Science Fiction has always been a fascinating part of the Hollywood film industry. The technologies that we use today were already being implemented in several older Sci-fi movies, in different forms, though. In one way or the other, these Sci-fi films may have encouraged or motivated the geniuses behind our modern-day gadgets.
Well, not most of them were able to present these ultimate gadgets in the best forms in the movies because of lack of the technological advancements. Yet, some movies such as Back To The Future, Time Machine, classic James Bond films and many other films did introduce us to an array of different scientific gadgets that we wished to be true.
Today, the technology used for special effects is so advanced that the sci-fi movies produced recently don’t look fake but it feels so real and genuine. In the past decade, some of the best filmmakers in Hollywood have been successful in creating a world of their imagination to perfection.
Top Science Fiction Movies of the Past Decade (2006-2016)
Children of Men (2006)
Children of Men is a 2006 science fiction thriller movie, set in the year 2027. Based on the novel of the same name by P.D. James, the film talks about an era in which the world is on the brink of collapse because of the two decades of human infertility. The film follows the story of a civil servant named Theo Faron, played by Clive Owen, who is assigned the task to help a refugee escape the chaos to a ship called Tomorrow.
District 9 (2009)
District 9 is a 2009 science fiction thriller movie based on a 2005 short film, Alive in Joburg. The film is about the plight of Wikus van de Merwe, played by Sharlto Copley, who is infected by an alien fluid that’s turning him into an alien species. Now, in order to get his normal life back, he must team up with an alien being named Christopher, played by Jason Cope, who can help him with the cure.
Moon (2009)
Moon is a 2009 science fiction drama film set in the outer space on the Moon. The film follows the story of Sam Bell, played by Sam Rockwell, who is assigned with the task to maintain fully automated harvesters to extract alternative fuel Helium-3 from Moon rocks. Moon is a film with the minimal star cast. Sam is nearing the end of his contract term and the only companion with him during this 3-year term is the artificial intelligence named GERTY. The film tries to tackle the emotional and psychological impact on Sam during his 3-year stint on Moon and how he experiences a personal crisis when he is about to end his term. Moon is one of the best films about Space and Planets.
Avatar (2009)
Well, talking about the best science fictions of the last decade and we forget to include the highest grossing film of all time, that’s not possible. Yes, Avatar makes it to the list without any doubts as it didn’t just set records at the Box Office but it took us to a whole new world, giving a new hope to humanity about existing worlds all around the Universe. James Cameron and his team created with a film with pure perfection that we want to believe that Pandora exists somewhere in the Universe, may be in a different Galaxy to ours.
Inception (2010)
Now, if James Cameron is an artist, Christopher Nolan is a genius. You will understand this if you have watched Inception. Inception is a 2010 science fiction thriller film starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role. The interesting part of the film is that it doesn’t deal with the real world but the subconscious mind. Yes, you heard that right. The film can make you go nuts because there’s no way you can understand it completely in a single sitting. But, Nolan successfully narrated a story that’s as confusing as Inception in such a way that people will go home confused but not disappointed.
Source Code (2011)
Source Code is another interesting film set in a time loop, where a U.S. Army Captain Colter Stevens, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is assigned a mission to learn a bomber’s identity, who is planning to bomb the commuter train to Chicago on which Stevens is also aboard. However, the film is nowhere related to time travel, but it features a new technology known as Source Code, which creates an alternative timeline for the subject into a different compatible person’s body. The film can be confusing but if you try to see it with an open mind, you may find the logic.
Looper (2012)
In Hollywood, science fiction and time travel go hand in hand. Several science fiction movies produced till date often had the time travel as a supporting element or the main concept of the overall film. One such film is Looper, released in 2012. The film starring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Emily Blunt is directed by Rian Johnson. Set in two different timelines, 2044 and 2074, the film tells us the story of Joe, the younger one from 2044 and the older one from 2074 sent back in time to be executed. The rest of the film is about survival as several other plots are uncovered.
