Out of this World

One of my favourite genres is Sci-fi. These films can be terrifying, or eye opening, made great by spectacular graphics and a lot of imagination. 

1. Moon; Duncan Jones Click here to see trailer

Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is looking forward to reuniting with his wife and young daughter after living on the moon for three years, working on a lunar mine. But as his time dwindles away he begins to suspect things are not as they seem, his health declines drastically and his robot friend Gertie (Kevin Spacey) begins acting strange. This film will have you guessing. 

2. Signs; M. Night Shyamalan Click here to see trailer

When mysterious crop circles begin appearing all over the world, farmer and ex-reverend Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) is forced to reconsider his views on the world when aliens begin to visit and torment the human race. This film is terrifying, well-paced and a little sad, and Mel Gibson works excellently with Joaquin Pheonix. 

3. Another Earth; Mike Cahill Click here to see trailer

Young woman Rhonda (Brit Marling) causes a serious car accident which kills a young mother and her child. She is released from prison amid big news of another earth, completely identical to our own, edging closer. She enters a competition to win a trip there, but is still plagued by guilt. She seeks out the husband (William Mapother) whose family she was responsible for killing, and inadvertently strikes up a relationship with him. This film is honest and a little depressing, but a lovely twist on the traditional sci-fi.

4. Prometheus; Ridley Scott Click here to see trailer

Scientists discover the link to the beginning of mankind, and send a team to explore the dangerous depths of the universe. Part of this team is couple Elizabeth (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie (Logan Marshall-Green), and A.I Robot, David (Michael Fassbender). The film starts as an intriguing debate between science and religion, and ends as a gory horror where the crew have to fight to survive. 

5. I, Robot; Alex Proyas Click here to see trailer

The year is 2035, and highly intelligent robots are mainstream within the home and community. When the robotics founder Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell) supposedly commits suicide, sceptic Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) believes one of the robots murdered him and sets out to prove it. With twist after twist, that Will Smith humour, and a conspiracy to decode, this movie had me on edge the whole time.

  

6. Interstellar; Christopher Nolan Click here to see trailer

This brilliant science fiction has it all. When Earth's future is doomed, NASA physicist Professor Brand (Michael Caine) puts together a team of researchers to hunt for a new planet to transport Earth's population to. Part of this team is father and ex-NASA astronaut, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), whose children fear that he may never return from this expedition. Time travel, ghosts, and twists - this movie is an epic for a reason. 

7. A.I Artificial Intelligence; Steven Spielberg Click here to see trailer

This is my go-to sci-fi favouite. Based on the creepy short story, Super-Toys Last All Summer Long, an astoundingly realistic robot boy David (Haley Joel Osment) is adopted by Monica (Frances O'Connor) and her husband, whose real son is in a coma. When their son wakes up unexpectedly, David begins to cause problems within the family and Monica must get rid of him. Yet she cannot bring herself to destroy the robot boy, and instead abandons him in the forest to discover for himself where he truly belongs. Although this movie is far too long, it is very curious. 

8. The Signal; William Eubank Click here to see trailer

When three college students track a mystery signal coming from a rival hacker in the middle of nowhere, they are stunned to wake up in a dark and horrible hospital being interviewed by a man (Lawrence Fishburne) in a space suit. This is one of those films you either love or hate - with a strange ending and many ambiguities.