These modern sci-fi movies did everything right. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most epic, mind-bending and creative science fiction films released since 2000.
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00:00 "Where are you right now?"
00:02 *Dramatic music*
00:04 "We're dreaming?"
00:06 Welcome to WatchMojo!
00:08 And today we're looking at the most epic,
00:10 mind-bending, and creative
00:12 science fiction films released
00:14 since 2000.
00:16 "You wanna get through this?"
00:18 *Heavy breathing*
00:20 "Do as I say."
00:22 We're excluding animated and superhero
00:24 films with sci-fi elements,
00:26 as there's large enough categories
00:28 to deserve independent recognition.
00:30 Number 30.
00:32 Edge of Tomorrow.
00:34 Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt shine in this
00:36 adaptation of Hiroshi Sakurazaka's
00:38 All You Need Is Kill.
00:40 Set in the midst of a detrimental war
00:42 against aliens, it follows
00:44 an army major who's forced into combat
00:46 and immediately dies.
00:48 Luckily for him, he gets trapped in a time loop,
00:50 teaming up with a war hero
00:52 previously stuck in a loop to find a way
00:54 to defeat their invaders.
00:56 "Find me when you wake up."
00:58 "What?" "Come find me when you wake up."
01:00 *Explosion*
01:02 "Gah!"
01:04 The film's engaging premise offers tons
01:06 of creative fun with killing the heroes
01:08 over and over. It never gets
01:10 overly bleak, with Cruise
01:12 and Blunt turning in charming performances.
01:14 "So maybe there's some way
01:16 I can transfer it to you."
01:18 "I've tried everything, it doesn't work."
01:20 "I mean, have you...
01:22 you know...
01:24 tried all...
01:26 all the options?"
01:28 "Oh, you mean sex? Yeah, tried it."
01:30 While it didn't impress at the box office,
01:32 it's much better than we initially
01:34 imagined.
01:36 Number 29. Sunshine.
01:38 In 2057, an astronaut
01:40 crew is sent to reignite the dying
01:42 sun with a powerful bomb.
01:44 As dangerous as the mission is
01:46 already, a deranged survivor
01:48 from the previous mission disrupts
01:50 humanity's last hope for survival.
01:52 "Are you an angel?"
01:54 "Has the time come?"
01:58 "I've been waiting so long."
02:04 The versatile director Danny Boyle
02:06 brings some of everything to Sunshine.
02:08 What starts out as an ethereal
02:10 space adventure ends up
02:12 being the ideal balance between huge
02:14 action and claustrophobic horror.
02:16 It's a clear homage to
02:18 art sci-fi classics like
02:20 2001 and Solaris.
02:22 Distinguished by Boyle's
02:24 signature high-concept style,
02:26 never mind a stellar cast that
02:28 maintains the journey's human stakes,
02:30 "We're gonna die out here.
02:32 Like the other crew.
02:34 I know it.
02:36 So do you."
02:40 A brilliant example of minimalist sci-fi
02:42 presented as an epic,
02:44 Sunshine is a classic in its
02:46 own right.
02:48 28. Coherence
02:50 This thriller proves that sci-fi
02:52 doesn't need a big budget to completely
02:54 enthrall you. During a dinner party,
02:56 eight friends discover that a strange
02:58 comet passing overhead gives
03:00 them access to alternate dimensions.
03:02 Or, at least,
03:04 alternate versions of the home they find themselves in.
03:06 "The reality where I am from,
03:08 my best friend didn't sleep with my wife."
03:10 "Hugh, do you not understand what I'm saying?
03:12 This all
03:14 started tonight, and if there are a million
03:16 different realities,
03:18 I have slept with your wife in every
03:20 one of them." Seeing the characters dig deeper,
03:22 turn on each other, and interact
03:24 with alternate versions of themselves
03:26 is exceptionally compelling.
03:28 It's immensely impressive how writer-director
03:30 James Ward-Burkett was able to come up
03:32 with such a deep story with
03:34 almost no outside resources.
03:36 And by no outside resources,
03:38 we don't mean other dimensions.
03:40 "This whole night we've been worrying.
03:42 There's some dark version
03:44 of us out there somewhere.
03:46 What if we're the
03:48 dark version?" Number 27.
03:50 The Martian.
03:52 36 years after Alien,
03:54 Ridley Scott returned to survival sci-fi
03:56 with a very different tone
03:58 and loftier ambitions.
