A New Era of Sci- Fi is Upon Us - Looking Ahead to Worlds That Awaitby Alex Billington. March 2. 7, 2. 01. In just a few years we'll be watching another trilogy of Star Wars movies, picking up where the original trilogy left off 3. Star Trek has already been revived on the big screen, coincidentally by the same director set to bring us the next Star Wars - J. J. Ever since James Cameron's Avatar raised the bar with another box office record in late 2. Aside from Star Wars and Star Trek returning, things are getting more exciting every day, with filmmakers like Chris Nolan, Alfonso Cuar. From the big ones like Avatar and Prometheus, to Dredd and Battle: Los Angeles and District 9, to Tron Legacy, John Carter, Lockout and the Total Recall remake, to indies like Moon, Another Earth, Monsters, Never Let Me Go and Safety Not Guaranteed. Of course, there's no denying it was many of these films that have brought us into this upcoming sci- fi era to begin with. They're responsible for pushing the genre, bringing excitement and originality back to sci- fi cinema once again. Go to. The days of Star Wars are gone, and we seem to be getting more films of higher caliber, full of rich cinematic themes and perspectives. You've got people like Neill Blomkamp out there. We wouldn't have been able to make Dredd if it weren't for District 9.? That's the question I posed to screenwriter Alex Garland in my interview about Dredd last year. His answer, short and succinct, hit it perfectly: . Whether they’re male or female, old or young, they’ve illuminated some classic movies. Here’s our top 50 list of sci-fi heroes and heroines. MORE LIT LISTS: 50 Best Scientific Romances (1864–1903) Let's start by laying down a guide drawing for the basic shapes. Begin with a large curve for the top and back of the head / cranium. You've got people like Neill Blomkamp out there. We wouldn't have been able to make Dredd if it weren't for District 9. How do you narrow down the entire history of science fiction cinema into a list of only the 10 best movies? Help us, Mental Floss! You’re our only hope! We've selected the very best designs in sci-fi movies, and a host of influential designers discuss our picks. The success of certain films invigorates and inspires, while the failure of others prevents some from getting made at all. It's better not to have an over- abundance to maintain a quality this genre needs to progress. But that's the thing - quality has been rapidly improving. Over the last few years, movies like Cloud Atlas, Chronicle, Moon and District 9 have proven to audiences and other filmmakers that taking a risk with bold, unique ideas can pay off. Maybe not pay off financially, but cinematically at least. The fact that films like Looper and Attack the Block were even made, got released in theaters, built substantial buzz, and nurtured large fan- bases shows that love for intellectual, entertaining sci- fi is still rampant. Audiences are ready to embrace science fiction that is challenging and exciting and not just another remake. Yes, we've got more Star Wars, Star Trek, Transformers and even Godzilla on the way, but for each of those we've also got original ideas like Gravity, Pacific Rim, Oblivion and Elysium, too. I personally love sci- fi. I'm sure it has to do with being raised on continuous viewings of Star Wars, Flight of the Navigator, E. T. Looking back at that time, it's interesting how closely this upcoming era mirrors what happened in the late 9. Excitement for sci- fi back then hit its peak in 1. Star Wars: Episode I (and The Matrix), which came just a few years after some of these phenomenal 1. Now we'll be getting lots of strong sci- fi movies in 2. Star Wars returns again in 2. As someone who has a special place in his heart for a lot of sci- fi, I'm still just as excited for each and every upcoming movie as I am about revisiting the classics. When I get to experience a film like Looper or Cloud Atlas, even Prometheus, no matter the results I'm just happy to be seeing more science fiction. Especially from filmmakers that I love, filmmakers that naturally push storytelling and quality no matter what genre they're working in - Rian Johnson, Ridley Scott, The Wachowskis. Was Prometheus as groundbreaking and incredible as we were all hoping? No, unfortunately not. But that doesn't mean it wasn't exciting as hell to see anyway; to know the man who gave us Blade Runner and Alien and yet notoriously stated six years ago, . But that was just the start. Now it's time for even more amazing filmmakers like Chris Nolan, Neill Blomkamp, Alfonso Cuar. Abrams, Edgar Wright, Guillermo del Toro, Zack Snyder, Joon- ho Bong, The Wachowskis, Gareth Edwards, David Twohy, Matt Reeves, Wally Pfister, Joseph Kosinski, Doug Liman, M. Night Shyamalan, Gavin Hood, Bryan Singer and Spike Jonze to continue to evolve the genre next. All of these filmmakers, and many others, have sci- fi films in the works right now, from a few major 2. And that's not even getting into any of the Star Wars movies or Lucasfilm's standalone features, which will definitely liven things up. It's also getting exciting to see Hollywood occasionally push stories further into