Year’s
Best SF Movies 2000-19
This is my listing of the 20 best SF movies of this
century, one from each year, so far... I might have seen a few better pictures
in the last two decades, but some of these choices have been re-watched several
times, so they deserve higher scores. Not all of these films are identifiable
as obvious genre classics because, occasionally, I chose a sci-fi adventure
with simply the least faults. However, this top 20 was selected with due
consideration for a balance of subgenre exemplars and a variety of themes,
while trying to avoid too many franchised sequels and remakes (like endless Star Wars and recycled Star Trek, etc), but also recognising
that, in Hollywood, at least, 21st century movies are clearly represented by
the Golden Age of Superhero Cinema - something that fully deserves to be
celebrated, and not just admitted with sneering reluctance by snooty critics.
Runners-up are listed in alphabetical order.
X-MEN (2000)
Bryan Singer’s mutants super-team adventure arrived just
in time for counter-acting the doom and gloom scenarios of chilling
millennial movies, and it boasted a fantastic summer blockbuster affect with a
mostly excellent, yet imperfect, cast, portraying various Marvel meta-humans
that remain popular in comics. Here we get keen examinations of prejudice and
intolerance filtered through a light-weight, yet boldly philosophical, vision
of a future populated by sceptics and believers with special abilities. Every
sequence of this confrontation has tightly focused interplay between the mutant
characters, who mainly avoid becoming stereotypes - espousing different
opinions about solutions to stubborn cultural and social problems. After a
paranoid US senator (Bruce Davison) - opposed by egotistical anarchist Magneto
(Ian McKellan) and peaceable educator Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) - dies,
the criminals of Magneto’s rebellious brotherhood head for inevitably violent
collision with uniformed responders from a ‘school for gifted youngsters’, clashing
with their dark rivals over what’s acceptable as morally-appropriate reaction
to oppression by the government. It really kick-started the superhero-cinema
boom, and so X-Men deserves full
recognition for its successful adaptation of Marvel comics in a live-action
movie about teamwork.
Runner-up SF movies of 2000:
Paul Verhoeven’s HOLLOW MAN
David Twohy’s PITCH BLACK
Antony Hoffman’s RED PLANET
A.I. - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (2001)
In the wake of Asimovian robot biography for Chris
Columbus’ charming The Bicentennial Man
(1999), Steven Spielberg delivered a different style of epic SF (derived from
Stanley Kubrick’s project to adapt a story by Brian Aldiss), infused with
typically playful fairy-tale elements often favoured by the director’s other genre
productions like Close Encounters Of The
Third Kind (1977), and E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial
(1982). After the android boy David (Haley Joel Osment), is adopted by kindly
parents as a surrogate son, he discovers he’s unwelcome at home when the human that
he has replaced awakens from cryogenic sleep. The noisy reverb of Pinocchio riffs often disturb this
movie’s sci-fi orchestrations, but it’s fascinating nevertheless to watch the
‘super-toy’ notions of Aldiss’ fiction turned into colourful visual effects,
including a nightmarish circus of mecha destruction. David is a suitably creepy
kid even after his programmed imprinting for ‘mommy’. The droid-bear minder
Teddy is the pivotal focus in domestic strife. It’s game over when David is
cruelly abandoned but campy toy-boy Gigolo Joe (Jude Law) befriends him and
there’s some 3D-style animation for Einstein-faced oracle Dr Know (voiced by
Robin Williams). Spielberg’s dramatic morality play is about loss of innocence,
a unique being yearning to be ‘normal’, and the anticipation of immortality for
sentient machines. Several mirrors, and distorted reflections, emphasise
Otherness while exploring human impulses to destroy whatever is artificial, in
violent reactions to the uncanny valley that only promise doomsday. With its
‘blue fairy’ messiah, the post-extinction closure, borrowing alien salvation
from Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey
(1968), is strangely comforting, albeit merely as a fatal lullaby.
