Its been over a year since I tackled the arguably 20 Best Science Fiction Films of All Time, so perhaps its a very good time to revisit the genre and talk about the best that the present century has to offer. Being a genre that intrinsically works thematically with human’s relationship to technology, as our own technological development continues to grow so does our understanding of our relationship towards it, as well as our own fears and desires with regards to it. Also, the evolution of science and our comprehension of the universe as a whole and our place within it brings up a series of complicated questions that genre has widely speculated about. For the last two decades science fiction cinema has delved into many of these issues, and many others as well relevant to our present day. Let’s take a look at what could very well be the 10 best science fiction films this 21st century has to offer.

Honourable mentions: “A.I.: Artificial Intelligence” (Steven Spielberg, 2001), “Donnie Darko” (Richard Kelly, 2001), “Minority Report” (Steven Spielberg, 2002), “Time of the Wolf” (Michael Haneke, 2003), “Serenity” (Joss Whedon, 2005), “A Scanner Darkly” (Richard Linklater, 2006), “Man from Earth” (Richard Schenkman, 2007), “Wall-E” (Andrew Stanton, 2008) “The Road” (John Hillcoat, 2009), “Inception” (Christopher Nolan, 2010), “Planet of the Apes” reboot (Ruppert Wyatt – Matt Reeves, 2011 – 2017), “Looper” (Rian Johnson, 2012), “Cloud Atlas” (Wachowskis – Tom Tykwer, 2012), “Upstream Color” (Shane Garruth, 2013), “The World’s End” (Edgar Wright, 2013), “Snowpiercer” (Bong Joon-ho, 2013) “Interstellar” (Christopher Nolan, 2014), “Mad Max: Fury Road” (George Miller, 2015), “Blade Runner 2049” (Dennis Villeneuve, 2017), “Annihilation” (Alex Garland, 2018)

10. Hard to be a God (Aleksei German, 2013)

Kicking off the list we have a russian black-and-white film based on a novel written by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (the writers behind the story that inspired Tarkovsky’s “Stalker”), directed by the late Alekei German. Bleak and very brutal, the film tells of a group of Earth scientists that travel to a planet similar to our own with the difference that they are perpetually stuck in the middle ages. The population has prevented the rise of the rennaissance by brutally murdering anyone with intellectual leanings. The plot is hard to follow on first viewing, but the stark cinematography creates a unique visual style that, coupled with a bleak yet thought-provoking narrative, make for a very unforgettable viewing experience.

9. District 9 (Neil Blomkamp, 2009)

A film that utilizes its allegorical nature to touch on real world issues like racism and Apartheid. Set in Johannesburg, where 30 years prior an alien spacecraft landed carrying several malnourished extraterrestrials, who are then relocated by the South African governement to an area known as District 9, a slum where unrest and tensions towards the alien population will grow over the years. The protagonist is Wikus (played by an excellent Sharlto Copley), who during a search of an alien home accidentally sprays himself with a mysterious substance that slowly starts turning his biology into that of the aliens. For a film released about a decade ago the visuals hold up today surprisingly well, Blomkamp’s direction is excellent from start to finish and the social commentary, while not really that subtle, remains sharp and relevant even today.

8. Arrival (Dennis Villeneuve, 2016)

Dennis Villeneuve’s 2016 “Arrival” gives a unique spin to the classic genre. In the film twelve mysterious spacecrafts arrive on different points of the planet, but the aliens aren’t here to conquer or wage war against humanity, they are here to open a communication channel. Of course, to communicate with an alien species with their own understanding of language is not going to be easy, so the U.S. army employs linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) to try to overcome this language barrier. The film tackles a variety of complex topics such as language, human communication and the nature of time. Villeneuve shows off his expertise as a director and storyteller, developing new aisles in a genre that he handles with utmost respect.

7. Her (Spike Jonze, 2013)

Spike Jonze’s “Her” is a love story for the technological era. It follows Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a lonely man who works writing letters of personal nature for people who find this difficult and is in the middle getting divorced from his wife (Rooney Mara). He installs an AI that names itself Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johanson), which has the ability to develop emotionally and psychologically. After bonding and finding in Samantha a connection that he seldom finds in other people, Theodore soon falls in love with his AI and the two start a relationship. This is a film that delves into human emotions and interpersonal relationships, about the loneliness and isolation of an ever changing world, anchored by an excellent performance by Phoenix and great voice talent by Johannson.