04:00 The Martian follows the aftermath
04:02 of a failed Mars colonization mission
04:04 that accidentally left its botanist
04:06 behind. "I'm alive.
04:08 Obviously.
04:10 But, I'm guessing
04:12 that's gonna come as a surprise to my crewmates
04:14 and to NASA.
04:16 And to the entire world,
04:18 really." As he must single-handedly
04:20 terraform the Red Planet to survive,
04:22 the movie hypothesizes some
04:24 hard science in an exciting way.
04:26 It also gets into the messy
04:28 politics of space travel in every
04:30 sense. Scott delivers the
04:32 intelligence of Andy Weir's acclaimed
04:34 novel while expertly commanding
04:36 a massive production and all-star
04:38 cast. "I'm the one who decides
04:40 what's best for the crew.
04:42 They deserve to know.
04:44 Once there's a real rescue plan, we'll tell them.
04:48 Otherwise, it's moot." Matt Damon
04:50 can carry two and a half hours on charm
04:52 alone. It all engineered an
04:54 innovative blockbuster that hit with critics
04:56 and audiences. Intimate
04:58 yet adventurous and all-around
05:00 smart, The Martian is
05:02 otherworldly entertainment.
05:04 Number 26. Upgrade.
05:06 The perils of cybernetics
05:08 and AI collide after a mechanic
05:10 is paralyzed and widowed in an
05:12 attack. "So who are these guys?"
05:14 "We don't know yet.
05:18 I do have a list of people of interest
05:22 in that area and just this week
05:24 I brought in two people for questioning." With a
05:26 neurological implant that renders his body
05:28 stronger than ever, he embarks on
05:30 a revenge mission with an unpredictable
05:32 virtual assistant. Upgrade
05:34 is cyberpunk pulp with a horror
05:36 production team helmed by Saw
05:38 co-creator Lee Wannell.
05:40 But beyond the gory action, conspiracy
05:42 twists enrich an advanced commentary
05:44 on modern technology.
05:46 Wannell's slick filmmaking
05:48 balances dark humor, chilling suspense
05:50 and dynamic storytelling.
05:52 Meanwhile, Logan Marshall Green's
05:54 committed performance sharpens the deep
05:56 human factor. "How long do
05:58 they VR for?" "Days.
06:00 Weeks."
06:02 "Do they sleep?"
06:04 "Nope." "Why someone
06:06 would choose to live in a fake
06:08 world I will never understand."
06:10 "The fake world is a lot less
06:12 painful than the real one." The high concept
06:14 cost-effective upgrade was an immediate
06:16 cult hit. As much as the
06:18 cautionary tale contends with tropes,
06:20 not many movies could improve on
06:22 its premise.
06:24 25. Star Wars Episode 7
06:26 The Force Awakens
06:28 "So who talks first? You talk first? I talk
06:30 first?" No matter how it ended up,
06:32 the sequel trilogy began with great promise.
06:34 New franchise heroes
06:36 Rey, Poe, and Finn were
06:38 enjoyable inclusions. And Kylo
06:40 Ren showed wider audiences how talented
06:42 an actor Adam Driver is.
06:44 "You need a teacher!"
06:46 "I can show you
06:48 the ways of the Force!"
06:50 But it wasn't all new
06:52 stuff. We love returning to the
06:54 galaxy far, far away a decade
06:56 after the release of Revenge of the Sith.
06:58 It felt like greeting an old friend.
07:00 With J.J. Abrams' direction
07:02 bringing technical improvements and a
07:04 story reminiscent of A New Hope.
07:06 Star Wars is supposed to be fun and
07:16 The Force Awakens had that in spades.
07:18 24. Primer
07:22 Another sci-fi gem with a low budget,
07:24 2004's Primer follows two
07:26 friends that accidentally invent time travel.
07:28 But it's far from flashy.
07:30 Instead, presenting the phenomenon
07:32 through a more grounded, realistic
07:34 approach. "Man, are you hungry?
07:36 I haven't eaten since later this afternoon."
07:38 While trying to figure out it's time travel
07:40 and many versions of its characters will make
07:42 your head spin, Primer is
07:44 also a captivating, cautionary tale.
