Sci-fi movies tend to be pretty fantastical, mostly because that makes for a more exciting and visually impressive spectacle. However, the best movies in the genre, the ones that really stand the test of time, are those that stick as close as possible to reality.
Redditors recently got together on r/movies, the largest film subreddit, to discuss which sci-fi movies are the most plausible. These films take real-world principles but extrapolate them to their logical conclusion to create a believable vision of the future.
10 'Arrival' (2016)
Linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is recruited by the US military to communicate with extraterrestrial beings who have landed on Earth. As she delves deeper into the alien language, Louise begins to experience a profound shift in her understanding of time and reality. It's one of the most thoughtful sci-fi in years, focusing on the power of language and communication and how it shapes our perception of the world around us.
"I think Arrival felt the most plausible in terms of what it might be like to have to interact with an extraterrestrial species. Language is extremely hard, and most sci-fi films quickly take care of the problem with a magical translator device so they can get on with the story they want to tell. I also love how 'alien' the extraterrestrials were," said Redditor misterjoego. "The time travel concept is a bit more complex, and overall plausibility might be questionable, though admittedly worked really well for the storytelling."
9 'The Martian' (2015)
Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is stranded on Mars after his crew leaves him behind in a storm. As the only person on the planet, Watney must use his resourcefulness and scientific knowledge to survive and find a way to contact Earth.
The premise is not a matter of if but when, as various people, most notably Elon Musk, have set their sights on getting humans to Mars in the coming years. "According to Neil deGrasse Tyson, The Martian is the most scientifically accurate sci-fi film," said user spennychurch.
8 '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968)
This Stanley Kubrick masterpiece follows a voyage to Jupiter aboard the spaceship Discovery, which is controlled by the advanced and seemingly sentient computer HAL 9000. The astronauts Dr. David Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Dr. Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood) must confront the mysterious forces at play on their journey, including the malevolent A.I.
"NASA was on-board with that film," said Redditor dantecubit3000. "The only error I know of is where Heywood Floyd drinks from a straw in zero gravity, and when he stops, the fluid goes back down the straw. A minor glitch in an otherwise fantastic, largely science-based film."
7 'The Andromeda Strain' (1971)
Arthur Hill is Dr. Jeremy Stone, a microbiologist who leads a team of scientists in a desperate race to find a cure for a virus that has been brought back to Earth by a space probe. It's a gripping film that delves into the intricacies of science and the dangers of unchecked technological progress.
It stands out with its innovative use of split-screen cinematography and a haunting electronic score by composer Gil Mellé. The Andromeda Strain looks all the more prescient in light of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. "Simple concept and highly plausible. Doesn't need any technology that doesn't already exist," said user Psychological-Rub-72.
6 'Gattaca' (1997)
This dystopian sci-fi explores the consequences of genetic engineering and the societal implications of a world where genetic makeup determines people's worth. Ethan Hawke is a genetically inferior man who dreams of working for the elite Gattaca Aerospace Corporation. Despite being deemed unsuitable for the job due to his genes, he assumes the identity of a genetically superior man and goes to great lengths to achieve his dream.
"Gattaca is one of the most plausible sci-fi movies I can remember seeing. A lot of the genetic screening technology shown exists today, albeit it [is] nowhere near as fast and accurate as shown in the movie," said Redditor cerberaspeedtwelve.
5 'Her' (2013)
Spike Jonze's Her explores the complexities of human relationships in the age of artificial intelligence. Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) is a lonely man who falls in love with his artificially intelligent operating system, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. As Theodore's relationship with the OS deepens, he begins to question the nature of love, identity, and what it means to be truly human.
The movie looks more and more plausible with each passing year as A.I. and chatbots, in particular, become more and more humanistic. "It's already happening honesty," said user antunezn0n0.
4 'Stowaway' (2021)
Stowaway stars Anna Kendrick as Zoe Levenson, a medical researcher on a three-person crew on a two-year mission to Mars. During the voyage, they discover a stowaway (Shamier Anderson) who has inadvertently caused critical damage to the ship's life support system. As the crew struggles to find a solution to their predicament, they must confront difficult moral choices and grapple with the consequences of their actions.
"Stowaway is an extremely plausible and logic-based film," said Redditor rooseter7080. "It's science fiction in the sense that the narrative in the film has never happened in real life (the same way that aliens may exist out in space, but are still considered fiction as of 2023)."
3 'Minority Report' (2002)
Minority Report is Steven Spielberg's sci-fi starring Tom Cruise as a police officer who is forced to go on the run when he is accused of a murder he has yet to commit. Before filming began, Spielberg assembled several technology experts for discussions about what a realistic future might look like.
"I wanted all the toys to come true someday," Spielberg told Rogert Ebert in an interview. He mostly achieved this, as the movie's surveillance technology and omnipresent media are not that far off the present day. "Minority Report (with the exception of the pre-cogs) paints a pretty plausible future," said user AgentUpright. "Half the tech they use in the movie is stuff we already have."
2 'Interstellar' (2014)
Christopher Nolan's sci-fi magnum opus follows Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a former NASA pilot who embarks on a perilous mission through a wormhole to find a new home for humanity. It's a true epic, both visually stunning and intellectually ambitious.
"Interstellar is pretty scientifically grounded as well — the depiction of the black hole being particularly notable — though the interpretation of things at the end might steer more toward fantasy than you’d like," said user AgentUpright.
1 'Gravity' (2013)
Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity revolves around two astronauts who are stranded in space after a disaster destroys their shuttle. Sandra Bullock is Dr. Ryan Stone, a medical engineer on her first space mission, and George Clooney plays veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski. On top of the technical problems they face, Stone and Kowalski must also confront their fears and the possibility of never making it back to Earth.
"An unlikely set of events, but scientifically plausible," said user CJDownUnder. Several scientists and astronauts praised the movie's realism. NASA astronaut Michael J. Massimo said, "Nothing was out of place, nothing was missing. There was a one-of-a-kind wirecutter we used on one of my spacewalks and sure enough, they had that wirecutter in the movie."