# 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:** 2
**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, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/21 "2014-07-07T01:14:07Z")
Add _Cloverfield_, _The Man from Earth_, _Rise of the Planet of the Apes_, and _Under the Skin_ to my list. My point isn’t that these are all great films. I think that they show the variety of science fiction films released within the past ten and a half years. This decade is O.K. compared with other such periods of the same length. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/22 "2014-07-07T02:03:04Z")
I’ll second Europa Report if you like space travel. Or uh, Europa. Some might find it a little dull though, at least compared to time travel stories where guys use pirate guns or have telekinetic powers just because. I thought Moon (2009) looked really good considering the low budget, though the twist was kinda silly. Really good AI character though! ---
**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 7, 2014, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/23 "2014-07-07T02:28:28Z")
I’ll second Under the Skin. Weird arthouse movie but gripping shot and presented. Earns a strong, ‘what the hell was that I just watched?’ District 9 Looper Inception All excellent films. Good but not great: Super 8 Cloverfield Star Trek Chronicle Would y’all count Contagion? It certainly meets a certain number of SF styles and was a pretty good movie. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/24 "2014-07-07T02:36:20Z")
> [@susan](#): > > I liked _Rise of the Planet of the Apes._ The next one, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, due out next week is getting rave reviews. Supposed to be a really solid sci-fi flick. ---
**Author:** ![emarkp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@emarkp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emarkp)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/25 "2014-07-07T05:20:53Z")
There’s also Minority Report and (flawed but I thought OK) Paycheck, both adaptations of Phil Dick’s work. (ouch, after posting realized these were both more than a decade ago. Sucks getting old.) ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/26 "2014-07-07T07:08:46Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > 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. Dark Star Planet of the Apes Soylent Green The Omega Man Silent Running Escape from New York Logan’s Run Star Wars 2001 A Boy and His Dog Rollerball Colossus the Forbin Project Westworld Superman ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/27 "2014-07-07T07:17:18Z")
No _Cabin in the Woods_ guys? ---
**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, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/28 "2014-07-07T07:54:45Z")
O.K., Dale Sams, so the period you’re choosing is from 1968 to 1981: _Dark Star_ (1975) _Planet of the Apes_ (1968) _Soylent Green_ (1973) _The Omega Man_ (1971) _Silent Running_ (1972) _Escape from New York_ (1981) _Logan’s Run_ (1976) _Star Wars_ (1977) _2001_ (1968) _A Boy and His Dog_ (1975) _Rollerball_ (1975) _Colossus the Forbin Project_ (1970) _Westworld_ (1973) _Superman_ (1978) And you’re cheating by giving a period of more than 10 years. Suppose I restrict it to 10 years by dropping _Escape from New York_. Then 1968 to 1978 is a pretty good time for science fictions films. Do you really think it’s that much better than 2004 to 2014? ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/29 "2014-07-07T08:15:01Z")
So many good films! I’d especially recommend Cloud Atlas, don’t be put off by the people who say it is an overlong 3 hour film… it’s actually a perfectly long six hour film; you get a lot out of the second viewing. I might go as far as to say it is my favourite film. The Prestige is even better the second time, but I don’t wanna say if it is scifi or not. Though I am a huge firefly fan, I would not recommend Serenity to someone who has not seen the series, as it kind of assumes you know everything already. John Carter isn’t really scifi, despite being set on Mars, it’s more fantasy, still, it was definitely enjoyable. [Dredd](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-670312.html)(with Karl Urban) was a excellent scifi action film ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/30 "2014-07-07T08:21:54Z")
