10 Best Science Fiction Movies (Not Set In Space)
Venturing into the sci-fi hall of fame, with two feet planted firmly on the ground.
It seems that space is not always the final frontier when it comes to science fiction cinema (though, if you disagree, boy do we have an article for you).
Sci-fi has grown in unexpected and impressive ways since the days of George Pal's Time Machine, and with it has come the real-world technology to support an increasingly daring, adventurous and imaginative cadre of filmmakers.
As one of the most reflective and commentary-heavy genres, often holding a mirror up to society, or presenting a predictable but unpalatable future, sci-fi frequently carries a big burden on its shoulders, showing us where we ought not to or don't want to end up, rallying a moral cry and rooting out the humanity amongst the machines.
But that is not to say that we can't enjoy spectacle for spectacle's sake - and the entries herein aim to touch on the big budget as much as the indie, the explosive as much as the intellectual.
In such an expansive and inherently multifaceted genre, it can often be difficult to know where to tether one's interest, but these ten films will guide the cautious viewer into the upper echelons of science fiction, putting those frontal lobes through their paces every step of the way.
10. Her (2013)
Joaquin, Joaquin, Joaquin, Joaquin! I'm begging of you, please don't take my artificially intelligent virtual assistant.
Or do, because she's Scarlett Johansson, and this is probably the best sci-fi romance ever made (Time Traveller's Wife, eat your heart out).
Theodore Twombly is essentially in love with his adaptable operating system (think Windows 20 or Alexa with a husky, twenty-something voice) and seeking further isolation from a world he has little connection to, suffering continually from an intense prior love and heartbreak.
Spike Jonze, in his solo screenwriting debut, places Her in a recognisable near-future, and Joaquin Phoenix fills the brogues of the tragic, instantly relatable and painfully human protagonist. The sci-fi aspect is simple but present throughout, leading the central characters (Phoenix and Amy Adams' creatively-named Amy) into each other's orbit, and ultimately delivering a bittersweet payoff.
As most of the best science fiction pictures do, Her has something bigger than itself in mind, and more than a touch of commentary on today's over-reliance on technology, the distance it can put us from the world, and the roadblocks it creates for human connection.