The Martian. Ex Machina. Mad Max: Fury Road. There have been many great works of science-fiction so far this year, and the best may yet be on the horizon. I haven’t met anyone who isn’t excited about Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It’s a pity we can’t hitch a ride on the DeLorean to see if what’s about to come is all it’s cracked up to be.
Fortunately for us, the past is a treasure trove for sci-fi geeks, and streaming services like HOOQ make it convenient and affordable to watch video content on demand, on just about any Android or iOS device. Today’s list includes 5 really good examples of speculative fiction you may not have heard of but should definitely see.
Starship Troopers (1997)
Set in a militaristic future, this big-screen adaptation of Robert Heinlein’s famous novel sees humans at war with a ruthless race of giant alien insects. While it may comeoff as nothing more than an entertaining gore-fest that keeps the body count high to some, Starship Troopers is deeper than it lets on through its plot; ultimately, it succeeds as a satire of war and race relations.
Unbreakable (2000)
M. Night Shyamalan and the superhero genre may seem an absurd, if unlikely, pairing, but this Bruce Willis-starring sci-fi drama is proof that you don’t need CGI grandeur and green screen to create a brilliant, genre-bending film. Unbreakable is regarded by many as Shyamalan’s finest work so far, and no less than Time magazine has named it one of the best superhero movies of all time.
This list includes 5 really good examples of speculative fiction you may not have heard of but should definitely see.
The Iron Giant (1999)
Based on the 1968 novel The Iron Man penned by Ted Hughes, this critically acclaimed piece of animated cinema tells the story of nine-year-old boy who befriends a giant robot from outer space. What follows is a predictable string of events in the vein of Spielberg’s E.T. It’s familiar territory, sure, but not the bad kind of familiar. I first saw the film when I was a teen, and seeing it again only confirmed how much I enjoyed it.
Contact (1997)
Jodie Foster stars in this Robert Zemeckis-directed science-fiction drama that explores the question: “What happens when humanity finally encounters extraterrestrial life?” Like most items on this list, Contact is a film adaptation of a novel of the same name. Foster plays the role of a scientist who comes across a possible alien message from the Vega star system and is subsequently chosen to make first contact.
Moon (2009)
Moon follows astronaut Sam Bell who is about to head home after spending three solitary years on the far side of the lunar surface mining Earth’s primary source of energy, his only companion an artificial intelligence. Weeks before his departure, he uncovers a secret: He is not alone.
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