How was [_Paprika_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paprika_(2006_film))? I haven’t gotten around to watching it, yet, I’m sad to say. And _Battle: Los Angeles_ actually had it’s moments. If really more of “a war movie, but where the enemy happens to be aliens.” ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/31 "2014-07-07T11:02:49Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > O.K., Dale Sams, so the period you’re choosing is from 1968 to 1981: > > _Dark Star_ (1975) > _Planet of the Apes_ (1968) > _Soylent Green_ (1973) > _The Omega Man_ (1971) > _Silent Running_ (1972) > _Escape from New York_ (1981) > _Logan’s Run_ (1976) > _Star Wars_ (1977) > _2001_ (1968) > _A Boy and His Dog_ (1975) > _Rollerball_ (1975) > _Colossus the Forbin Project_ (1970) > _Westworld_ (1973) > _Superman_ (1978) > > And you’re cheating by giving a period of more than 10 years. Suppose I restrict it to 10 years by dropping _Escape from New York_. Then 1968 to 1978 is a pretty good time for science fictions films. Do you really think it’s that much better than 2004 to 2014? You’re cheating too, 1968-78 and 2004-14 are eleven year spans. Well, 2014 is only half over, so ten point five for 2004-14. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/32 "2014-07-07T11:04:18Z")
Paprika is great fun and rather weird! Others not yet mentioned (I think) are _Chronicle_ and _Robot and Frank_, which was great fun! If you liked _Her_, check it out. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/33 "2014-07-07T11:27:46Z")
[_The Signal_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2910814/) It’s like the producers gave some film school student, who’s watched too many German Expressionism films, a camera, an appreciable budget, and Laurence Fishburne, and said “go make a movie.” Oh, wait, you said “good” Sci-Fi movies. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/34 "2014-07-07T11:42:30Z")
_Pacific Rim_? _Only Lovers Left Alive_ is fantasy. But Jim Jarmusch, Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston & John Hurt proved that there was still something new to say about vampires… ---
**Author:** ![ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryan)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/35 "2014-07-07T12:32:39Z")
I’d add [Cargo](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381940/?ref_=nv_sr_1) to the list ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/36 "2014-07-07T14:01:39Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > O.K., Dale Sams, so the period you’re choosing is from 1968 to 1981: > > _Dark Star_ (1975) > _Planet of the Apes_ (1968) > _Soylent Green_ (1973) > _The Omega Man_ (1971) > _Silent Running_ (1972) > _Escape from New York_ (1981) > _Logan’s Run_ (1976) > _Star Wars_ (1977) > _2001_ (1968) > _A Boy and His Dog_ (1975) > _Rollerball_ (1975) > _Colossus the Forbin Project_ (1970) > _Westworld_ (1973) > _Superman_ (1978) > > And you’re cheating by giving a period of more than 10 years. Suppose I restrict it to 10 years by dropping _Escape from New York_. Then 1968 to 1978 is a pretty good time for science fictions films. Do you really think it’s that much better than 2004 to 2014? Shoot. I thought Escape was 1979. Guess that would be cheating too. I guess the only way we’d know for sure is to go forward 25 years and ask people what ‘classics’ were on the 2004-2014 list. Though, God knows my list has a few obscure ones. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/37 "2014-07-07T14:09:56Z")
> [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](#): > > What bugged me about Oblivion: There’s a lot that doesn’t make sense if you think about Oblivion too much. Like how does Manhattan get covered with silt up to the observation deck of the Empire State Building? But visually, it’s a very cool film. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/38 "2014-07-07T15:49:27Z")
Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith were fine SF movies. The Star Trek reboot would have been good, except having Vulcan destroyed was a little too comic-bookish, felt like a DC style reboot. Sad. The Avengers movie was a good watch, especially for a superhero movie, which tend to be dull. Gravity, as already cited, was absolutely great. But perhaps not science fiction. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/39 "2014-07-07T17:23:21Z")
I’ll ++ Europa Report. Brian ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501/40 "2014-07-07T17:49:47Z")
**Pacific Rim** was a whole lot more fun than I expected, although it’s not really thought provoking. Same thing for **Dredd** , which suffers somewhat from the problem of if the viewer isn’t at least passingly familiar with the Judge Dredd/2000 AD comics, the movie is a bit perplexing. OTOH, if you’re passingly familiar, it’s terrific. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-any-good-recent-sci-fi-movies/692501.md?page=3)