Some sci-fi movies are so good and surprising that I wish I could watch them for the first time again. Featuring the work of cinematic тιтans like Kubrick, Nolan, and Villeneuve to name but a few, the sci-fi genre includes some of cinema’s best movies, from box office hits to critically acclaimed stories that made their mark on popular culture for their stories, themes, and characters. Widely regarded as some of the best movies that sci-fi has to offer, many of these iconic films are such brilliant pieces of cinema that I really wish I could experience them again for the first time.
There is nothing quite like watching a superb movie unfold with fresh eyes. It’s something that applies across the board when it comes to all forms of cinema, and science fiction has proven to be no exception to this rule. The genre has produced an array of beloved classics where the only shortcoming on display is the fact that viewers will only ever get to experience the feeling of watching them for the first time once.
10
Arrival (2016)
Directed By Denis Villeneuve
Depicting the sudden and mysterious appearance of 12 mysterious extraterrestrial spacecraft over various major locations on Earth, 2016’s Arrival stars Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner as scientists charged with making contact with the planet’s alien visitors. Another genre classic in Denis Vilenueve’s ever-growing movie library, Arrival’s thought-provoking narrative, dazzling visuals, and mind-bending final twist culminate in such an excellent movie, that its only major shortcoming is the fact that you can only see it for the first time once.
Earning multiple award nominations and wins to complement an exemplary Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score of 94%, Arrival may just be Villeneuve’s best movie. Spearheaded by a knockout performance from Amy Adams, Villenueve’s film stands out from the pack even further for an ultimately uplifting central message, in a genre where the arrival of extraterrestrial visitors often spells nothing more than death and destruction.
9
Interstellar (2014)
Directed By Christopher Nolan
Channeling the influence of virtually every seminal science-fiction movie ever made, 2014’s Interstellar follows a group of astronauts through a mysterious wormhole in outer space, humanity’s final roll of the dice in an attempt to escape a dying Earth. Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed sci-fi movie is one of his finest films to date, an unforgettable journey through time and space that continues to age like a fine cognac.
Nolan’s movie leverages the awe factor and sheer scope of outer space in a manner that many sci-fi outings have aspired to but ultimately fell short of. Space has never felt so vast, or humanity’s presence so insignificant, as it does through Nolan’s lens, a ruthlessly realistic depiction of our microscopic relevance in the universe that is expertly juxtaposed against one of his most emotionally loaded and powerful tales of human connection through Murph and Cooper’s relationship. If you’re lucky enough to have somehow not seen this mind-bending epic, the time to treat yourself is now.
8
Her (2013)
Directed By Spike Jonze
Focusing on an unlikely romantic relationship between a lonely introvert played by Joaquin Phoenix and a highly advanced artificial intelligence operating system voiced by Scarlett Johansson, the premise of Spike Jonze’s Her had many people writing the movie off before it was even released. As one of those doubters, I wish that I could go back in time to experience the delightful surprise elicited by the magic of Jonze’s heartwarming and life-affirming story anew.
Invariably reducing skeptics to emotional puddles on the floor since debuting in 2013, Her is an unorthodox and unabated triumph for the wider genre.
A poignant, yet uplifting, commentary on the irreplaceable nature of human connection, Her highlights why we must learn to love ourselves before we can truly love others through one of the unlikeliest sci-fi hits in cinematic history. Spearheaded by the talents of its ferociously talented leading duo, Phoenix’s failure to receive an Oscar nomination for his evocative turn as Theodore Twombly is one of the more baffling oversights in the Academy’s history. Invariably reducing skeptics to emotional puddles on the floor since debuting in 2013, Her is an unorthodox and unabated triumph for the wider genre.
7
The Fifth Element (1997)
Directed By Luc Besson
Chronicling a desperate race against time to save the world from certain annihilation, Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element is the sci-fi cult classic to end all sci-fi cult classics. An chaotic smorgasbord of outrageous characters, jaw-dropping visuals, and electrifying action sequences led by Bruce Willis’ Korben Dallas, I had never seen anything like Besson’s gleefully tongue-in-cheek sci-fi epic upon first viewing; a state of affairs that persists to this day.
Luc Besson wrote The Fifth Element’s original screenplay while he was still in high school.
This electrically paced adventure is one that I wish could experience again for the first time just off the strength of Gary Oldman’s performance alone, with the Academy Award winner producing one of the genre’s most unforgettable and over-the-top villains in Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg. The ultimate combination of cheese and style housed in one of the most riotously entertaining movies the genre has ever witnessed, this writer numbers among fans who would pay big bucks to revisit this classic with fresh eyes.
6
The Matrix (1999)
Directed By The Wachowskis
Increasingly disappointing sequels from The Matrix franchise often overshadow the prestige and influence ᴀssociated with 1999’s original installment. Introducing viewers to Neo, Trinity, and the тιтular simulated reality for the first time, The Matrix remains one of the most indispensable sci-fi action entries of all time. However, despite debuting more than twenty years ago, it’s impossible to forget the sense of awe that the movie’s visuals and action sequences elicited upon first viewing.
|
The Matrix franchise installments by year |
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score |
|---|---|
|
The Matrix (1999) |
83% |
|
The Matrix Reloaded (2003) |
74% |
|
The Matrix Revolutions (2003) |
34% |
|
The Matrix Resurrections (2021) |
63% |
Breathing life into the greatest sci-fi villain of all time not named Darth Vader, Hugo Weaving’s iconic turn as the menacing Agent Smith is worth wishing for Matrix-specific amnesia in and of itself. It’s an arguably perfect movie, and the Wachowskis’ classic still presents essential viewing across the action and sci-fi genres, boasting some of the most iconic scenes and soundbites that wider cinema has to offer.