Runner-up SF movies of 2001:
Mamoru Oshii’s AVALON
James Wong’s THE ONE
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s PULSE (aka: Kairo)
SIMONE (aka:
S1mOne, 2002)
Andrew Niccol’s satirical comedy about Hollywood stardom pre-empts
Kerry Conran’s cult creativity in Sky
Captain And The World Of Tomorrow (2004), a retro styled movie where
digital-animation work dominates live-action scenes. That interaction, between
virtuality and physical reality, is flipped when Simone - Simulation One
- concocts various sit-com routines around the creation of an entirely
fictional VR actress, programmed to achieve a unique stardom in movies without
ever actually being seen in public. Victor Taransky (Al Pacino) regrets
offending and losing his leading lady Nicola (Winona Ryder), but directing a
more compliant synthetic actress Simone (Rachel Roberts) salvages his career. Shades
of William Gibson’s novel, Idoru
(1996), haunt this media-celebrity scenario, while Niccol is analysing a
phenomenal status of open adulation found at the junction between human fame
and manufactured personality. A post-modern Pygmalion,
this anticipates the state of cinema today, where older performers are
magically rejuvenated by digital visuals and many live-action superhero movies
are only possible as convincing characters because of photo-real animation.
Runner-up SF movies of 2002:
Ellory Elkayem’s EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS
Steven Spielberg’s MINORITY REPORT
Steven Soderbergh’s SOLARIS
HULK (2003)
Ang Lee’s masterpiece remains the greatest superhero
epic. Yes, seriously! Getting a film director who’s best known for art-house
dramas to helm a highly commercial blockbuster was a daring approach, but all the
risks paid off, handsomely; resulting in the best film of the year, and its
decade. What Lee created was the first serious drama of its type, rich in
mutated genre themes and supremely iconic images, derived in part from the very
same influential mythological and literary sources which had obviously inspired
the comic-book original Hulk’s creators, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, back in 1962.
The singular tour de force blends sci-fi adventures, monster-movie traditions,
and miraculous wonders with bravura visuals. It remains far superior in every
way to unnecessary sequel/ unfortunate remake, or needless franchise-reboot The Incredible Hulk (2008), which I did
enjoy, but still think is rather unexciting, when it’s compared to Lee’s
instant classic. For a lot more comment, by me, explaining why HULK is the very best 21st century superhero
movie, so far, please read my book (HULK by Tony Lee).
Runner-up SF movies of 2003:
Jon Amiel’s THE CORE
The Wachowskis’ THE MATRIX RELOADED
Bryan Singer’s X-MEN 2 (aka: X2)
HELLBOY
(2004)
Superhero comics are the very best medium for combining
elements of science fiction and fantasy. Guillermo del Toro’s magnificently inventive
Hellboy offers startling proof, and,
like only a distinctive few big-screen adaptations (Hulk and The Dark Knight
are others), it delivers grander entertainment value and impressively scaled
verisimilitude, resulting in a dimensionally supreme version of established
narrative concerns that is arguably better than any source material. Much as I
admire del Toro’s Spanish fantasy productions like The Devil’s Backbone (2001), and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), I prefer the accomplished mix of quirky
humour and uncanny action that distinguishes Hellboy from the rest of recent superhero cinema, although Timur
Bekmambetov’s hugely appealing and imaginative Russian offerings, Night Watch (2004), and Day Watch (2007), explore similarly horrific
territories. For Hellboy, the
director continues the good work that he put into Blade II (2002), adds a doomed romance to the existing B.P.R.D. secret
agency, and darkly weird Otherness tropes, so this adventure delivers more levels
of madcap fun and winning pathos than either of those equally light-hearted,
but less interesting, Fantastic Four
(2005/ 2007) super-team movies. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) is also very good, and last year’s Hellboy remake delivers its fair share
of strange and gory horrors.