Gravity (2013)
Gravity is a British-American science fiction film set in the outer space. Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as the main characters of the film or better say the only characters in the film, the film is about survival. Their space shuttle is destructed, while in the mid-orbit. Now, both the astronauts must work together for their survival by making an attempt to return to the Earth. Whether they make it or not, is what forms the rest of the story.
Snowpiercer (2013)
Based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Snowpiercer is a 2013 science fiction thriller film directed by Bong Joon-ho. Starring Chris Evans in the lead role, the film is set on a train named Snowpiercer. The inhabitants of the train are the only humans left and they are the only hope left for the survival of the humanity after an attempt of climate engineering in order to stop global warming fails and results into a new ice age. The film talks about the retaliation by the tail passengers led by Curtis Everett, played by Chris Evans, against the elite on the train.
Her (2013)
Her is a 2013 romantic science fiction film that depicts romance between a man Theodore Twombly, played by Joaquin Phoenix, and his artificial intelligence OS named Samantha, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Directed and produced by Spike Jones, the film tries to show us the possible future as humans are clinging towards gadgets and new technologies while ignoring the real human relations.
Interstellar (2014)
Another epic science fiction film born out of the imagination of Christopher Nolan, Interstellar is a film about a crew of astronauts led by Cooper, played by Matthew McConaughey, who travel through a wormhole to research and analyze 3 inhabitable planets to locate a new home for humanity as the Earth is on the verge of decline. Nolan has beautifully filmed the whole space sequence making it feel real, whereas the concept of the wormhole and the time lapse is picture perfect, even if it’s scientifically accurate or not.
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Edge of Tomorrow is an interesting science fiction film starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt in the lead roles. The film is centered upon Bill Cage, a Public Relations officer played by Tom Cruise, who finds himself in a time loop that sends him back to his arrival at the base, every time he is killed during the battle with aliens. As he realizes that, the only way to end the time loop is to defeat the extraterrestrials, he joins hands with Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski, played by Emily Blunt, to find a way to get an upper hand against the alien force.
Dawn of the Planet of Apes (2014)
Dawn of the Planet of Apes is the 2nd film in the reboot of the original Planet of the Apes series and is a sequel to the 2011 film Rise of the Planet of Apes. Set after 10 years of the events of the first film, the 2nd film of the series follows the story of a group of people living in San Francisco surviving the aftermath of a plague that’s slowly wiping out humanity, while Caesar tries to maintain his leadership over his colony of intelligent Apes.
Predestination (2014)
Another time travel film on our list is Predestination. The film was released in 2014 starring Ethan Hawke, Sarah Nook, and Noah Taylor in the lead roles. Directed by Michael and Peter Spielberg, the film tells us the story of an agent, who is sent in the past to assassinate the Fizzle Bomber. However, the film is not just a simple story about stopping a terrorist attack but a number of theories and facts is unveiled throughout the movie that leaves you appalled at the end. Predestination is one of the Best Time Travel movies Ever.
Ex Machina (2015)
Ex Machina revives our fantasy about humanoid robots, but in addition, it also sheds some light about the price we may be paying if things got out of control. This science fiction psychological thriller film is written and directed by Alex Garland. The film tells us the story of a humanoid robot and her intelligence that outsmarts two geniuses in order to escape and see the world outside the apartment where she was trapped. Despite fiction, the film also tries to show the possibilities where a robot can manipulate humans to such an extent that they can even outsmart their own creators.
The Martian (2015)
The Martian is a space adventure film starring Matt Damon based on Andy Weir’s 2011 novel of the same name. The film depicts the story of Mark Watney, an astronaut botanist played by Matt Damon, and his struggle to survive in an alien world on the planet Mars as he is mistakenly left behind by his crew. While he is thriving to survive, the people at Earth’s base are also trying to bring him back.
Rajeesh Nair is a true Gizmofreak and an addictive movie buff. He blogs at LifeBlender.com – a lifestyle Blogzine which focuses on general life related topics of the 21st Century.
