With its sprawling high-concept storylines, futuristic and otherworldly intrigue, and ability to access themes from unique perspectives, science-fiction cinema has always wielded a certain peculiarity that is often as enchanting as it is bewildering. That being said, while most sci-fi films hope to adhere to a sense of normality in order to stay in touch with mainstream interests, some others have boldly ventured into new territory with their outlandish narratives and distinct aesthetics.
Ranging from indie classics to international sensations, from mesmerizing modern masterpieces to enduring highlights of years gone by, these 10 sci-fi pictures are certainly different. Be they satirical and jovial while flaunting a dark underbelly or confronting and confounding in equal measure, these sci-fi stunners are like nothing that has come before or since.
10
‘Being John Malkovich’ (1999)
Directed by Spike Jonze
One of the most absorbingly meta movies ever made, Being John Malkovich is an entrancing viewing experience with its surrealist fantasy/sci-fi premise and inflections of comedy and drama. Written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze, it follows a struggling puppeteer who takes up an office job where he discovers a portal that leads to the mind of renowned Hollywood star John Malkovich. Craig (John Cusack) and his co-worker Maxine (Catherine Keener) then launch an unusual business scheme to experience the life of a movie star, with unintended consequences for Malkovich’s life.
The premise alone imbues the picture with an intriguing aura of the unique, but Kaufman’s screenplay refuses to rest on its laurels. Elegantly handled by Jonze and incredibly acted by Malkovich, every sporadic turn and unexpected twist lands with its desired punch yet is given room to unfurl with grace and depth. Narratively bold and complemented by strong performances that ground the absurdity on display in an air of dramatic intrigue and character nuance, Being John Malkovich is a cerebral cult classic of ’90s cinema that is perhaps even more profound in today’s culture of wannabe celebrities and influencers.
9
‘Color Out of Space’ (2019)
Directed by Richard Stanley
A spellbinding Lovecraftian adaptation that soars with its vibrant display of color and darkness, Color Out of Space is a criminally underrated gem of modern horror and sci-fi. It follows the Gardner family as their secluded farm is besieged by a hostile yet mystifying alien organism after a meteorite strikes their land and begins emitting strange and entrancing colors. The family fights for survival as the expanding organism infests their minds, transforming their placid rural serenity into a technicolor hellscape.
Buoyed by its immersive and often grotesque visuals, an inflection of B-movie mania, and a typically gonzo performance from Nicolas Cage, Color Out of Space occupies a nightmarish hysteria befitting of its source material. Its medley of graphic body horror gore, stylized psychedelic surrealism, and mounting familial conflict makes for a uniquely captivating viewing experience that is often squeamish and ugly but never dull.
8
‘Under the Skin’ (2013)
Directed by Jonathan Glazer
Despite featuring a phenomenal lead performance from Scarlett Johansson at the absolute peak of her stardom, Under the Skin flew under the radar for mainstream audiences, likely due to its confronting material and its searing thematic exploration of sexuality and humanity. It follows an alien entity as she drives a van through the streets of Glasgow, seducing lonely men and leading them to succumb to an inky black abyss.
Propelled by Johansson’s commanding performance, Under the Skin excels as a challenging and mysterious yet ceaselessly intriguing picture that uses its explicit sexual detail and predatory story to engage with ideas of human connection and empathy through a unique and completely original lens. Naturally, it won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but it does offer a thematically rich and brilliantly acted sci-fi story that is impossible to liken to any movie before or since.
7
‘Predestination’ (2014)
Directed by The Spierig Brothers
A sporadic and swerving story of identity and time travel, Predestination is a glorious gem of mind-bending science-fiction suspense enriched with excellent performances and intelligent screenwriting. Ethan Hawke stars as a temporal agent hunting down a terrorist through time. During his travels, he recruits John (Sarah Snook), a confession story author with a tortured past of trauma and betrayal, who seizes the opportunity to go back in time in pursuit of vengeance, only to make a shocking discovery in the process.
With outstanding narrative dare, Predestination presents a winding story of time travel, obsession, and justice while also incorporating a clever, nuanced, and respectful subplot of transgender and intersex experiences surrounding John/Jane’s horrific past. While it remains something of a hidden gem of sci-fi splendor, Predestination should appeal to all genre lovers for its complex and intricate story, astounding character work, and magnificent realization of the narrative world.
6
‘Brazil’ (1985)
Directed by Terry Gilliam
Arrestingly Kafkaesque and even drawing comparisons to George Orwell’s “1984,” Brazil is a dazzling and disruptive masterpiece of sci-fi and satirical black comedy that places its focus firmly on the malaise of modern society and the 9-to-5 existence. Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) is a low-ranking bureaucrat infatuated with a woman he dreams of. When he is assigned the responsibility of amending an administrative error, Lowry encounters a woman who resembles the beauty from his dreams, but his efforts to approach her see him become an enemy of the state.