Runner-up SF movies of 2004:
Timur Bekmambetov’s NIGHT WATCH
Kerry Conran’s SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW
Sam Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN 2
V FOR VENDETTA
(2005)
The Wachowski siblings, creators of The Matrix (1999), adapted Alan Moore’s comic serial of anarchist
rebellion for this Orwellian thriller, very capably directed by James McTeigue,
so that it skilfully transcends merely political drama to find refreshing
shades of humanity in this destructive revolt against an oppressive British
state. Natalie Portman excels as an unlikely heroine, Hugo Weaving’s compelling
voice provides a focal point, while veteran John Hurt turns in a suitably electrifying
performance as the grotesque tyrant Sutter on TV screens. Skating through
grey-area minefields between terrorist and freedom-fighter, enigmatic V shifts
from romanticised kidnapping to anti-heroic mentorship, while captive Evey
follows his philosophical musings. Pulling together a mythical ‘Gunpowder Plot’
with references to The Phantom Of The
Opera and The Count Of Monte Cristo, this movie parallels - without much subtlety - various political and social criticisms
of 21st century government surveillance and inherent corruption, for shattering cultural effect, before a rousing
and spectacular climax that destroys the Parliament building in one of modern genre cinema’s
most violently cathartic set-pieces. Like a rallying cry designed to ward off any
encroaching menace of totalitarianism, this picture’s use of the iconic Guy
Fawkes mask has since become a symbol of protests everywhere.
Runner-up SF movies of 2005:
Karyn Kusama’s AEON FLUX
Tim Story’s FANTASTIC FOUR
Steven Spielberg’s WAR OF THE WORLDS
THE PRESTIGE
(2006)
Apart from the singular exception of the last ‘Wolverine’
movie, Logan (2017), I’m not a fan of
Hugh Jackman. However, in this costume drama about stage magicians, he’s quite
tolerable, while basking in the glowing performances from genuinely brilliant
actors like Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and Scarlett Johansson. Perhaps the
finest of this cast is David Bowie, as inventor Tesla, astonishing in a role
that improves with repeat viewings. As this period mystery’s plot, based on a
novel by Christopher Priest, unfolds gradually, and the damning secrets of a
miraculously theatrical illusion is revealed, tension builds up to an eerie finale
of ultimate horror. Watch closely and trust nobody, as every trick’s ‘pledge’ means
pretence, and turns for cheating death offer the what, when, where, and how, of
a whodunit, disguised by unlucky encounters and the judgement of obsessively
deceitful rivals for unwavering commitment. Subverting truth, whatever the tragic
cost may be, The Prestige is a foolproof
entertainment, whether you choose to believe in the magic of movies, or not.
Runner-up SF movies of 2006:
Alfonso Cuaron’s CHILDREN OF MEN
Bryan Singer’s SUPERMAN RETURNS
Brett Ratner’s X-MEN: THE LAST STAND
SUNSHINE
(2007)
Giant spaceship Icarus II is on a vital mission: to
launch a nuclear payload into the faded Sun, and revive it. Danny Boyle directs
a uniformly excellent international cast, including Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne,
Chris Evans, and Michelle Yeoh, with a concern for veracity in details of
astronomy and physics. Despite its borrowings from John Carpenter’s Dark Star (1974), Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979), and Peter Hyams’ 2010 (1984), this stylish offering is undeniably
spectacular with space-suit scenes for its urgent repairs to radiation
shielding, but fires still damage the ship and the sunlight, in such close
proximity, is just as deadly. Metaphorically, it’s a descent into hell, with
all of the psychological dissonance and chaos that such a fall from grace might
provoke. Considering this interpretation, aspects of the movie’s absurdly dramatic
conclusion, when its plot slides off-beam as a slasher in space, to reference
gothic horror in Event Horizon (1997),
and Walter Hill’s disowned Supernova
(2000), actually make good sense; so it’s killing spree is not a totally
inappropriate twist. Everything that could possibly go wrong here does so,
crazily, and with maximum shocks for a climactic impact, especially when
maniacal villain Pinbacker (Mark Strong) claims he has spoken to his god, as if
he really means the devil. Curiously, almost all of this British production’s
stars later appeared in superhero movies, as if SF provides the credibility of ‘previous
experience’ that is formally required to play comic-book characters.
