12 Most Overlooked Science Fiction Films Of The 2010s

A quiet romance set within the framework of a monster invasion, this Gareth Edwards film is a studious and surreal examination of relationships, one that has even spawned a sequel.

A few years after a NASA probe crash has landed in Mexico, alien life forms appear in Mexico and the United States. Cynical photojournalist Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy) is tasked by his boss to find his daughter Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able) in Mexico. Once he locates her, the two set off on a perilous journey back to the States.

Traveling through ravaged lands where each step can lead to new danger, the two grow closer, learning more about one another and the creatures that had materialized.

A blend of road trip and alien subgenres, the film also explores the meaning of monsters and the monstrous through its central relationship and the nearly abstract landscapes.

Finding humanity in an environment that has lost its soul comes naturally to the protagonists, who wander across battered territory on a search for safety and a sense of comfort, only to realize that we are not that different from the so-called monsters.

Using science fiction as his context, Edwards offers a poetic, visionary look at what makes us human and the values that we cherish.