Interstellar: 10 Superior Philosophical Sci-Fi Films

Space smarts with 100% less Topher Grace.

By Tom Baker /

Christopher Nolan€™s latest has been endlessly compared to Stanley Kubrick€™s 2001: A Space Odyssey, and not without good reason. The director himself has cited Kubrick€™s sci-fi epic as an inspiration, and that€™s clear to see in Interstellar: whilst Nolan€™s blessed with several more decades of IRL space travel and research to draw upon, he has a similar dedication to getting things scientifically accurate, whilst also pinging off into the more speculative, hypothetical worlds of the human condition. Interstellar is about saving humanity from extinction as much as 2001 is about monkeys and space travel. Or at least, it tries to be. Where Kubrick€™s film is a deep exploration of our place in the universe, Interstellar€™s journey beyond the stars returns audiences to that most trite of Hollywood truisms: love is the most powerful force in the universe. Love is all you need. If The Beatles sang about it, it€™s probably not a challenging philosophical quandary. So perhaps Nolan€™s preoccupations aren€™t as deep as he thought (although they are profoundly shallow) (and pretty). Want something a little meatier to get your teeth into? Here are ten superior philosophical sci-fi films to Interstellar.