Runner-up SF movies of 2007:
Hitoshi Matsumoto’s BIG MAN JAPAN
Tim Story’s FANTASTIC 4: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
Nacho Vigalondo’s TIMECRIMES
THE DARK KNIGHT
(2008)
Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, including Batman Begins (2005), astonishingly re-works
the familiar caped vigilante from DC comics and movies, and finally banishes
the 1960s’ TV legacy of Adam West’s camp crusader that’s held back this
variable franchise from any serious attempts at delivering crime drama or urban
action. Basically, it is the creative difference between comedy-adventure and
realistic thriller. For me, superhero movies are always at their best when the
film-makers treat the original material quite seriously. The Dark Knight
delivers a blend of superbly performed characters and livewire practical
confrontations between terrorist-psycho the Joker (Heath Ledger, achieving a
legendary status), and Christian Bale’s masked thuggish champion. Its dynamic action
eclipses all from recent James Bond, or Jason Bourne, and Jack Bauer, put
together, and it presents fans with a new benchmark in big-screen heroism,
intended for a mature audience.
Runner-up SF movies for 2008:
Scott Derrickson’s THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL
Louis Leterrier’s THE INCREDIBLE HULK
Jon Favreau’s IRON MAN
WATCHMEN
(2009)
Before its dazzling title sequence, this movie about
conflicts between superheroes begins with a brutal murder. This marks a serious
approach to its material, based on the comics by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons,
and Watchmen is virtuoso film-making
as Zack Snyder continued to hone creative techniques, blending graphic realism
with stylised artistry, as he’d done on remake, Dawn Of The Dead (2004), and Spartan epic, 300 (2006). As each of the main characters are introduced there are
shifts in tone, from urban crime drama to weird sci-fi and back again, and so
the movie’s narrative spans various genres, just as its generational story
pulls together the compelling and concise alternative history that sets this movie’s
milieu apart from all the imaginary cities of DCEU, presages developments of
the convoluted timeline for the MCU, and also foreshadows those unexpected prequels
of the X-Men franchise. Watchmen’s most important role, today,
as a pivotal picture in this century’s superhero-cinema boom is unquestionable.
No matter which edition you might see - theatrical, director’s cut, or ultimate
version - it’s a genuine classic.
Runner-up SF movies of 2009:
James Cameron’s AVATAR
Ivan Engler and Ralph Etter’s CARGO
Neill Blomkamp’s DISTRICT 9
INCEPTION
(2010)
Writers might often be asked: ‘Where do you get your
ideas?’ A poem by Edgar Allan Poe suggested “All that we see or seem/ Is but a
dream within a dream.” Perhaps the dream-dimension of imagination is the
primary source of everything. Rightly acclaimed as one of this century’s best science
fiction creations from Hollywood’s dream factory, Christopher Nolan’s superbly
intricate action-thriller follows its extra-legal characters ‘down’ through stream-of-consciousness
narrative episodes into various levels of lucid dreaming to steal information
or implant ideas. With generic virtual-reality links back to The Matrix (1999), and Dreamscape (1984), node-spotting, plus the
illusions of sensory experiences etched into popular cyberpunk imaginations
ever since Brainstorm (1983), Strange Days (1995), and Existenz (aka: eXistenZ, 1999), this compelling psycho-mystery noir mines a variety
of surrealist influences, including Cocteau’s avant-garde Orpheus (1950), amidst a range of sources and for exhilarating
visuals, whose impact was re-deployed for Doctor Strange (2016). Following the advent of virtuality movie-production techniques, Inception might also be appreciated as a
witty metaphor about many potential cinematic head-space entertainments to come, not
to mention cyber-lifestyles of the near future.
Runner-up SF movies of 2010:
Jon Favreau’s IRON MAN 2
Strause brothers’ SKYLINE
THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU (2011)
‘Opposites attract’ is a characteristic plot in rom-com
pictures. For any sci-fi romance, it becomes absolute certainty, whether story
conclusions mean ‘true love conquers all’, or not. Based upon a short story by
Philip K. Dick, George Nolfi’s commercially savvy, but nonetheless engaging,
New York thriller stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. Mysterious agents of
planned destiny struggle to keep sincere politician Norris from encounters with
a wonderful dream-girl, but even threats of psychic lobotomy by meddling
adjusters fail to deter his pursuit of Elise. When sinister fate collides with
free will, generating ripples that affect hidden structures in human reality,
obsession vies with ambition for impulse control. Secret knowledge is a core
trope in sci-fi drama (“..he’s got a hat. He’s in the substrate!”), yet even
Alex Proyas’ apocalyptic Knowing
(2009), never captured all the uniquely challenging defiance of TAB, a metaphor for interventionism and
recalibration practiced by uncanny micro-management, who aren’t like restorative
fixers Sapphire & Steel. Instead, they represent the fallacy of a
benevolent dictatorship. Although quasi-religious overtones are, thankfully, minimised,
faint echoes of cult-movies like Dark
City (1998), witty Twilight Zone TV
episode A Matter Of Minutes (1986),
and, of course, The Matrix trilogy,
are present like tick-box accreditations in cosmological background noise.
