These past two and a half decades have been a big time for science
fiction cinema. From massive innovations and advancements in CG, through the
wholesale adoption of digital film technology, and into a time when many of the
traditional subjects of the genre have become a reality – electric
cars; AI; touchscreen devices in our pockets; adverts on every surface –
the landscape for this kind of filmmaking is so different to what it was back
in 1999.
Of course, that hasn’t stopped writers, directors and
studios from moving with the times, bringing films to fruition that posit the
future of future technology, that seek to entertain in new ways, that
rally against societal injustices, and that embrace the full scope and
scale of what’s possible on the big screen today. And, with so many great
sci-fi films to choose from, it’s hard to whittle them down to just twenty.
But whittle we must.
Here we take in the best of the genre’s offerings this
century, looking at the stories, the stars, the aesthetics, the big ideas, and
what makes these films so special. With just one entry from each director (so the
big daddies like Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve don’t dominate the list),
strap in for a top twenty that will push the boundaries of your excitement for sci-fi
cinema.
The 28 series returned in full glory last year, with Danny
Boyle-directed and Alex Garland-written 28 Years Later. The film shows us life
three decades on in a Britain quarantined to contain the Rage Virus that has
infected and killed the majority of the population – but it also tees up a
trilogy of new films, ending on a hefty cliffhanger.
While not as aesthetically accomplished as Danny Boyle’s
first entry, Nia DaCosta’s Bone Temple nonetheless beats 28 Years Later to this
spot by going farther with its characters and the actual science of the thing than
any film in this series has gone to date. Bone Temple follows Spike (Alfie
Williams) as he joins up with Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) and his gang
of Fingers, a sadistic crew of Jimmy Saville-styled sadists who kill and
torture anyone – infected or otherwise. Meanwhile, Dr Kelson (Ralph Fiennes),
experiments on infected alpha Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), doping him up and
attempting to connect with the humanity he’s convinced is still inside.
While the first film opened up this world and gave us a
potent Brexit metaphor in the process, Bone Temple affords us insights into the
infected’s mindset. It’s a horrifying piece of cinema, with the absolute worst
of humanity on show, and yet it’s one of the first “zombie” movies to show us
their perspective, and show that there might be a way back from the brink…