07:46 As the two friends begin to use
07:48 their discovery for their own financial
07:50 gain, their bodies and
07:52 friendship begin to fail. "Whatever wasn't
07:54 the thing you wonder about, you know? What if you knew for sure
07:56 this is not the way things are supposed to be?"
07:58 "See, man, I'm not like that. I'm not into
08:00 the whole destiny, there's only one right way,
08:02 but I'm not either, okay? But what's worse, you know,
08:04 thinking you're being paranoid or knowing you should be?"
08:06 Since its release at the Sundance
08:08 Film Festival, where it won the
08:10 Grand Jury Prize, the film has
08:12 deservedly earned a passionate cult
08:14 following.
08:16 23. Gravity
08:18 "The space shuttle Explorer has been hit.
08:20 The space shuttle Explorer
08:22 has been hit.
08:24 The astronaut is off
08:26 structure, Dr. Stone,
08:28 off structure." Following a collision
08:30 of space debris against the space shuttle
08:32 Explorer, two astronauts
08:34 must reach the International Space Station
08:36 and make it back to Earth to survive.
08:38 While Gravity is light on story,
08:40 it's a visual marvel with
08:42 almost 100% of its runtime, including
08:44 visual effects. Despite
08:46 this, everything feels real and
08:48 absolutely visceral. Its 91
08:50 minutes will have you on the edge of your seat
08:52 and gasping for breath.
08:54 "You tell her that I love her, Matt.
08:56 You tell her that I love her
08:58 so much."
09:00 Sandra Bullock rightfully earned her second
09:02 Oscar nom for playing Dr. Ryan
09:04 Stone, a character we root and
09:06 cheer for. Among the movie's other
09:08 nine nominations, it won best
09:10 visual effects and earned Alfonso
09:12 Cuaron a Best Director award.
09:14 Number 22.
09:16 Annihilation. While Ex
09:18 Machina established writer-director
09:20 Alex Garland's flair for metaphysical
09:22 sci-fi, Annihilation took
09:24 it to cosmically horrifying
09:26 heights. "You said nothing comes back.
09:28 But something
09:30 has.
09:32 Yes."
09:34 The fate of the world may depend on a military
09:36 science expedition into an alien
09:38 anomaly, as it clones and mutates
09:40 all matter in its wake.
09:42 The mind-bending journey is classical
09:44 of crafty and horror by way of
09:46 Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker.
09:48 It's full of gruesome visuals
09:50 and suspenseful action.
09:52 But even more chilling is heavy
09:54 themes on the fragile human mind and
09:56 body, bolstered by devastating
09:58 character arcs. There's much more
10:00 to contemplate with Garland's bleak vision
10:02 of worlds mingling. "Is it possible
10:04 these were hallucinations?"
10:06 "I wondered that myself.
10:10 But they were
10:12 shared among all of us."
10:14 Niche or not, the much-discussed
10:16 Annihilation captivates all who dare
10:18 to enter its intense, thought-provoking
10:20 metamorphosis in cosmic
10:22 thrills. Number 21.
10:24 Moon.
10:26 Over the past decade or so, Sam Rockwell
10:28 has risen to be an exceptional
10:30 leading man. And we like to think
10:32 his incredible work in Moon is where it
10:34 started. "Two weeks to go, Sam."
10:36 "Two weeks to go, buddy."
10:38 In the first shot, Sam Bell runs a one-man
10:40 facility on the Moon to mine
10:42 helium-3 as an alternate
10:44 fuel source. With only an AI
10:46 to keep him company, Sam prepares
10:48 for the end of his contract and when he can
10:50 return to his wife and daughter.
10:52 Things take a turn when he discovers another version
10:54 of himself, and the two Sams work
10:56 together to uncover the truth.
10:58 "Where he says you're Sam Bell,
11:00 I'm Sam Bell, too."
11:02 "What?" "You got that going for us."
11:06 Without giving everything away,
11:08 Moon is a spectacular work of art that
11:10 explores loneliness and what it means
11:12 to be human. Number 20.
11:14 Minority Reports.
11:16 In a beautiful blend of sci-fi
11:18 and crime noir, Steven Spielberg
11:20 brings Philip K. Dick's short story to
11:22 life in tremendous fashion.
11:24 "Why'd you catch that?" "Because it was gonna fall."
11:26 "You're certain?" "Yeah."
11:28 "But it didn't fall. You caught it.
11:30 The fact that you prevented it from happening doesn't change
11:34 the fact that it was going to happen."
