Space thriller Serenity has beaten Star Wars to the title of best sci-fi movie in an SFX magazine poll of 3,000 fans.
Serenity starred Nathan Fillion (r) as former sergeant Malcolm Reynolds
The futuristic release from 2005 was based on the short-lived TV series Firefly. Both were the work of Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon.
Star Wars - which Whedon has conceded had "an enormous influence" on Serenity - came second in the survey.
Blade Runner was third, followed by Planet of the Apes, The Matrix, Alien and Forbidden Planet.
Serenity is about the crew of a space ship of the same name, and at the time of its release, Whedon declared it was a way of showcasing the "gritty" side of the genre.
"There's something in science fiction, which I love very much, that I've missed of late - which is a sort of grittiness, the reality of what it must be like to be up in a small community or a small ship," Whedon told the BBC in 2005.
TOP SCI-FI MOVIES
2. Star Wars (pictured)
3. Blade Runner
4. Planet of the Apes
5. The Matrix
7. Forbidden Planet
8. 2001: A Space Odyssey
9. The Terminator
10. Back to the Future
Source: SFX magazine
"I had a perfectly disparate set of elements.
"I had people who were actual size in a story that was larger than life, and I think when you put those two elements together you get the most exciting kind of film-making."
SFX editor Dave Bradley said it was a "massive surprise" to see Serenity beating Star Wars.
"The TV show may have been cancelled, yet the Serenity universe clearly struck a chord with fans, thanks to its likeable characters, witty dialogue and amazing special effects."