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) ...

[Texas Eagle]

I can only watch sci-fi movies if these guys are there to explain it to me.

[RandallFlagg]

"My Lord."
"Stormtrooper."

[Teacher317]

There's a world of difference between complex storylines and poor movie-making. Kubrick's 2001 was a decent attempt at sharing the story, but he took a few of his revolutionary cinematographic concepts a bit too far, which hurt the film. I'm all for movies that don't spoon-feed an audience, but don't lose them either.

The recent movie "Lucy" did a great job of using the same concept, without overdoing it. As Scarlett Johansson is walking into the building as a reluctant courier, the movie quickly shifts to a scene of cheetah stalking an antelope. Emotional message conveyed. The predators are coming. They did about a dozen outtakes like this in the movie, most lasting a few seconds. Kubrick shoved it for almost 20 minutes straight at one point, and some of his images were not easy to read. (A fetus in space... the beginning of Life... got it... some of the others were much tougher.)

As for complex Sci-Fi, how about Dune? When it came out, I was working as a ticket-taker at the local theater, and we had to hand out multiple pages to help viewers to keep up with all of the concepts, politics, characters, and language.

[Popman]

I’m still traumatised by seeing #8 “The Fountain”

The most bizarre convoluted mind numbing piece of garbage movie I have ever seen...

Every person left the movie mad...

[wyowolf]

Agreed...i didn’t expect much...but it was pretty good

[mewzilla]

Signs , Metropolis, and any and all bug-eyed monster movies. And just for giggles, Night of the Lepus .

[xp38]

Agree. I saw it during my movie going phase where I sat through full movies giving them a chance. After Solaris I no longer did that. Of the other two I have seen....2001 is good visuals and that is about it and Banzai was a movie trying too hard to be cool. It just didn’t click for whatever reasons.

[Fhios]

10. Predestination (2014) ... Yes
9. The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976) ... No anti david bowie at the time.
8. The Fountain (2006) ... yes, didn’t like.
7. Coherence (2013) ... no
6. Upstream Color (2013) ... no
5. Primer (2004) ... yes, the quality was a turn off.
4. Inception (2010) ... yes, and excellent.
3. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension (1984) ... yes and good.
2. Solaris (1972) ... yes, and yes for the remake, good
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) ... yes, when I was a young teen. I love the blue danube.

[neverevergiveup]

“Nothing about the Alien prequels?”

I loved Alien when I first saw it as a kid, and watching it now it is still not dated. Whereas Alien was not ‘complex’, I just recently watched the prequels, and they were both well-done and made sense of the whole series of movies. I don't know if I'd call them complex, but they weren't superficial. Sometimes movies are ‘complex’ because they do a poor job of telling the story they're trying to tell.

[Gideon7]

Inception has 7 reality levels. From bottom to top: limbo, dream level 3, dream level 2, dream level 3, Cobb’s dream level (assuming the top kept spinning), the ‘real’ world (which we never saw), and the audience watching the film.

In the ending credits the film plays the kicker music, which tells tells the audience to stop watching the film and pick up their popcorn bags and go home.

[Malone LaVeigh]

This movie will blow your mind.

[KingLudd]

x2
Interstellar (2014) was pretty twisty.

I’ve seen it three times and I still can’t figure some of it out.

[Chode]

10. Predestination (2014) ... good movie, twists right up to the ending

9. The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976) ... different movie, don't even remember the plot now

8. The Fountain (2006) ... nix

7. Coherence (2013) ... nix

6. Upstream Color (2013) ... VERY different OK movie, very hard to understand

5. Primer (2004) ... nix

4. Inception (2010) ... OK

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

2. Solaris (1972) ... nix

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) ... well, what's to say

[discostu]

OK I gotta rewatch it now.

[BipolarBob]

Mars Needs Moms Andromeda Strain.

[ResponseAbility]

If you want complex try the movie Pi.

[Calvin Locke]

I’ve seen four, three at the theater when they came out - 1, 3, 9.

At least with #2, they didn’t use the Clooney remake, but stayed with the original Soviet version.

#3: If case you’re wondering, “What’s that watermelon doing there?”: The producer, who eventually took his own life, btw, was under contract to do the movie, and his disdain for the production was felt by the cast and crew, so, they decided to have a little fun.

I’ve heard of two of the others.

[Chode]

one of the few movies i have actually turned off

[cgbg]

I have watched Primer several times and still can’t keep up with the twists and turns.

You probably need a detailed flow chart after spending hours and hours taking notes.

But—still recommended.

[a fool in paradise]

2001 is an enigma, not “complex”. Profound without explanation.

The original idea was to have a film about going to the moon and discovering the monolith.

Instead they scrapped all of that and used that as the starting point.

And they had something like 5 or more endings. Some of which could not be filmed with the technology of the time but are quite possible with CGI of today.

They made it up as they went along.

Arthur C. Clarke wrote a book that includes much of the production material.