5
Snowpiercer (2013)
Directed By Bong Joon Ho
Set aboard the тιтular globe-encircling locomotive, Bong Joon Ho’s English-language debut Snowpiercer depicts a brutal class struggle between humanity’s last survivors following a global extinction event. A gritty and visceral blend of dystopia, action, and cutting social commentary, the Parasite director’s post-apocalyptic tour de force is one of the most impressive sci-fi movies of the 21st century, leveraging its fascinating premise and unforgiving universe to maximum effect.
Snowpiercer‘s nauseating insect protein blocks are comprised of seaweed, tangle, sugar, and gelatin in real life.
From the thrilling battle in the darkness as the train crosses Yekaterina Bridge to the revelations-loaded final showdown in Wilford’s carriage, Bong’s front-row seat to the locomotive’s revolution is sci-fi perfection across the board. Snowpiercer’s leading man Chris Evans absolutely dazzles in a more serious role than his usual fare, a status quo that is aided by strong supporting bows from the likes of Jamie Bell, Song Kang-Ho, and Tilda Swinton. Simply put, the only bad thing about Snowpiercer is the fact that I’ll never get to experience it with fresh eyes again.
4
Dune: Part Two (2024)
Directed By Denis Villeneuve
The fact that Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two is already being touted as one of the best sequels of all time should speak volumes to the blockbuster quality on offer in the director’s 2024 follow-up to 2021’s critically acclaimed Dune. I had heard rave reviews for the sequel before viewing it, but nothing could prepare me for what was about to unfold onscreen. A sci-fi epic of cosmic proportions, Dune: Part Two’s visual effects and stirring narrative immersed me up to the eyes in Villenueve’s jaw-dropping world from its very first sequence.
|
Dune franchise entries by year |
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score |
|---|---|
|
Dune (2021) |
83% |
|
Dune: Part Two (2024) |
92% |
Dune was an excellent film in its own right, but Dune: Part Two is a masterpiece. From Austin Butler’s menacing turn as the villainous Feyd-Rautha to the Fremen’s jaw-dropping final ᴀssault on House Harkonnen, Villeneuve’s film is near-flawless across the board. A magnificent effort for the ages that evokes comparisons with seminal sophomore genre staples in the vein of The Empire Strikes Back and Aliens, if I could pick one sci-fi movie from the last decade to experience for the first time again, it would likely be this one.
3
Blade Runner (1982)
Directed By Ridley Scott
A 1980s cinematic masterpiece from Ridley Scott, few movies have had as powerful an effect on this writer as 1982’s Blade Runner. Following Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard as he attempts to track a group of fugitive replicants against the backdrop of a dystopian Los Angeles, this triumph of sci-fi and neo-noir cinema invites introspective reflection on weighty philosophical themes in a manner that only a small number of films have ever come close to achieving.
One of the most visually arresting movies ever made, Scott’s unforgettable vision of a decaying futuristic world left my jaw on the floor upon first viewing and still takes my breath away to this day. Speaking volumes to the movie’s wider quality, for all Blade Runner’s exemplary wider attributes, I wish I could experience it anew for Roy Batty’s iconic dying monologue alone; a soliloquy of such simplistic and profound beauty that the very mention of “tears in rain” is enough to elicit goosebumps.
2
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Directed By Stanley Kubrick
One of the greatest and most influential movies in the history of cinema, 1968’s sci-fi epic, 2001: A Space Odyssey, is widely regarded as legendary director Stanley Kubrick’s magnum opus. Depicting a voyage through outer space to Jupiter to uncover the origins of a mysterious alien monolith, Kubrick’s picture is arguably the most essential piece of sci-fi viewing of all time. Serving as the archetype for a countless horde of imitators, many films that draw inspiration from 2001: A Space Odyssey are now regarded as some of sci-fi’s greatest entries, underlining the movie’s seminal reputation in sharp relief.
…Kubrick’s movie is a classic in the vein of Citizen Kane or Psycho; it’s such a life-changing cinematic experience that subsequent rewatches can never entirely replicate the joy ᴀssociated with one’s first viewing.
From the overwhelming sensation of despair as HAL 9000 abandons Poole in space, to the feeling of child-like wonder elicited by the movie’s mind-bending finale, 2001: A Space Odyssey set the bar for the wider genre moving forward. As close to a near-flawless movie as one is likely to find, Kubrick’s movie is a classic in the vein of Citizen Kane or Psycho; it’s such a life-changing cinematic experience that subsequent rewatches can never entirely replicate the joy ᴀssociated with one’s first viewing.
1
Inception (2010)
Directed By Christopher Nolan
Perhaps Christopher Nolan’s best movie outside 2008’s genre-redefining superhero entry, The Dark Knight, 2010’s Inception follows a group of sophisticated career criminals as they attempt to implant an idea in the subconscious of an affluent business mogul, pᴀssing their tailor-made notion off as an original thought. Boasting one of the most impressive ensemble casts of the 2010s and some of the most mind-blowing visuals ever brought to life onscreen, Nolan’s sci-fi heist thriller is the director at his masterful best.
The movie is so intricately crafted, with such laser-like focus paid to even the smallest inconceivable detail, that, try as I might, I’ve never been able to recapture the feeling of sheer awe the movie drew on first watch. Few sci-fi films can rival Inception for complex storytelling and technical brilliance, with Hans Zimmers’ iconic score serving as the cherry on the cake. A tour de force from one of cinema’s most talented directors, Inception is one of the films that I wish I could experience for the first time again the most, irrespective of genre.
