10 Sci-Fi Movies That Break The Genre

If you're a lover of sci-fi, like so many out there are, there is an endless treasure trove of stunning space-based content to keep you staring into the future for the foreseeable future... And a whole bunch of terrible films on top of that too.

With so much content out there the genre can sometimes lapse into monotonous territory. The brilliance and overwhelming popularity of the likes of Star Wars and Star Trek have led to many films and film-makers picking up the conventions and styles of such popular franchises and the results have been undeniably mixed.

It is therefore incredibly refreshing to come across those rare sci-fi gems that take all we know about the genre, and turn it on its head. Science fiction can often be a tricky genre to exist in: tropes like time-travel, space exploration and often convoluted story lines make it difficult to even create a conventional movie within its confines.

So to boldly go where no film-maker has gone before with the genre takes something truly special. Here are some brilliant films that did just that.

District 9 is a wonderfully constructed combination of two genres that perhaps never expected to meet: science fiction and mockumentary. Neil Blomkamp's clever effort sets itself in a dystopian South Africa as an alien/human apartheid system causes tension throughout the run down slums in which they're forced to live.

Sharlto Copley is electric in the film as his energy and charisma drives the narrative forward throughout, and it is a film that truly lives up to its unique premise. The style of the film is most certainly unique to the science fiction genre but the style is also anchored with some brilliant writing - even going as far as to have a unique slur for the humans to hurl at the aliens.

District 9 took an incredibly original approach to a much discussed sci-fi theme and layered it with prevalent social commentary. Cloverfield was a film that perhaps set a precedent for a film like District 9 to exist, but District 9 is the undoubtedly superior effort. An original and brilliant sci-fi mockumentary with so much going for it.