8 Great Sci-Fi Movies With Only One Main Character (Most Of The Time)

Films focussing mostly on one main character are relatively rare, probably because it's difficult to keep the attention of an audience with a single environment and character for an entire feature. These types of films are even rarer in the genre of science fiction where grand concepts, technical wizardry and otherworldly locations are expected.

For this list, we've uncovered some of the best science fiction movies that feature only one main character - for a good part of the film, at least - and despite the limitations of the format, still manage to deliver an entertaining mix of sci-fi concepts, storylines and locations.

In no particular order, we've got stone-cold classics, critical darlings, foreign-language offerings, cult curios and rough diamonds. Even the most discerning of sci-fi fans will find something to love on this list.

Silent Running is a post-apocalyptic science fiction film starring Bruce Dern as Freeman Lowell, a botanist and ecologist aboard the Valley Forge spaceship designed to preserve the plant life threatened by extinction back on Earth.

After orders are given to destroy the Forge's precious cargo, Lowell conspires against his crewmates to take over the ship and save one of the ecological domes from annihilation. In the process, he recruits the help of three service drones that become his only friends as he descends into the madness of isolation.

Dern's performance is intense and awkward, right from the start, and despite the underlying good intentions, he's difficult to empathise with after his actions in the film's opening half an hour. He's clearly tortured though as he tries to fill the void left by the absence of his crewmates with the company of the service drones.

With beautiful sets, effects that still hold up today (mostly) and a strong lead performance, Silent Running remains a downright classic.