Key Takeaways
- Genre Impact: Science fiction has consistently delivered dynamic and creative stories throughout film history.
- Visual Innovation: The latest visual effects technology has transformed sci-fi films, creating unprecedented visuals.
- Modern Classics: The 2020s have already produced many iconic sci-fi films that resonate with audiences.
- Creative Storytelling: Low-budget films like Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes showcase the potential for creativity in storytelling.
Science fiction has proven itself to be one of the most effective and creative genres for dynamic and interesting stories throughout film history. Numerous legendary films are a part of the science fiction genre, ranging from massive commercial blockbuster franchises such as Star Wars and Star Trek to one-off auteurist works of art like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Interstellar. Sci-fi as a genre has continued to thrive throughout the modern era of the 2020s, with numerous amazing and standout films being released that will surely become icons of the genre in time.
The latest and greatest visual effects technology has allowed science fiction films to create mind-bending visuals simply never before seen on the big screen, continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible. The decade has also seen an outstanding mixture of both iconic continuing and revived franchises, bringing new light and vision to the genre, as well as new highly creative original works that delight and enchant audiences just as well. While the decade is sure to have even more legendary sci-fi films as it continues, the 2020s are already home to many amazing sci-fi films.
25
‘Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes’ (2020)
Image via Tollywood
A low-budget time travel story that makes the most out of its simple style for a deeply satisfying one-take story, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is a Japanese sci-fi comedy filled to the brim with charm and heart. The film follows a café owner who discovers that the television in his café displays a look and direct communication into the future, but only two minutes into the future. As the café owner and the frequent customers begin to experiment and test the possibilities of this look across time, they find themselves accidentally caught in a dangerous gangster plot.
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is a perfect example of how, even with a minuscule budget, a dedicated enough team can bring to life any type of story, no matter how extravagant or wild the premise may be. It makes for a deeply satisfying and hilarious story to watch unfold, as it uses time travel as a tool for frequent, effective callbacks in a deeply creative and ingenious way. Especially for those looking to check out modern, low-budget Japanese filmmaking, it’s difficult to find an experience better than this.
24
‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ (2026)
Image via Briarcliff Entertainment
A.I. has sadly become an increasingly unavoidable part of daily life in the modern day, with many corporations quick to adopt the cheaper technology to replace human workers and cut back on spending. From acclaimed Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is one of the most striking and overwhelming anti-A.I. experiences from a recent sci-fi experience. It’s a manic, absolutely absurd action comedy that thrives off of the insanity and unpredictability of its execution.
This quasi-anthology time-loop film thrives off of not just its personality and charm, but the overwhelming rage that it holds towards the difficulties and pains of the technology-reliant modern era. While certainly a bit preachy at times, it still finds a way to be endearingly entertaining and effective in its messaging, as well as being further elevated by some great performances from the likes of Sam Rockwell and Haley Liu Richardson.
23
‘After Yang’ (2021)
Image via A24
After Yang sees a far-off future similar enough to our own, following the story of a family’s struggles and turmoil when a daughter’s beloved android companion, Yang, begins to malfunction. The father of the family, Jake, searches for a way to repair him, and in the process, comes to a realization about the fragility and sacred nature of life, and how he’s been wasting it all this time. As he now realizes the barriers that he has placed between himself and the rest of his family, his quest to repair Yang has him mending these connections with his family that he didn’t realize he’d destroyed.
After Yang accomplishes one of the simplest yet most effective ways that a Sci-fi story can be told, using technology and a sci-fi setting as a jumping-off point for a poignant and powerful drama. The film features an array of powerful performances from nearly everyone in the cast, especially the incredible Colin Farrell, who provides one of his best dramatic performances in recent memory. It speaks volumes to the genre of sci-fi as a whole that even though there have been hundreds of films that tackle artificial intelligence, original stories bursting with creativity and strength can still be created in the modern era.
22
‘Tenet’ (2020)
Image via Warner Bros.
One of the first major blockbuster experiences after theaters reopened following the COVID-19 shutdown, Tenet sees director Christopher Nolan at his most extravagant and mind-melting, combining exceptional action with a wild time-manipulation premise. The film follows a secretive battle hidden beneath the surface involving machines that allow people to reverse their own flow of time, traveling backward in time as opposed to adhering to the standard flow of time.
While the story of Tenet can certainly be a bit confusing and complicated at times, it’s all in service of what are easily some of the most satisfying action sequences and memorable moments in any Nolan film to date. Nolan makes the most out of the wild reverse time premise to create several deeply creative sequences that no other filmmaker could effectively pull off. It sets out to take risks and choices that no other modern blockbuster would take, and while not all of these risks pay off, they all come together to make an essential blockbuster experience for the decade.
21
‘Bugonia’ (2025)
