Sci-Fi

is one of the fastest evolving genres, since new scientific possibilities are discovered every day, and newer, often more complicated premises come to writers all around the world. For instance, while it has been a subject of filmmaking for a long time, the number of movies you should avoid if you’re nervous about AI grows manifold each year. The fear about the developments in AI engineering manifests in contemporary cinema, as it continues to concern people and thus helps create compelling premises for sci-fi movies.

However, many older films continue to be relevant, and modern retellings of their stories to acknowledge today’s socio-political climate can work wonders. Starring Glen Powell, a remake of The Running Man is in production right now, and every movie like The Running Man has returned to the zeitgeist like never before. Similarly, many sci-fi TV shows should be remade to revitalize old properties and update them for contemporary audiences. While remakes aren’t always promising and have been known to ruin their original films, many sci-fi movie remakes give us great viewing experiences.

10

Dune Parts One & Two (2021 & 2024)

Directed By Denis Villeneuve

Villeneuve’s Dune movies, both nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award, earning the director household name status, aren’t the first adaptations of Frank Herbert’s series of novels of the same name. Back in 1984, David Lynch took on the famously difficult-to-adapt material for a film starring Kyle MacLachlan as the protagonist. While it’s not the worst sci-fi adaptation, Lynch’s movie is confusing and incoherent, due to the innumerable studio interferences that took the film far away from his vision.

Villeneuve’s adaptation is more faithful to the books, and benefits from taking time to explore the world. Dune is particularly filled with exposition and worldbuilding, which might make it seem boring and overwhelmingly long at times, but works perfectly as a patient introduction to a complex setting. Dune: Part Two was one of the best action sci-fi films of 2024, expanding on the lore and setting up an exciting future for the franchise. Dune is often considered to be the best example of a remake that’s better than the original.

9

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)

Directed By Philip Kaufman

Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a black-and-white horror movie that still holds up today. It is one of the best examples of the sci-fi and horror genres being blended together for a film in the ’50s, and continues to enthrall audiences. It is based on the fear of Communism prevalent at that time, juxtaposing the Red Scare with zombie horror to explore people’s atтιтudes.

Unfortunately, the Hays Code prevented Siegel from giving his film the ending he wanted. Fortunately, Philip Kaufman had no such restrictions on his creative freedom when he made the remake. Kaufman’s film has one of the greatest sci-fi movie conclusions of all time, with an alien invasion moment that you will never forget. Moreover, the film’s writing and its use of documentary-like cinematography allow it to expand on the themes of the original, earning it the reputation of being as good as, if not better than, Siegel’s movie.

8

Dredd (2012)

Directed By Pete Travis

Karl Urban, arguably most famous for portraying Billy Butcher in The Boys, stars in and as Dredd, which follows its тιтular character’s attempt to take down a prolific drug ring. The movie is set in a dystopian future where law enforcement is the judge, jury, and executioner. An intense action thriller from start to finish, Dredd has some of the best action choreography in a sci-fi film, with memorable gun fights throughout.

Pete Travis’ version of the movie is bleak and gritty, focusing on the dystopian side of the reality presented, while still relishing the stylized violence. It is an improvement on Danny Cannon’s 1995 film Judge Dredd, which is more of a classic cheesy pulp action movie with slick one-liners and cool stunts that doesn’t introspect much. While Sylvester Stallone as the protagonist is great, overall, the remake is the better movie due to its improved tone.

7

The Fly (1986)

Directed By David Cronenberg

Both 1958’s The Fly, directed by Kurt Neumann, and the 1986 remake by David Cronenberg are impeccable examples of sci-fi and horror being blended to tell a cautionary tale about scientific curiosity. The protagonist, Seth Brundle, in a bid to invent instantaneous teleportation, accidentally melds his DNA with a fly, and slowly decomposes as his body starts manifesting fly-like attributes and losing structural integrity.

Neumann’s version is a fantastic instance of body horror for its time, but it’s more focused on the emotional turmoil of the character. However, Cronenberg, often considered the greatest body horror filmmaker of all time, brings his trademark practical effects to create a truly disgusting spectacle. It is still attuned to the emotional core of the story, but the achievement in horror trumps that element, as the Brundlefly is a horror movie monster that is actually nightmare fuel.

6

I Am Legend (2007)

Directed By Francis Lawrence

One of the most infamous cases of changing source material for an adaptation can be found in I Am Legend. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have become infected with a virus that turns them into vicious monsters, it follows the protagonist as he tries to develop a cure while surviving attacks by the creatures. It is based on the 1954 novel of the same name by Richard Matheson.