11:36 Set in a future where police can foresee
11:38 future crimes, the program's
11:40 commanding officer has to go on the run
11:42 when he's the next suspect.
11:44 "You don't have to chase me.
11:46 You don't have to run."
11:48 "Everybody runs, Fletch."
11:50 Tom Cruise's John Anderton
11:52 is an emotionally engrossing
11:54 protagonist, searching for answers
11:56 as he tries to outrun advanced technology.
11:58 Minority Report isn't the
12:00 first sci-fi film to navigate the theme
12:02 of free will, but it masterfully
12:04 explores it between riveting action
12:06 sequences. It's some of Spielberg's
12:08 best work.
12:10 Number 19. Donnie Darko
12:20 A definitive cult classic,
12:22 Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko
12:24 is an enigma that's been pulling
12:26 viewers in for over two decades now.
12:28 "28 days."
12:30 "6 hours."
12:32 "42 minutes."
12:34 "12 seconds."
12:36 After a man in a
12:38 bunny suit named Frank
12:40 saves him from being crushed by a jet engine,
12:42 young Donnie Darko learns that the world
12:44 will end in less than a month.
12:46 The movie's unapologetically bizarre
12:48 premise is further heightened by
12:50 odd characters.
12:52 "You're weird."
12:54 "Sorry."
12:56 "Yeah, that was a compliment."
12:58 Donnie's drive to understand what's
13:00 happening to him echoes our own,
13:02 though he also deals with the ups and downs
13:04 of being a teenager. Dissecting
13:06 the plot and ambiguous ending with others
13:08 has made it one of the century's most
13:10 enduring sci-fi films.
13:12 Number 18.
13:20 Godzilla Minus One
13:22 Almost 70 years into the definitive
13:24 kaiju brand, Godzilla Minus One
13:26 found a new depth in a symbol
13:28 of the nuclear age.
13:30 The reboot more explicitly
13:38 grapples with Japan's trauma and remorse
13:40 after World War II.
13:42 On top of that, they must deal with a
13:44 rampaging monster born out of atomic
13:46 mutation. The blockbuster surely
13:48 delivers the spectacle that Godzilla
13:50 fans crave. In fact, it was the
13:52 first ever non-English film to
13:54 win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
13:56 But what really sets this installment
13:58 apart is the scale of its human
14:00 drama and social commentary.
14:02 This made Godzilla Minus One the
14:04 highest-grossing release in the
14:06 Toho series, with many saying it
14:08 might be the franchise's best
14:10 installment since 1954.
14:12 Number 17.
14:14 Snowpiercer
14:16 Acclaimed filmmaker Bong Joon-ho
14:18 proved his sci-fi chops in South Korea
14:20 with the monster movie, The Host.
14:22 Then, the rest of the world took notice
14:24 of his phenomenal adaptation of
14:26 Jacques Loeb and Jean-Marc Rocher's
14:28 graphic novel, Les Transpersonnages.
14:30 In the near future, the Earth
14:32 has entered a hostile new ice age
14:34 due to a botched attempt to solve
14:36 global warming.
14:38 The remains of humanity live in a
14:50 massive, always-running train,
14:52 where the poor living in the backcars
14:54 stage a revolution against their wealthy
14:56 oppressors toward the front.
14:58 Their journey for justice is equal parts
15:00 thrilling, heartbreaking, and
15:02 satirical. With a cast that includes
15:04 Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton,
15:06 Octavia Spencer, Jamie Bell,
15:08 and John Hurt, there's plenty
15:10 to love about Snowpiercer.
15:18 Poor Things
15:20 Frankenstein stories have grown
15:22 a lot through the ages.
15:24 The creators of the irreverent period piece
15:26 The Favourite gave the formula both
15:28 surreal and raw new life in their
15:30 lauded adaptation of Alasdair Gray's
15:32 Poor Things.
15:46 Emma Stone plays a Victorian English
15:48 woman who is reincarnated with the brain
15:50 of an infant. As she expands
15:52 her horizons across Europe,
15:54 she puts into perspective profound
15:56 feminist and philosophical themes.
15:58 Whimsical science fantasy
16:00 is just the foundation of this
16:02 cutting satire with robust
16:04 style and thorough characterization.
16:06 At the heart of all the genre-bending,
16:08 Stone delivers what is
16:10 widely considered the most layered performance
16:12 of her career.
