I love science-fiction. I love it even more when it’s at its absolute best. In recent years, science fiction has been substituted for dystopian teen dramas or superhero fanfare. While both have their merits (avid superhero fan right here), science fiction films and stories are a beast of their own when done with skill. Oftentimes, they’re more than just an excuse to use CGI or fling familiar faces into space. Behind most of these films is an allegory that is talking about the human experience, simply on a grandeur scale. With the release of Ex Machina on April 10th, we thought we’d look back at the last ten years and see which science fiction films have left its mark. There has been more high-quality films that one may have assumed and if there’s one problem I have (and it’s a biggie), it’s how I couldn’t find any directed by women,
Check out our list below and let us know what your favorite science fiction films have been as of late!
Moon (2009) Duncan Jones
Sam Rockwell is a rockstar. He’s only one of the best actors of his generation and doesn’t receive half the recognition he deserves. The film that truly drives that point home is Moon. The story is about a lone man about to complete his three year mission on the moon where he’s been working, sending parcels of a resource back to Earth that has helped decrease the planet’s power problems. Things of course go awry when he seemingly finds a clone version of himself while his health begins to deteriorate. With the help of his computer, GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey), he must try and find a way home. It’s eerie, tremendously acted and plays the idea of isolation in space with grace.
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Never Let Me Go (2010) Mark Romanek
Kids who are raised to be organ donors…yikes. This was never going to be a happy film, and it’s certainly not a hopeful one. Based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, the film’s tone is persistently bleak. In some ways ,the film’s atmosphere is timeless, with life surrounding the boarding school going on as if everything is right in the world. In some ways, there are period elements, such in the ways that our lead characters dress and conduct themselves. Butt then, when a character is facing their predetermined fate in a stark and cool operating room, it feels futuristic. It’s a melting pot of moments in time.
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Star Trek (2009) J.J. Abrams
After the grave disappointment that was Star Trek Into Darkness, it’s easy to forget that part one of the reboot was such a success. Star Trek brought back the fun in the series’ films and embraced its sci-fi loving roots. Sure, it was a little less exploration-heavy and more action-packed but regardless, what made Trek fans happy was there, lens flare and all.
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The World’s End (2013) Edgar Wright
Not only is The World’s End one of the best films in recent years (no need to try and convince me otherwise), it’s also a bit of a love letter to classic science-fiction films. Aliens disguising themselves as humans, trying to eradicate any of the flaws in the human race by infiltrating technology, this is great stuff. Of course, the movie is made by the performances and Edgar Wright’s singular style, but the story is a hell of a lot of fun.
Snowpiercer (2014) Bong Joon-ho
This is what we like to a call a “high concept” film and yet it thrives on its simplicity. The world has frozen over, and the surviving population is living on a train the circles the globe, sectioned off by class. The back of train decided to revolt and makes a slow and gruesome ascent up to the living quarters of the upper class. Class relations and the ideas of survival of the fittest stick out as the primary themes in a film that embraces small scale spectacle.
Inception (2010) Christopher Nolan
Mind-bending and universe-altering Inception is all about new equipment that allows people access to dreams. Artificial worlds are built and then come crumbling down. Joseph Gordon-Levitt wins the title of coolest action sequence in a zero gravity hand-to-hand fight scene. It’s another high concept science fiction film that was exciting and fresh while still being grounded in human emotion.
Edge of Tomorrow (2014) Doug Liman
Strictly speaking, Edge of Tomorrow (or whatever the hell it’s called now) is a blast. It’s pure fun with Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise bringing their A game. Aliens are attacking the earth, and after being covered in their blood, Cruise’s character is able to reset the day each time he dies, allowing humanity to get another shot at triumph. Big in scope, action-packed, and fast-paced, Edge of Tomorrow is how a good science fiction film is made.
Children of Men (2006) Alfonso Cuaron
Ever notice how dire sci-fi is? So often is it about humans on the brink of hopelessness or loss. In Alfonso Cuaron’s film, there have been no children for 18 years. That sets the tone immediately. One lone pregnant woman is found, and it’s a film about the struggles of womanhood along with the notion of how people would react after being hopeless for so long, only to see a glimmer of it. What do people do and how people behave in tough circumstances has always been a key fixture in the genre, and Children of Men is the best of its kind.
Super 8 (2011) J.J. Abrams
Another output from J.J. Abrams, Super 8 is a classically done film. Kids feature as the protagonists in this monster movie with aliens as the prime antagonist. Produced by Steven Spielberg, the film is wonderfully old-school with the “monster” being hinted at for most of the film before being revealed in its entirety.
Her (2013) Spike Jonze
More a love story and message about the human connection than anything strictly science-fiction, the love story still involves artificial intelligence, so it fits. It’s one of the few films about the future that paint it in optimism, a welcome change, and the settings are futuristic yet familiar and doused in warmer tones that reflect the world we’re used to now. The only tangible thing that separates us and this not-too-distant future is the technology, which is where the romance derives itself from.
Honorable Mention: Under the Skin (2014) Jonathan Glazer (via fellow TYF writer Jon Espino)
The polarizing nature of the film may leave you either hating it or loving it. Regardless of your view, it undeniably commanded your attention and intrigue throughout the entire film. In an inspiringly haunting performance by Scarlett Johansson, she plays an alien who is coming to terms with new found feelings of humanity. The beautiful, natural landscapes in combination with dynamic scoring makes this film mezmerizing, even if the film’s message goes over your head.
Honorable Mentions That I Haven’t Seen, So I Couldn’t Comment On: Wall-E, District 9, Attack The Block, Sunshine (Okay I’ve seen three quarters of it, got stressed out, and turned it off.)
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