the sci- fi realm just for the fun of it. Seth Rogen's This Is the End and Edgar Wright's The World's End, both comedies about the world ending, will be out this year. Even Shane Black's Iron Man 3 seems to be leaning a bit more towards sci- fi, same with Snyder's Man of Steel and Now You See Me. Last summer there were films like The Watch, Battleship and Amazing Spider- Man that went overboard with sci- fi even when they didn't really need to, which might've been pushing it a little too far, but that's a whole other discussion for another time. My mind has been nearly overloaded with sci- fi over the last few months. Between the criminally underseen indie Upside Down and Cloud Atlas, to the gasp- inducing Chris Nolan & Star Wars announcements, there's been a resurgence of science fiction mania. I've decided to not only take a quick look back at some of the greatest sci- fi movies in the last five to ten years that have influenced this latest era, but also organize the definitive guide to nearly every upcoming sci- fi project arriving in the next few years. But before I get into that, I have been wondering what it is recently that's making us crazy for sci- fi all over again. Is it something in the air? Was it Ridley Scott and James Cameron reviving the genre? Was it 3. D enhancing the experience? There's no definitive answer, because the genre is continuously evolving and pushing itself, just like Garland said. But I tried to find at least one major influence in our modern society that was encouraging a renewed interest in science fiction. After writing an entire post about the Russian meteorite influencing filmmakers, I realized it's the stunning and infinitely- vast universe we live in that remains the greatest inspiration of all. Is Cosmic Fascination Fueling Sci- Fi Interest? Science fiction as a genre is most often influenced by our contemporary society - its concerns, its worries about the future, its current fascinations, its technology. We've reached a point now where, stepping beyond the bleak future envisioned in movies from the 7. In our pockets we all have devices that can connect us to anyone and anything around the world instantaneously. Go back just 5. 0 years and that would've been considered magic, fiction. So if that kind of technology is commonplace in 2. The answer might partially explain why science fiction is so popular again and why exploring the cosmos is one of the trends in so many modern sci- fi films. In the last few years, I've noticed a resurgence of interest in the cosmos, space, space travel and the universe beyond our solar system. Maybe it has to do with younger generations' growing disconnect from religion (grounded on Earth) and science itself becoming more interesting on its own. In less than three months into 2. Higgs(- like) particle, a bus- sized meteorite disintegrated over Russia in sonic- boom- causing brilliance, and every day NASA adds more awe- inspiring photos to their astronomy archive. I can't be the only one who feels my subconscious fascination with the scientific reality of our universe is what drives my excitement for so many of the spectacular sci- fi movies we see nowadays. As we know, Prometheus was all about asking (but not answering) questions about existence, while bringing us away from Earth to figure out why there is life on this planet we call Earth. Sure, there's the . However, instead of just showing us another world and frolicking around, we're getting real characters with complex, compelling stories in these worlds. Not that we haven't seen this in many great sci- fi movies before, but it's becoming the norm again, which is important to keep invigorating and evolving sci- fi when there's more Star Wars and Star Trek on the way. While society continues to quarrel over the division of wealth, something that will be addressed in upcoming sci- fi like Elysium and Oblivion, at the same time we have wealthy people like Richard Branson trying to turn science fiction into science reality. He has already conquered technology, travel and entertainment on Earth, so now even he's headed off of this planet and up into the stars with his Virgin Galactic program, practically ripped straight out of a sci- fi story. We can spend Saturday evenings staring in awe at the USCSS Prometheus, pouring over viral artwork late at night, then spend our weekdays wondering when and how Branson's . I can't wait to visit Mars! It's no longer insane to believe that one day soon we'll be mining asteroids and sending humans to Mars - NASA is working on both. Until then, we can always make a few more Mars thrillers (like Ruairi Robinson's Last Days on Mars) but sci- fi cinema has to push further. Now we're getting Europa Report, with a crew trying to reach Jupiter's moon, and Chris Nolan's Interstellar, about an . Obviously there's an intense fascination with space and the technology that takes us off of this planet, and filmmakers are even capitalizing on that by making movies more . To make everything feel more real, effects need to be seamless - fully rendered but never questioned. It was Blomkamp's District 9 that set the most recent precedent for perfect integration, and he