While sci-fi cinema is one of the most popular genres in all of Hollywood, plenty of fantastic, thought-provoking releases have flown under the radar and failed to reach a large audience. Although series like Avatar, Star Wars, and Jurᴀssic Park sit as some of the most successful franchises of all time, there’s a whole world of quieter, more introspective sci-fi movies for viewers to discover. From low-budget stories that value dialogue over special effects to underseen sci-fi sequels, there’s no shortage of movies in need of more attention.

Some of the best sci-fi movies ever made won’t be recognizable to the average viewer, as creative success does not always translate into cultural relevance. Given how vast and varied sci-fi is, there are plenty of thought-provoking directors and clever screenwriters whose works have languished in obscurity and stand as underseen cult favorites. While none of these sci-fi movies have the same name recognition as a hit series like Dune, they were no less deserving of your time and attention.

10

Knowing (2009)

Directed by Alex Proyas

While the filmography of Nicolas Cage is filled with some truly bonkers underseen movies, one slept-on release in his vast and varied filmography was Knowing. From the director of I, Robot, Knowing stars Cage as an MIT professor who discovers a time capsule containing a mysterious list of numbers predicting disasters from past and present. This extraordinary document gives clues to the end of the world, with Cage doing everything in his power to protect not just his family but the entire global population.

Knowing had an intriguing premise that could have been executed better, although it does not deserve to be dumped into the bottom of the barrel of Cage films, as many critics have categorized it. With a creepy blend of horror and sci-fi, Knowing was more frightening, suspenseful, and intelligent than the average end-of-the-world story. By addressing the philosophical dilemma of determinism versus free will, Knowing was a thought-provoking story that deserves far more credit than it ever got.

9

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

Directed by Ted Post

While it would be tough to find someone who’s not at least casually familiar with the plot points and famous twist ending of the 1968 Planet of the Apes movie, the rest of the original film series has not had the same kind of enduring cultural relevance. This was a crying shame because Beneath the Planet of the Apes expanded upon the lore and the franchise in a fascinating manner. Featuring a hidden elite of telepathic humans living under the surface of the ape-led planet, this sequel threw everything you thought you knew about this franchise into question.

Exploring the trauma of the consequences of nuclear warfare, Beneath the Planet of the Apes was a thoughtful successor to this sci-fi story that did not simply rehash the same themes and ideas as the first movie. With Charlton Heston briefly reprising his role as the American astronaut Taylor, the focus was shifted to James Franciscus as Brent, the man sent to rescue him. While later Planet of the Apes movies leaned into the comedic and campy side of the franchise, this sequel was just as thought-provoking as its predecessor.

8

S1m0ne (2002)

Directed by Andrew Niccol

Gattaca director and The Truman Show writer Andrew Niccol added yet another thought-provoking sci-fi to his list of credentials with S1m0ne, a woefully underseen movie starring Al Pacino. As a satirical sci-fi film that saw Pacino playing a struggling filmmaker, themes of creation and creativity came to the forefront as this director utilized a fully digital actress named Simulation One, Simone for short, to star in his movie. Addressing issues of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, S1m0ne has become more relevant over the years as its concept has inched further toward reality.

As an insightful exploration of celebrity, fame, and the growing influence of technology on media, S1m0ne was a bit too ahead of its time to truly connect with audiences when it was first released. With later films like Her addressing similar themes at a point when viewers were ready to reckon with their implications, S1m0ne has been mostly forgotten but still stands as one of Pacino’s most interesting and engaging roles in the 21st century.

7

Soylent Green (1973)

Directed by Richard Fleischer

The dystopian movie Soylent Green was a compelling combination of police procedural and science fiction starring Charlton Heston. Exploring themes of ecological destruction, pollution, lack of resources, and overpopulation, the dark implications of the world unveiled a hidden conspiracy of shocking revelations. With Heston as the NYPD detective Robert Thorn, Soylent Green was set in a world where society was split between the elite and impoverished poor, who lived on a diet of highly processed food made by the Soylent Corporation.

As an effective sci-fi thriller, Soylent Green addresses the darkest side of consumption as the food that the poor mᴀsses were consuming was revealed to be made out of human meat. This social satire used a nightmarish twist to force viewers to consider the logical conclusion of a world that was so overwrought it could no longer maintain the current system of consumption. With themes around ethics, starvation, and survival, Soylent Green was a frightening look at a terrifyingly plausible future.

6

The One I Love (2014)

Directed by Charlie McDowell

The One I Love explores an intensely interesting premise through the lenses of sci-fi, surreal comedy, and psychological thrills. Starring Elizabeth Moss and Mark Duplᴀss, The One I Love explored a couple who encountered doppelgängers of their partners, which forced them to reckon with the issues in their relationship. With a fascinating story that mixed sci-fi, fantasy, and existentialism, the theme of doubling was central to this unnerving story as this married couple was intrigued by the allure of a clone who was almost identical to their loved one.

