While some sci-fi flicks are destined to become
blockbusters, other equally deserving films
often linger unloved on Netflix or gather
dust on the shelves before they gain a cult
following.
Maybe they received poor initial reviews,
or perhaps they suffered from a limited or
low-key theatrical release.
Whatever the reason, they all deserve a second
look from true science fiction fans.
Here are some of the most underrated sci-fi
films of the last 15 years.
Sunshine
While most scientists agree that we have a
few billion years left before our Sun dies,
the plot of 2007's Sunshine moves that timeline
up considerably.
It's 2057, and the Sun is already nearly dead.
The Earth endures freezing temperatures worldwide,
and a small crew led by a physicist played
by Cillian Murphy is sent on a Hail Mary mission
to save the Earth.
They must attempt to reignite the Sun with
a nuclear bomb the size of Manhattan.
28 Days Later director Danny Boyle pulls inspiration
from films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and
Alien to take viewers on a wild psychological
ride from start to finish.
Moon
2009's Moon is a deliciously spare sci-fi
film that uses its modest budget to great
effect.
The film focuses on a solitary astronaut played
by Sam Rockwell who is manning a lunar mining
operation.
Moon explores both ethical and existential
questions when the astronaut begins hallucinating
about a young woman.
His only companion on the base is an artificial
intelligence program, voiced by Kevin Spacey.
"What about the messages she sent to me?"
"Sam, I can only account for what occurs on
the base."
When Sam discovers what appears to be his
doppelganger in another area of his base,
things start to get pretty crazy.
What's real and what isn't?
You'll have to watch Moon to find out.
Equilibrium
Unlike most of the other films on our list,
2002's Equilibrium never won massive acclaim
from critics.
That's mainly because the dystopian "Thought
Police" plot is not particularly original.
But the excellent cast and amazing fight sequences
more than make up for that.
Christian Bale leads the cast as a Cleric
highly trained in the martial arts and responsible
for tracking down those guilty of refusing
to take a government-issued medication that
suppresses all emotions.
Watching the heavily stylized, intricately
choreographed gun battles will leave your
jaw on the floor, much like the first time
you saw the lobby shoot-out scene in The Matrix.
Another Earth
If you like philosophical conundrums and a
dose of existentialism with your sci-fi, then
2011's Another Earth is for you.
A planet identical to Earth in every way has
just been discovered hiding in our solar system,
and there's speculation that the planet's
inhabitants are identical, as well.
Meanwhile, a young scientist played by Brit
Marling has her career cut short when she
accidentally kills several people while driving
drunk.
Ethical dilemmas arise for the young woman
when she meets the survivor from the car crash,
falls in love with him, and is later offered
a chance to travel to this "Earth 2."
"The mystery flight member is 21-year-old
Rhoda Williams, who is rumored to be an ex-convict."
Did her doppelganger cause a similar crash
on that planet?
Are her victims alive there?
Another Earth explores all these questions
and more, making for an entertaining sci-fi
movie that will leave you thinking deep thoughts
long after the credits roll.
Coherence
Shot on a shoestring budget with no script
and no special effects, 2013's Coherence also
stars director James Byrkit's friends and
was shot primarily in his own home.
The movie follows a group at a dinner party,
which is interrupted by the flyover of a comet.
The effects of the comet temporarily open
up pathways to parallel realities, inhabited
by the same group of friends.
The group eventually fractures, breaking off
to explore the other realities, and chaos
ensues.
"This whole night we've been worrying there's
some dark version of us out there somewhere.
What if we're the dark version?"
By choosing friends who were also skilled
improvisational actors and who didn't know
each other before filming started, Byrkit
harnessed their own creativity to create a
thought-provoking and thrilling film that
is also almost entirely improvised.
Predestination
As far as science fiction plots go, 2014's
Predestination doesn't start out on the most
original note.
Ethan Hawke plays an operative from a time-traveling
intelligence agency, back on the job after
a horrible injury with one last mission to
complete: He has to prevent a time-traveling
terrorist from setting off a bomb in New York
City in 1975.
This might sound like the beginning of a fairly
formulaic sci-fi action film, but Predestination
is anything but.
When Hawke's character meets a stranger with
a darkly compelling life story, he takes that
stranger along on his mission—and things
get pretty weird from there, with a wild ending
most viewers will never see coming.
Snowpiercer
The limitless hubris of humanity is a common
theme of science fiction films, and 2013's
Snowpiercer is an eye-popping example of the
form.
Humans have essentially destroyed the planet
by fiddling with Earth's climate, bringing
on a new ice age.
Humanity's last remaining survivors are all
aboard the Snowpiercer, a massively long train
constantly circumnavigating the globe on a
continuous track.
Twenty years after the climate disaster, a
distinct caste system has emerged on the train.
One of the lower class citizens, played by
Captain America's Chris Evans, leads a rebellion
to the front of the train to try to take control
of the locomotive by force.
The group faces many foes along the way, including
the incomparable Tilda Swinton as the bizarre
Minister Mason.
"I am a hat.
You are a shoe.
I belong on the head; you belong on the foot.”
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