It’s hard not to enjoy a good science fiction movie. Some of the greatest films of all time—many of them about as close to true perfection as any film can come—are sci-fi stories about heroes traveling the cosmos in search of futuristic adventures. It’s relatively unsurprising that movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey or Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back are generally considered perfect, but certain other sci-fi movies’ masterpiece status is a lot more shocking.
Perhaps it’s because of their low budget, or because of the less-than-remarkable IP that they’re based on, or because they’re directed by someone with a less-than-perfect track record, but the fact that these ten sci-fi gems could reasonably be called “perfect” is genuinely surprising. Often, these are the kinds of science fiction classics that prove timeless as the decades go on. These films are ranked in order of how surprising it is that they’re so perfect.
10
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014)
Directed by James Gunn
Going into 2014, James Gunn had only two movies under his belt: the niche B-horror movie Slither and the critically panned raunchy comedy Super. It seemed like an interesting bet that the MCU trusted him with one of their later Phase 2 releases: Guardians of the Galaxy, a film about a team of C-listers that no one who wasn’t a big fan of Marvel Comics knew about prior to watching the movie’s first trailer.
It’s well-known as one of the MCU’s biggest underdog stories. Gunn is now one of the biggest masters of superhero cinema, and his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy is widely regarded as the franchise’s most consistently great, and it all started with this absolute banger. It’s not exactly an arthouse classic, and the fact that, at the time, the MCU label was still a seal of quality definitely makes it a bit less surprising that it turned out so well. But as far as superhero films go, it doesn’t get much more flawless than this, and no one saw that coming prior to 2014.
9
‘District 9’ (2009)
Directed by Neill Blomkamp
African countries usually don’t have a particularly large output of mainstream movies at any point in time. Thus, it’s even more impossible to forget what’s perhaps the most iconic film that the entire continent has produced in the 21st century. District 9 is one of the best African films ever made, with as much sci-fi creativity and originality as it has biting sociopolitical commentary.
Made on a limited budget by a small indie team of South African filmmakers and directed by first-timer Neill Blomkamp, with complicated themes revolving around apartheid and racial prejudice, District 9 is the kind of film that no one could have expected to do as well as it did. Sure, Peter Jackson‘s name being attached to the project as a producer was a good sign that it would do well, but who could have guessed that it would prove to be one of the most important sci-fi projects of its era?
8
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)
Directed by George Miller
George Miller broke onto the scene with one of the most important Australian movies in history: Mad Max, an action classic made on a shoestring budget that spawned two sequels. The first, The Road Warrior, is a genre landmark, and the second, Beyond Thunderdome, is a lot less remarkable. Thirty years, two Babe movies, and two Happy Feet movies later, Miller returned to Max’s world with Mad Max: Fury Road.
Looking at Miller’s post-Beyond Thunderdome career, it seemed that he had distanced himself quite a bit from the action genre as a whole, and as such, it was hard to expect much from Fury Road. Certainly, no one expected it to be what it proved to be as soon as it came out: one of the 21st century’s wildest, most imaginative, and most out-of-control action films. It’s one of the most exciting movies of the last decade, which seemed like an impossible prospect before it actually came out.
7
‘Color Out of Space’ (2019)
Directed by Richard Stanley
One of the best films based on an H.P. Lovecraft story, Color Out of Space was Richard Stanley‘s first movie since his infamous firing from the even-more-infamous cinematic disaster that was 1996’s The Island of Dr. Moreau. Surprisingly slow-burning for such a pulpy B-horror movie, it’s nevertheless one of the 2010s’ most criminally underrated outings in the genre.
A disgraced filmmaker who hasn’t directed in over 20 years, a low budget, a bizarre and slow atmosphere, and Nicolas Cage‘s presence aren’t exactly a recipe for success for a sci-fi film, which makes it all the more shocking that Color Out of Space is so perfect. Taking full advantage of its gonzo tone and offering one of Cage’s best-ever performances, Color Out of Space is proof that there are still plenty of rules to break and plenty of wildly inventive things to do in modern sci-fi.
6
‘Metropolis’ (1927)
Directed by Fritz Lang
Some sci-fi movies age poorly, while others fade out of the public consciousness with time. Then, there are the precious few that stand the test of time, and then, there are masterpieces like Metropolis, which prove that, when done right, the sci-fi genre can serve as the foundation of one of the most timeless films imaginable. Nearly a century later, Metropolis hasn’t aged a day.