While the novel and its first adaptation, 1971’s The Omega Man, depict them as vampires, the monsters in Francis Lawrence’s film are closer to zombies. This change detracts from the horrifying appearance of the beings in The Omega Man, but Will Smith’s performance buoys I Am Legend‘s cinematic value. In one of his greatest performances, accompanied mostly by a dog who should have been nominated for a Palm Dog Award, he portrays the character’s emotions beautifully, improving even on Charlton Heston’s performance in The Omega Man.

5

The Thing (1982)

Directed By John Carpenter

John Carpenter is in the upper echelon of the most influential horror filmmakers of all time, for good reason. As the creator of Michael Myers and the Halloween franchise, his legacy is forever secure. However, some of his films, like In The Mouth of Madness, a horror movie that follows its main character’s descent into madness, weren’t appreciated when they first came out.

Among Carpenter’s movies that were later re-evaluated as classics, The Thing is perhaps the greatest, often considered his best horror film. It is a remake of the 1951 film The Thing From Another World, which is an adaptation of John W. Campbell Jr.’s 1938 novella Who Goes There? The original movie was considered to be a B-movie, a vintage horror creature feature played for thrills, but Carpenter elevated the story with his masterful depiction of anxiety and paranoia among people attacked by a shape-shifting alien.

4

The Invisible Man (2020)

Directed By Leigh Whannell

H. G. Wells’ The Invisible Man has been adapted and modified for the screen more times than one can keep count, but the best adaptation is the most recent. Leigh Whannell, most famous for writing Saw, a horror movie with a great villain twist, directed the recent remake in 2020, starring Elisabeth Moss as the protagonist. She is pursued by her vengeful ex, who terrorizes her in a suit that renders him invisible to the naked eye.

The film makes smart use of its sci-fi premise to explore the main character’s experience of abuse and gaslighting, highlighting the illusion of justice. Buoyed by its fantastic screenplay, written by Whannell himself, and the performances, especially Moss, it is the perfect demonstration of how modern remakes of classics can update them for modern audiences. While the 1933 adaptation, directed by James Whale, will always be a timeless classic, 2020’s The Invisible Man has the right qualities to stand the test of time as well.

3

Vanilla Sky (2001)

Directed By Cameron Crowe

Alejandro Amenábar’s Open Your Eyes is a fantastic sci-fi film that follows a man after he has a horrible accident that disfigures him. It deals with the conflict between reality and perception as his facial reconstruction surgery leaves his mind fragmented. The magic of the film was considered impossible to capture when an English-language remake was announced, but Cameron Crowe’s work is great.

While it’s not as good as the original film, Vanilla Sky is buoyed by its unforgettably open-ended conclusion that leaves audiences pondering the relationship between one’s actual self and perceived self. Moreover, Tom Cruise’s satirical performance, characterized by his traditional wisecracking charm, creates an interesting characterization against the backdrop of the emotional turmoil presented in the film. Cinephiles have an added love for it because Steven Spielberg appears for a couple of seconds in one of the best surprise sci-fi movie cameos ever.

2

King Kong (2005)

Directed By Peter Jackson

Peter Jackson established himself as a groundbreaking filmmaker with his Lord of the Rings trilogy, with action movie sequels better than the original that all earned Best Picture Academy Award nominations, one of the few trilogies to ever achieve this feat. His work on those films demonstrates his technical know-how and his ability to bring fantastic beings to life. So, it’s no surprise that his King Kong movie is amazing too.

The 1933 movie, which Jackson remade, is one of the most influential creature features of all time, with its exploration of the relationship between animosity and humanity. King Kong is an incredibly dangerous gorilla of mammoth proportions, immediately perceived as a threat, who wants to be understood and mingle with humans. Jackson’s version, while not necessarily an improvement on the original, is nonetheless a great sci-fi movie remake because of its stunning visual effects.

1

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Directed By Takashi Yamazaki

With 38 films about him, Godzilla is easily the most famous kaiju of all time. A monster who symbolically represents the devastation and destruction of the nuclear holocaust in Japan, his story has been reimagined and retold many times over the years, even featuring crossovers with other creatures, including King Kong. However, the best remake since the original 1954 film, which introduced the world to the monster on the big screen, is the 2023 film by Takashi Yamazaki.

Yamazaki’s film focuses on people’s trauma from their encounters with Godzilla, leaning into the metaphor of nuclear anxieties. It is a poignant examination of the Japanese government’s handling of the issue, which leaves much to be desired. The solidarity among the people and their bravery, explored through dialogue that deconstructs the illusory glamor of war, forms the emotional crux of the sci-fi film. Moreover, Godzilla himself looks absolutely terrifying due to the fantastic special effects.