Certain genres of cinema provide filmmakers with an opportunity to push the boundaries of story, effects, and imagery. When all the elements come together in perfect harmony, a tremendous science fiction film is crafted. The world of sci-fi has given moviegoers some of the greatest films of all time, thanks to the filmmakers who made them.
Throughout history, the genre has simply gotten better and better. The craft has evolved, the stories have become more groundbreaking, and the individuals making them have expanded with new names. With every science fiction clunker that makes audiences groan, the genre becomes bolder, more relevant, and more important. Indeed, these masterpieces remind us how the art form can be revolutionary. We are here to celebrate ten titles that make science fiction proud, thanks to their impeccable craft and timeless tales.
‘Ex Machina’ (2014)
Of the titles on this list, Ex Machina is likely the least mainstream movie. But when you truly analyze the film from a filmmaking perspective, it’s quite sensational. Written and directed by Alex Garland in his directorial debut, it tells the story of Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac), the CEO of Blue Origin, who invites his programmer, Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson), to administer the Turing test to an intelligent female humanoid robot named Ava (Alicia Vikander). During the evaluation, Caleb develops feelings for Ava and becomes suspicious of Nathan’s true intentions, ultimately leading Ava to make a manipulative escape attempt.
Ex Machina didn’t use a greenscreen, instead adding the visual effects in post-production. Thanks to an exceptional script, it didn’t feel hokey: it was an authentic story with science fiction elements as the backdrop. It’s a breathtakingly polished, highly intellectual piece of cinema, making it a cerebral psychological thriller. The story, in a way, was ahead of its time, diving into the terrors of how robots and technology, in the wrong hands, can upend society. There were robot romances before Ex Machina, and there will certainly be some after, but this one deserves to be part of the discussion forever.
‘WALL-E’ (2008)
Disney and Pixar have brought families to so many times and places. They’ve introduced us to beloved princesses, talking creatures, and historical reimaginings, but seldom ventured into the science fiction space until 2008, with the science fiction romance WALL-E. Often, it’s the words that charm us, but director Andrew Stanton evoked those same emotions through storytelling and an adorable little robot. The film tells the story of a solitary robot named WALL-E (Ben Burtt) on a future uninhabitable Earth in 2806. Left to clean up garbage, his life takes a turn when he is visited by a robot called EVE (Elissa Knight), sent from the starship Axiom.
With minimal dialogue early on to establish the connection, the story relied on communication through body language and robotic sounds. The result was astounding. Beyond romance, WALL-E incorporates a range of themes, including consumerism, human environmental impact, global catastrophic risk, and obesity. But the one element that was inherently Disney was nostalgia. WALL-E, even just a robot, was moved by the past. So, when we hear “It Only Takes a Moment” from Hello, Dolly, just like WALL-E, we are transported to a memory. By blending live-action elements with computer-generated animation, WALL-E was pushing Pixar into new worlds.
‘Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope’ (1977)
Let’s face it, since 1977, the ability to make science fiction films has vastly improved. Thus, Star Wars films look even better. But when George Lucas gave the world the gift of Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, the product was revolutionary. Lucas takes audiences to a galaxy far, far away where the Rebel Alliance aims to destroy the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the Death Star. Introducing us to “the Force” and a cast of characters that became instantly beloved, Star Wars wasn’t just triumphant because of the pop culture phenomenon it sparked, but also because of the visual effects that accompanied it.
Lucas formed the visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic to help create the elements that became uniquely Star Wars. Watching the Millennium Falcon reach lightspeed and see those beams of light, you truly felt you were moving just as fast. Having the freedom to craft an entire universe, Lucas’ writing could have felt like silly science fiction, but his confidence leapt off the screen, forgiving some of the fledgling visual elements. The production design, from the starships to the droids, was brilliantly unique. By creating a new world that captivated audiences, Star Wars launched science fiction into a new realm. It’s almost impossible to imagine where the genre would be without it.
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ (1977)
Steven Spielberg has taken us to so many miraculous places in his illustrious career. When it comes to space, Spielberg certainly knows how to make an extraordinary piece of cinema. Look no further than Close Encounters of the Third Kind. In the film, lives are changed when Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), a blue-collar electrician in Indiana, encounters a UFO. Drawn to French researcher Claude Lacombe (François Truffaut) and Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon), a single mother whose child was abducted by a UFO, Roy embarks on an obsessive quest for answers. The film, which culminates in a massive landing of an alien spacecraft at Devil’s Tower, answers the intriguing question of what happens if aliens are real.
The film was groundbreaking for its depiction of aliens. Rather than try to scare audiences, Close Encounters of the Third Kind poses the idea that aliens could be peaceful beings. By focusing on a world of wonderment, curiosity, and the overall hunt for something greater, audiences get an awe-inspiring climax where space and the potential of other life are no longer a source of fear. Though it may be an optimistic vision of the unknown, science fiction doesn’t always need to be about fear. Spielberg allowed the genre to mesmerize first and ponder second.
‘Alien’ (1979)
Thanks to Ridley Scott, we officially learned that in space, no one can hear you scream. Thanks to Alien, science fiction entered its horror era. The terrifying space thriller follows a commercial starship crew who investigate a derelict space vessel and are hunted by a deadly extraterrestrial creature, forever known as xenomorphs. Alien displayed space as an utterly terrifying place, leaving you breathless with nonstop action and terror.