Metropolis is one of the most perfect international movies of all time. Hugely influential, delightfully original, and enthralling from beginning to end, even all these years later. It’s not often that a film of this nature ages this phenomenally. Thus, it’s quite a surprise that Metropolis can still be perceived as grand, exciting, and utterly flawless while being a relic of the long-gone past of the Seventh Art.
5
‘A Trip to the Moon’ (1902)
Directed by Georges Méliès
Similarly to Metropolis, A Trip to the Moon is a film from cinema’s silent era that has aged like fine wine. However, this short film is even older, and as such, the fact that it still holds up so perfectly is even more of an admirable achievement. It’s the work of Georges Méliès, one of the most important figures in the early days of cinema, and in many ways, arguably the father of sci-fi movies.
A Trip to the Moon is one of the best short films of all time, a gorgeous adaptation of the works of Jules Verne. Despite being over a century old, it’s still visually striking, remarkably convincing, and irresistibly entertaining despite having no sound. It was made during the very early days of cinema’s infancy as a storytelling medium (let alone as an art form), so the fact that it still feels timely is jaw-dropping in itself.
4
‘Donnie Darko’ (2001)
Directed by Richard Kelly
The ’90s saw a bit of a slump in the world of cult cinema and the production of new cult classics. In 2001, Richard Kelly revived the midnight cult film circuit with Donnie Darko, the 21st century’s first massively important and influential cult movie. A passion project of Kelly’s that bombed hard at the box office, it seemed destined to fail.
Very few films in history are as ripe for thematic analysis and for coming up with theories around what, exactly, is going on.
Instead, Donnie Darko‘s low-budget creativity and incredibly bizarre and confusing narrative garnered it a loyal following that continues to love it to this day. Very few films in history are as ripe for thematic analysis and for coming up with theories around what, exactly, is going on with the head-scratching plot. As one of history’s creepiest cult classics and one of 2001’s quintessential masterpieces, it’s no wonder that Donnie Darko is so iconic today.
3
‘Primer’ (2004)
Directed by Shane Carruth
Often regarded as the most scientifically accurate time travel movie ever, Primer was produced with a budget of under 10K USD. A film of its nature becoming as successful as it did still seems like a wild idea. Even still, its experimental approach to structure and its deeply philosophical themes have made it one of the subgenre’s most essential entries.
Realism and plot complexity aren’t all that Primer has going for it. Its confusing narrative is a joy to decipher, and its low-budget aesthetics are incredibly charming. The writing is fantastic, inviting multiple re-watches to really understand the layers of it all, and every single one of those re-watches is bound to be even more fascinating than the last.
2
‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ (2022)
Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
One of the 2020s’ most surprising successes, Everything Everywhere All At Once seems like the kind of colossally ambitious film that’s destined to fall flat on its face. Its tone is all over the place, its themes cover so much ground that any other movie would have failed to go in depth into any of them, its campy comedy and silly action could have easily become obnoxious, and its long runtime ran the risk of being exhausting. Instead, it’s one of the decade’s biggest masterpieces so far, as well as a guaranteed future classic.
Under the guidance of Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, Everything Everywhere is a profoundly touching study of generational differences and family conflicts, a complex existentialist manifesto, and a love letter to the Sisyphean nature of everyday life. It’s also one of the most adrenaline-pumping action movies in recent memory, one of the most moving dramas in years, and one of the best comedies of the 2020s so far. Simply put, what any reasonable person would have expected to be an absolute disaster instead turned out to be a 7-Oscar-winning work of art.
1
‘Tetsuo: The Iron Man’ (1989)
Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto
Tetsuo: The Iron Man is transgressive and provocative to a fault, grotesque beyond measure, and campy in every sense imaginable. Its simple story is about a businessman who, after accidentally killing a man with his car, is punished by slowly transforming into a flesh-and-metal beast. On paper, it seems like an obnoxious film, but somehow, Shinya Tsukamoto delivered one of the most brilliant cyberpunk masterpieces ever made.
Tetsuo is one of the most perfect sci-fi cult classics ever, as ripe for intellectual and academic analysis as it is a bizarre, stomach-churning source of entertainment. Its low-budget body horror visuals are a blast of fun, and its thematic developments around topics like atomic fallout and the dark side of industrialization are surprisingly intelligent. Tetsuo is perfect for cult film-loving crowds, but it’s also a must-see for cinephiles of all persuasions.