might do it again with Elysium. Or something else brand new will. Technology Opens the Door to Limitless Storytelling. One of the biggest factors that's changing the way sci- fi is made is technology. Overlooked Sci- Fi Movies You Need To See. With Star Wars revived, Star Trekrebooted and more installments of the Alienseries on the way, science fiction reigns at the box office. In an era of computers, smartphones, Siri, and digital everything else, technology shapes our lives more than ever before, and moviegoing audiences have more of a taste for the fantastic and surreal images of sci- fi than ever before. Sci- Fi movies, are, of course, nothing new. Since the earliest days of film, directors and writers have tried to explore new realities by mixing tech and fiction. While some sci- fi outings become instant classics, others fade from view. For a select few, that’s a disservice. Some films like Tron, Blade Runner, or The Thing fell through the cracks and audiences of their time dudn’t connect with them. One of the many virtues of home media is that it allows cinephiles, like those of us here at Screen. Rant, to go back and reevaluate movies that get overlooked during their box office run. The titles contained herein didn’t attract audiences of their day, or fell out of the public consciousness. That’s a shame—each one is a masterpiece of sci- fi cinema in its own right. Think you know them? Check out our list of The Greatest Overlooked Sci- Fi Masterpieces. Brazil. Terry Gilliam gets little respect in Hollywood as a visionary director, which is our loss. The man has made some spectacular films, including the little- seen masterpiece Brazil. A sort of dark comedy take on Orwell’s 1. Bob Hoskins, Robert De. Niro, Jim Broadbent, and—in a rare leading role—Johnathan Pryce. Set in a weird dystopian future populated by skyscrapers, secret police and a lot of air ducts, Brazil follows one man’s obsession with finding the woman of his dreams. Sporting astonishing art direction, and a script that plays even more timely in a world of paranoia (the movie’s take on terrorism is especially prophetic, and hilarious), Brazil confused audiences in 1. Unlike that novel, Brazil sees its ending as a happy one, owing to a frequent theme in all Gilliam’s work: crazy people are the happiest in the world! The Fountain. Darren Aronofsky puzzled audiences and critics alike with his enigmatic The Fountain. Viewers were divided in their opinions of the film, regarding it as a modern masterpiece or a bombastic work of ego. In truth, it’s probably both. Regardless, The Fountain holds a special distinction among modern sci- fi, as it doesn’t feature superheroes, space battles, or aliens. Instead of venturing into far outer space (though it does feature scenes in space), it probes human history and the depths of the human spirit. Set in three separate time periods, it features conquistadors searching for the fountain of youth, a man mourning his dying wife, and a bald guy eating a tree in space. It’s that kind of movie. What’s really going on here? Are the couples reincarnations of one another? Parallel lives lived in parallel universes? The dreams of one another? Like the visual poetry of 2. A Space Odyssey or Mulholland Drive, just when The Fountain seems poised to reveal its secrets, it recoils into an enigma. Cube. This little seen sci- fi thriller became an instant cult film when it debuted in 1. Shot on a single set with a group of unknown actors, Cube finds its characters kidnapped and held in a giant series of connecting cube rooms. How did they get there? What is the function of the cube? And how can they escape? Cube adds tension to the proceedings by introducing a group of unstable characters, any of whom could end up dead at any time. The lack of stars in the cast only underlines that anything- goes quality. A higher- profile film with big- name actors in the leads would telegraph to the audience that their characters would live through, at the very least, most of the movie. Director Vincenzo Natali crafts a latter- day masterpiece using a simple sci- fi premise and building a mystery as frightening as it is captivating. The film also proves that even sci- fi movies don’t need ridiculous budgets or special effects to achieve greatness. Contact. Audiences that saw Robert Zemeckis’ Contact in 1. The film did well at the box office but, though Oscar buzzed, he didn’t grant the film any major nominations. Maybe viewers accustomed to bloated space operas couldn’t stomach the film’s subtlety. Based on the novel by astronomer Carl Sagan, Contact follows a brilliant scientist obsessed with discovering alien life. She discovers an ominous radio signal containing instructions to a mega- machine and the world goes nuts. What does the machine do? What do the aliens want? And how can humanity adapt to knowing that it is not alone in the universe? Contact takes a realistic examination of the current state of civilization, and asks stark questions about how man would react to contact with aliens. In a post “War on Terror” world, certain developments that seemed ridiculous in 1. Thoughtful, endlessly provocative, and utterly captivating, Contact