From a production standpoint, gone were the days when little green men were the aliens that pervaded the screen. Scott literally created a monster, towering and menacing, meant to elicit reactions of terror. But the mythology of these aliens became just as viscerally terrifying. Watching a baby xenomorph burst out of a man’s chest was gruesome and horrifying, but brilliant from a filmmaking perspective. Beyond the creatures, there was another important key to Alien‘s success: the bold decision to allow a female protagonist to lead the crusade. Played by Sigourney Weaver, Ellen Ripley became a beacon for science fiction and action storytelling. Alien allowed future filmmakers to trust that audiences don’t only see women as damsels in distress, but the badasses they’ve always been.
‘Dune’ (2021)
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Frank Herbert‘s 1965 Dune has been adapted multiple times. First, David Lynch took a stab at it in 1984. Then it was John Harrison in 2000 with a miniseries. But Dune truly didn’t reach its full potential until Denis Villeneuve took a stab at it. The first in the trilogy follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as his family, the noble House Atreides, is thrust into a war for the deadly and inhospitable desert planet Arrakis. While some audiences were forced to watch the film on the small screen on HBO Max due to the rollout during COVID-19, the film was still a visionary spectacle, proving that Dune was not unfilmable.
Instead of making Dune a fever dream, Villeneuve crafted something unique and honest. Dune captured the vast sand locale with ease. Perhaps the greatest achievement in the film was the work done to create the sandworms. Like the shark from Jaws, but in the sand, the way that these creatures leaped out was extraordinary. When we reach the thrilling conclusion later this year, we’ll look back at this first part to truly understand why it changed filmmaking, not only for the franchise but for all of science fiction.
‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)
It’s hard to believe that the world of dinosaurs had rarely been tapped until Spielberg. There was always a fascination and allure with prehistoric creatures, but the reality was that trying to emulate dinosaurs on screen is not an easy task. Using Michael Crichton‘s novel as its basis, Spielberg took our love for dinosaurs and crafted the greatest dinosaur science fiction adventure of all time. In the first Jurassic Park film, wealthy businessman John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) and a team of genetic scientists have created a wildlife park of de-extinct dinosaurs on the fictional Isla Nublar. When industrial sabotage leads to a catastrophic shutdown of the park’s power and security, a small set of visitors must survive and escape as carnivorous dinosaurs rage.
Beyond the technological marvels required to make this film, part of the significance that Jurassic Park welcomed was the dawn of the blockbuster. Becoming the highest-grossing film of all time upon its release, every filmmaker and studio battled to craft their version of this masterpiece. With its brilliant story, spellbinding imagery, and a fantastic cast that included Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, and Wayne Knight, Jurassic Park changed science fiction forever. A cinematic marvel, it launched a franchise that is still alive today.
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)
No offense to the films of the ’80s, but we have to give the title of most definitive film in the franchise to Mad Max: Fury Road. A genuine marvel brought to life by George Miller, the fourth entry in the Mad Max franchise brought the iconic post-apocalyptic dystopian action film into the 21st-century. The film follows Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy), who joins forces with Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) against warlord Immortan (Hugh Keays-Byrne) and his army. Setting out on a large-spanning road battle in the desert wasteland where petrol and water are scarce commodities, Fury Road is a relentless thrill ride that keeps your heart racing.
The film is a prime example of a thriller that redefines how certain movies can get away with a character-driven story. Yes, there is a plot with clear and present objectives, but we come to the film for the explosive action and the visceral, immersive experience. Miller makes you feel as if you’ve stepped into this exuberant environment of dust, sand, and road rage. Add in the stunts, some inspired by Cirque du Soleil, and what you get is an adventure you never want to end. As the film that relaunched the franchise, it’s going to be near impossible to surpass the mastery of Fury Road.
‘The Matrix’ (1999)
At the end of the 20th century, filmmaking needed something to help bridge the journey into the new millennium. Thankfully, the Wachowskis arrived and changed the science fiction game for good with The Matrix. The first film in the franchise follows computer hacker Neo (Keanu Reeves), who discovers that the world he knows is a simulated reality created by sentient machines to keep humanity docile while harvesting them for bioelectric power. He joins rebels led by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) to fight the machines, learning to manipulate the simulation’s rules to gain superhuman abilities and uncover the truth.
Science fiction on the surface, with martial-arts-centric action on the side, the Wachowskis instilled a deep philosophical theme about the nature of reality, free will versus determinism, and the search for truth. As rich as the meaning is inside, The Matrix is regarded as a spectacular action film for its groundbreaking special effects. We’ve seen many cool fight sequences, but the bullet time visual effect took the film to new heights. Furthermore, the utilization of multiple martial arts elements made it a unique film that felt like nothing that came before it. The Matrix continued to revolutionize science fiction blockbusters straight into the 21st century.
‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (1968)
Stanley Kubrick is one of the most influential filmmakers of all time, and 2001: A Space Odyssey is proof. Perhaps the most groundbreaking sci-fi film of all time, the soaring epic covers humanity’s evolution from prehistoric times to the future with the help of mysterious alien monoliths. With an imposing black structure serving as a link between the past and the future, Dr. Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) and his team of astronauts are sent on a mysterious voyage. Their ship’s sentient computer system, HAL 9000, begins to exhibit increasingly strange behavior, leading to a tense battle between man and machine that culminates in a mind-bending trek through space and time.
The landmark film is revered for its revolutionary special effects without CGI. While we can imagine what a remake might look like with today’s technology, the fact that this film continues to influence the genre as a pioneer of realistic science fiction proves just how remarkable a cinematic achievement it was. Beyond the visuals, 2001: A Space Odyssey has continued to be debated over time. To some, it’s darkly apocalyptic. To others, it’s an optimistic reappraisal of the hopes of humanity. Nevertheless, its thematic exploration has served as a beacon of inspiration for future generations of science fiction films.