Science fiction is, to me, that genre gift that keeps on giving. While it may not be as popular a genre when it comes to box office returns, streaming services are still greenlighting lots of new sci-fi projects. From standouts on Amazon Prime Video to Apple TV+’s lineup of predominantly sci-fi prestige shows, it’s a great time to get invested.
But there’s something about revisiting older sci-fi from when I was growing up that really speaks to that nostalgic part of my brain. Most of that output comes from the early to mid-2000s, an era of film that hasn’t aged all that well. Still, I have managed to find more than a few sci-fi offerings that have aged a little more gracefully than one might expect. Which is great, because a lot of these films have stuck with me well into adulthood.
Pitch Black
The sun will go out
I’ve always been a fan of the Chronicles of Riddick films, even the much-maligned eponymous movie. I will always root for original sci-fi to blossom into success, even if it’s not particularly brilliant. But the first film in this franchise, Pitch Black, still holds up well. The presence of perpetual night alongside otherworldly creatures is truly nightmare fuel, and the intelligently designed characters make it even better. It’s a sci-fi horror with a level of smarts that you rarely see.
It’s also one of Vin Diesel’s best performances as the anti-hero Riddick. Given that it’s a character he has gone back to many times since, you can tell just how dedicated he is to the role. The franchise has never quite reached the peaks of Pitch Black, but I’m always happy to revisit this world.
Pitch Black
- Release Date
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February 18, 2000
- Runtime
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109 minutes
Children of Men
Harrowing dystopian fiction
Not only is this still one of the best sci-fi movies to come out of the ’00s, but Children of Men is easily one of the best movies ever crafted. Director Alfonso Cuarón is at the height of his game here, with some of the most breathtaking shots in cinema. That one-shot chase sequence early on? It lives forever in my head rent-free. Plus, it helps that the slow decay of its dystopian world feels eerily prescient, a prediction of our modern existence.
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All of this is anchored by Clive Owen’s hauntingly restrained performance as the world-weary Theo, a man who reluctantly helps Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey), the first person to get pregnant in this fictional world in over 18 years. I’m still a little annoyed that he didn’t receive any major acting nominations, though I guess it’s not the flashy role that usually brings in the trophies. If you’ve been missing out on Children of Men somehow, now is the perfect time to revisit this amazing classic.
District 9
Aliens as literal immigrants
Like Children of Men, this is a movie that feels just as relevant to today’s world as it did when it was released in 2009. What if our first contact with aliens was not as an extremely advanced race that’s come to conquer us, but as sickly beings who come to us as something approaching immigrants? District 9 deals with that concept, as well as the horrific ways that humanity treats these aliens. One of those humans is Wikus (Sharlto Copley), who ends up becoming infected with a fluid that is slowly turning him into one of the alien “prawns.”
District 9 remains the crowning achievement for director Neill Blomkamp, who never quite reached the same success with his other films. But this one has aged so well. It’s a mirroring of real-world treatment of immigrants, and the othering they face is still soberingly effective as far as thematic elements go.
District 9
- Release Date
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August 5, 2009
- Runtime
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112 minutes
Wall-E
Still one of Pixar’s best
I never thought one of my favorite animated movies ever would feature a main character with barely any dialogue, but that’s the reality. Wall-E is an emotional, funny, haunting movie set in a future where humanity has fled a garbage-covered Earth for space. The eponymous Wall-E is a robot that cleans up garbage. Eventually, he finds himself on a spaceship, pursuing EVE, another robot that he has fallen in love with.
It’s a beautifully crafted film, filled with the wonder and creativity that Pixar has become synonymous with. The lack of Wall-E’s dialogue would seem like a hard sell for a movie targeted toward kids, but director Andrew Stanton makes it work thanks to his body language and general sweetness. It’s a character you can’t help but root for.
WALL·E
- Release Date
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June 22, 2008
- Runtime
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98 minutes
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Ben Burtt
WALL·E / M-O (voice)
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Elissa Knight
Eve (voice)
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Jeff Garlin
Captain (voice)
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Fred Willard
Shelby Forthright, BnL CEO
Even 2000s-era sci-fi had a lot to say about the modern world
I love older films that feel like they could be made today, and that’s kind of the route I took here. These four films are everything I look for in the genre: themes that transcend time, creativity, and a sense of wonder. These ’00s sci-fi films hit that mark greatly. I knew that I would still love them, but even I was surprised by how well they aged.
