Road to 2000 (My Ten Favorite Sci-Fi Movies)
As I approach movie #2000 on my list of every movie I’ve seen ranked from favorite to least favorite, I’ve taken a look back at some of my favorites from various genres. In this last post, I’ve called out my top ten favorite science-fiction movies.
Sci-fi will always be my favorite genre when executed well, because they display the best of what cinema can be. It brings you to new worlds you’re only able to experience by watching a movie on the big screen. For this post, I haven’t included any franchise movies (Dune, Star Wars, etc.) and have focused instead on standalone sci-fi, otherwise the list would be a lot of the same.
[#10] War of the Worlds (2005)
2005’s War of the Worlds is Steven Spielberg’s most underrated movie. Starring Tom Cruise and a young Dakota Fanning, this adaptation of H.G. Wells’ classic novel sets an alien invasion right in the middle of New York. Spielberg himself has expressed how the 9/11 attacks influenced this movie, and it’s evident from a horrifying opening sequence as Cruise’s father character runs through the ash of an attack to get back to his family.
The theme of family is strong even amongst the sci-fi set pieces, and the key to understanding this movie is understanding the humanity on display in the face of insurmountable odds. The film moves at a fast pace, pushing along as the central family finds themselves displaced time and time again by the aliens hunting them down. Still, at the end of it all, Spielberg signs off on a hopeful message, that by working together we might be alright.
Now streaming on Paramount+
[#9] Interstellar (2014)
There are only a handful of current filmmakers making big budget popcorn entertainment like Christopher Nolan does. Interstellar is scene after scene of some of the most striking space imagery ever put on film. Nolan also keeps the tension up, as the astronauts sent out on a expedition to save the planet find themselves against an ever increasing ticking clock, sometimes literally when Hans Zimmer’s incredible score begins to mirror the time they’re running out of.
Matthew McConaughey was on an unstoppable streak around 2014, also starring in True Detective, Wolf of Wall Street, and his Oscar-winning role in Dallas Buyers Club. In Interstellar, his role as Cooper is fully realized as a parent doing whatever it takes to save his family. To me, Interstellar is a film about sacrifices. The characters are constantly sacrificing, physically and emotionally, to save a dying planet. Even ten years on, its message still rings truer than ever; we’re running out of time.
Now streaming on Amazon Prime
[#8] Until the End of the World (1991)
Until the End of the World is a tough movie to recommend, because the full version of the movie is 4 hours and 48 minutes long… Wim Wenders is one of the most inventive filmmakers to ever do it, and his uncompromised vision in this extended cut is a full-hearted ode to the power and future of images. The main plot follows the hunt for a man who has a device that can make the blind see, as he traverses across the world capturing videos on a new piece of technology that can relay these images.
The movie is a bit undefinable though, as it jumps around in genres from crime, to sci-fi, with comedy and drama in equal measure. Backing it all is one of the best soundtracks ever put to film. Wenders loves to include extended scenes featuring music from his favorite artists, with Talking Heads, U2, R.EM. and many more making appearances. If you’re willing to take a chance on Until the End of the World, I can’t promise it’ll be for you, but it’s worth a try for this unique prediction for the future.
Now streaming on The Criterion Channel
[#7] Children of Men (2006)
Children of Men is a low-key sci-fi movie about what would happen if the world suddenly became infertile and the world’s youngest person suddenly dies. Alfonso Cuarón throws us into the middle of this harsh world with little explanation, except for what you can glean from brief images of the bleakness. The situation seems helpless, until a group of scientists discover a pregnant mother.
We then follow these scientists as they try and secretly transport this mother to a secure facility, but every obstacle along the way threatens to halt their mission. Cuarón films their journey with impressive “oners”: scenes filmed with no cuts, sometimes for five plus minutes. Even more impressive is the use of action in these “oners”, as the group evades militants and the military alike. It’s edge-of-your-seat sci-fi at its best when the film keeps you in the moment like this, even if the moment is in a potentially not-so-distant future.
Available to rent on VOD (Itunes, Amazon, etc.)
[#6] Solaris (1972)
Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky is my favorite director. In all of his films he tackles my favorite themes: dreams, memories, and how we interact with them to explain the unexplainable. In Solaris, a psychologist is sent to a space station to investigate the strange state of the crew there, but he soon discovers the planet they’re above has a way of manifesting the memories of anyone in its orbit. What follows is a trippy sensory smoothie of the past and present blended together.
