The 10 Most Complex Sci-fi Movies of All Time

Taste of Cinema ^ | September 21, 2017 | Mike Gray

[EveningStar]

By its very nature, the sci-fi genre is relatively complex: the short stories, novels, TV series and films that comprise speculative fiction necessitate detailed expository passages to build its far-flung futures, reality-bending premises, and stories set in a galaxy far, far away.

Whether the story is set on an alien world populated by creatures markedly different from human beings, in a future separated by centuries or eons from the present in which society, technology, science, and civilization itself have evolved into a nearly unrecognizable state, or center around time or space travel, sci-fi stories require complex set-ups to create a believable reality that’s very different from our own.

Because of this, the sci-fi genre also allows for its stories to become quite complex. Time travel stories thrive on complexity while, depending on the story, other elements may be willfully obtuse to create an air of mystery or disorientation in the viewer–and some sci-fi stories are much more complex than others.

Here are 10 sci-fi films that are purposely complex ...

10. Predestination (2014) ...

9. The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976) ...

8. The Fountain (2006) ...

7. Coherence (2013) ...

6. Upstream Color (2013) ...

5. Primer (2004) ...

4. Inception (2010) ...

3. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension (1984) ...

2. Solaris (1972) ...

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) ...

[wastedyears]

Inception is literally about dreaming. I don’t know what criteria they use to lump it in with science fiction.

[ADemocratNoMore]

I bought the book when I was but a callow youth and tried to read it several times and never made it past the first page, or chapter. One day I picked it up after a few years of it sitting on the bookshelf and read all the way through. The original Dune movie was supposed to have been seven or eight hours long so a lot of stuff was cut. I think of the 1st Dune movie as a kind of visual Impressionism in the same sense as a Monet painting is not a perfect visual representation of reality but gives one a sense of being in the depiction of the reality none the less. The Si-Fi Dune was much more faithful to the book and well worth a look (would love to see either one in 4K).

I was also fortunate to have read 2001 ASO before it came out on film so I had a pretty good idea as to what was going on. I cut school, took a bus downtown and saw it in CinemaScope. Great movie.

Have not seen Interstellar yet but the soundtrack is pure epicness. Play it on your best audio gear and marvel !

[Reily]

I remember Iceman starring John Lone & William Hurt. Lone was the ancient Siberian & Hurt was the anthropologist.

[wastedyears]

Interstellar (2014) was pretty twisty.

I found Interstellar to be weird. It started not making sense toward the end.

[Skooz]

"Moon" with Sam Rockwell. - Astronaut stuff and semi-believable.

Excellent movie. Rockwell should have won an Oscar.

[KarlInOhio]

Robot Chicken's versions of Star Wars are the best things that have ever happened to the franchise.

What the hell is an aluminum falcon?

[ProtectOurFreedom]

“Inception” was SO complex that, at 20 minutes, I thought to myself “This mess MUST make sense at some point.” Then, at 40 minutes, I thought “Sheesh, it’s got to all come together somewhere.” Then, at 60 minutes, I thought “I need to get out of there. This is totally incomprehensible. Then, at 90 minutes, I went “Zzzzzzzz.”

Then, the lights came on.

[Sirius Lee]

John Lone and Timothy Hutton...that's the one.

[hanamizu]

Doctor Who

---

Especially the episode “Blink” with the Weeping Angels.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey. I got to see a remastered copy on a huge screen in a classic movie house in Hollywood. The crowd was perfectly silent. Truly magical. It moves like a slow but compelling symphony. The ending is still bizarre, but all of the technical details (e.g. the landing of the shuttle on the moon, the interior of the space station, etc.) were a marvel to behold

2. Solaris (1972): One of the best movies of all time. The ending was breathtaking. One of the most surprising yet sad endings. Lots to discuss philosophically about this one.

3. Buckaroo Bonzai: Lots of fun. Yoyodyne, etc.

4. Inception: Great movie. Great ambiguous ending. Beautifully filmed. Great acting. Exciting and philosophically challenging.

5. Primer: I've seen this twice and still haven't figured it out. Looks simple at first but is a very complex time travel tale.

6. Upstream Color: Tried to watch this, but it was so painful to see what happened to main characters at the beginning that I had to stop watching. I guess that means it's a good movie since I actually felt something for the characters which I normally don't for most movies these days.

7. Coherence: Haven't seen it. Sounds interesting.

8. The Fountain: Haven't seen it. I'm kind of an Aronofsky fan, but this seemed more like fantasy than sci-fi.

9. The Man Who Fell to Earth: Very much like 2001. It goes very slow but deliberately. Generally beautifully filmed and well acted, but the sad ending doesn't really feel as sad as it should.

10. Predestination: Haven't heard of this. Sounds like something I'd like.

[Reily]

Hutton and not Hurt ok... wrong on that one also!
Not doing well today on remembering old SciFi films.

[TomServo]

Yeah BB was funny too. Haven’t seen it in quite a few years.

[AceMineral]

I liked the conclusion where one of the last surviving characters touched the surface of the sun. Pretty neat.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

Looper has a hilarious take on the time travel paradoxes. The two main characters are in an all-night cafe after just meeting each other. Before the one guy can say anything, the other guy says something to the effect that if I tried to explain it to you we'd be here all night with straws pointing in all sorts of directions.

I still think that's the best way time travel was "explained" in a sci-fi movie.

[mewzilla]

LOL!

Also, Alien and Aliens. Best send up of the franchise, from Spaceballs.... John Hurt and a song and dance number

[DFG]

Star Trek V : The Final Frontier is not on the list. What a travesty! /s

[DFG]

Star Trek V : The Final Frontier is not on the list. What a travesty! /s

[catnipman]

“Ice Pirates”

I loved “Ice Pirates”; didn’t know that there was anyone else out there that had heard of this movie, much less seen it (AND liked it)!

[catnipman]

“Blade Runner?”

One of the very best scifi movies ever made - that and the original “Alien”. Oh, and “Brazil”!

[Tijeras_Slim]

Some of the old timers at White Sands NM, where some of it was filmed, still talk about Bowie being stoned on coke the entire time.