50 Essential Sci-Fi Films of the 21st Century (So Far)

Back before Aubrey Plaza was shilling for the dairy industry, she was a minor indie darling, playing supporting and character roles in the likes of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Damsels in Distress, and Safety Not Guaranteed.

Directed by Colin Trevorrow in his feature film debut, Safety stars Plaza as Darius Britt, a disillusioned college graduate whose internship at Seattle Magazine takes her farther than she imagined. When staff writer Jeff Schwensen (Jake Johnson) investigates a classified ad seeking individuals to go back in time, he takes Darius along for the ride, and they are drawn into the world of Kenneth Calloway (Mark Duplass), a grocery store clerk whose mission is to return to 2001 and prevent the tragic accident that killed his girlfriend.

Although the film is set up as a quirky comedy, in which the dopey, lost male lead is shown the way out of the fantasy world he has created, this is not how things progress. Because that time machine Kenneth has been working on? It actually works.

Safety Not Guaranteed’s various twists leave us wondering what the truth of the whole thing is, especially after the late-in-the-day time machine reveal casts doubt on everything that has been established before - and this is the genius of it. Low budget, no frills, and with a plot that leaves you thinking about it after the credits.