10 Sci-Fi Movies That Get Better The Deeper You Go

8. 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001 was, obviously, a groundbreaking phenomenon of a film that set a new standard for sci-fi movies and pushed what was possible with the medium. Of course it was, that's sort of what you get when you hire Stanley Kubrick.

It's also almost provocatively un-movie-like, as contemporary critics all suggested when it was released. Instead of telling a linear story, Kubrick instead relied on vignettes, sparsely selling his message but in such a visually dazzling way that he became inspiration for countless film-makers in its wake.

And a big part of the film's enduring appeal comes down to its conscious ambiguity, which has inevitably led to numerous philosophical interpretations. It's very much one of those movies whose meaning can come down to the individual. Which is precisely why the spectrum of interpretations is so wide, taking in queer theory, the "fake' moon landings and a meta-commentary on propaganda. And the film's vagueness actually encourages those readings so much that you can watch it almost innumerate different ways.