15 Fascinating Premises That Were Bigger Than The Movies Themselves

6. Another Earth

The Premise: A mirrored Earth appears in the sky one day, with its population almost exactly the same as on this world. This gives one girl the chance to make up for a huge mistake in her life. Another Earth focuses on the life of Rhoda Williams, who accidentally kills a man's family in a car accident, while gazing at this parallel Earth. The parallel Earth gives this widower an opportunity to see his wife and son again. Whilst that's one direction that Another Earth could have headed in, there is amazing potential for a film about a world just like ours. The idea of extraterrestrial life is one that's hooked cinema goers for decades, but what's quite so ingenious about Another Earth, is that it combines this fascination with the core principle of parallel worlds; in Another Earth, Earth 2 is both alien and familiar. That's a very difficult line to tread, but it's a rewarding contrast to make in a film; as human beings, we love stories about the familiar, but we're eager to see what's out there, beyond our comprehension. It's why science-fiction grounds itself in reality, and it's why we love Superman so much.