16:14 "Expecting a hug of solace?"
16:16 "You."
16:18 "I need to offer something to the world.
16:20 And yet I have
16:22 nothing.
16:24 Except some money.
16:26 It is a bad
16:28 day for Bella Baxter."
16:30 Poor Things is clearly rich in
16:32 imagination, but its humanity is
16:34 what's truly enchanting.
16:36 Number 15. Avatar
16:38 James Cameron took 12
16:40 years to follow up his unprecedented
16:42 blockbuster, Titanic.
16:44 Against all odds, Avatar
16:46 more than returned on his investment.
16:48 The space opera follows an earthling
16:50 who assimilates into an extraterrestrial
16:52 world through the body of a
16:54 humanoid species.
16:56 "What was that all about?"
16:58 "Come.
17:00 Come."
17:02 Disillusioned with his genocidal
17:04 sponsors, he ultimately leads
17:06 Pandora's Revolts.
17:08 It's not the most original story, but Cameron's
17:10 technical innovations and dramatically
17:12 vast storytelling were revolutionary.
17:14 The instant classic
17:16 epitomized the cinematic experience
17:18 with spectacle and a conscience.
17:20 "It's all over."
17:22 "Nothing's over
17:24 while I'm breathing."
17:26 "I kinda hoped you'd say that."
17:28 Avatar shattered Titanic's record as the highest grossing
17:30 film of all time, then reclaimed
17:32 the record on re-releases.
17:34 Thirteen years later, Avatar, The Way
17:36 of Water, declared that Cameron's
17:38 sequel series will be as sensational
17:40 as the original.
17:42 Number 14. Looper
17:44 Time travel has not
17:46 yet been invented, but thirty years from now
17:48 it will have been. Thus
17:50 begins Rian Johnson's brilliant
17:52 sci-fi crime thriller.
17:54 Loopers kill and dispose of people sent
17:56 back by criminal organizations,
17:58 even if the person is themselves.
18:00 [gunshot]
18:02 When one fails to get rid of his
18:10 future self, he has to figure out
18:12 how to catch him before the other Loopers
18:14 hunt him down for failing.
18:16 "You're a loop.
18:18 You lied to me.
18:20 But I know you're not lying when you say
18:24 you're gonna kill this guy.
18:26 Your own self."
18:28 The film's slick plot
18:30 oozes cool, and its visual effects,
18:32 though sparse, offer bombastic
18:34 action sequences.
18:36 Number 13. Interstellar
18:38 Christopher Nolan's cerebral
18:40 sci-fi has always had an
18:42 undercurrent for humanity.
18:44 Interstellar brings that to the center
18:46 in the interest of humanity's survival,
18:48 as NASA sends a team to explore a
18:50 potential new home world.
18:52 "You're asking me to hang everything
18:54 on an arm of a gun.
18:56 On an arm most.
18:58 I'm asking you
19:00 to trust me." The blockbuster
19:02 incorporated groundbreaking research into
19:04 esoteric physics, in order to
19:06 plausibly represent the perils of space
19:08 travel and time dilation.
19:10 That means deep existential drama
19:12 for the astronauts as Earth ages
19:14 more rapidly behind their harrowing journey.
19:16 As astonishing as the effects
19:18 and Nolan's direction are,
19:20 Matthew McConaughey leads a nuanced
19:22 ensemble with the weight of the world
19:24 on his shoulders.
19:26 "Okay, and for our next trick?"
19:28 "Hahaha!" Overall,
19:30 the renowned Interstellar marked a breakthrough
19:32 in space spectacle that respects
19:34 audiences' intelligence as much
19:36 as technical and emotional engineering.
19:38 Number 12.
19:40 Blade Runner 2049
19:42 "Mr. Morton,
19:44 if taking you in is an option,
19:46 I would much
19:52 prefer that to the alternative."
19:54 Blade Runner is a phenomenal sci-fi
19:56 film that doesn't need a sequel.
19:58 It is what we said before Denis Villeneuve's
20:00 masterpiece. While it was
20:02 a box office failure, this follow-up
20:04 proved a worthy companion piece to
20:06 Ridley Scott's original. "I've never retired
20:08 something that was born before."
20:10 "What's the difference?"
20:12 "To be born is to
20:18 have a soul, I guess." Upon
20:20 finding evidence of a replicant-born
20:22 child, Blade Runner and Replicant
20:24 K is ordered to track down the
20:26 child and kill them to avoid a war.
