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Science fiction is one of the great classic genres of storytelling. It utilizes scientific concepts to ask questions about what direction our society is moving in. Has technology, and other developments in the future, changed our lives for the better, or has it made things worse? In the past 10 years, science fiction films have tried to tackle this question to critical acclaim and financial success.
From big-budget sci-fi epics to low-budget sci-fi thrillers, there have been science fiction movies over the past 10 years that will stand the test of time as great examples of the genre.
'War For The Planet Of The Apes' (2017)
Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes re-introduced the storied Planet of the Apes franchise to a whole new generation by telling the story of how it all began. Matt Reeves' two follow-ups brought the franchise to new heights by centering the story squarely on Andy Serkis' revolutionary ape, Caesar. The third film, War for the Planet of the Apes is one of the few times a trilogy truly saved the best for last.
The film takes place at a time when humanity has its place as apex predator. Caesar leads a society of apes trying to build a safe life for themselves when they are forced into a conflict with a human militia led by a ruthless Colonel played by Woody Harrelson. What makes this movie so incredible, is how it turns the audience against humankind. It humanizes the apes to the point that it makes the audience consider who the real animals are.
'Upgrade' (2018)
After making his directorial debut with Insidious: Chapter 3, writer and actor Leigh Whannell came into his own as a filmmaker with his next film, Upgrade. Logan Marshall-Green plays Grey Trace, who, after a car accident kills his wife and paralyzes him from the neck down, gets an experimental chip implanted into his body that allows him to move again. The artificial intelligence within the chip helps Grey find out who caused the accident. However, as the AI begins to take more control, Grey begins losing touch with himself.
Upgrade is reminiscent of the kind of violent and visceral science fiction movies we don't get much of anymore. While its point of view on humanity's relationship to technology is a cynical one, the movie's thrilling action and kinetic cinematography keep it from being a depressing watch. Upgrade truly takes the sci-fi horror sub-genre to a whole new level.
'Ex Machina' (2015)
Writer Alex Garland made his directorial debut with Ex Machina, a small, slow sci-fi movie about what it means to be alive. The story centers on Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), a programmer selected to take part in an experiment evaluating the potential of humanoid artificial intelligence named Ava (Alicia Vikander). As the two communicate, Ava begins to question her existence, and Caleb questions his understanding of life itself.
Arguably, Ex Machina ushered in a new wave of low-budget, high-concept science fiction movies throughout the back half of the 2010s. Its impact far outweighed its budget. The $15 million films beat out big-budget blockbusters like Mad Max: Fury Road and Star Wars: The Force Awakens to win the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Ex Machina is evidence that you don't need a lot of money to make a great science fiction movie.
'Arrival'
Denis Villeneuve's Arrival is a movie about the science of communication. When twelve mysterious spaceships land on Earth, Louise Banks, (portrayed by Amy Adams in a career-best performance), is called in to decipher circular alien characters found inside, and determine whether the invaders are friends or foes to the human race. As she learns the alien language, her understanding of the universe is challenged. The film is epic in scope without a lot of action while still telling the incredibly personal story of Louise.
What makes Arrival an astounding science fiction movie, is how, by highlighting the little-known science of linguistics, the film carves its path in the genre. It also ties the science of the story in with the personal journey of Louise in a way that only a truly great movie can.
'Interstellar' (2014)
Interstellar is one of Christopher Nolan's biggest and most emotional movies to date. It tells the story of Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), who makes the tough decision to leave his family behind on Earth, to travel the cosmos in an attempt to save humanity. McConaughey gives one of the best performances of his career as he struggles with the possibility of never seeing his children again.
Christopher Nolan is something of a modern master of science fiction, and Interstellar is his crowning achievement. The film combines extraordinary scientific concepts, like the way time is distorted by outer space, with the most personal story Nolan has ever told to create an experience you can only find in science fiction.
'Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse' (2018)
If there's one sci-fi concept that is in vogue right now, it's the multiverse. Arguably, the whole craze began with the release of the Oscar-winning animated film, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. The movie brought Miles Morales' Spider-Man (Shameik Moore) to the big screen for the first time, along with several other Spider-Men, Spider-Women, and even a Spider-Pig, from across the multiverse.
What makes Spider-Verse such an incredible film, is its ability to accomplish so many things all at once, without any of them lacking in their execution. Not only did it make Miles Morales just as iconic a Spider-Man as Peter Parker, but it also told one of the strangest stories we've ever seen in a superhero movie, and featured an animation style, unlike any movie we've seen before. With two sequels on the way, we can feel lucky to be living in this part of the multiverse.
'Dune' (2021)
Frank Herbert's extremely influential, sci-fi epic, Dune, has long been considered a novel that is near impossible to faithfully adapt to the big screen. David Lynch tried in 1984 to mixed results, and it wouldn't be until 2021 that another attempt was made, this time by acclaimed director and die-hard Dune fan, Denis Villeneuve. Dune was Villeneuve's passion project, a movie he spent years getting off the ground. Passion projects can be a mixed bag because sometimes the director's love for the property doesn't always equal success.
Against all odds, not only was Denis Villeneuve's Dune a faithful adaptation of the novel (even if it was only the first half), but it was also a rare pandemic-era box office hit grossing $400 million, and one of the best-received movies of 2021, earning 10 Academy Award nominations. With Dune: Part Two on the way, the epic story of Paul Atreides on Arrakis could prove to be the next Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, but it all begins with Dune.
'Her' (2013)
There has never been a movie quite like Her. Spike Jonze's sci-fi romance is about a lonely man (Joaquin Phoenix) who falls in love with his AI assistant (Scarlett Johansson). For a movie where one of the main characters is decidedly not a human being, it captures the humanity of its characters in a way that feels incredibly visceral and real. The movie considers the age-old questions of what it means to be in love and to be alive. As our world becomes more and more connected to our technology, Her will only become more relevant, because it seeks to understand how technology is affecting the human experience.
What makes Her such a special science fiction movie is how, upon first glance, you might not even realize it's a sci-fi movie. The romance is so engaging and beautiful, that you might overlook the subtle integration of futuristic technology. The near future it proposes is entirely believable. If sci-fi movies are meant to give a glimpse of our future, we can only hope it's the vibrant world of love and heartbreak from Her.
'Blade Runner 2049' (2017)
Ridley Scott's Blade Runner is widely considered a masterpiece of science fiction. So, when it was announced that Denis Villeneuve would be directing a sequel, expectations were set extremely high. Not only did Blade Runner 2049 meet said expectations, but many would go as far as to say it's even better than the original. The film stars Ryan Gosling as K, a replicant blade runner in the dystopic city of Los Angeles, looking into a mystery that leads him to Harrison Ford's Deckard from the original film.
Full of stunning visuals (which finally won cinematographer Roger Deakins an Academy Award), incredible writing, and compelling performances, Blade Runner 2049 didn't just repackage the original film for modern audiences but instead created something that can stand on its own as yet another science fiction masterpiece that will leave audiences stunned for years to come.
'Annihilation' (2018)
After creating one sci-fi masterpiece in Ex Machina, writer/director Alex Garland followed it up with an even more ambitious, bold adaptation of the acclaimed science fiction novel, Annihilation. The movie follows Natalie Portman as Lena, a biologist who ventures into a mysterious zone after an environmental disaster where the laws of nature don't apply. What follows is both a dream and a nightmare, where reality and time aren't what they appear to be.
Annihilation is a movie that doesn't try to be very clear about what happens, especially when it comes to the ending. It leaves a lot up to interpretation, but that's what makes it so fascinating. The audience can draw their conclusions as to what it all means, but the movie doesn't use its ambiguity as a crutch. It also works incredibly well as a tense sci-fi thriller following Lena's squad from one anomaly to the next, going deeper and deeper into the unknown. Annihilation is a movie that doesn't need explanation, because at the core of all science fiction stories are burning questions in the need of answers.