It has now been 20 years since the Y2K Monster never came down from space to destroy us, which is a good thing…because the last two decades have provided us with some most-excellent films from a film-geek’s favorite genre: science fiction. And that brings us to Reel Speak’s Top 10 Best Sci-Fi Films of the Millennium, 2000-2019.
The millennium started with science fiction films up front. George Lucas brought in two new STAR WARS films in 2002 and 2005, and Bryan Singer’s X-MEN in 2000 launched the current era of superheroes…who are always saturated in sci-fi. While X-MEN got it going, Marvel Studios took it to new heights when their time-travelling epic AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019), became the box office champion. Time travel has always provided great sci-fi stories, and Rian Johnson twisted our minds around with LOOPER in 2012. But the genre was not limited to far-out concepts, as we were treated to realistic space-travel and exploration films such as THE MARTIAN (2015), MOON (2009), and GRAVITY (2013). Even animation giant Pixar got into the fun with their robot adventure WALL-E in 2008.
For the past two decades, sci-fi films have won Oscars, broken box office records, and have been elevated to legit cinema even in the eyes of the stuffiest film critics. The best sci-fi films are the ones that use their far-out concepts of technology, other worlds, and an Earth of the future to tell stories of humanity…because no matter how high the concept, humanity is what we all seek.
So let’s start seeking…
10. AVATAR (2009)
James Cameron’s off-world epic about humans attempting to colonize another planet for her resources was a multi-Oscar and Golden Globe nominee and winner, and kicked off a new interest in sci-fi films that has revitalized the genre for the past decade of the millennium. An old story in new skin, its high concept paired with simple story-telling clicked with audiences so well that it took the all-time box office title and held on to it for a decade.
9. DISTRICT 9 (2009)
Themes of humanity, xenophobia, and segregation come into play in Neill Blomkamp’s alien-arrival film which in broad strokes serves as a metaphor for South African apartheid. A landmark in visual effects, DISTRICT 9 was also an Oscar nominee; using a real-life human-rights situation to open up conversations about how we treat those who are different.
8. ARRIVAL (2016)
Aliens have arrived on Earth and it’s up to a linguist teacher (Amy Adams), to decipher messages from the non-speaking visitors. Denis Villeneuve directed this mind-bender with much of its purpose shrouded in mystery…capped off with a whopper of a twist which changes everything we had just seen…right down to the title. Underneath that it uses the presence of the visitors to motivate humans all across the country to put aside differences and come together; a message more relevant today than it was four years ago.
7. HER (2013)
Spike Jonze took home an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in this little tale about a lonely man (Joaquin Phoenix), who falls in love with his computer’s operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). Just like any good sci-fi film should do, HER takes the path that humans are on in today’s time and takes it to its next logical steps; steps that can only go in one direction when humans and machines spend too much time together.
6. INCEPTION (2010)
Christopher Nolan directs this multi-layered thriller where professional thieves invade the dream-space of others to either steal information or plant ideas. It’s an old-fashioned heist film in reverse, but it has a lot more going on; it’s a philosophical look at how ideas are generated and brought to life…coupled with broken families and redemption. A box office hit and a winner of four of its eight Oscar nominations.
5. STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015)
There has been a healthy debate over the last four decades if STAR WARS should be considered sci-fi, fantasy, or both. For the purposes of this blog, let’s simplify it; if it has spaceships, it’s sci-fi. J.J. Abrams directs this re-launch of the STAR WARS franchise that continued the stories started by creator George Lucas. THE FORCE AWAKENS was true to its title in story and in culture; by introducing new heroes to a new generation and bringing back old favorites for one last adventure…STAR WARS was awakened for several more decades to come. Its classic structure makes it easily accessible, quotable, and endlessly rewatchable.
4. CHILDREN OF MEN (2006)
Mankind has lost the ability to reproduce in Alfonso Cuaron’s dystopian statement on not only humanity but of life itself. Clive Owen plays the reluctant hero tasked with delivering the last pregnant women on Earth to safety, while avoiding assassination attempts by a militant group and a society that is crumbling to pieces. Similar to HER, CHILDREN OF MEN takes humanity’s modern-day path and shows us where we could be headed. One of the many purposes of sci-fi is to sober us up, and Cuaron does so in breathtaking strokes.
3. BLADE RUNNER 2049 (2017)
Denis Villeneuve brings a second film into this list with a decades-later sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic, BLADE RUNNER. Rightly set 30 years after the events of the first film, Villeneuve makes a perfect sequel in taking the original film and expanding on the storylines and themes. Packed with mystery and a visual stunner, 2049 is jaw-dropping and thought-provoking…with the meaning of human life just one of many themes at work.
2. EX MACHINA (2014)
Artificial intelligence is put under the microscope in this psychological thriller by Alex Garland. Oscar Isaac plays the tech-wizard who creates Ava (Alicia Vikander); the world’s first intelligent humanoid robot…who is put to the test in a game of wits by a hapless programmer (Domhnall Gleeson). Mesmerizing in its execution, EX MACHINA not only boasts some of the best CGI ever done to bring Ava to life, but also brings in perfect twists to reveal hidden character motivations and secrets. Nothing is quite what it seems and its mystery has audiences wondering who is the real human and who is the machine.
1. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2015)
Tom Hardy steps into the role of Max and Charlize Theron brings the character of Furiosa to life in this Oscar-winning sonic and visual blast. George Miller’s high-octane, decades-later sequel to his own MAD MAX franchise that he launched in 1979 is in a post-apocalyptic world where blood and water are scarce commodities, and human beings themselves have become even more precious…especially those who are able to give birth in a statement on the human race. A message scrawled on a wall that says “we are not things” has a weight that gives the film an emotional heft and is relevant to today’s real world. And on top of the sub-text is some of the best action cinema has ever seen in a mind-blowing chase across the desert done with old-school, practical effects that makes for a thrill a minute. No matter how high the thrills or how out-there some of this future world’s characters may be…FURY ROAD never loses sight of the importance of humanity. And that’s what great sci-fi does.
REEL SPEAK'S TOP 10 BEST SCI-FI FILMS OF THE MILLENNIUM
- MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
- EX MACHINA
- BLADE RUNNER 2049
- CHILDREN OF MEN
- STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
- INCEPTION
- HER
- ARRIVAL
- DISTRICT 9
- AVATAR
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