What is?hard sci-fi I hear you ask? Well, when a mummy sci-fi and a father sci-fi… I kid. Hard sci-fi’s are slowly gaining traction in this new era of grit and realism. When a film is set in a science-fiction world but is hard on the science part of that two-part equation, then you have a hard sci-fi. Not your Star Wars, but your Moon.
This is a list of hard sci-fi films that are required essential viewing for any film buff and sci-fi enthusiasts. To meet the criteria, the film must have a focus on scientific accuracy and stray away from techno mumbo-jumbo (looking at you, Jupiter Ascending).
The Martian
Based on a book of the same name, The Martian is an excellent example of hard sci-fi. Both in the book and the film, the interesting moments come from the lead character, Watney, attempting to solve surviving on an alien planet with science. Don’t be deceived?by the fact this movie won the Best Comedy?at the Golden Globes. Funny? yes. Hard sci-fi goodness? Certainly.
Ex Machina
A near perfect film, in my eyes, Ex Machina is why I love science-fiction. The film shows a set of ideas simply not possible in any other genre. What does it mean to be a robot? What does it mean to be human? And where do the two blur?
Predestination
As previously mentioned on our 10 Essential Time-Travel Films, this film also passes the bar for a hard sci-fi epic. Although the device in this movie isn’t fully explained, the consequences and layered storytelling are. Strap yourself in for this one.
Her
Somewhat too believable at times (who wouldn’t fall in love with Scarlett Johansson voice?) Her?manages to explain love on a new level. When sci-fi takes the obvious (falling in love with a robot, in this case, an operating system) and pushes past those obvious conclusions we end in new terrain. That’s what Her?does excellently and why I love good science-fiction.
Sunshine
An intelligent look into human endeavour and character, Sunshine?offers us a seemingly effortless look into a mission heading toward the Sun. With each decision explained in full and an interesting ending, to say the least, Sunshine?is one to watch.
Minority Report
Oh, the grand-daddy of them all. A look into the future that was fluid with technology. Ideas set in Minority Report are only now coming to fruition. From small ideas, like eye-scanning advertising, to grand schemes, such as the pre-cogs, Minority Report is a staple element in any sci-fi diet.
Gravity
A technical feat in itself, Gravity?took the world for a spin in one of the worst space-related nightmares imaginable. Be flung around in orbit of Earth and see the actual real threat that space debris could cause. Although the distances between key space stations and satellites were shortened for dramatic effect, still expect a rollercoaster of a ride exploiting the unique challenges faced in space.
Moon
Sam Rockwell playing a loveable astronaut and Kevin Spacey voicing a suspicious robot, what more could you want. Incredible sets, original ideas. The plausibility of the film is only achieved by the film’s slow pace and care with explanations. Highly recommend!
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Kudos for giving a better explanation for intelligent apes than the original classic. Rise?of the Planet of the Apes kicks off a stellar reboot storyline which has a more real and easier to understand storyline than that of its predecessor.
Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell is the perfect example of when science-fiction can get into an incredibly difficult?territory and discuss new ideas otherwise not possible. So much more than just naked robots, Ghost in the Shell challenges what it means to be human. Simply put: what is a soul?
There you have it. 10 essential hard sci-fi films. Take your fill.
Are there any essential hard sci-fi films that I missed? Let us know in the comments below.
I’m surprised you included Serenity on your list of favourite space movies, but not on best hard sci-fi movies. It requires as big a suspension of scientific disbelief as most of these movies, namely a planetary system with so many habitable planets/moons, but I think it’s message is more powerful than planet of the apes.
Yeah, Serenity does require some suspension of disbelief, so do most sci-fi. However, why I didn’t feature it here, is because it doesn’t go out of its way to explain the scientific elements presented. Nore should it. It’s a space western at its finest.
Come to think of it, the absolute best hard sci-fi movie of all time isn’t even mentioned: Gattaca.
Another one that should knock off lesser movies from this list: Contact.
So my hard sci-fi list: Gattaca, Contact, The Martian, Her, Moon, Ex Machina, Gravity, Sunshine, Primer, eXistenZ.
Yeah, I might have missed the ball with Gattaca.
You are absolutely right with Gattaca and Contact. They are two essential sci-fi films that the article missed and Gattaca is arguably the best sci-fi film in cinema history. I also think your sci-fi list is near perfect but I’d replace The Martian with 12 Monkeys.
Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes-I’llhavetowatchthatone-HellzYes
And to that final HellzYes I would add that you’re just scratching the surface if you only see the Ghost in the Shell movie(s). You really need to see the series GitS: Stand-Alone Complex and it’s second “gig” (season) to get the full benefit, to see how well they explored the kind of world it would be where you can replace any part of your body – including your brain – with a cyborg version.
(OTOH, I can’t help thinking Ex Machina should be pretty easily replaceable. How about Interstellar?)
Interstellar is a great film, it just struggles to explain some of the sci-fi elements and explains them away with their idea of 5th-dimensional beings.
Thanks for the HellzYes-s!
Seems strange that you included the words: “Hard Sci-fi” in your title when most of the works listed are not. Minority Report has precognition, which is definitely not hard Sci-fi. “Predestination” has time-travel which you say is “the device in this movie isn?t fully explained, the consequences and layered storytelling are”. First off, not being fully explained is what makes soft sci-fi. Furthermore backwards time-travel is never hard sci-fi unless it has a plausible physics explanation like outrunning the speed of light and causality. Sunshine almost had a fantasy plot practically, not hard sci-fi. Why is the sun dimming or how is it being restarted? A: not for hard sci-fi reasons. Planet of the Apes is not hard sci-fi, but you probably already knew that your just cynically listing it to have another item The only ones that I would say are for sure hard-sci on this list are: The Martian and Gravity, and maybe Her and Moon. I hope I don’t have to see another fake hard sci-fi article like this one, from this publication.
We can explain away each pick I’ve made. Gravity has many parts in which don’t make sense. Such as the space between structures and a few moments in The Martian don’t fully work as well, such as the Iron Man ending.
However, each film, I felt, had a strong element in them which fit into the “hard sci-fi” genre. Although I’ve missed a few films, 2001 and Gattaca to name a few, as a total of sci-fi films, hard sci-fi is underrepresented.
You may disagree with my list and that’s fine, this was a list of 10 that I felt in some way, even small, passed the criteria for hard sci-fi.