Upcoming releases Everything Everywhere All At Once and After Yang are two very different approaches to the sci-fi genre, the former looks more action-packed and effects-heavy while the latter appears much more understated. With a background already showcasing interesting sci-fi features, this list looks at 5 of the studio’s best, and under-seen, sci-fi films that can prepare audiences for the upcoming release slate.
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Directed by Denis Villeneuve, known for his stylish and dense science fiction features, Enemy is a psychological thriller, frequently described as baffling but brilliant. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Adam, a man who after renting a movie that features an actor who is identical to him, becomes obsessed with the man. What follows is a tale of obsession, self-discovery, and denial all permeated by a jarring musical score and understated visuals.
There are many ways to decode Enemy. Adam and Anthony could be 2 sides of the same personality manifesting as a coping mechanism, they could be coincidental doubles thrown together by chance or something else could be at play. The film is open to interpretation, which is what makes it worth watching more than once. That and tarantula-headed women.
Serving as the English language debut from director Claire Denis, High Life stars Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche and shows us a future where criminals are sent to space in order to conduct experiments and missions deemed too dangerous. Binoche plays Dr. Dibs, who is focused entirely on her experiments with artificial insemination while Pattinson plays Monte, a prisoner that Dibs is intent on seducing. This is all a prelude to the story of Monte and his new baby Willow as the last survivors of the mission and how Monte struggles to balance raising her and keeping the vessel repaired.
High Life deals with some heavy topics. Sexual assault, grief, murder, childbirth are all touched upon. The film is a meditation on humanity, what happens when it is lost, and redemption. Bringing new life into the world is difficult enough, but on the edge of a black hole and alone it becomes a terrifying prospect.
Starring Elliot Page and Evan Rachel Wood as sisters, Into The Forest, is set in the very near future where a continent-wide blackout threatens their way of life and the world they know. Initially living an idyllic life with their dad in their cozy house in the forest, the 2 sisters find themselves battling for survival after a mass breakdown of technology brings out the worst in people. After they lose their father, the girls must face the new world alone.
Stark and intimate, Into The Forest is a post-apocalyptic drama that favors substance over style. There’s no big-budget sci-fi action or aliens, but it is a poignant look at life when the status quo of existing is suddenly upended and the brutality of what humans can become.
Kristen Stewart and Nicolas Hoult star in Equals as Nia and Silas where in the future all emotions and sexual activity are outlawed and citizens are little more than emotionless robots going about their mechanical lives day by day. Reproduction is carefully curated by artificial insemination where women are summoned to be impregnated as part of their duty. As Nia and Silas meet and begin to experience feelings for each other, it seems there is a literal epidemic of feels among the population and those in charge are seeking a cure to maintain order.
Visually striking and beautifully lit, Equals retreads a familiar science fiction story with involving performances from the cast, especially Stewart. Calling the plague of emotions S.O.S is a little on the nose perhaps, and the narrative isn’t anything new, but Equals offers enough in character work to satisfy.
As directorial debuts go, Ex Machina is one of the best. Alex Garland’s debut feature stars Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb a programmer working for a leading search engine provider who is summoned to his boss’s home to participate in a Turing Test of his newest A.I. Oscar Isaac plays Caleb’s boss Nathan with great glee and sleaze, a deeply unlikeable man who cares only about booze and his creation, an android Ava, played brilliantly by Alicia Vikander. While interacting with Ava to determine her true intelligence, Caleb becomes infatuated with her, offering to help her escape into the real world where they can be together.
Focusing on the mechanics of humanity and deception, Ex Machina creates questions of trust and answers them in a way that is unexpected. Sterling performances from the main cast elevate what could have easily been another “A.I. becomes sentient” movie that are so abundant. Coupled with a tense and involving script, Ex Machina is one of modern-day sci-fi’s triumphs.
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