Co-written and directed by Terry Gilliam, the film marries comedy, sci-fi, and anti-consumerist technocracy in a manner that is often baffling and tonally original yet always enthralling. Coming to bittersweet and evocative conclusions on ideas of escapism, servitude, insanity, and freedom, Brazil is a compelling retro-futuristic allegory for a lifestyle that has become even more prominent over time, making for a thought-provoking masterpiece that has aged brilliantly.
5
‘Timecrimes’ (2007)
Directed by Nacho Vigalondo
Offering ample proof that huge Hollywood budgets and special effects aplenty are no requirement for making a great sci-fi, Timecrimes thrives as a contained and clever time-travel thriller from Spain. It follows Héctor (Karra Elejalde), a middle-aged married man who decides to investigate when he spies a young woman undressing near his property. Seeking refuge after he is attacked by a bandaged man, Héctor is contacted by a scientist who encourages him to use a time travel machine. He soon finds himself desperately recreating his experiences while striving to change horrific events in the near future.
Bereft of eye-catching effects or the quirks of a big-money production, Timecrimes relies on sharp storytelling instincts. Thankfully, this approach results in a tense and momentum-building narrative rife with engrossing twists, beautifully building tension, and even a splash of black comedy. Through its sheer innovative brilliance and high-concept yet grounded storytelling craft, Timecrimes stands as a unique and criminally underrated picture in the context of 21st-century sci-fi.
4
‘The Fountain’ (2006)
Directed by Darren Aronofsky
There are few films as unforgiving to those who seek clarity and understanding as Darren Aronofsky’s 2006 sci-fi/fantasy romantic drama The Fountain. It features three thematically interwoven yet isolated stories that transpire in unison. In the current day, Dr. Tommy Creo (Hugh Jackman) works tirelessly to find a miracle cure for his wife’s brain tumor. As she gradually succumbs to her illness, Izzi (Rachel Weisz) writes a manuscript about a Spanish conquistador tasked by an imprisoned princess with finding the Fountain of Youth. Meanwhile, centuries in the future, a space traveler nurtures the dying Tree of Life while journeying to the heart of a dying star.
While many have criticized it for being unnecessarily convoluted, The Fountain finds a peculiar magnetism through enigmatic presentation, its three distinct story settings, and the overlapping themes of love, death, and spirituality that permeate throughout the film. Whether its complexity is a thought-provoking strength or an unforgivable defect is entirely in the eye of the beholder, a quirk that makes The Fountain completely unique and ceaselessly interesting from an analytical viewpoint.
3
‘The City of Lost Children’ (1995)
Directed by Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Complemented by the stylistic might of its directors, The City of Lost Children presents an engrossing yet disturbing story of exploitation and innocence. Krank (Daniel Emilfork), a rapidly aging scientist, takes to kidnapping children so he can harness their dreams as a means of fighting off his impending death. When his goons abduct young Denree (Joseph Lucien), the boy’s adoptive father, a circus strongman named One (Ron Perlman), and his precocious young friend set out on a daring rescue mission.
Through an intoxicating story of blistering momentum and unrefined ideas, and a captivating setting of steampunk wonder that is influenced by starkly different periods, the film weaves a spellbinding treat of dark science fantasy allure. While its visual style and atmosphere may resemble the directing duo’s previous film, Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children remains unique for its bleak story, meshing of genres, and unsettling and foreboding ambiance.
2
‘Tetsuo: The Iron Man’ (1989)
Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto
It should come as no great surprise that many of sci-fi’s most shocking and singular experiences in cinema come from its marriages to horror. One of the best and most bizarre examples of this genre blend comes in the form of the Japanese picture Tetsuo: The Iron Man. While it defies narrative convention, it follows a Japanese salaryman who, after killing a deranged metal fetishist in a hit-and-run incident, finds metal beginning to protrude from his flesh as dark sexual fantasies plague his mind.
Upon release, Tetsuo earned praise for its originality and its stylistic horror extremism. It has continued to earn acclaim over the years as a triumph of impactful low-budget filmmaking that uses techniques such as stop-motion effects to realize its story of violence and brutal transformation with a visceral and jarring physicality. While it has been likened to the works of impressionable horror icons like David Cronenberg and Sam Raimi for its outrageously visual terrors, Tetsuo: The Iron Man still stands as a frightfully original science-fiction horror.
1
‘eXistenZ’ (1999)
Directed by David Cronenberg
From one cult classic of sci-fi body horror to another, eXistenZ is one of the defining features in the career of genre master David Cronenberg. Set in a near-future where biotechnological advancements have become prominent, it follows game designer Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh) as she is targeted by assassins and finds protection in the form of company security guard and publicist, Ted Pikul (Jude Law). When she discovers that her creation, the virtual reality video game ‘eXistenZ,’ may have been damaged, she persuades Ted to have a bio-port installed in his spine to see if the game still works, leading to a complex scenario where he and Allegra struggle to differentiate reality from fantasy.
While it drew some comparisons to the then-recently released The Matrix, eXistenZ truly thrives through its gloriously grotesque imagery and blurred lines that explore deep-immersion gaming with horrific brutality. Cerebral, insightful, and earnestly invested in what was a growing phenomenon of video game culture, eXistenZ is a body horror with a unique focus that has remained both relevant and unique over the years.
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