Runner-up SF movies of 2011:
Joe Johnston’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER
Kenneth Branagh’s THOR
Matthew Vaughn’s X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE (aka: The Avengers, 2012)
‘And there came a day, unlike any other...’ Despite its
episodic tale of super-villainy and extraterrestrial invasion, Joss Whedon
tackles this grandiose franchise project seriously, but makes it fun. Avengers Assemble suffers only mildly
from the impositions of blatant check-list filmmaking, with iconographies of
cheesy political simplifications to fantastical combat spectacle manipulated
into self-reflexive coherence by philosophical determinism. There is a
concerted effort to blend together various canonical elements, originated by a
host of comicbook writers (from Stan Lee, and Roy Thomas, to Mark Millar), although
not all decades of Avengers lore,
mined for this compressed take on their classic origin story, are served well
by Whedon’s insistence upon irreverent references. Packed with highbrow versus
lowbrow dialogues, while generalised culture-clash motifs, of past/ future,
human/ alien, politics/ morality, are extended even into its eclectic
soundtrack, where Schubert is rudely interrupted by AC/DC, this astutely confident
melting-pot builds up a considerable narrative momentum when it aimed to be the
greatest team-up event in screen history.
Runner-up SF movies of 2012:
Pete Travis’ DREDD
Andrew Stanton’s JOHN CARTER
Ridley Scott’s PROMETHEUS
GRAVITY
(2013)
Previously, Alfonso Cuaron directed grimly dystopian
actioner, Children Of Men (2006), but
this frequently astonishing space thriller looks even better. Sandra Bullock
gives a stand-out performance as the astronaut trying to get back home after
disaster in orbit. With visual effects never less than utterly convincing, this
offers extraordinary spectacle like a NASA documentary gone horribly wrong, so
edge-of-seat, nail-biting tensions are guaranteed. Unless you care nothing for
people, and the world where we all live, Gravity
is a richly composed story of survival against crushing odds, with danger and
misfortune at every twist and turn, and enough heroic intelligence and great
courage, in a terrifying adversity, to overcome any problem. Scary but
inventive and inspiring, this benefits from making rapidly-ageing George
Clooney its sideshow attraction, with a staunchly feminist appeal that is never
once annoying - as Bullock can sometimes be in weaker movies.
Runner-up SF movies of 2013:
Shane Black’s IRON MAN 3
Zack Snyder’s MAN OF STEEL
Guillermo del Toro’s PACIFIC RIM
X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (2014)
Splicing Terminator and Trancers into Marvel’s mutant lore,
Bryan Singer returns to this franchise he started in 2000, almost effortlessly
folding up Matthew Vaughn’s enjoyable prequel X-Men: First Class (2011), into sync with X-Men, and X-Men 2 (aka: X2, 2003), while combining mature and
young versions of reckless Magneto and competent Prof. X, into canon-shattering
ret-con, where the established timeline of devolutionary tragedy in Brett
Ratner’s X-Men: The Last Stand (2006),
is briskly shunted aside in favour of bright hopes, eventually presented here as
utopian futurism. While speedster Quicksilver’s raid on the Pentagon, and
Magneto’s levitation of a stadium to blockade the corrupted White House,
deserve first and second prizes for set-piece spectaculars, the complicated,
never confusing, plot flashes through acid-testing eras, for a climactic
leveraging by moralistic influencers that changes X-chronology for the better.
Following rebooted Spider-Man and Superman movies, here’s a multi-layered
treatment specially formulated for comics fans who revel in diversity, playing
chicken-and-egg with its character-building moments, and recursive imagery.
