20 Sci-Fi Movies EVERY Film Fan Should Have Seen

One of the most underrated sci-fi films of all time, Total Recall oddly feels like it has more of a cult-following than the timeless adoration it deserves and that might be because it often gets mistaken as one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's many perpetually '80s action movies - which is ironic considering that it was released in 1990 and is primarily a science fiction flick.

All that aside, it was very well-received at the time of its release and received praise for its innovative use of special effects to further the story - made all the more easy by the fact that it was one of the most expensive films of all time back in the day - and the depths of that story as well. And that's the thing that makes Total Recall so clever: It's essentially hiding in plain sight.

The film may thrive on its action and comedy - believe me, there are plenty of both - but it's a sublime story about the inability to trust everyone you always thought you could, as Arnie's Douglas Quaid finds himself locked in a never-ending spiral of espionage on freakin' Mars of all places and is unable to decipher if the information he learns is real or the result of implanted memories.

Everything that the 2012 remake isn't, Total Recall is a timeless classic that offers up so much more than what it appears to be, and isn't that what all the best sci-fis do? A thrilling tale involving aliens, conspiracies and boundary-pushing effects, it's a must-watch for every fan of the genre.