While fast-paced action can be incredibly enjoyable, there’s a lot to be said for a slow-burnsci-fi moviethat takes its time to reveal its true nature. By allowing the space for atmosphere and complexity to grow and breathe, sci-fi stories can become all the more thought-provoking and philosophically rich when they don’t underestimate the audience and allow for events to occur naturally without the need for endless explosions, chases, or blockbuster movie spectacles. A slower-paced sci-fi film allows for tension to build and the characters' motivations to reveal themselves.
Some of thegreatest sci-fi movies ever maderan at a slower pace and rewarded viewers' patience with meaningful revelations. By focusing on characters over pure, mindless entertainment or giving room for striking visuals and a sense of discovery within the movie’s world, sci-fi stories can go from being merely good to truly great. Some of the mostepic sci-fi moviesever released wereslow-burn triumphs exploring deep existential themes like searching for meaning in an unknowableuniverse or the probing humanity at the heart of technological advancement.
The Man Who Fell to Earth
Cast
The Man Who Fell to Earth is a sci-fi movie where David Bowie stars as an alien who comes to find a way to save his dying planet, but uses his advanced knowledge to create a global business empire and eventually loses sight of his original mission. A 2022 TV series starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Bill Nighy continued the story of the 1976 film.
The Man Who Fell to Earthstarred glam rock icon David Bowiein the role he was born to play as the humanoid alien Thomas Jerome Newton coming to Earth to seek water for his drought-ridden planet. However, much like Bowie himself during the 1970s, Newton found himself at the mercy of human vices as the allure of alcohol, drugs, and sex corrupted him. As a slow-moving sci-fi with more to do with the complexities of human desire than thrilling action sequences, the surreal imagery of this cult classic made it stand out as amongBowie’s best movies.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
A.I. Artificial Intelligence is a science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg, featuring a robotic boy named David who is programmed to love. Adopted by a Cybertronics employee and his wife, David faces unexpected challenges that threaten his place in their family.
Steven Spielberg stepped in to finish his friend and contemporaryStanley Kubrick’s long-planned sci-fi movieA.I. Artificial Intelligence. As a sci-fi reimagining ofPinocchio,A.I.was based on the 1969 short story “Supertoys Last All Summer Long” by Brian Aldiss and told the story of a childlike android who longs for the affection and adoration of his deceased loving mother. With themes around grief, technology, and machines' capacity for emotion,A.I.has only become more relevant in the decades since it was released.
Under the Skin
Under the Skin is a sci-fi thriller directed by Jonathan Glazer and starring Scarlett Johansson. Johansson plays “The Female,” an alien from another world that hunts men in Scotland. Despite receiving high praise upon release, Under the Skin was a box office bomb, only making a little over half of its budget.
Those who like their sci-fi movies fast-paced with traditional narratives should look elsewhere, asUnder the Skinwas among the most unconventional sci-fi movies of the 21st century. Starring Scarlett Johansson as a shapeshifting alien who lures unsuspecting men to their demise in the Scottish countryside,Under the Skinwas a deeply atmospheric film made all the more effective through Mica Levi’s ethereal and otherworldly score. Widely regarded as a modern sci-fi masterpiece,Under the Skinmight not hit with all viewers, but for those willing to give themselves over to its strange power, it’s deeply alluring.
The Thing
A team of researchers set out to study an alien spacecraft found in Antarctica, where they also discover an alien body on the site. The alien buried in ice is actually alive and has the ability to imitate human form. The group must find a way to distinguish who the real person is from The Thing and stay alive. John Carpenter’s 1982 film is a remake of 1951’s The Thing from Another World and stars Kurt Russel as the hero RJ MacReady.
Although John Carpenter’sThe Thingdid not get the love it deserved upon release, it’s widely regarded as a masterpiece of horror and sci-fi today. Featuring a crew of scientists at an Alaskan base that’s been overrun by a menacing shapeshifting alien,The Thingforced audiences to reckon with the horror of paranoia and isolation that comes from being unable to trust anyone or anything. As the crew turned on one another with suspicion about who could secretly be the titular thing,The Thingwas a rare movie in which nobody made it out alive.
Interstellar
From Christopher Nolan, Interstellar imagines a future where the Earth is plagued by a life-threatening famine, and a small team of astronauts is sent out to find a new prospective home among the stars. Despite putting the mission first, Coop (Matthew McConaughey) races against time to return home to his family even as they work to save mankind back on Earth.