Does time-travel really heal wounds of the psyche? Will this epilogue’s resurrections
withstand closer scrutiny, or is any generic paradox-clause acceptable, as a simplistic
hand-waving excuse for feel-good closure, because it offers a fuzzy deliverance
from intolerance so anything-is-permitted results are welcome after so much
persecution angst?
Runner-up SF movies of 2014:
Anthony and Joe Russo’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER
SOLDIER
Doug Liman’s EDGE OF TOMORROW
Luc Besson’s LUCY
THE MARTIAN
(2015)
Without any aliens or sinister elemental forces, Ridley
Scott’s spacesuit movie is a kind of revisionist Robinson Crusoe On Mars (1964), mixed with Ron Howard’s Apollo 13 (1995). An enthralling story
of survival and endurance, it’s about the Right Stuff, and reckless yet sanely innovative
rocket science. Stranded on Mars alone, Mark Watney (Matt Damon), is believed
dead by his crewmates, evacuated to avoid a storm. The Martian is a fascinating hard-SF drama of laudable optimism, yet
just as confrontational in its sombre aspects of loneliness and mortality as it
is an escapist adventure. Notwithstanding its NASA and JPL recruiting-poster
traits, here’s a visionary director’s presentation of problem-solving by a superb
ensemble cast, that includes Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain, Sean Bean,
Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Kate Mara, who all exude professionalism, and/ or
enthusiasm, in key roles, while the movie’s routinely spectacular planet-scapes,
of magnificent scale, conjure up a sense of wonder, despite the title character’s
isolation and potentially deadly troubles on a daily basis. Against the grain
of today’s genre cinema, where Star Trek
and Star Wars movies form the nominal
model for space opera, The Martian is
exemplary, with happily unobtrusive tributes to sci-fi milestones: Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, Scott’s own Alien, Robert Zemeckis’ Contact (1997), and Hollywood’s version
of Solaris (2002). What shines
through even brighter is hopeful Clarkean futurism mixed with the can-do
attitude of Heinlein’s archetypal ‘competent man’ for an admirably
peak-performance protagonist, a man who seemingly believes that ‘specialisation
is for insects’. Watney embodies ‘true grit’ and lacks sentimentality while
revelling in humorous asides boosting an impressively heroic story of
determination, fighting against despair. With thrills and in-jokes outdoing even
Gravity, it’s the best space movie,
in our familiar Solar system, since Peter Hyams’ classic 2010 (1984). If only the real world were as glorious as science
fictional creations! The extended edition adds ten minutes, and every moment of
this movie is something to be treasured.
Runner-up SF movies of 2015:
Joss Whedon’s AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
Alex Garland’s EX MACHINA
George Miller’s MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016)
Zack Snyder’s follow-up to Man Of Steel (2013) is an outstanding example of how taking
comic-book superheroes very seriously can result in screen-entertainment
breakthroughs that establish new benchmarks for this often maligned subgenre of
SF-fantasy movies. It boasts action inspired by Frank Miller’s seminal The Dark Knight Returns (1986), but BvS is far greater than just one comic
series, and its extraordinary commentary on vigilantes, heroism, meta-human politics,
and corporate corruption - as represented by Lex Luthor - in a showdown with social
conscience, makes for interpersonal and inter-city conflict that becomes darkly
weird before a conclusion of mythical proportions. Introducing Gal Godot as
DCEU’s imperfect Wonder Woman, is this project’s finest achievement in a
challenging scenario of scathing character-based humour, suicidal tragedy, and
electrifying thrills for the final act’s heroes-versus-monster spectacle.
