Calvin's Canadian Cave of Coolness: 15 Best Sci-Fi Movies On Netflix

Sunday, May 13, 2018

15 Best Sci-Fi Movies On Netflix

I liked this list and the bottom three get my personal recommendation. Rogue One and Moon are also great. The only one I hadn't seen was April and the Extraordinary World. They had me at talking cat.

In an alternate version of 1941 where France has been led by a line of Napoleons and leading scientists mysteriously disappear, young April, her talking cat Darwin, and the shady Julius go searching for April’s missing parents. It’s an interesting take on a history where technological advancement isn’t a thing, where “steampunk” is reality and TVs and cars don’t exist. April’s journey starts in the dreary, stuck-out-of-time France but leads her to fantastical advancements that still make sense in the world we’re presented with. The heart of the film lies in the love that plucky, stubborn April has for those she cares about, and the film’s driven by charming animation and a genuinely interesting concept. It’s enjoyable action that’s just out-there enough for adults while being accessible for the young and young at heart.

1. Metropolis

Méliès may have been the first one to break ground on sci-fi, but German master Fritz Lang was the first to realize the genre’s full potential for visual grandeur and covert commentary. With a scale as grand as the countless blockbusters it inspired (this film’s disciples span from George Lucas to Lady Gaga), Lang weaves an epic tapestry of have-nots laboring under a tyrannical society of haves, his proletarian leanings on full display. A dazzling mashup of biblical allusions, Art Deco influences, Gothic architecture, and cinematic trickery, this film is a testament to the magnificent potential of the movies. That Lang was able to assemble such a sophisticated, technically impressive feat of craft so early in the film medium’s nascency is less like the discovery of fire, and more like a Neanderthal inventing an iPod.

2. Donnie Darko (2001)

A flop in 2001 that became a cult hit, Richard Kelly’s debut stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a kid in ‘80s Virginia haunted by… something. He sees visions of the end of the world and a man in a scary rabbit costume, but the deeper he plunges into the mystery, the closer he comes to realize that he might be at the heart of it. The mechanics of the sci-fi mechanics of the film have been picked to death by its fans partly explained by Kelly’s subsequently released, and not as effective, director’s cut. But its real strength comes from its unnerving atmosphere and doom-laden romantic tone.

13. Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow (2004)

This isn’t the top-to-bottom best film on this list. But director Kerry Conran’s CG-intensive tale of an alternate World War II with giant robots and other wonders ripped from the imaginations of early 20th-century pulp fiction deserves a second look. Ahead of its time in 2004, its artfully artificial approach to special effects didn’t draw in that many viewers. But the film’s a lot of fun for reasons beyond its visuals, including gee-whiz performances from Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie’s work as a high-flying, eyepatch-sporting heroine.

While watching this trailer the person I saw it with turned to me and said, "That's what it's like in your head all the time, isn't it?" It was the greatest thing anyone had ever said to me.