20:28 While Ryan Gosling's K
20:30 understandably shows a lack of emotion,
20:32 his introspective journey
20:34 takes him through a cavalcade of interesting
20:36 characters, including the return of
20:38 Harrison Ford's Rick Deckard.
20:40 "I'm not here to take you in, are you?"
20:42 "Then what?"
20:48 "I just have some questions."
20:50 Additionally,
20:52 it's an absolutely gorgeous film
20:54 that finally earned cinematographer
20:56 Roger Deakins his first Oscar.
20:58 While Matt Reeves also closed out the
21:04 trilogy fantastically, we
21:06 have to give the spot to the middle entry.
21:08 Following the outbreak of
21:10 the simian flu, most of humanity
21:12 has perished while Caesar and his apes
21:14 have grown hyper-intelligent.
21:16 "Apes
21:18 do not
21:20 want war,
21:22 but will
21:24 fight
21:26 if we must."
21:30 This sequel reaches the same visual
21:32 heights as the first, with Caesar
21:34 once again flawlessly motion-captured
21:36 by Andy Serkis.
21:38 Not only that, but the story soars
21:40 as the apes clash with the surviving
21:42 humans.
21:44 "Apes
21:46 do not
21:48 want war,
21:50 but will
21:52 fight if we must."
21:54 Terrific set pieces bring the action
21:56 to the forefront, and everything
21:58 combines to make it a standout entry
22:00 in this long-running franchise.
22:02 Alex Garland is a genius
22:06 sci-fi writer, though his directorial
22:08 debut is his crowning achievement.
22:10 After winning a work contest,
22:12 he's been nominated for a prize for his
22:14 most-anticipated and most-prized
22:16 invention, an android named
22:18 Ava, with artificial intelligence.
22:20 "You shouldn't
22:22 trust him.
22:24 You shouldn't trust anything
22:26 he says."
22:28 As the week progresses,
22:30 Caleb finds himself torn between
22:32 the enigmatic Nathan and Ava,
22:34 who warns him not to trust her
22:36 creator. The philosophical tale
22:38 features fascinating conversations
22:40 and a palpable feeling of unease
22:42 throughout, particularly personified
22:44 by Oscar Isaac's Nathan.
22:46 "One day the AIs are going to look back on us
22:48 the same way we look at fossil
22:50 skeletons in the plains of Africa.
22:52 An upright ape
22:56 living in dust with crude
22:58 language and tools,
23:00 all set for
23:02 extinction." Completely grounded
23:04 yet unbelievably thrilling,
23:06 Ex Machina will show you both the heights
23:08 and depths of innovation.
23:10 Number 9. District 9.
23:12 Sci-fi often holds
23:14 the mirror up to the disturbing
23:16 real world, and District 9 is
23:18 a scathing rebuke of xenophobia
23:20 and apartheid. "We didn't have a plan.
23:22 There was
23:24 a million of them.
23:26 So what was a temporary holding
23:28 zone soon became fenced,
23:30 became militarized, and before
23:32 we knew it, it was a slum." Following
23:34 the arrival of insect-like aliens
23:36 in South Africa, the government forces
23:38 them into slums. One bureaucrat's
23:40 life is turned upside down
23:42 when he comes into contact with strange
23:44 alien liquid that begins to
23:46 mutate him. Afraid and disowned
23:48 by his own organization, he's left
23:50 to team up with one of the aliens.
23:52 "Please, I need to hide.
23:54 Okay.
23:56 They want to kill me, alright?
23:58 I just need to hide here for five minutes."
24:00 Although certain elements are
24:02 fantastical, District 9's partial
24:04 found footage approach and use of
24:06 unknown actors makes it feel realistic.
24:08 It earned four Oscar nominations
24:10 including Best Picture and Best Visual Effects.
24:12 8. Her
24:14 "Hello, I'm here."
24:16 "Oh.
24:18 Hi."
24:22 "Hi." Her is
24:24 very different from Ex Machina,
24:26 but follows some similar themes.
24:28 It tells the story of the lonely Theodore,
24:30 a man who falls in love
24:32 with Samantha, his
24:34 artificially intelligent assistant.
24:36 Emotionally distraught from his upcoming divorce,
24:38 Theodore connects with Samantha
24:40 on a new and unique level.
