2022 looks set to be a good year for sci-fi. Everything Everywhere All At Once was a surprise hit, and the eagerly anticipated Jurassic World: Dominion and Avatar 2: The Way of Water are sure to make a big impact. So it's as good a time as any to look back at the last decade's most popular films in the genre.
Sci-fi movies consistently raked in big returns in the 2010s, largely due to the mega success of the new Star Wars and Jurassic Park trilogies. These films prove that the genre still resonates with audiences. If anything, science fiction has become more relevant as technology has advanced and our lives have become increasingly intertwined with the robots in our pockets.
Gravity (2013) - $723m
Gravity follows two stranded astronauts as they attempt to make it home. It plays out like a wilderness survival story in space. On the surface it may appear like a generic sci-fi tale, but really it's a story about adversity and human resilience. It's not often that a film so ably combines such a larger-than-life premise with emotional heft.
Gravity was the biggest box office smash of 2013, and for good reason. The lead performances by Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are career highlights for both. It's yet another feat of technical wizardry and gripping storytelling from director Alfonso Cuarón, the brains behind other modern classics like Children of Men and Roma.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014) - $766m
The Hunger Games series picked up Harry Potter's mantle as the young adult heavyweight of the 2010s. It depicts a dystopian future where citizens are forced to fight to the death in a televised tournament. It's like Twilight meets Battle Royale, with a touch of Blade Runner.
The film doesn't achieve the social criticism of The Running Man or The Truman Show, but it's certainly entertaining. Jennifer Lawrence is great in the lead role, and supporting actors Woody Harrelson and Donald Sutherland put in scene-stealing performances.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) - $864m
Catching Fire, the second installment in the Hunger Games series, topped the North American box office in 2013 - the first female-led movie to do so since The Exorcist in 1973. It was well-deserved, as the film improves on everything that made its predecessor memorable.
In particular, Catching Fire doubles down on its exploration of modern-day anxieties. It skewers celebrity culture, uncaring politicians and reality TV escapism. Once again, Jennifer Lawrence is the glue that holds everything together. She nails Katniss's evolution from ordinary citizen to resistance hero.
Rogue One (2016) - $1.05 bn
Rogue One serves as a prequel to A New Hope and follows the rebels who stole the famous Death Star plans. George Lucas is said to have preferred it to The Force Awakens. On hearing this, Rogue One director Gareth Edwards said, "I can die happy now." It's easy to see why Lucas embraced Rogue One. It might be the best Star Wars movie of the last ten years.
It succeeds because it doesn't seek to eclipse the original trilogy. It's a smaller story, focusing on just a handful of characters. At its best, Rogue One recalls classic men-on-a-mission movies like The Dirty Dozen and The Guns of Navarone. Much of this is thanks to the cast, who are almost without exception memorable and entertaining. In particular, Ben Mendelsohn is great as the villainous Krennic, and of course James Earl Jones's return as Darth Vader got fans salivating.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) - $1.07 bn
Of all the films in the new Star Wars trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker performed the worst in terms of both profits and reviews. Critics panned it for retconning several plot points and for seemingly contradicting its predecessor, The Last Jedi.
This was probably because J.J. Abrams got rid of director Colin Trevorrow and took the reins of Rise of Skywalker himself. As a result, the movie plays it safe, returning to a time-tested formula rather than trying anything new. Nevertheless, it still earned back its budget more than three times over. Even a mediocre Star Wars picture is a box office juggernaut.
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) - $1.1 bn
Age of Extinction certainly delivered for Transformers fans. It cranks the fight scenes and CGI to 11. Robots box, karate-chop, blast and wrestle in state-of-the-art 3D detail. The camerawork and editing is also whip-fast and energetic. Michael Bay is the king of the high octane action movie, after all.
It's a treat for devotees of Optimus Prime and his team of world-saving cars, but the film is likely to leave the uninitiated scratching their heads. Despite its visual pyrotechnics, Age of Extinction ultimately reveals itself for what it is: a two and half hour toy commercial. It received negative reviews, mostly focused on its weak writing and for failing to utilize its talented cast. It's a testament to fan loyalty that it still made over a billion dollars.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) - $1.6 bn
Fallen Kingdom is a decent blockbuster that serves up a number of thrills for fans. The CGI and puppetry are excellent as always, and the newly-designed indoraptor is sure to be a staple in toy shops for years to come. It's also the darkest entry in the Jurassic Park series to date. One scene in particular, in which a brachiosaurus dies as the lead characters look on helplessly, is possibly the most emotional in the entire franchise.
Unfortunately, the scene also serves as a kind of metaphor for the series as a whole. With each passing movie, it seems to be getting harder for the filmmakers to portray the dinosaurs with the same wonder that made the original Jurassic Park such a classic. In other words, a lot is riding on the upcoming Jurassic World: Dominion, set to be released next month.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) - $1.33 bn
All the movies in the new Star Wars trilogy wrestle with the question of legacy. To what extent should they honor the original movies versus chart a course of their own? Of the three, The Last Jedi deviates the most from the established mythology. It ditches tradition by portraying Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in a less-than-saintly light. It also surprised fans by revealing that hero Rey's (Daisey Ridley) parents are insignificant. She is not a long-lost Skywalker or the child of a beloved character, as many speculated.
For some, these changes were a breath of fresh air. For others, they amounted to trampling on fan theories. Regardless of where one stands in this debate, The Last Jedi deserves kudos for taking risks and attempting to strike a balance between the new and the familiar.
Jurassic World (2015) - $1.67 bn
"Life finds a way." 1993's Jurassic Park was a rare achievement. It laid the foundation for a mega-franchise of videogames, toys and theme-park rides, all while serving up a well-crafted and emotionally satisfying film. Ever since, Jurassic Park sequels have chased the thrill of the original - and generally fallen short.
Jurassic World comes closest to succeeding. At its best, Colin Trevorrow's film recreates the awe and immersion of Steven Spielberg's classic. The action sequences are impressive. The special effects team cooks up a monster for the ages in the Indominus rex. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard also put in solid performances, despite a script which sometimes gives them little to work with. It's easy to see why fans are hyped for the third installment in Trevorrow's trilogy.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) - $2.06 bn
South Park roasted The Force Awakens as nothing more than a nostalgia trip. They have a point. The film essentially repackages A New Hope with a fresh coat of paint. But that's by design. It's cinematic comfort food in the best way.
Director J.J. Abrahams is well aware of the attachment fans have to the original trilogy. He pays tribute to the look and feel of those movies, recapturing not only their lived-in space opera aesthetic but also the humor and energy that made them so good. Sure, The Force Awakens is sentimental and sometimes ridiculous, but it brims with enough style, care and character to win over even the most jaded of fans. It set an exceptionally high bar for sci-fi blockbusters this decade.