15 Great Sci-Fi Movies (Nobody Ever Talks About)
9. Hard To Be A God
The denizens of Dreamworks’ El Dorado could have saved
the protagonist of this underrated Russian sci-fi a lot of time by warning him
it is, indeed, tough to be a God, but unfortunately our hero is forced to find
this out the hard way in this gruesomely dark satirical effort from 2013. Deserving
of the critical praise heaped upon it on release, this unremittingly slow slog
of a film (three torturous hours) is worth the commitment.
Following a scientist tasked with building a society from the pre-feudal nightmare of an alien planet identical to earth, the film questions what makes us human and whether any system of governance can be held accountable as the hero grows more corrupted by power throughout his tribulations—so this one is well worth a watch for fans of philosophical introspection, unexpectedly brutal gore, and bleak atmosphere only occasionally broken by scatological humour.
It’s better than it sounds, trust us.