24:42 "Of course you're in this room with me right now.
24:44 I'm gonna put my arms around you.
24:48 I'm just gonna touch you."
24:54 At times sorrowful and
24:56 at others heartwarming,
24:58 the film is an engrossing look at the
25:00 evolution of modern relationships.
25:02 And it's uplifted by Joaquin Phoenix's
25:04 beautiful portrayal of Theodore
25:06 and Scarlett Johansson's intoxicating
25:08 voiceover as Samantha.
25:10 "You know, I can feel
25:12 the fear that you carry around
25:14 and I wish there was something
25:16 I could do to help you let go of it
25:18 because if you could,
25:20 I don't think you'd feel so alone anymore."
25:22 It may not be as
25:24 high concept as most other sci-fi
25:26 films, but it is just
25:28 as captivating.
25:30 7. Everything Everywhere
25:32 All at Once.
25:34 If the multiverse trope was played out in the
25:36 2020s, that's mostly because
25:38 Everything Everywhere All at Once
25:40 had the final say.
25:42 During an IRS audit, a laundromat owner
25:44 is recruited into an adventure to save
25:46 all dimensions from a variant of her daughter.
25:48 "I know you have a lot of things on your mind,
25:50 but nothing could possibly matter more
25:52 than this conversation we're having right now
25:54 concerning the fate of every single world
25:56 in our infinite multiverse."
25:58 What follows is irreverent dramedy,
26:00 profound philosophy, and
26:02 every style of action underlined
26:04 by a powerful celebration of family
26:06 and identity. Daniels,
26:08 Kwan, and Shynert embrace
26:10 the absurdity of infinite realities
26:12 with sophisticated style and emotional
26:14 intelligence. Meanwhile,
26:16 a phenomenal cast headed by
26:18 the incomparable Michelle Yeoh perfectly
26:20 juggles many tones.
26:22 "What do you want?"
26:24 "No!"
26:26 "Stop it!"
26:28 This won Everything Everywhere wide
26:30 recognition as the fullest film of
26:32 2022. The Oscars
26:34 certainly thought so. It may
26:36 even be the gold standard for interdimensional
26:38 and inter-genre filmmaking.
26:40 6. Dune Part 2
26:42 Many filmmakers
26:44 have struggled to realize Frank Herbert's
26:46 staple of science fiction literature.
26:48 Denis Villeneuve found great success
26:50 in 2021 with the beginning
26:52 of his two-part adaptation
26:54 of Dune. The follow-up was
26:56 even bigger. A mining planet
26:58 in the distant future is the site of
27:00 a prophetic native uprising,
27:02 with classically epic grandeur
27:04 and modern technical splendor.
27:06 "You fought well.
27:08 Once you woke up."
27:10 "I wasn't sleeping."
27:12 Against such massive worldbuilding
27:14 is intense politics and heart-wrenching
27:16 drama. Villeneuve respects
27:18 Herbert's characters alongside his lore
27:20 in a blockbuster that is as moving
27:22 as it is entertaining.
27:24 "You see the fear.
27:26 Our resources
27:28 are limited.
27:30 Fear
27:32 is all we have." This interpretation
27:34 of Dune is thus unanimously
27:36 praised as the most faithful
27:38 ahead of a conclusive adaptation of Dune
27:40 Messiah. Part 2 alone is
27:42 already being called one of the cinematic sci-fi
27:44 events of its era.
27:46 5. Inception
27:48 [Dramatic music]
27:50 Christopher Nolan has given us
28:04 multiple sci-fi juggernauts this century.
28:06 Just look at Interstellar.
28:08 [Dramatic music]
28:10 But his absolute best is the action-packed
28:16 tale of Dream Implantation.
28:18 Following a botched job,
28:20 extractor Dom Cobb is offered the
28:22 chance to return home to his children.
28:24 All he has to do is something that no
28:26 one has ever successfully pulled off.
28:28 Plan an idea and a target
28:30 subconscious. What follows
28:32 is a thrilling heist through several
28:34 levels of dreams. An incredible
28:36 concept made better by supreme
28:38 camera work.
28:40 [Dramatic music]
28:42 [Dramatic music]
28:44 The cast is wonderful,
28:48 the effects are mind-bending,
28:50 and Nolan's direction once again proves
28:52 he's an entirely original blockbuster
28:54 filmmaker.
