For those just tuning in, I’ve decided to group my best of ‘09 list by genre, just so I can get my bearings. I failed to write reviews for so many films this past year that it’s hard to make a complete master list right off the bat. Now that animation and fantasy are out of the way, we’ll spend some time with science fiction, to be followed on other days by horror, comedy, and drama.

It’s interesting to note that most of the movies on this list would be better categorized under “action,” but I’m far too lazy to plan another list. And since they all deal with advanced technology or unheard-of science, I’m tossing them in here with the big boys.

Superb

I may in later years look back and sigh on my naïveté, but I found “Moon” and “District 9” to be absolutely refreshing entries in the science fiction realm. Perhaps they are not deserving of the “superb” label, but it’s been so long since an actual SF film has been science fiction, rather than fantasy or action, so forgive me. The ideas explored were done so in new and intriguing ways, though not necessarily as in-depth as some may like. Sam Rockwell was given an actor’s chance to shine in “Moon” and he took it and ran. And what’s to say about “District 9’s” completely unknown star, Sharlto Copley, except, “wow?” I admit, “District 9″ devolves into an action race against time by the end, in very gruesome detail I might add, but by that time you’ve been sucked in by the characters and the world they inhabit. The real stars though are the father and son aliens who work alongside Mr. Copley’s racist character to ensure a brighter tomorrow.

Great

None.

Good

“Knowing” is the action-thriller kid-brother to “The Fountain.” I ate up all the cheese and theological soufflé it threw at me, while “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” is, simply put, a boy’s movie. Growing up on Saturday-morning cartoons and Power Rangers, I could not help my pulse from quickening at the sight of live-action cartoons carving mayhem and destruction with an unabashed glee. “Joe” has neither brains nor morals. It’s emotionally stunted and goofy and it is glorious.

The plot and character motivations (what little there are) in “Avatar” are problems and it’s a shame to see the original story concept thrown out the window for such a juvenile simplification. Even the patented James Cameron banter is missing. But the visual artistry and attention to detail overwhelm common sense, and what should be as bad as a pre-teen’s goofy notebook sketches brought to life is elevated to a great night at the movies. My only real concern with “Avatar” is how much it “pays homage” to over a century’s worth of science fiction material. The currently-filming “John Carter of Mars” is based on a series of books over ninety years old and has been in and out of production for it seems just as long. Will that film be met with hostility in 2012 by the general public, outraged that it steals so blatantly from Mr. Cameron’s “masterpiece?” Considering the talent involved in that film, it would be a shame.

The “Star Trek” franchise had grown tired and no one was up in arms over a reboot of the movie series. With J. J. Abrams at the helm, it seems to be in good hands now. And while the film is a product of several unrelated screenplays stitched together—and boy does it show!—the terrific cast assembled absolutely shines.

Average

“2012” is dumb. It knows it is dumb. Many can be quoted as calling it the culmination of every disaster movie and every CGI painting that has come before. God, help me, I found it riveting.

Poor

“Terminator Salvation” is decent but unneeded. It had some of the strangest editing in certain spots and the plot does not feel original, having been groupthought into extinction. I’ve waited all these years for this storyline? But since it is made competently and kept my attention, this third sequel to the once fresh and exciting series is not entirely trash-worthy. Anton Yelchin gives the standout performance, over time even resembling the future version of Kyle Reese. If there is to be another sequel (and it looks grim now that the franchise is up for auction), Christian Bale’s bland John Connor needs to be on the sidelines to let Mr. Yelchin’s and Moon Bloodgood’s characters stand out.

Trash

None.

Missed

Bruce Willis sporting a hair piece and tons of makeup to play a robot of himself trying to figure out why humans are dying in their avatar robot bodies? “Surrogates” sure sounds dumb. Yes, please!

Writer/director Richard Kelly aimed high on “The Box,” that much I know. I only wish I could have seen the messy results on the big screen.