surreal intensity, and genre blend—but do not rate them on a shared scale.
The 10 films, in the original order
1. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
A scientist who is also a rock star, race-car driver, and neurosurgeon discovers a route to the eighth dimension by driving through solid rock. John Lithgow plays Dr. Emilio Lizardo. Its appeal on this list is the sheer pileup of ideas and an unapologetic willingness to be absurd.
2. Repo Man
A young punk takes a job repossessing cars, then gets caught up in the hunt for a stolen vehicle carrying dead aliens and reality-warping radiation. Sardonic comedy and science fiction collide in a story that starts from an offbeat everyday job and veers into the cosmic.
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3. A Boy and His Dog
In a post-apocalyptic world, a survivor travels with Blood, a telepathic dog whose chief concern is getting food. The list singles out the film’s bleak, misanthropic ending, making this a darker choice than the more broadly silly entries.
4. Dark Star
John Carpenter and Dan O’Bannon’s early feature follows depressed spacemen and a self-aware doomsday bomb. Its low-key absurdity builds toward a philosophical punchline, giving the film a more contemplative strain of strangeness.
Rank #2
5. The Fifth Element
This pick leans into visual and tonal extravagance, shifting from ancient Egypt to the future and mixing broad performances with action that can turn slapstick. It is the list’s big, colorful example of science fiction that refuses to stay in one register.
6. Big Trouble in Little China
John Carpenter sustains a deliberately weird, silly tone, with Kurt Russell playing a bewildered lead amid the mayhem. The fun comes from the contrast between the film’s wild events and a hero who seems out of his depth.
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7. Six String Samurai
In an alternate post-apocalyptic history, a guitar-and-sword-wielding hero crosses Nevada—the “Kingdom of Elvis”—on the way to Lost Vegas, facing an assortment of bizarre opponents. Its mix of wasteland adventure and rock-and-roll imagery makes it one of the list’s most distinctive premises.
8. Real Genius
This teen comedy pairs a fifteen-year-old genius with a party-loving student as they develop a powerful space-laser system. The film earns its place through a silly premise and an escalating popcorn gag rather than through the darker or more surreal qualities of some other entries.
Rank #4
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9. Ice Pirates
Water scarcity drives this space opera, which combines space-sword fights with juvenile humor and surreal party scenes. It is a fit for viewers who want their science-fiction adventure to embrace silliness rather than solemnity.
10. Zardoz
The list closes with a post-apocalyptic film whose unusual imagery and Sean Connery’s outlandish costume embody the idea of gonzo excess. It is the most immediately striking choice for viewers drawn to audacious visuals and an unapologetically strange presentation.
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How to choose a starting point
- For a wildly overstuffed premise: try The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.
- For sardonic punk energy: start with Repo Man.
- For bleak post-apocalyptic science fiction: consider A Boy and His Dog.
- For oddball space crews and a philosophical edge: choose Dark Star.
- For broad visual spectacle or sustained action-comedy weirdness: look to The Fifth Element or Big Trouble in Little China.
- For a post-apocalyptic road adventure with rock-and-roll imagery: try Six String Samurai.
- For a teen-comedy take on a far-reaching science project: choose Real Genius.
- For space-opera silliness or strange post-apocalyptic imagery: consider Ice Pirates or Zardoz.
What this list does—and does not—claim
Charlie Jane Anders’s Gizmodo article, published January 23, 2013, assembled the titles from reader nominations solicited on Gizmodo’s Facebook page. Anders explicitly treated “gonzo” as a “know it when you see it” idea rather than defining a stable genre. The order is that article’s editorial sequence, not evidence that one film objectively outranks another. The list also does not establish current streaming availability or which home-video editions are in stock; those depend on location and change over time.
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