6. Moon (Duncan Jones, 2009)

Back in 2009, Duncan Jones’ feature debut “Moon” made somewhat of a splash within the sci fi community. It follows Sam Bell (played by Sam Rockwell), an astronaut on a three year mission by himself on the moon to mine an alternative source of fuel due to fuel scarcity back on Earth. After suffering an accident on an expedition, he discovers that he might not be totally alone as first thought, revealing a dark secret of the company for which he works for. This is a great movie all around: the cinematography is great, the set design is amazing, and Sam Rockwell’s central performance deserves a lot more credit than what it actually gets. Dealing with issues of identity and morality, Duncan Jones’ first film announced him to the world as a very talented filmmaker… a bar that, sadly, he perhaps set too high for himself.

5. Primer (Shane Garruth, 2004)

Perhaps the most complicated time travel film to ever be made, “Primer” is an extremely low budget film written, directed by and starring Shane Garruth, a former engineer, who used his scientific knowledge to craft the very well tought out and highly complex mechanics of time travel. It follows two friends and colleagues, both engineers, who by working on their own scientific experiments accidentally discover – or rather invent – a time loop scenario that allows them to travel six hours into the past, while their past selves still exist during this time period. Like stated before, the mechanics are very complicated, and Garruth never dumbs down the scientific terms for the audience’s benefit, so this might be a frustrating watch for some viewers, but it can be highly rewarding by paying close attention and multiple viewings.

4. Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2013)

A low budget scottish production consisting of the simple premise of Scarlett Johanson playing a mysterious alien woman who drives around Glasgow picking up men, takes them back home to apparently sleep with them, what in fact turns out to be a sort of predatory practice. The film may not be big on visual effects or high concept storytelling (though there are some visually striking sequences in there), but it does delve deep into classic sci fi themes such as the question of what it means to be human through an art house lense. Johanson’s performance is very subdued and even tender, her character far from a simple alien monster, is instead a nuanced and complex being that undergoes one of the most interesting developments for a non-human character within the genre.

3. Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2006)

Dystopian science fiction as bleak as it gets, though its not devoid of a glimmer of hope. In the year 2027 humanity has become infertile, what has lead to a collapse of most global economies, with the UK being the last one standing. An influx of refugees has been pouring into the country. Theo (Clive Owen) is contacted by former wife Julian (Julianne Moore) so he helps a young refugee named Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitee), who just may carry humanity’s last hope in the face of its impending extinction. This is still arguably Cuarón’s masterpiece, an intelligently crafted sci fi thriller, shot through the director’s and Lubezki’s characteristic impressive long takes, and featuring what could be Clive Owen’s best performance. Cuarón presents a very harsh picture of what could be humanity’s future in one of the century’s best efforts in the genre.

2. Ex Machina (Alex Garland, 2015)

Alex Garland’s take on Artificial Intelligence is one for the ages. The film follows Caleb (Domhall Glesoon), a programmer who wins an office contest to visit the isolated house of Nathan (Oscar Isaac), the CEO of the company he works for. Nathan has been working on an AI called Ava (Alicia Vikander), and Caleb is there to make a Turing test on her, meaning he has to determine if she could pass as a human or not. Like many other sci fi classics before, “Ex Machina” tackles themes of humanity’s relationship with technology and what it means to be a human being, delving into actual discussions regarding topics of consciousness and artificial intelligence. All the while Garland creates a compelling and thrilling narrative anchored by the dynamic between its three main players, building to a climax that guaranteed won’t be easy to forget.

1. Melancholia (Lars von Trier, 2011)

Perhaps not a traditional science fiction film, in that it doesn’t concern futuristic technologies or beings from another world. Instead, Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia” tells an end of the world story but told in a very small scope. It tells the story of two sisters, Justine (Kirsten Dunst), who in the middle of her wedding party suffers a depressive episode, and Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), who sees herself as responsible to care for her sister in this state. All the while, Melancholia, a newly discovered rogue planet, approaches the Earth. For large portions of the movie, “Melancholia” plays more like a psycho-drama than a sci fi ordeal, yet as the impending disaster looms we are treated to classic genre themes like humanity’s reaction on the face of their inevitable doom. Boasting excellent performances by Dunst and Gainsbourg, and shot with the director’s highly stylized visual flair, Von Trier crafts what is definitely one of the best films of the present century (and of his career), let alone the science fiction genre.

Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it. Do you agree with these picks? Which other films would you add to the list? If you could leave a like a share this with your friends and family that’d be greatly appreciated. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the contents of this blog hit that follow button. Until next time!