Christopher Nolan is one of those rare directors who excels just as much in slow-building, thoughtful narratives as he does in action-packed showcases of pure spectacle. One example of his more thoughtful side was in the modern sci-fi triumph that wasInterstellar. As a deeply complex story that addressed time, space, and alternative dimensions, whileInterstellarbegan with an astronaut’s attempt to find a new home for mankind, it soon turned into a fascinating and paradoxical study of human relationships, family, and the passage of time.
Contact
Contact, directed by Robert Zemeckis, stars Jodie Foster as Dr. Ellie Arroway, a determined scientist who uncovers a signal from extraterrestrial intelligence. Based on Carl Sagan’s novel, the film explores themes of faith, science, and the quest for meaning. Featuring Matthew McConaughey in a supporting role, Contact delves into the human spirit’s reach for the unknown and the implications of first contact with alien life.
Robert Zemeckis’ sci-fi classicContacttold the story of the scientist Dr. Eleanor Arroway (Jodie Foster), who found evidence of extraterrestrial life and was chosen as the person to make first contact with aliens. With fascinating scientific concepts and theological inquiry,Contactlooked behind the mere idea of aliens' existenceand addressed the complexities of mankind and intelligent species making the decision to cross paths with them. By probing deeper than the average sci-fi action film,Contactmanaged to recapture the same wonder for the unknowable nature of the universe as iconic movies likeClose Encounters of the Third Kind.
Dune
Dunethe big-screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal bestseller of the same name. A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey,Dunetells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
After director David Lynch’s notorious failure to successfully adapt Frank Herbert’sDuneduring the 1980s, it started to feel like this was trulyan unfilmable story. However, Denis Villeneuve, hot of the success ofArrivalandBlade Runner 2049, finally pulled off this gigantic feat by splitting the novel into two films and allowing the story room to breathe with a slower pace that highlighted the story’s complexities and themes. WithTimothée Chalamet as the heroic savior Paul Atreides,Duneand its sequel,Dune: Part Two,became one of the most satisfying sci-fi releases in living memory.
Solaris
Solaris, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and based on the novel by Stanisław Lem, follows psychologist Kris Kelvin as he is sent to a space station orbiting the enigmatic planet Solaris. Confronted with mysterious phenomena affecting the crew, Kelvin must grapple with complex themes of memory, humanity, and loss. The film is a contemplative exploration of human consciousness and the unknown.
Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky was the king of slow-burn sci-fi movieswhose focus on the psychological themes and the existential nature of space made him the ideal filmmaker to adapt Stanisław Lem’s novelSolaris. Centering on a spaceship crew falling into a deep state of emotional crisis,Solarisaddressed themes of existential dread, the vast, unknowable nature of the universe, and thought-provoking ideas of a parallel Earth. While viewers looking for fast-paced chase sequences and grand explosions will be left disappointed,Solariswas a movie with a lot to say about the nature of human existence.
Moon
Duncan Jones presents Moon, a sci-fi mystery drama that follows Astronaut Sam Bell, who has spent the last three years working at a lunar mine in isolation and is coming up at the end of his shift. However, as Sam prepares to return home to his family and meet his daughter for the first time, he begins to experience vivid hallucinations of a younger version of himself and begins to experience hazardous events. Before Lunar Industries arrives to relieve him of duty, he must uncover the reason for his recent psychosis and free himself of his mental prison.
Sam Rockwell deserved an Academy Award nomination for his tour-de-force performance inMoon, a compellingsci-fi debut from Duncan Jonesthat explored a man’s personal crisis on a three-year solitary space mission. As a thoughtful and moving film,Moonused its sci-fi concept to explore the very nature of self, as loneliness and a lack of human connection had led to deep torment amid the enclosed space of a strange spaceship. With themes of doubling, identity, and the human psyche,Moonwas as much about the personal needs of individuals as it was about the lead characters' search for alternative fuel on the Moon.
The sci-fi romanceHerwas a fascinating study of humans' need for connection, which has only become more relevant in the years since its release. With Joaquin Phoenix as a lonely, introverted man who fell in love with his AI virtual assistant, voiced by Scarlett Johansson,Herwas one of the most powerful breakup movies ever made as it used its science fiction concepts to represent emotions that felt all too human. Packed with wisdom about the complexities of modern relationships and the difficulties in making connections in an increasingly fractured world,Herwill surely connect with those going through heartbreak.
