![]() Karen is now miserably married to the man she left Dill for: Jason Clarke’s Frank Zariakas, a monstrous man of shadowy wealth who abuses her verbally and physically. One day, a chic blonde from Dill’s past comes sauntering through the door of the island’s only bar: Anne Hathaway’s Karen, his ex and the mother of the couple’s teenage son, from whom Dill has become estranged. ![]() Djimon Hounsou is his dutiful and pious first mate, Duke, a black character who’s such a pure voice of reason and so willing to sacrifice his own well being for Dill’s greater good that he borders on magical. Dill is obsessed with an elusive, behemoth tuna he’s nicknamed Justice (in a not-so-subtle bit of symbolism), a quest so famous, it’s a constant source of conversation wherever he goes. Matthew McConaughey chews up the sunny scenery as the improbably named Baker Dill, a chain-smoking, rum-swilling Iraq war veteran who spends his days as the captain of a fishing boat for hire on the idyllic, tropical island of Plymouth. ![]() It all starts out as a seemingly straightforward neo-noir, full of damaged characters and desperate circumstances. What Knight does as his game becomes clearer, however, only raises more questions than he answers – and some of those questions are downright icky. But what ends up happening is that he partially pulls the rug out from underneath us about halfway through, then yanks the whole thing out by the end, then waves the rug around in the air as if to joyfully shout: “Ha! This is the rug you were standing on! See? It’s not underneath you anymore!” Giant twists like the ones that ultimately come to define “Serenity” often can be thrilling, and can provide some enjoyment in trying to go back in your mind and search for clues. Writer/director Steven Knight, whose 2014 Tom Hardy drama “ Locke” is a compact marvel of precision and suspense, once again tries to dazzle us with narrative daring. But it’s also such a wildly ambitious roller coaster ride that it must be experienced, preferably with friends, to laugh together at its cheesy dialogue, over-the-top performances and multiple, major plot twists. Wherever the destination, these movies - each with at least 20 reviews - were selected because of their unique, fun, and possibly even mind-blowing spins on reality.“ Serenity” is terrible and insane, and will surely end up being one of the worst films of 2019. Or it can fuse onto traditional genres like drama ( Donnie Darko, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), comedy ( Repo Man, Idiocracy), and action ( Predator, Demoliton Man). Sci-fi spreads across subgenres, all represented here: the monster movie ( Cloverfield), space opera ( Serenity), cyberpunk ( Ghost in the Shell), and post-apocalyptic ( Mad Max: Fury Road) and more. Limited only 2020by imagination, sci-fi inspires wonder, awe, terror, and hope for alternative mindsets and better futures. They take us just above the atmosphere ( Gravity), deep down to the bottom of the ocean ( 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Abyss), and into the human body ( Fantastic Voyage). Science-fiction movies are our tickets to planets far-away ( Star Trek, Avatar, Starship Troopers), or a quick hop to a local joint in the solar system ( The Martian, Total Recall). There may not be a lot of subtext in a big monster movie like Them!, or even crowd-pleasing masterpieces like Star Wars or Back to the Future, but they speak to the one thing that attracts us to movies in the first place: escapism. Or, maybe we just want to see giant ants wreak havoc across the neighborhood. We might even check-in on the current state of the human condition ( Gattaca, Her). Through genre lens, we can consider our impact on the environment ( Godzilla, WALL-E), technology gone berserk ( The Terminator, Ex Machina), identity ( Blade Runner, The Matrix), and societal breakdowns ( Children of Men, A Clockwork Orange). (Maybe not all at once, but we can dream.) Anything’s possible in this creative nebula known as science fiction, and with its long and historic association with cinema, we present our choices of the greatest science-fiction movies ever: The 150 Essential Sci-Fi Movies!Īs they do with horror, filmmakers use science fiction to reflect our aspirations, terrors, and issues of the times. There’s only one place where you can get clones, time travel, simulated realities, irradiated and irritated giant lizards, and space fights and beyond. Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection) 150 Essential Sci-Fi Movies to Watch Now ![]() Thumbnail: Jasin Boland for ©Warner Bros. ![]()
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