If you’re a sci-fi film fan like me, you’ve probably already seen all of the big-hitters of the genre; Star Wars, Alien, The Matrix. You don’t need to fear running out of good-quality science-fiction films to watch, though, as there are a plethora of offerings that are fantastic but, for whatever reason, aren’t that widely-known today.
Here are five great lesser-known sci-fi films that you definitely need to kick back and watch this weekend. From understated time-travel stories to martial-arts in the nuclear wasteland, there is something to please everyone in this list.
1. Altered States
Released: 1980
Directed by: Ken Russell
Starring: William Hurt, Blair Brown, Bob Balaban.
What’s it about?
Edward Jessup is a psychopathologist interested in studying different states of consciousness, believing that these other states might be as real as our waking ones. He experiments with a range of different techniques such as sensory deprivation and hallucinatory drugs, and these experiments bring him to conclusions that might be more dangerous than he originally presumed.
Why should you watch it?
The visuals. When Jessup is in the titular altered states, he experiences hallucinations that can best be described as the lingering remembrance of a dream transferred into visual form. I haven’t experienced many other films that have visuals that have put me on edge as much as the ones in this film.
2. Coherence
Released: 2013
Directed by: James Ward Byrkit
Starring: Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendan, Lorene Scafaria
What’s it about?
A group of friends are gathered for a dinner party when a comet passes overhead. Instantly, strange things begin to happen, and it becomes clear that the reality that the group inhabits is no longer the only one with a version of them in it.
Why should you watch it?
I love anything that deals with the concept of multiple realities and doppelgangers. I find it both fascinating and terrifying, and this film does a good job of creating tension with its premise. The situation with the group of friends quickly devolves into one of suspicion and mistrust, and it’s a thrilling ride from start to finish.
3. Fist of the North Star
Released: 1986
Directed by: Toyoo Ashida
Starring: Akira Kamia, Yuriko Yamamoto, Kenji Utsumi
What’s it about?
The world has been destroyed in a nuclear apocalypse and everyone has to fight each other for the limited resources. The film follows Kenshiro, a deadly martial-arts master, on his journey to rescue his fiancée Yuria after she is taken by Kenshiro’s rival Shin.
Why should you watch it?
The world of Fist of the North star is really interesting, full of new characters and locations at every turn. It’s also a bit of a change of pace for the post-apocalyptic genre, which tends to feature lone-wanderers fighting off assailants with guns or just struggling to survive in ruined cities. They don’t usually end up absolutely jacked and getting into martial-arts fights every five minutes. The art style of this film is also a draw. I mean just … just look at it. See what I mean? It might be stretching it a little to rate this title as sci-fi, but based on the powers of the characters, I think it could fit in the genre (even if it’s just a little bit).
4. Cube
Released: 1997
Directed by: Vincenzo Natali
Starring: Nicole de Boer, Nicky Guadagni, David Hewlett, Andrew Miller
What’s it about?
A random group of strangers wake up imprisoned inside a giant metal complex. To escape, they must navigate through the cube’s cube-like rooms, being wary of both traps and each other.
Why should you watch it?
It’s a very simple concept but that simplicity makes it effective. We don’t know why these people are there, we don’t even know where they are and why the cube was built, but we don’t really need to. Everything just is. The whole idea of the cube itself is pretty frightening, and watching the survivors try to solve the puzzles and avoid the traps before time runs out is completely absorbing.
5. Safety Not Guaranteed
Released: 2012
Directed by: Colin Trevorrow
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson
What’s it about?
Based on a joke advertisement run in a 1997 newspaper wherein someone was seeking a companion to travel back in time with them, the film follows Darius Britt as she investigates the claims made in the advertisement and whether or not there may be some truth to them.
Why should you watch it?
Most sci-fi flicks featuring time-travel elements present them in a really bombastic way, where the characters have to go back in time to stop some future horrible event, or even cause some future horrible event with their time-travel. This film is different, and it’s refreshing. Here, the characters want to use time-travel for simple, personal reasons. They aren’t looking to save the world. They aren’t traveling to and fro in time in a tricked-out car from the 80s. Everything in this film is as understated as it can be.
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