I’ve never thought about more profound questions of life and what it means to be alive than after watching a Tarkovsky movie. Solaris asks what you would do given a second chance at your life’s most important moments. What would you choose to return to and what would you do differently once you got there? Are memories ever remembered the same, or does it become something new as you get older and the events become hazy? Heavy stuff man…
Now streaming on Max
[#5] Wall-E (2008)
This wholesome tale about a robot left on Earth to clean up trash after all the humans have left is one of Pixar’s best. Wall-E’s stunning animation contrasts the desolate garbage-filled Earth with the majesty of space. Thematically, it may also be Pixar’s most important movie, serving as a warning sign for how things may come to pass if the Earth is not protected.
Wall-E is also about finding love in a relationship told through the electronic eyes of two robots. To tell this beautiful story, director Andrew Stanton draws from the influence of classic silent films and romantic musicals. The first third of this movie is essentially dialogue free, channeling some great physical gags animated like an old Chaplin film. Wall-E and EVE protecting the one plant they find and showing humans the errors of their ways makes a better argument for AI than any Elon Musk fanboy ever has.
Now streaming on Disney+
[#4] Her (2013)
On the opposite end of the AI spectrum, Her feels the closest to what our future may be, and each day we creep nearer and nearer to its seemingly inevitable realization. In this world, computer operating system AIs (think Siri) have taken on managing the day to day tasks of most people. When a new personalized system releases, a lonely man begins a romantic relationship with his AI, Samantha.
Joaquin Phoenix has a wide range in the performances he selects. He’s able to go from the chaotic insanity of the The Joker, to one of the most soft-spoken and good natured performances of his career as Theodore. The cinematography of Her is steeped in pastel colors, highlighting this softness. Scarlett Johansson is equally impressive as the voice of Samantha. Although we never see her face, Johansson’s voice conveys a fully fleshed out personality, discovering individuality as she learns more about love and the world around her.
Now streaming on Max
[#3] Annihilation (2018)
Alex Garland is probably the most underrated sci-fi director I know. His most popular film, Ex Machina, is deserving, but his series, Devs, and follow-up feature, Annihilation, are even better in my opinion. When a veteran biologist (played by an always great Natalie Portman) is called to investigate where her husband went missing, she discovers the military has been hiding an ever-expanding zone of enigmatic mutations on the coast of the US. Once she and a team of fellow female scientists enter the zone, we’re introduced to a breath taking environment of creatures and vegetation.
Annihilation is one of those sci-fi movies that only gets better on repeat viewings. Seeds are planted early that grow into the large ideas that the finale tackles. To give away anything would be a disservice to a movie whose plot relies so heavily on taking you on a journey. Although it’s based on a novel (which is also very much worth a read), it’s a shame this original sci fi creation never found a bigger audience. So, if you want more unique original sci fi, go out and support movies like this one!
Available to rent on VOD (Itunes, Amazon, etc.)
[#2] Inception (2010)
No sci-fi list could be complete with only one Christopher Nolan movie while Inception still exists. All of the themes I mentioned I loved earlier about dreams and memories are used on the grandest scale in Nolan’s action packed epic. The mind-bending visuals used to illustrate dream worlds in this film hold up incredible even nearly fifteen years later. The world building is also exceptional, as lengthy exposition scenes explaining how the technology to enter dreams works never feels forced.
The most exciting thing about Inception, however, is that it’s a heist movie. Well, a reverse heist movie really. The central crew’s mission of implanting an idea into the dreams of their target is structured like an Ocean’s Eleven movie more than any other sci-fi. Nolan playing with genres on a canvas like this is a treat for any movie goer, and if somehow you haven’t caught Inception yet, let this be your wake up call.
Now streaming on Apple TV+
[#1] Arrival (2016)
Denis Villeneuve has already solidified himself as the greatest sci-fi director in the history of the genre. Both Dune movies and Blade Runner 2049 are in my top ten favorite films of all time, but his non-franchise sci-fi film, Arrival, is also right up there towards the top of my list. The visuals and feelings he’s able to invoke from seeing something on screen you’ve never seen before are unparalleled. In Arrival, Villeneuve forgoes typical alien invasion fare like action and abductions, and focuses instead on the very real consequences of what a mysterious ship landing on our planet would look like.
Arrival is a movie about language and how we communicate with each other. Amy Adams’ lead character is a linguist tasked with interpreting these alien visitors’ language and communicating with them to find out their intentions. As her character uncovers more of the unique properties the secrets of this language holds, Arrival begins to bring in themes of memories and how we deal with loss. (Are you noticing a pattern yet with my favorites?) Films like Arrival represent everything I love about going to the movies, and sci-fi just seems to keep getting better, so we’re lucky to be alive as this genre continues to improve upon itself.
Now streaming on Apple TV+
