Ever since the science fiction film genre shot to popularity, fans have been wowed by epic space battles, alien creatures, and action-packed otherworldly adventures. However, not all sci-fi is created equal, and some of the genre's greatest entries are thought-provoking, mesmerizing trips into the unknown.
From Stanley Kubrick to Denis Villeneuve, superbly talented directors have helped the sci-fi movie to evolve over the years, but An existential crisis isn't always part of the package, but these movies can guarantee one long after audiences leave the theatre.
10 Inception's Dream Diving May Elicit Nightmares
Christopher Nolan's science fiction masterpiece boasts the high concept of thieves stealing information by "dream diving" into the target's subconscious. The premise alone prepares the viewer for questions around reality versus imagination. However, Inception's ambiguous spinning top ending has inspired fierce debates ever since the film was released.
Leonardo Di Caprio, Elliot Page, Tom Hardy, and Joseph Gordon Levitt all bring their A-list acting talent. And with Nolan at the helm and Hanz Zimmer delivering his signature goosebumps-inducing sound, Inception is a must-watch for any sci-fi fan.
9 Moon Will Make You Question Your Perception Of Reality
Duncan Jones' directorial debut boldly poses questions around the validity of our emotions and just how "real" our perceived realities actually are. A refreshingly original yet familiar film, Moon is all about Sam Bell – a solitary miner stationed on the moon – and his personal crisis as his work contract nears its end.
Sam Rockwell is sensational as the lonesome man in his highly automated intergalactic home. Moon was nominated for multiple awards and even received 3 and a half stars out of 4 from the one and only Roger Ebert.
8 Event Horizon Takes Full Advantage Of An Audience's Deepest Fears
Event Horizon is nightmare fuel for even for most enthusiastic fans of science fiction horror. Without giving too much of its mind-bending plot away, the film focuses on a space rescue crew as they search for signs of life on a vessel that has just returned from inside a black hole.
Laurence Fishburne, Joely Richardson, and Sam Neill star as some of the unlucky crew members. Although Event Horizon didn't perform well with critics, it has since gained status as a cult classic. Much to the delight of sci-fi fright fans, Amazon has allegedly ordered a TV series based on the film.
7 A.I. Artificial Intelligence Is Remarkably Both Depressing And Delightful
Steven Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence originally began in the hands of the legendary Stanley Kubrick. After the iconic director's passing in 1999, Spielberg focused his efforts on bringing this android adventure to the big screen.
The finished product is, unsurprisingly, a fascinating blend of Kubrick's bleak brilliance and Steven Spielberg's wholesome, uplifting delights. Haley Joel Osment stars as a childlike android with the unique ability to love. Both sad and soothing, it's almost impossible to shake the themes and ideas within A.I. after watching.
6 Solaris Is One Of The All-Time Great Thought Provokers
Often cited as one of cinema's greatest ever sci-fi movies, Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris is a deep dive into the emotional states of three members of a skeleton crew orbiting a fictional planet via a space station.
With far more focus on the human mind and just how dangerous it can be for its owner than futuristic tech or intergalactic adventures, Solaris may be a slow burn, but it certainly rewards an audience's patience. Tarkovsky's classic has influenced many future additions to the genre, including the likes of Inception and Event Horizon.
5 Total Recall Is A Mind-Bending Mission To Mars
For a fun slice of existential crisis-inducing sci-fi, look no further than the Arnold Schwarzenegger starring classic, Total Recall. Directed by genre great Paul Verhoeven, this 1990 sci-fi action flick poses far more serious questions than one might expect from an Arnie movie made during his peak as a trash-talking, box office behemoth.
Based on Philip K Dick's We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, Total Recall focuses on Schwarzenegger as Douglas Quaid and his mind-bending adventure on Mars. It's regarded as one of The Terminator stars' best-ever efforts, and one of cinema's greatest sci-fi movies.
4 2001: A Space Odyssey Is The Ultimate In Both Deep Space And Self Exploration
Stanley Kubrick's intergalactic masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey remains one of the most important and influential movies to ever grace screens. Even back in 1968, the American filmmaker was asking his audience to ponder evolution, artificial intelligence, mythology, and existentialism. The themes explored within 2001 may well be why the film received such a mixed response upon release.
Movie fans now know better, and Kubrick's space sensation is rightly held as an all-time great. This is one science fiction classic that asks far more questions than it answers.
3 The Truman Show May Cause Of A Fear Of Cameras In Modern Society
When viewed in 2022, The Truman Show was perhaps even more disturbing due to the presence of cameras seemingly everywhere within everyday life. However, even back in 1998, Peter Weir's picture had people doubting their own realities and even led to "The Truman Show delusion" becoming a recognized syndrome within psychiatry.
Inspired by a 1989 episode of The Twilight Zone, The Truman Show may not be traditional sci-fi, but it certainly explores a simulated reality that we as a society don't seem that far away from.
2 In The Mouth Of Madness Will Have You Questioning Your Sanity
One of the most underrated flicks to come from horror and sci-fi master John Carpenter, In The Mouth Madness masterfully blends reality and fiction through the eyes of Sam Neill's John Trent.
Neill gives one of his most affecting performances as an insurance investigator on the search for a missing horror writer. He's backed up by Julie Carmen, John Glover, and Hollywood icon Charlton Heston. In The Mouth of Madness is one of Carpenter's strangest, most disturbing, and thought-provoking pictures, and a must-see for anyone who enjoys their main characters with a loose grip on their sanity.
1 Interstellar Explores Our Significance And Place Among The Stars
Another science fiction masterpiece from Christopher Nolan, Interstellar takes many cues from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. The end result is a beautiful, emotional movie that similarly asks the viewer to ponder their place among the stars.
Both thrilling and thought-provoking, this flick starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway focuses on forces humanity knows little about. It also explores the concept of love and the part it plays in our existence with breathtaking scope and vision. Science fiction movies don't get more grandiose than Interstellar.