deserves mention alongside classics like 2. Close Encounters of the Third Kind as a seminal sci- fi masterpiece. Dark City. Viewers who have taken in Alex Proyas’ Dark City know that the Wachowskis, along with just about anyone else in Hollywood to make a sci- fi blockbuster in the past 2. Little seen in its day but widely influential, Dark City deserves the same reverence and classification as Blade Runner. Both are overlooked masterpieces of sci- fi cinema. Also, like Blade Runner, Dark City takes the neo- noir approach to sci- fi. In a city that never sees a sunrise, a group of bald, mysterious men wander about drugging its inhabitants and manipulating their memories. Just what do they want, and how does an anxious scientist (played by Kiefer Sutherland in a marvelous, pre- 2. Dark City raises questions about how memories affect our emotions and how our minds create our own reality. The incredible art direction of the movie, employing lots of scarlet lips, black leather trench coats, fedoras, and strange clockwork machines should have won an Oscar and gets rehashed just about everywhere today. For a stroke of moviemaking brilliance, take a visit to Dark City. AI: Artificial Intelligence. This long- in- development collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick hit theatres in 2. Boasting a remarkable cast, lead by Hayley Joel Osment, it left audiences frustrated and confused. Beautifully photographed and with two great performances by Osment and Jude Law, it offered a look into a technologically advanced world populated by companion robots. But what, if anything, was it trying to say about all of it? Audiences puzzled over the last 1. Osment’s robot protagonist David interacting with even more highly advanced robots, and scenes in which his human “mother” is cloned. After fifteen years of debate, the perhaps overly- subtle meaning has started to become clear. The robots of the future are programmed to love humans, which have long gone extinct. David actually knew humans, and therefore is a kind of cybernetic messiah to these sentient toasters. Taken in that way, the film examines the responsibility of humanity to its own creations. The movie might have been an instant classic upon its release had Spielberg focused more on the emotional attachments of humans to machines. But the director made a more unusual choice instead. Does that subtlety, or the focus on the plight of, well, A. I., make the film any less of a classic? The Dark Crystal. Now here’s a film that is totally, utterly, unique. The Dark Crystal served as Muppet- mastermind Jim Henson’s attempt to branch off into more serious and fantastic filmmaking. The movie tells its story with just puppets; no humans ever appear on the screen. The puppetry, and the choice to tell a dark sci- fi/fantasy story put off audiences who were expecting the whimsy and slapstick of the Muppets. After doing moderate box office numbers and receiving mixed critical response, The Dark Crystal fell by the wayside. But the movie wouldn’t go away. After playing for years on cable, and with post- Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter audiences developing a taste for more cerebral, adult fantasy, The Dark Crystal started to gain the classic reputation it has long deserved. Surreal, strange, and mythic, its sci- fi elements get overshadowed by its philosophical and metaphysical themes. Nevertheless, the movie qualifies as a sci- fi epic, and yes, a masterpiece too. A Space Odyssey. That film, directed by lionized filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, remains one of the five best films of the genre, and with good reason. That reputation has long overshadowed 2. Granted, 2. 01. 0 doesn’t match 2. Director Peter Hyams doesn’t try to recreate the pure visual storytelling of 2. For starters, Hyams instills the film with an actual narrative that makes the movie easier to follow. He also gives it engaging human characters—something Kubrick never even bothered to try– and all with the same polish and technological ambition that made 2. More literal and less elusive than its predecessor, 2. A very different film, 2. Eraserhead. David Lynch stormed into cinemas via the midnight movie circuit in the late 1. Eraserhead, the cinematic equivalent of hitting an audience in the face with a sledgehammer! The movie is about! Eraserhead doesn’t focus on story or narrative so much as it plays with an audience’s reactions, like a sort of moving impressionistic painting. The plot, such as it is, follows a man named Harry living in an industrial wasteland. A mutant baby and a deformed, tap dancing woman show up, along with Lynch’s usual tropes of leggy femme fatales, retro ’5. The film also benefits from black and white photography, which adds to its atmosphere of dread. The cult of Eraserhead has long debated its meaning, even while trumpeting the film as a masterpiece. And so it is—no other filmmaker, including Lynch himself, has ever crafted such a disturbing, wondrous dreamscape before or since. Surreal, frightening, funny, and mysterious, Eraserhead offers an experience like nothing else.
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