This modern love story felt almost akin to an episode of The Twilight Zone as it painted a complex portrait of romance in the 21st century. With heart-racing thrills and exceptional dialogue from screenwriter Justin Lader, The One I Love explored the complexities of relationships and marriage in a nuanced and thought-provoking manner. By deconstructing the everyday grievances and dissatisfactions of long-term partners, this unᴀssuming drama will leave you thinking about it for weeks after the credits have rolled.

5

Robot & Frank (2012)

Directed by Jake Schreier

Robot & Frank boasted an incredible performance by Frank Langella in an exciting crime story, a thoughtful meditation on aging, and an intriguing sci-fi story. With Langella as the aging ex-convict Frank Weld, his family gifts him a robot companion to ᴀssist him with his daily needs, carry out therapeutic care, and organize cognition-enhancing activities as he suffers from increasingly severe mental deterioration and dementia. While this might sound like an intriguing premise for a nuanced look at the nature of aging and illness, things take a turn as Frank utilizes his robot to help him resume his life of crime.

With a deceptive simplicity and some astounding acting from Langella, Robot & Frank managed to explore complex themes and deliver a funny, poignant, and heartwarming sci-fi story. Featuring enjoyable supporting performances from Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, and a pre-Succession Jeremy Strong, the litany of talent on display helped elevate the movie’s already strong script. Robot & Frank was a powerful lesson that nobody should underestimate the elderly, and it’s never too late to pull off one last big job.

4

Another Earth (2011)

Directed by Mike Cahill

The fascinating premise at the heart of Another Earth saw another version of our planet appear in the sky and explored the thought-provoking impact this had on its citizens. With themes of guilt and trauma, this alternative world represented a chance for redemption for Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling), who is still reeling from a drunk-driving accident that put a man in a coma and killed his pregnant wife. With Earth 2 offering the potential for another version of not just Rhoda to exist but also the people whose lives she’s ruined, she can’t help but obsess over this possibility.

Another Earth was a quiet sci-fi that relied on the power of real human emotions over any big-budget spectacle or special effects. As a fascinating character study that explored its concept with emotional depth, this story encouraged viewers to reflect on their own existence and what they would change if given a chance to meet an alternate version of themselves. With a script co-written by Marling, she would further expand on these themes in her Netflix series, The OA, which similarly deserves to reach a larger audience.

3

Timecrimes (2007)

Directed by Nacho Vigalondo

Those with a love for complex time travel stories should read no further and go into Timecrimes with as little knowledge about it as possible. This unique low-budget Spanish time loop story managed to pull off an astounding feat of filmmaking without the use of special effects as a man named Héctor unwittingly becomes part of a loop to try and stop other versions of himself from existing. In a terrifying blend of horror and sci-fi, Héctor ends up at odds with his double and eventually his triple in a twist-filled journey of overlapping timelines.

While there were some logical issues with Timecrimes and its hard to fully comprehend if everything happening on screen actually made sense, it was nonetheless still a heart-racing story. With a fast-paced sense of urgency that’s maintained throughout its swift 92-minute runtime, Timecrimes is a cynical and humorous glimpse into an existential nightmare. While an American remake has been in development for years (via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline), sci-fi fans should seek out the original and enjoy this darkly, thought-provoking release.

2

Coherence (2013)

Directed by James Ward Byrkit

Coherence was a truly unusual sci-fi movie that toyed with the nature of reality itself. Set on the night of Miller’s Comet’s pᴀssing, guests at a dinner party must deal with strange occurrences and the realization that they are splitting between parallel realities. With a deeply disarming and strange sense of style, Coherence saw the guests meeting duplicates of themselves as its mostly improvised script embraced the wild and unpredictable nature of their situation.

Through an exploration of quantum mechanics and the concept of Schrödinger’s cat, the characters in Coherence were forced to question which reality they were a part of and whether they were still in their own universe. As real-world science outlines complex ideas like string theory and the many-worlds interpretation, Coherence looked at the consequences of these concepts in actuality.

1

The Man From Earth (2007)

Directed by Richard Schenkman

The Man from Earth was one of the most wildly original and underseen thought-provoking sci-fi movies of all time. Telling the story of John Oldman, a university professor who claims to be 14,000 years old and is immune to the deteriorating effects of aging, his fellow faculty members argued and debated about the possibility that he was telling the truth and the moral implications of it. As a dialogue-heavy movie with a theatrical-like feeling, The Man from Earth is an intellectual story that encourages audiences to question the implications of its intriguing premise.

With a screenplay from sci-fi writer Jerome Bixby, The Man from Earth was his final work, which he first conceived in the 1960s but only finished on his deathbed in 1998. With a believable performance from David Lee Smith, it was fascinating to hear Oldman outline his life story which saw him become a disciple of the Buddha, sail with Columbus, and befriend Vincent Van Gogh. The Man from Earth was a thoughtful sci-fi story that relied on the power of its premise over special effects or dramatic action.

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