10 Mysterious Sci-Fi Films That Gave Nothing Away

A lot of sci-fi films ask the big questions. Why are we here? Is any of this real? What is my purpose? Ironically, the most profound questions usually don't have an answer.

It's this type of cinema that tends to divide audiences the most. One person may think a movie is a multi-layered masterwork while another viewer may see it as pretentious tosh.

And I'm not just talking about the casual audience. Movie critics suffer the same problem. When 2001: A Space Odyssey was released, most reviewers couldn't make heads or tails of it. And that's the point. Storytellers don't just want to tell stories; they want people to discuss and explore the characters and themes.

Some films are left ambiguous, forcing viewers to argue for years or decades to try and figure out what it really meant (despite the fact, deep down, we know we are never going to get an answer). Although unanswered questions can be confusing, it can make a film more entertaining. Do you think people would still be talking about Inception after a decade if the ending had a conclusive answer? (Actually, we probably would because that movie is awesome.)

Some sci-fi films are so enigmatic, they leave all viewers scratching their heads.

Annihilation revolves around an anomalous zone called The Shimmer that distorts reality around it. As The Shimmer expands, a scientist called Lena leads a team of explorers to enter The Shimmer to learn its origin and purpose.

Annihilation gives the audience a lot of information but very little of it is concrete. The films deals with suicide, depression, self-destruction, alcoholism, and grief. While these themes are being explored, the characters are being attacked by shark-crocodiles, doppelgängers, and screaming skull-bears. As the cerebral story concludes with Lena embracing her husband, it's unclear whether she is really Lena or a doppelgänger.

Now, you might think you would have better insight on what's happening by reading the book which the film is based on. However, the book is so different, the film barely qualifies as an adaption. In fact, the director, Alex Garland, admitted he didn't re-read the book when he made the film so the story is based on "his memory of the book, not the book itself". In a way, this makes Annihilation better since there is no source that explains the film fully, allowing viewers to draw their own conclusion.