Science fiction, or sci-fi, is a movie genre and a type of fiction that focuses on how real or made-up science affects society or individuals. The sci-fi components in a movie could be large and noticeable or they could be small aspects that have a significant impact on how the movie is categorized.

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There are several sci-fi films released every year, yet most people don't know what qualifies as such or just simply disregard them. Moreover, due to the large audiences' misconception that these films belong to a specific genre, their sci-fi identity is rapidly disproved.

'The Lobster' (2015)

The Lobster (2015) (1)

The Lobster is a Yorgos Lanthimos movie that follows a freshly single bachelor named David (Colin Farrel) who moves into a hotel with other singletons who must all find a romantic partner within 45 days or else they will all turn into animals.

The Lobster is widely known as a satirical romantic drama movie, but its basic premise—that people will be transformed into an animal of their choice—already hints that it's not only what it seems. The reality of The Lobster is very similar to ours, except for the increased need for companionship and the strange punishment it associates with. Moreover, since politics is a branch of science, the oppression of a society to have everyone’s sex lives and family plans predetermined makes it a sci-fi film.

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'Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind' (2004)

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)
Image via Focus Features

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind focuses on shy Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) who is astonished to learn that Clementine (Kate Winslet), the love of his life, has ordered to erase him from her memory. Joel is therefore upset and wants to pay her back in the same manner by going through a painless but complicated medical treatment to erase her from his mind.

The film is known primarily as a romantic drama film with some science fiction elements in it. The use of technology to erase memories in the movie is obviously based on invented science, but it advances the plot and is essential in setting up the initial suspense. Moreover, the center of the film isn't the sci-fi aspect but the characters who use it

'Groundhog Day' (1993)

Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell in Groundhog Day
Image via Columbia Pictures

Groundhog Day follows a narcissistic, self-centered weatherman (Bill Murray) who is sent to cover a weather forecast which he has been working on for four years, thus, he doesn’t try to conceal his annoyance. However, he somehow finds himself in a time loop on Groundhog Day which won’t stop until he gets it right.

Groundhog Day locks Murray in a predictable time loop as opposed to transporting him to the past or the future. Similar to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, this film emphasizes human journeys rather than science and uses the sci-fi notion more as a plot device.

'The Cabin In The Woods' (2012)

Group of friends including Chris Hemsworth and Kristen Connolly in The Cabin In The Woods
Image via Lionsgate

The Cabin in the Woods revolves around a group of college students who hide out in a cabin in a secluded woodland and become victims of various monsters with technicians controlling events from a facility below ground.

The movie is renowned for its depictions of ancient horrors and supernatural beings, but fans frequently ignore the sci-fi aspect of it in favor of the gore. The sci-fi element of the movie arises from the fact that the lab staff uses mind-altering substances which have effects like impairing reason and enhancing libido to get the said college student intoxicated. The movie receives recognition for being one of the best horror films, but it also merits praise for its singularly morbid approach to science fiction.

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'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015)

Mad Max Fury Road (2015) (1)

Mad Max: Fury Road takes place in a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland where fuel and water are short and focuses on Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy), a survivor and prisoner of Immortal Joe’s (Hugh Keays-Byrne) army, who decides to team up with Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) to fight the said colonel and his men, resulting in a protracted road battle.

It's indisputable that Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the greatest action and adventure films of all time, complete with thrilling explosions and action sequences, as well as a popular sci-fi film of the 21st century. The post-apocalyptic fictional world in which the movie is set has science that hasn't yet been discovered as well as fictitious characters like the vampire War Boys of Immortal Joe. This all adds to the science fiction element of the movie.

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'Never Let Me Go' (2010)

Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield in Never Let Me Go
Image via Searchlight Pictures

Based on Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 novel of the same name, Never Let Me Go is set in an alternate history and centers on three friends, Kathy (Keira Knightley), Ruth (Carey Mulligan), and Tommy (Andrew Garfield) as viewers follow them from their childhood to adulthood, the love triangle they involve in and how they navigate through the haunting reality.

Given that the story is woven together from several genres, it is difficult to categorize either the original book or the movie. Nonetheless, it’s conceivable to say that Never Let Me Go is a sci-fi film based on its strong science-fiction aspects, particularly the scene in which Kathy and Tommy think they see the lady Ruth was cloned from. In addition, the sci-fi components in Never Let Me Go are subtle which fans can easily overlook, unlike those in other sci-fi films.

'Donnie Darko' (2001)

Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko looking in the mirror with a serious expression.
Image via Pandora Cinema

Donnie Darko centers on the title character, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, a troubled adolescent who accidentally sleepwalks away from a bizarre catastrophe. He has visions of Frank, a shadowy man dressed as a rabbit who warns him that the world will end in 28 days. Frank then starts to coerce Donnie into doing a number of crimes.

Most people associate Donnie Darko with a philosophical drama about existence, mortality, and a spooky bunny, but underneath its reflections, there are many complex sci-fi ideas at work. The story may occur in a branching future, an alternate reality, Donnie's delusional fantasy, or all of the above, which clearly brings out the science fiction that viewers may readily ignore due to the complexity of the plot.

'V for Vendetta' (2005)

V for Vendetta (2005) (1)
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

The focus of V for Vendetta is on V (Hugo Weaving), a masked freedom warrior and anarchist who wants to start a revolution by carrying out complex terrorist attacks, and on Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman), a young woman who becomes involved in V's quest. The film takes place in a time when the UK has been ruled by a fascist totalitarian state.

The film, despite being widely known as a political action movie, is actually a science fiction movie because it is set in a fictional world and uses invented technology. Like Groundhog Day, the sci-fi elements of the movie only serve as a plot device to advance the activities of the characters and highlight the story's main point.

'A Quiet Place' (2018)

Emily Blunt doing the quiet sign to Millicent Simmonds in A Quiet Place
Image via Paramount Pictures

A Quiet Place centers on the Abbotts family trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world populated by hearing-impaired, blind creatures.

Most people think of A Quiet Place as a minimalist and sound-focused horror movie that uses these elements to be effective, tense, and genuinely terrifying. Since it is set in the future in which an alien invasion has primarily wiped out humanity, the movie is essentially a science fiction production. Like most of the movies on the list, A Quiet Place's sci-fi components serve solely to intensify the film's primary genre, in this case, horror, and provide a plausible backdrop for the narrative.

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'The Martian' (2015)

Matt Damon wearing a space suit on Mars in The Martian
Image via 20th Century Fox

The Martian follows an astronaut, played by Matt Damon, who is left behind on Mars and must fend for himself as NASA works to find him and bring him back to Earth. The film is based on Andy Weir’s 2011 novel of the same name.

Given that The Martian primarily centers on Mark Watley's attempt to survive on Mars, most people solely believe that it is a survival/adventure film. However, the film is set in the near future, when humans have begun organizing research missions to Mars, making it a sci-fi one. The science fiction aspects of the film aren’t notable, hence, viewers may easily overlook them.

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