10 Lesser Known Sci-Fi Movies That You Need To See

6. The Quiet Earth

Colossal Anne Hathaway Jason Sudekis
Cinepro

Made on a shoestring budget in 1980s New Zealand, The Quiet Earth does exactly what it says on the tin - it presents a world where everyone has disappeared.

Well, not everyone. Otherwise there'd be no movie.

Zac Hobson is a scientist working on Project Flashlight, a worldwide military power grid. Something goes wrong with the project and, one morning, everyone except Zac just vanishes.

It's up to him to not only find out what happened, but also to endure the crippling loneliness of being what he believes to be the last man alive. Again, obviously he's not, otherwise there'd be no movie.

The Quiet Earth was also very quiet at the domestic box office, drawing only $600,000 in its native land. This relatively small number doesn't speak to the film's quality though.

Called a "refreshing" take on the lone survivor sci-fi trope, The Quiet Earth is an absolute blast to watch even this many decades after its release.

Don't take our word for it, take the world of famous astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, who called it one of his favourite sci-fi films.

Are you going to argue with a brain like that? Didn't think so.

Contributor
Contributor

Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.