Runner-up SF movies of 2016:
Denis Villeneuve’s ARRIVAL
Anthony and Joe Russo’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
GHOST IN THE SHELL (2017)
After several animated movies and TV serials based on
Japanese comics, this cyberpunk franchise was adapted into a live-action movie
starring Scarlett Johansson, with Takeshi Kitano and Juliette Binoche as top
supporting players, directed by Rupert Sanders. GITS is set in the Asian megalopolis, a dystopian realm where
mostly-robotic super-cop Major Killian investigates terrorists while also
uncovering the dark secrets of her own forgotten past. Johansson turns in a good
performance as the stoic Major, a coolly violent operator in an urban jungle of
hacked tech, broken minds, and ubiquitous corporate criminality. It offers a
truly chilling alternative to Denis Villeneuve’s sadly overlong sequel Blade Runner 2049, where human virtues
struggle to maintain their survival alongside the omnipresent wholly intrusive
systems of control and exploitation. GITS
also benefits from much better action sequences than its genre rival and,
unlike BR 2049, it doesn’t wallow in
trivial sci-fi minutiae. With brisk character development, GITS hauls the elements of its comic-book SF-horror source into a
milieu every bit as polished and stylish, but manages to avoid the
too-leisurely pace that makes Villeneuve’s movie feel like a sadly numbing
experience of cyber-futurism when compared to Ridley Scott’s masterwork.
Admittedly, the differences in quality between GITS and BR 2047 are only
slight, and this movie wears its influences (that include Scott’s BR) somewhat openly - but it has sharper
pitch and vigorous tempo, which feels like intelligent rock ‘n’ roll weighed up
against strait-laced classical music. My choice is a preference for movies
without pretension, not the result of a song contest.
Runner-up SF movies of 2017:
Denis Villeneuve’s BLADE RUNNER 2049
Zack Snyder’s JUSTICE LEAGUE
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018)
Dread him, run from him... Thanos arrives, at last... The
Russo brothers draw together most MCU threads, from cosmic to earth-bound,
developing these disparate strands of science / magic (Iron Man, Doctor
Strange), human / alien (Black Widow, Groot), meta-human / android (Captain
America, Vision), and youth / immortal (Spider-Man, Thor), for fighting the
space tyrant’s quest for six gems of ultimate power. With cosmic
adventures, unlikely team-ups,
battlefield heroics, fugitives and romantics, surprise attacks and siege prep,
here the Avengers’ milieu explodes from international to interstellar, when
invaders strike at heart-lands and boggle minds in locations from Knowhere to
Wakanda. Although sometimes troubled by random quips or jokey attitudes by
actors falling out-of-character for gratuitous improv, this glorious
culmination of Marvel’s decade-long assemblage of an extended cast serves up
impressively staged, yet often winningly informal, set-pieces on monumental
scales. For its grim finale, there’s a fearlessly heavy and brutally emotional
knockout blow of such intensity that this movie’s closing twist really makes the
downbeat ending of Irvin Kershner’s The
Empire Strikes Back (1980) feel like
a summer holiday.
Runner-up SF movies of 2018:
Alex Garland’s ANNIHILATION
Peyton Reed’s ANT-MAN AND THE WASP
Steven Spielberg’s READY PLAYER ONE
CAPTAIN MARVEL
(2019)
This sci-fi actioner repackages everything that was good about
superhero movies Green Lantern (2011),
and Wonder Woman (2019), but lacks any
of their worst faults. Written by co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, this
origin tale about space warrior Captain Marvel is derived from various elements
of comics by Roy Thomas. Brie Larson is great fun as test-pilot Carol Danvers,
who gains cosmic powers and saves the world from war between alien races. Set in
the 1990s, it’s a cleverly effective prequel to several movies in the MCU
franchise, including Avengers Assemble
and Avengers: Endgame. Telling its
own tale of secret history, hidden agendas, unforgiveable betrayals, and
explorations of genre themes from UFOlogy to star cops, Captain Marvel offers feminist perspectives on superhero cinema that
blends its socio-political relevance of Kree military hunting Skrull refugees
with a tragicomic style. It’s clearly influenced by far weaker MCU pictures,
like Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014),
and Thor: Ragnarok (2017), but
without sacrificing its human drama in favour of the blithely absurd farce
adopted by those previous attempts at generating a successful formula in this
franchise of comic-book adaptations. Larson’s mindful portrayal is a super-heroine
with a human heart. She’s not a killer, a monster, a demi-god, or a genius. The
MCU looks much safer in Carol’s hands.
Runner-up SF movies of 2019:
Robert Rodriguez’s ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL
Anthony and Joe Russo’s AVENGERS: ENDGAME
Simon Kinberg’s X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX
