Sci-Fi movies have existed since time immemorial. But some sci-fi movies ask questions nobody else would.
The Matrix – The Universe Is a Simulation
When the Matrix was released, there were a string of murders that rocked Europe and the United Stats. The people started killing off their own family members in the hope of escaping the Matrix. It was that powerful. The Matrix tells the story of a world where the machines took over and started using humans as literal battery cells. To keep them docile, their brain was plugged into a virtual reality simulation mirroring the 21st century called the Matrix. There is even a theory called the Bostrom Hypothesis that proves the world just might be one grand simulation.
The Day The Earth Stood Still – The Universe Has Dozens Of Advanced Alien Civilizations (& They Are Not Happy With Us)
The Day The Earth Stood of 2008 is a remake of the 1951 movie of the same name. The story was written by Hiram Gilmore Bates, a visionary sci-fi writer with an eccentric but logical idea. Bates believed that an advanced alien civilization need not necessarily be evil. If they truly are this advanced, they must not longer be a slave to their primal instincts. These civilizations send out explorers, emissaries, and messengers that travel to different worlds to save them instead of destroying them. This makes so much more sense than an alien armada appearing over the White House and blasting it to smithereens.
Star Wars – All Life Is Connected
Hardcore science fiction fans do not generally consider Star Wars as sci-fi. The movie borders more on the space opera-fantasy genre. But Star Wars, for all its scientific inaccuracy, gave us one thing to ponder upon – The Force. The Force is a mysterious life energy that connects all sentient life in the Galaxy far, far away. Harnessing the Force gives the wielder Godlike abilities like moving an entire planet and resurrection. The Force is a concept that is yet to be explored in detail. It surely makes us wonder if such a thing could theoretically exist in the real world.
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Blade Runner – What Makes a Soul?
There are so many scriptures of religion from all across the world. Many claim the apex of humanity is the very soul. It is the nexus of all life energy in the body. The body dies but the soul lives on. Humans are humans because they possess this innate energy. But what makes up this energy? Does our toaster or the fridge in the kitchen make up a soul? If the toaster could think and the fridge becomes sentient enough to pass the Turing test, would they have a soul? In Blade Runner, synthetic humanoids called “Skins” go through the same existential crisis. The omniscient question of mortality and individuality is what makes Blade Runner so special.
Akira – Is The Human Mind a Weapon Of Mass Destruction?
Many consider Akira to be the zenith of cyberpunk anime. When the movie was looking for a partner for its US Release, legend has it that heavyweights like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg passed the opportunity. Known for its dark, violent, and mature elements, they called the movie “unmarketable.” Fast forward to 2021 and Akira is considered a cult classic amongst cult classics. The plot revolves around a member of a biker gang, who gains devastating telekinetic abilities after an accident. The entire sprawling metropolis of Neo-Tokyo is left in ruins when Tetsuo goes on a rampage. Akira is still considered a movie ahead of its time.
2001: A Space Odyssey – How Did Life Come Into Existence?
The movie was directed by none other than Stanley Kubrick, considered to be one of the greatest Directors of all time. Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey tells the tale of how humanity discovers a mysterious alien monolith near Jupiter and sends a team of astronauts to investigate it. 2001: a Space Odyssey quickly dives into complex elements like human life, sentience, and existentialism. The appearance of the Monolith though asks the greatest question of all. There might be an alien hand in seeding Earth with life and helping it evolve. It is a question that is even asked by scientist in the real world since nobody knows how the first life form came into existence.
Elysium – Will Technology Create a Class Divide In The Future?
2013’s Elysium is a movie that seldom gets the love it absolutely deserves. In Elysium, Earth is a wasteland, overpopulated and polluted. The few elite rich enough have taken to the stars. They live in an orbital space station called Elysium, which is a literal paradise. Disease does not exist in Elysium and crime rate is zero. But Elysium depends upon the lower class people living on earth and working in hazardous conditions to survive. Elysium explores a futuristic class divide like no other movie ever could. It looks eerily similar to where the world just might be headed. The Elites take advantage of the world while the rest 99% are doomed to live an accursed life on the planet.
Robocop – An Entire City Has Been Privatized
With the Government showing just how incompetent it is, people have started to believe the corporates could do a better job at handling things. Fortunately, the movie Robocop shows us a better picture if corporates take over. In a futuristic Detroit on the brink of economic ruin, Omni Consumer Productions, a mega-conglomerate, takes over and breathes new life into the city. They hire a private police force and launch the Robocop program. Any person who wants to be a citizen of Detroit now has to but OCP stock options. It’s not like it has not been tried before. Disney once tried to create a city called EPCOT. EPCOT would have had an entire city built from scratch. There were even plans for a city-wide glass dome. The entire city was supposed to be under surveillance and be weather controlled. Thankfully it never saw the light of day.
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The Island – Cloning For The Sake Of Harvesting Organs
The Island is a story of a facility where large groups of people live in complete isolation from the real world. Little do these people know that they are clones. People rich enough to have themselves cloned pay this facility to take care of them. The reason is simple – people get old, they get hurt and die. If you had enough spare parts to replace your failing ones, you could live on forever. The movie explores concepts like the Ship of Theseus paradox. The Island may have been the brainchild of Michael Bay but it still explores a powerful science fiction concept which could actually happen in the real world in the near future.
