10 Mind-Bending Sci-Fi Movies That Will Melt Your Brain

4. Ghost In The Shell (1995)

Ghost in the Shell is notable because, all these years later, its supremely intricate plot continues to break minds - even amongst those who have sat down to watch it countless times. It's a strange, melancholy picture sprinkled with sudden moments of intense action and gory violence, but it's also insanely dense and complex and crammed with ideas about what it means to be human (and it doesn't shy away from getting all philosophical, either).

At its most basic level, this anime masterpiece concerns the nature of artificial intelligence and pegs androids and robots as something akin to the "next step" in the evolutionary process, as the half-human, half-android protagonist comes to represent the notion that computer-based forms have just as much of a right to think and ask questions.

Ghost in the Shell is not a difficult watch, given its short length and the beautiful animation and backdrops. That doesn't mean for a second that you'll know what's going on, though: it's a film that lavishes in its own complexities. Translation: this movie will melt your brain.