# Name any good recent Sci Fi movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 6, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501 "2014-07-06T22:27:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/1 "2014-07-06T22:27:15Z")
The other night a new acquaintance mentioned that there are no good recent sci-fi movies. Nobody came up with a good counterexample, so we talked about a few of the classics from 20-40 years ago. Well, here’s your chance to prove him wrong. What good sci-fi movies have been produced in the last 10 years or so? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/2 "2014-07-06T22:28:31Z")
Edge of Tomorrow is still in theaters. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/3 "2014-07-06T22:33:11Z")
YMMV but I liked War of the Worlds. Also, the first Star Trek movie. I didn’t like Into Darkness, but a lot of people did. Serenity was an awesome movie, particularly if you were a Firefly fan. I can watch it any time. Avatar is seen by many as a good movie. I’m not one of them, but there you go. District 9 was a very good flick. Inception was very good. And there is also the current release Edge of Tomorrow which is simultaneously intelligent and action packed with great SFX. You and your friends didn’t try very hard. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/4 "2014-07-06T22:33:32Z")
I thought [Moon](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182345/?ref_=nv_sr_2) (2009) was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/5 "2014-07-06T22:44:33Z")
Children of Men, directed by Alfonso Cuaron. An outstanding film, not only from the storytelling point of view, but the direction is superb. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/6 "2014-07-06T22:49:55Z")
Gravity was the greatest movie of 2013. Just my opinion, but it was. Moon is also very good. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/7 "2014-07-06T22:52:57Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Gravity was the greatest movie of 2013. Just my opinion, but it was. > > Moon is also very good. Agree with _Gravity_ and _Moon_, and I’ll add _Europa Report_. ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/8 "2014-07-06T22:55:24Z")
I was surprised at how much I liked Ender’s Game, despite it being a kid’s movie. I thought Oblivion was pretty good, and Tom Cruise, who usually annoys me, was pretty good in it. Oblivion had a lot of things going for it, they filmed most of it in Iceland and it was beautiful. The bubbleship was cool as hell, and I really want to live in that sky tower thing. The plot was interesting, and I only had one minor issue with it, but since I can’t get that spoiler thing to work, I’ll leave it alone. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/9 "2014-07-06T22:58:41Z")
Well heck, I forgot all about Gravity. I forgot about Avatar too. I liked it a lot, but I doubt it would have made the cut from the others at the table. Thanks for all the suggestions; keep 'em coming! Also, please point out any of them you consider great rather than merely good. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/10 "2014-07-06T23:00:00Z")
> [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](#): > > The plot was interesting, and I only had one minor issue with it, but since I can’t get that spoiler thing to work, I’ll leave it alone. Quote my reply to see how: just enclose in spoiler brackets like this ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/11 "2014-07-06T23:45:14Z")
I’ve always thought that Minority Report and I Robot were excellent films. Does Gravity count as science fiction? I’m not sure if there has ever been a truly great science fiction film. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/12 "2014-07-06T23:48:45Z")
There’s one unusually specific recent SF genre - time travel romantic comedies featuring Rachel McAdams: _About Time_, _Midnight in Paris_, _The Time Traveler’s Wife_. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/13 "2014-07-07T00:05:37Z")
**Looper** was excellent, and its concept of time travel was very well done (though, admittedly, there’s a plot hole at the end). There’s also **Safety Not Guaranteed** , which is cute and quirky. **Beasts of the Southern Wild** is a terrific film, though it can be debated if it’s science fiction. **John Carter** was much better than its reputation. It’s flawed, and the title sucks. It does help if you read **A Princess of Mars** (on Project Gutenberg) first, though. Overall, though the best are **Children of Men** and **District 9.** ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/14 "2014-07-07T00:08:18Z")
I’ll agree with **Moon John Carter District 9 Gravity** (from what I’ve heard) and add \*\*Source Code \*\* and especially\*\* Cloud Atlas\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/15 "2014-07-07T00:27:10Z")
> [@Learjeff](#): > > Quote my reply to see how: > > just enclose in spoiler brackets like this Thanks! What bugged me about Oblivion: The way they handled the reveal with the scavengers was cheating, at first they make them appear non humanoid, the first few glimpses of them, they looked like six legged creatures, and then all of a sudden they are humans. Otherwise, great movie. The score and soundtrack were also really good, and the closing song, by M83, and the closing credits sequence was spectacular. Like I said before, they filmed in Iceland, and the way they blended CGI was awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/16 "2014-07-07T00:44:52Z")
Here are a bunch of science fiction films that many people liked that were released between 2004 and 2014: _District 9_ _Avatar_ _Inception_ _Wall-E_ _V for Vendetta_ _Her_ _Gravity_ _Star Trek_ _Moon_ _Serenity_ _Children of Men_ _Star Trek into Darkness_ _Safety Not Guaranteed_ _Slither_ _Sleep Dealer_ _The Host_ _Snowpiercer_ _Primer_ _Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind_ _Pitch Black_ _War of the Worlds_ _Prometheus_ _A Scanner Darkly_ _Edge of Tomorrow_ _Sunshine_ For a period of ten and a half years, this is all right. Ask your friend to name a period of the same length with significantly better science fiction films. Don’t let him cheat by comparing the past ten and a half years with some period of twenty years or whatever. Nobody claims that all the science fiction movies of the past decade are all utter classics, but they compare respectfully with the science fiction movies of any equal period. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/17 "2014-07-07T00:48:10Z")
Add _Looper_, _Oblivion_, _John Carter_, and _Source Code_ to my list. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/18 "2014-07-07T00:51:53Z")
Amazing somewhat recent sci-if: Edge of Tomorrow Moon District 9 Children of Men Her Gravity Flawed but still interesting: Under the Skin Inception Sunshine Donnie Darko I still haven’t seen Looper, Primer, the South Korean “The Host” or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/19 "2014-07-07T00:54:42Z")
I liked _Rise of the Planet of the Apes._ ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/20 "2014-07-07T00:59:01Z")
Looper was pretty cool and I did like how they had a little fun with the time travel concept. It is worth watching for how it makes you think of the concept of time travel. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501.md?page=2)