Alien
Ridley Scott's slow-burning, atmospheric filmmaking melds a first-rate screenplay, Giger's art, and Sigourney Weaver's formidable performance into a masterpiece of sci-fi cinema
Enjoyable sci-fi movies, mouse over each for a no-spoiler one line review. Rating is out of 40 based on 4 equal categories, (e)xploration of premise, (a)tmosphere, (n)arrative structure, (c)haracterisation
33+
Donnie Darko
A weird, soulful film that peels back an outer layer of teenage angst and superficial 80s suburbia to delve into mental illness, quantum physics and time travel, and tie them together into a beautiful piece of art
Aliens
A textbook sequel which takes the essence of the first and pivots to a larger action movie while keeping the atmosphere, suspense, and strong lead of the original
Animatrix, The
Directed by some notable animators, The Animatrix was a slick way to add flavour to the Matrix universe via an atmospheric series of short films, which ended up being more enjoyable than the subsequent movies
Gravity
Watching this sci-fi thriller in IMAX was wild, this movie is a completely engrossing white knuckle ride with stunning SFX vistas and a simple compelling plot that is exceptionally well executed by both main characters
Jurassic Park
Michael Crichton’s page turner was the perfect Spielberg blockbuster, best watched as a small child but really timeless action packed sci-fi for all ages, with a few darker warnings remaining from the novel
Moon
This minimalistic gem uses a haunting score and few slick effect shots of the indifferent beauty of the moon to perfectly set up an atmosphere of claustrophobic isolation, into which Sam Rockwell delivers a riveting performance through some tightly written plot beats
Solaris (2002)
Soderbergh's adaptation is more approachable and less cerebral than Tarkovsky's due to his focus on the character relationships rather than the larger metaphysical concerns of the novel, and this angle ultimately yields an enjoyable and well told tale
War Of The Worlds (2005)
There is something very cathartic about the deadbeat dad redemption and post 9-11 trauma themes worked throughout, and along with the effective build up of tension and amazing special effects, that makes this an extremely enjoyable movie
30+
Blade Runner 2049
Villeneuve creates a visually stunning and dark future worthy of the original, which along with Zimmer's score and masterful acting performances creates a magnificent backdrop to an engaging and well thought out screenplay
Ex Machina
An excellently paced sci-fi thriller, we are driven through a beautifully atmospheric setting by an extremely compelling idea to the inevitable conclusion, with the conflicting personalities and strength of the ideas making this a completely enthralling journey from start to finish.
Inception
A cultural phenomenon that overcomes its absurdity and weak characters with blockbuster effects and a few intriguing plot hooks, much like the Matrix 11 years earlier
Martian, The
Andy Weir's upbeat, funny protagonist of science Mark Watney is a perfect fit for Matt Damon, and coupled with Ridley Scott's eye for the stunning visuals this is a glorious and very enjoyable movie
Matrix, The
The Matrix was a groundbreaking and visually stunning sci-fi that survives multiple rewatchings due to the tight plot, pop philosophy, and fun action sequences leading up to a satisfying conclusion
Monsters
Jon Hopkins delicate, beautiful score is the perfect accompaniment to this sci-fi romance, and along with the top notch cinematography it brings to life the wonder of the strange alien life in the film's believable devastated landscape, despite the shoestring budget this was shot on
Avatar
This groundbreaking 3D cinematic experience, despite the simple plot, is still enjoyable in 2d due to the passion and detail that has clearly gone into each shot and some interesting world building and sci-fi elements to boot
Blade Runner
The beautiful over the top noir cinematography established Scott and the crew's creation as the definitive cyberpunk environment, and although parts of the film are a bit empty the story is compelling and filled with both spectacular scenes and fascinating mundane details courtesy of Syd Mead's background design
Her
Set in a bright glossy future L.A, this warm and engaging human machine romance has some interesting takes on a well-worn formula
Prometheus
A more cerebral and big-picture exploration of the origins of Alien, this has the same slow building tension although lacks some of the tight focus and attention to detail
Alita: Battle Angel
Rodriguez high energy directorial style does justice to Yukito Kishiro's cyberpunk spectacle, with the movie remaining engaging and confident throughout
Arrival
A graceful adaptation of Ted Chiang's novella, this captures a lot of its fascination with language and time, tying everything together with nuanced performances by the leads and some excellent cinematography.
Battle For Terra
A clever and original kids sci-fi with some excellent world building
Cloud Atlas
A dreamlike, intoxicating epic of intertwined stories, connected from past to future by repeated motifs, with each period lovingly designed and the philosophic themes underpinning them working on some subliminal level even when it is emotionally difficult to connect to some of the stories.
Dune (2021)
Leaning into the colonial allegories from the source a bit more than the Lynch version works well in creating an engaging and atmospheric adaptation that is well paced and entertaining throughout
Event Horizon
This well paced sci-fi horror works well as an enjoyable late-night popcorn flick
Fifth Element, The
Visually stunning cinematography, amazing goofball costumes and lines, and thoroughly entertaining from start to finish, there has never been anything else quite like this sci-fi blockbuster
Interstellar
A behemoth of a movie, the sheer scope and spectacle is enthralling enough to overlook the weak characters and hit-and-miss mystical themes
Passengers
A slick, enjoyable sci-fi rom-com carried by the main characters and special effects
Pandorum
A slick, bleak, atmospheric sci-fi horror with some great action scenes
Strange Days
Kathryn Bigelow's underrated cyberpunk noir is a whirlwind drive through the last days of the 20th century, foreshadowing the issues of the 21st with its backdrop of a dysfunctional society and a confronting series of virtually experienced murders
Sunshine
Stunning cinematography, a solid cast, and interesting premise mostly overcome the weird metaphysical elements in the screenplay, although the second half is much weaker than the first
25+
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Spielberg's tribute to Kubrick is one of his best films and a great sci-fi, slick entertainment throughout and some great world building on top of some involving and melancholy moments
Alien: Romulus
An excellently made and worthy neo-sequel to Alien, while in many places it lacks originality it does deliver a believable extension to the world building and claustrophobic atmosphere of the original
Alien3
Fincher takes the Aliens franchise in a grimmer direction, building a grimy and claustrophobic visual language that ultimately works well despite all the compromises that were made in the direction of this movie
Contact
A satisfying adaptation of Carl Sagan's novel which digs into the implications of first contact on science and faith
Edge Of Tomorrow
Beautifully shot action packed movie with a great high concept, characters are a bit of a let down but have their moments
Looper
This time travel movie features a clever and surprisingly internally consistent plot, as well as likeable characters and (ignoring the time travel) glimpses of a solidly believable future
Sputnik
A punchy, back-to-basics Russian sci-fi that injects some introspection and novelty into a well worn formula
Upgrade
Fast paced, grimy cyberpunk flick featuring some interesting tech without delving too much into the implications
WALL-E
My favourite Pixar movie, Stanton's subtle screenplay turns what could have been a brain-dead kids movie into a touching and intelligent sci-fi
Waterworld
Sure the characterisation is weak and the world building could have been more subtle, but the ascetic is top notch and every scene in this epic blockbuster is perfectly conceived and executed and they connect together into an intriguing and satisfying experience
World War Z
This tense and visually stunning zombie movie sneaks enough science into its slower third act to consider it a sci-fi, and for the rest is a enjoyable and smart series of fast paced action set pieces