28:56 4. Arrival
28:58 Before Blade Runner 2049,
29:00 Denis Villeneuve delivered this beautifully
29:02 tragic sci-fi film.
29:04 Amy Adams plays linguist Louise Banks,
29:06 who is contracted by the US government
29:08 when alien spacecrafts arrive
29:10 on Earth. It's Banks' job to
29:12 decipher their language and figure out if they
29:14 came in peace or are here for war.
29:16 "Well, let's say that I taught them
29:18 chess instead of English.
29:20 Every conversation would be a game,
29:22 every idea expressed through opposition.
29:24 Victory, defeat, you see the problem.
29:26 If all I ever gave you was a hammer,
29:30 everything's a nail."
29:32 The aliens are more like an inciting
29:34 incident, with the film exploring
29:36 existentialism and philosophy
29:38 through humanity's encounters with them.
29:40 However, the movie also highlights
29:42 how unimaginative loss and a mother's
29:44 love can be exquisitely
29:46 intertwined.
29:48 We won't spoil the ending, but suffice
29:52 to say, it's mind-blowing.
29:54 3. Eternal
29:56 Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
29:58 Like Her, the sci-fi elements
30:00 of Eternal Sunshine are understated,
30:02 with the film instead navigating
30:04 technology's impact on us.
30:06 Upon learning his girlfriend has erased
30:08 him from her memory, Joel Barish
30:10 signs up for the same procedure.
30:12 He and the audience then relive their
30:14 relationship in reverse.
30:16 Unfortunately for Joel, he changes
30:18 his mind midway through.
30:20 It's a haunting reminder of how hard it can be
30:28 to let go of someone you've loved.
30:30 And though its unique cinematography gives it
30:32 another worldly appearance, it's a movie
30:34 most of us can relate to.
30:36 It's also some of the best work Jim Carrey and Kate
30:38 Winslet have ever put out, which is
30:40 saying a lot.
30:42 2.
30:56 Mad Max Fury Road
31:02 Although it had been 30 years since Beyond
31:04 Thunderdome, George Miller showed there was
31:06 plenty of life left in the Mad Max
31:08 franchise. In fact, more
31:10 life than there had ever been.
31:12 The post-apocalyptic film follows Max as
31:14 he reluctantly aids a group of runaways,
31:16 enslaved wives of the warlord
31:18 Immortan Joe. Led by Furiosa,
31:20 played by an impossibly good
31:22 Charlize Theron, the group flees
31:24 across the wasteland.
31:26 With Joe in Pursuit,
31:28 the entire film is one explosive
31:30 chase sequence after another.
31:32 The effects and stunt work have us
31:34 frequently picking our jaws off the floor.
31:36 We weren't the only ones impressed as
31:38 Fury Road earned a plethora of
31:40 awards.
31:42 1. Children of Men
31:44 In the not-too-distant future,
31:52 the film's story is a story
31:54 that's often forgotten.
31:56 The film's story is a story
31:58 that's often forgotten.
32:00 The film's story is a story
32:02 that's often forgotten.
32:04 The film's story is a story
32:06 that's often forgotten.
32:08 The film's story is a story
32:10 that's often forgotten.
32:12 In the not-too-distant future,
32:14 mass infertility has pushed humanity
32:16 to the point of near extinction.
32:18 Many governments have fallen,
32:20 with the UK becoming a police state
32:22 due to rampant immigration.
32:24 Children of Men is an incredibly
32:26 bleak movie, but it's also one of hope,
32:28 redemption, and love.
32:30 Upon meeting the first pregnant woman
32:32 Upon meeting the first pregnant woman
32:34 Upon meeting the first pregnant woman
32:36 in decades, pessimist Theo must get her
32:38 to safety. Performances from
32:40 Clive Owen, Chiwetel Ejiofor,
32:42 and Claire Hope Ashite
32:44 are absolutely stunning.
32:46 The film's unflinching cinematography
32:48 puts you in each tense situation,
32:50 leaving you breathless.
32:52 It isn't a movie that'll leave your mind soon,
32:54 and it's one of the best this century,
32:56 let alone in the sci-fi genre.
33:06 What are your favorite modern classics
33:08 in sci-fi cinema? Participate
33:10 in the comments.
33:12 What was it? Huh?
33:14 Some of it was...
33:16 good.
33:18 Pretty good.
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