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Everyone has their top lists for the year, and hey, so do we.

Airlock Alpha asked its staff to share what it felt was the top movies of 2009, and our No. 1 was a bit of a surprise. In fact, our No. 1 edged our No. 2, so we considered both of them almost equally adored in terms of genre movies this year. So it's definitely an interesting list.

Do you agree with our picks? Disagree? Love it? Hate it? Share your thoughts by visiting our message board or e-mailing me directly at mhinman@airlockalpha.com.

Here they are, the best movies of 2009 as chosen by the Airlock Alpha staff:

5. Watchmen

It might not have been the box office champ, but "Watchmen" certainly earned itself a ton of buzz. Whether it be over the fight between Fox and Warner Bros. over who had the actual rights to put the graphic novel on the big screen, to the big blue penis that seemed to be more distracting than anything else (attached to Dr. Manhattan."

That alone was enough to keep this film in many people's minds, despite the fact it's been many months since we all really talked about it.

This film did not make my personal list of the year's best. I thought it was beautifully shot, but way too long, and a bit convoluted. But others liked it, including our movie critic, Robert Yaniz Jr.

"Although 'Watchmen' has a great deal of exposition to dal with, writers David Hayter and Alex Tse effectively balance the main plot with each character's backstory, creating a consistent pace that keeps the viewer engaged," Yaniz said in his review.

"Watchmen's" failure to capture audience at the box office could mean the end of using R-rated movies to get bigger bucks. In fact, several previously R franchises, including Terminator, have opted instead for PG-13 ratings, much to the chagrin of fans.

BUDGET: $130 million
DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: $107.5 million

Written by David Hayter and Alex Tse. Directed by Zack Snyder.

4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, and in fact, I can't remember any other books that I have read in recent memory that were not penned by J.K. Rowling. But for me, this film was a disappointment, and finished very low on my list, feeling that writer Steve Kloves watched a little too much "Twilight," and essentially took the wrong elements from the "Half-Blood Prince" and shoved them into this film.

But I seemed to be almost alone in my criticism. Yaniz described the film in his review as "the most magical" one yet.

"Whereas 'Order of the Phoenix' seemed to gloss over some of its more intriguing plot points, 'Half-Blood Prince' features a far superior pace, wherein the various subplots are more fully developed, resulting in a tighter and more emotionally satisfying film," Yaniz wrote. "Every single scene in 'Half-Blood Prince' drives the story and characters forward, and so the film moves at a breakneck pace."

There was a lot that had to be included in this film that made is salvageable, including the death of a beloved character.

For those who didn't read the books, the final showdown between Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) will be battled out over the last two movies, the final book split in two parts.

BUDGET: $250 million
DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: $302 million

Written by Steve Kloves, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling. Directed by David Yates.

3. District 9

This ended up being a very busy and banner year for science-fiction films, and if it hadn't been, some would think that "District 9" could be at the top of many people's lists.

And maybe it still should be.

Taking a very unique approach to science-fiction, aliens that don't look anything like humans, show up over South Africa of all places, and are left to try and survive in ghettos established by the South African government.

It's an obvious reference to apartheid, but still enough to keep your attention and enjoy this film from beginning to end.

"District 9" had an interesting backstory, based on a short in 2005 called "Alive in Joburg." The special effects, many of which were believed to be funded through the failed "Halo" movie project that director Neill Blomkamp had been attached to, were considered groundbreaking, especially the look of the prawns themselves.

The story kind of takes on an "Enemy Mine" vibe, but does it in a way that makes you want to go back over and over again.

It's one of the lower grossers in our list, along with "Watchmen," but did far better than its budget, and received some interesting buzz, including some Oscar buzz this late in the year. We'll have to wait a few weeks to see if it makes the final cut.

BUDGET: $30 million
DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: $115.5 million

Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell. Directed by Neill Blomkamp.

2. Avatar

This was the hardest decision we had to make. Which movie do we put on top?

Almost to the very end, it looked like James Cameron's return to the big screen "Avatar" was going to pull out a win. But it was close. Very close.

Although trailers for this film made this whole idea seem to be more flash and little substance, actually watching the film changed that for many moviegoers, as it quickly looks to be a box office champ (and probably would've been for 2009 if it had been released earlier).

The film will cross the $300 million mark over New Year's weekend, and shows that you can seamlessly mesh computer-generated imagery and reality, and still have an amazing story that works again and again.

Cameron, who last enthralled us with "Titanic" in 1997, shows that he's still amazing when it comes to science-fiction, after creating the Terminator franchise and making the Alien franchise amazing.

Like "District 9," the analogy is obvious, this time to how America treated Native Americans when Europeans moved in to take land and resources. But once again, the way the story is told is what makes this stand-out.

And the fact that 3-D is not just cool again, but could be a staple of future moviegoing, will be thanks in large part to the new 3-D technology Cameron employed in making this film, creating a visual depth that matched the story depth.

"I Had worried that after 12 years, Cameron may not be fully aware of how much audiences have changed over that span, but I should know better," I wrote in my review of the film. "Just because he was away doesn't mean he wasn't paying attention, and 'Avatar' proves that he not only has a grasp of what's happening right now, but what should happen in the future of the film industry."

BUDGET: $230 million
DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: $283.8 million (still in domestic release)

Written and directed by James Cameron.

1. Star Trek

Just when I thought Airlock Alpha was shedding its image of being just a Star Trek site, and reaching out to more broad ideals, my staff proves that we might like other forms of science-fiction, but "Star Trek" still rocks.

J.J. Abrams successfully took a franchise that seemed to be on its last leg, and gave it the reboot of a lifetime. Taking huge risks -- including recasting iconic roles such as Kirk, Spock and McCoy -- and turning Star Trek around, made the USS Enterprise pretty damn cool again.

What's even better is that by meshing the principles of Star Trek with the storytelling style of Star Wars, the Federation and Starfleet has been introduced to a new generation of fans that will help keep this franchise sustained for a long time. And it's about darn time, too.

"No one can say that the odds were not stacked against 'Star Trek XI,'" I wrote in my preview of the film back in May. "Abrams, who had success with 'Alias' and 'Lost,' was still a wet-behind-the-ears movie director. In fact, the only other film he ever helmed was 'Mission: Impossible III.' This was a guy who was not even a Trek fan. We was a Warsie. He was most likely the guy who was celebrating May 4, the so-called Star Wars day, dressed as a Stormtrooper at Greg Grunberg's house.

"But Abrams is a genius. For someone who prefers Darth Vader over Khan Noonien Singh, he sure knew how to create the proper and fitting reverence for a franchise that is nearly 45 years old."

It not only was the highest grossing Star Trek movie of all time, but also the most expensive. It's good to see that Paramount Pictures is once again willing to shell out big bucks to make this franchise great again.

BUDGET: $150 million
DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: $257.7 million

Written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, based on the series by Gene Roddenberry. Directed by J.J. Abrams.

Honorable mentions go to "Terminator: Salvation," "Zombieland," "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," "The Road," "The Box" and "Angels and Demons."