The new millennium has seen some huge advances in science fiction cinema, the most notable of which is the special effects and camera technology used in Avatar. But some lower scale, sci-fi films didn't get the respect they deserve. The following five movies warrant fan reconsideration.
The Island: Director - Michael Bay; Cast - Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Sean Bean
Sometimes, Michael Bay kills movies (e.g., Pearl Harbor, Transformers 2). For 2005's The Island, however, Bay takes an unwarranted beating. Considered unsuccessful due to its paltry, $36 million return, The Island got mixed reviews — many criticized it as derivative of other science fiction works. Despite this controversy, The Island is one of the best sci-fi films of the 21st Century, combining original and "borrowed" concepts to create a high impact, flawlessly directed movie.
In a future where the wealthy clone themselves for organ farming purposes, one clone (Ewan McGregor) realizes the reason for his existence. He escapes his manufactured, sub-surface environment, bringing another clone (Scarlett Johansson) with him. Together, they must find a new life, constantly running from the forces that pursue them.
McGregor and Johansson lead a talented supporting cast featuring Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Steve Buscemi. Each actor brings their A-game, giving depth and conflict to clone and human characters alike.
Donnie Darko: Director - Richard Kelly; Cast - Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Patrick Swayze
2001's Donnie Darko is adored by its cult following, even if half the people who've seen the film don't get it. This is not a criticism — the film is so weirdly unique, confounding, inconsistent, and surreal that "getting it" would take a warped understanding of physics, aviation, time travel, and evil rabbits. If painter Salvador Dali had a nightmare and depicted its visual landscape through film, Donnie Darko might be the result. In essence, Darko is as out there as good science fiction cinema should always dare to be.
Donnie Darko's plot involves what its director, Richard Kelly, describes (in DVD extras) as "tangent universes" (think diverging time lines). When Donnie (Gyllenhaal) is saved from death by falling plane engine by a man in a menacing rabbit costume that only Donnie can see, his life and the lives of those around him meet with a series of unfortunate events, minus Jim Carrey. Donnie must set the universe right before it all falls apart.
If one over-thought Darko's plot, his brain might shut down. Still, the film is visually wonderful and disturbing, and the playing out of its concept is uniquely perfect. Donnie Darko is a must see. Its 2009 sequel, S. Darko, is not.
The Time Machine: Director - Simon Wells; Cast - Guy Pearce, Samantha Mumba, Jeremy Irons
Sometimes simple isn't a bad thing. 2002's The Time Machine is a testament to power within simplicity.
An underrated film starring an underrated actor, The Time Machine finds its source in H. G. Wells' classic novel of the same name. Guy Pearce is exceptional as Dr. Alexander Hartdegen, a brilliant scientist whose lover, Emma, is tragically murdered. With her death, Hartdegen loses himself. He devotes his time to inventing a time machine in hopes of saving Emma. He succeeds in the former but cannot affect the latter; each time he prevents Emma's death, she is killed in some other way.
The search for answers leads him into the future. While escaping a catastrophe, Hartdegen is knocked unconscious while operating his machine. He travels hundreds of thousands of years into the future, waking up in a more primitive Earth. Ironically, it is exactly where he needs to find that which he seeks.
The Time Machine is as much an introspective film as it is a well-crafted science fiction tale. It is as good if not better than 1960's The Time Machine, portraying a hero worthy of today's audiences.
Slither: Director - James Gunn; Cast - Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Rooker
2006's Slither likely makes many sci-fi/horror fans' top ten lists of most disgusting films. The film served as the brilliant yet unappreciated return of campy horror. Maybe it was its lack of big names or its gross-out selling points that turned potential viewers away. Whatever the reason, those viewers should give Slither another look.
Slither stars Nathan Fillion as a small town sheriff whose townsfolk are taken over by thick, bulbous slug-like alien parasites. Controlled by the alien organism's original host turned ugly monster (Michael Rooker), the slugs slide down people's throats and add them to the monster's Borg-like collective. As the alien spreads its dominion, its human host tries to win back his wife (Elizabeth Banks), attempting to seduce her while in mutated form to a cheesy Air Supply soundtrack.
For fans of films like Evil Dead 2, Drag Me to Hell, and Idle Hands, Slither goes down quite smoothly. Just don't try to eat afterward.
The 6th Day: Director - Roger Spottiswoode; Cast - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tony Goldwyn
Cloning is a popular modern-day science fiction film theme. The 2000 Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle, The 6th Day, tackles the slippery slope arguments for and against cloning in a full throttle, action-science fiction blockbuster... without the blockbuster status.
Schwarzenegger stars as a pilot who is cloned to cover up his and his client's, a cloning giant (Tony Goldwyn), murders. The only problem — Schwarzenegger took a day off, and it was his co-worker that took the bullet instead. Unlike in The Island, where McGregor and his clone are adversaries, Schwarzenegger teams up with his to take on the bad guys.
According to the consensus on Rottontomatoes.com, The 6th Day has an intriguing premise but is too formulaic in its execution. Agreed. It is formulaic, but the formula is used for a reason. It doesn't always work, but with The 6th Day, the entertainment is in the ideas expressed, the dual Arnolds, and the action, not the predictable storyline.
For some underrated science fiction from the 1980s and 1990s, see "80s Forgotten & Underrated Science Fiction Films" and "90s Forgotten & Underrated Science Fiction Films."
Jason Parent - Jason Parent earned his Bachelor's Degree in English in 2000 and his Juris Doctorate in 2006. He currently works as an attorney with a ...
