Science Fiction: 316

Planet of the Apes (2001) is an American science fiction adventure film directed by Tim Burton and written by William Broyles Jr., Lawrence Konner, and Mark Rosenthal. Serving as the sixth installment in the Planet of the Apes film series, it is loosely based on Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel and also acts as a remake of the 1968 movie adaptation. In 2029, Leo Davidson works closely with trained apes on the United ...

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) is an American science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg. Set in the 22nd century, rising sea levels caused by global warming have decimated cities and drastically reduced the world’s population. To fill the void left by human loss, Mecha humanoid robots have been created to take their place. In Madison, New Jersey, David – a prototype Mecha child programmed to feel love – is given to Henry Swinton and his wife Monica. They had lost their son Martin to a rare disease and he remains in suspended animation. While initially distant towards David, Monica ...

Jurassic Park III (2001) is an American science fiction action film directed by Joe Johnston and written by Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor. The story follows twelve-year-old Eric Kirby and his mother’s boyfriend, Ben Hildebrand, who find themselves parasailing near the restricted Isla Sorna. After their boat enters a dense fog, they are attacked by an unknown creature which leads to Ben detaching the line and both of them drifting towards the island. On ...

Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005), initially known as Enterprise in its first two seasons, is an American sci-fi TV show brought to life by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It aired from September 26, 2001 to May 13, 2005 on the United Paramount Network (UPN). The sixth installment in the Star Trek series, it serves as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series. Set a hundred years before the events of The Original Series in the 22nd century, it follows the journey of Earth’s first warp five starship, the Enterprise, as it explores ...

The Cell (2000) is a science fiction psychological thriller film, Tarsem Singh’s directorial debut. Child psychologist Catherine Deane is hired to use an experimental virtual reality treatment on coma patients. This involves a ‘Neurological Cartography and Synaptic Transfer System’ device managed by doctors Henry West and Miriam Kent, which allows her to enter the minds of comatose patients and try to awaken them. The technology is funded by the parents of Edward Baines, a young boy in a coma due to an unusual strain of schizophrenia caused by a viral infection. However, Baines’ progress has been ...

In 3028, an American animated sci-fi film called Titan A.E. (2000) was directed by Don Bluth. The cutting-edge ‘Titan Project’ angers the Drej, a violent species of energy beings who see humans as a potential adversary. With the goal of eliminating humanity, the Drej launch a massive attack on Earth, forcing people to flee in search of safety. As Professor Sam Tucker leaves his son Cale in the care of his alien friend Tek and escapes on the spaceship Titan, he gives Cale a gold ring and assures him that there is still hope for their kind. After Earth is destroyed by the Drej, surviving humans become refugees ...

Hollow Man (2000), a science fiction thriller film by Paul Verhoeven and written by Andrew W. Marlowe, follows the story of scientist Sebastian Caine. Possessing both brilliance and narcissism, Sebastian has created a serum for the military that renders its subject invisible. His team, consisting of ex-girlfriend Linda McKay, Matt Kensington, Sarah Kennedy, Janice Walton, Carter Abbey, and Frank Chase, successfully reverses the procedure and restores visibility to an invisible gorilla. Sebastian’s feelings for Linda resurface but she is now involved with Matt ...

The American Sci-Fi television series, The Invisible Man (2000–2002), aired on both the Sci Fi Channel and US TV stations from June 9, 2000 to February 1, 2002. Despite its exploration of themes such as freedom of choice, determinism, and state bureaucracy through science fiction and action elements, the show faced cancellation by USA Cable Entertainment, the parent company of Sci Fi. This was due to costly production expenses, particularly for visual effects which sometimes exceeded $1 million per episode. As viewership declined, advertising revenue could no longer sustain the high costs. The Invisible Man is a multi-genre ...

The American sci-fi adventure film, Mission to Mars (2000), directed by Brian De Palma, tells the story of the Mars I mission. In 2020, the mission is launched with Luke Graham as its commander. Upon reaching Mars, the team stumbles upon a bright white formation in the Cydonia region. They believe it could be an extrusion from a subsurface geothermal column of water that could be beneficial for future human colonization efforts. The team alerts the Earth-orbiting World Space Station before going to investigate further. However, while exploring the formation, they hear a strange sound on their communications system. ...

Frequency (2000) is an American sci-fi thriller set in New York City. In 1969, during a gasoline tanker accident on a highway ramp, two workers become trapped in an underground electrical substation. Despite his commander’s orders, experienced firefighter Frank Sullivan goes down to rescue them. With the fuel level rising and damaged electronics sparking, Frank and a fellow firefighter manage to save the workers just before a massive explosion occurs. Back at home, Frank is greeted by his loving wife Julia and young son Johnny. Thirty years later, John Sullivan is now an NYPD detective living in the same house. His girlfriend Samantha breaks up with him, ...

Josef Rusnak’s science fiction neo-noir film, The Thirteenth Floor (1999), takes place in a futuristic version of Los Angeles. The main character, Douglas Hall, is the protégé and heir to Hannon Fuller’s multibillion-dollar computer enterprise. Fuller has just completed a revolutionary virtual reality simulation of 1937 Los Angeles, featuring lifelike computer-generated humans. However, when Fuller is murdered while testing the system, Hall becomes the prime suspect due to overwhelming evidence against him. As doubts about his own innocence begin to creep in, Hall must unravel the mystery behind ...

The Wachowskis brought us The Matrix (1999), a science fiction and action-packed film. At an abandoned hotel, Trinity is cornered by a police squad, but her superhuman abilities allow her to overpower them before fleeing. As she runs from both the police and a group of suited Agents with similar powers, she answers a ringing public telephone and disappears. Thomas Anderson, also known as Neo in the hacking world, becomes intrigued by constant online mentions of ‘the Matrix’. Trinity contacts Neo and informs him that Morpheus has the answers he’s seeking. However, Agent Smith and his team arrive at ...

The American film Wild Wild West (1999) takes place in a steampunk version of the American West. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by S. S. Wilson, Brent Maddock, Jeffrey Price, and Peter S. Seaman, the film is based on a story by Jim and John Thomas. Set four years after the Civil War, the movie follows U.S. Army Captain ...

The American science fiction thriller film, The Astronaut’s Wife (1999), marked Rand Ravich’s feature directorial debut. Spencer Armacost, a NASA astronaut, and his wife Jillian, a second-grade teacher, faced a terrifying situation when an explosion on their mission caused a loss of communication with the command center. After a safe landing, both spouses visit them in the hospital where they are unconscious until they recover. While Armacost wakes up without any issues, Streck requires an emergency electrical cardioversion. However, neither of them discusses the in-flight incident. Subsequently, Armacost ...

George Lucas wrote and directed Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), an epic space opera film. The Trade Federation disrupts peace in the Galactic Republic by blockading Naboo with plans to invade. Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum sends Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to negotiate with Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray. However, Darth Sidious, a Sith Lord and secret supporter of the Trade Federation, orders the Viceroy to kill the Jedi and begin their invasion using battle droids. The Jedi manage to escape and seek refuge on Naboo. During their time there, Qui-Gon ...

The X-Files (1998) is an American science fiction thriller film adapted from Chris Carter’s well-known television series. During the Ice Age in 35,000 B.C., two cavemen in what would later become North Texas encountered an alien life form in a cave. One was killed and the other was infected by a dark liquid-like substance. Many centuries later, in 1998, a young boy falls into a hole and is also infected by the same substance seeping from the ground. When firefighters enter to rescue him, they do not make it back out. In response, a team of men wearing hazmat suits is sent to retrieve their bodies as well as the ...

Armageddon (1998), an American science fiction disaster film, was both produced and directed by Michael Bay with Jerry Bruckheimer also on board. In the film, a colossal meteor shower obliterates the orbiting Space Shuttle Atlantis and proceeds to pummel various cities including New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Moncton, Halifax, and Newfoundland. Later in the film, we learn that these meteors were knocked out of the asteroid belt due to a collision with a rogue comet. In addition, this same collision caused a massive asteroid – comparable in size to Texas ...

Directed by Mimi Leder, Deep Impact (1998) is an American science fiction disaster film. During a star party in Virginia, teenage amateur astronomer Leo Biederman notices an unidentified object in the night sky and sends a picture to astronomer Dr. Marcus Wolf. Upon realizing it is a comet headed for Earth, Wolf rushes to warn others but tragically dies in a car accident. One year later, MSNBC journalist Jenny Lerner begins investigating Secretary of the Treasury Alan Rittenhouse for his connection with ‘Ellie’, whom she assumes to be his mistress. However, she becomes confused when she sees Rittenhouse and ...

Godzilla (1998), an American monster film directed and co-written by Roland Emmerich, follows the aftermath of a military nuclear test in French Polynesia. A giant creature attacks a Japanese cannery vessel in the South Pacific Ocean, leaving only one fisherman alive. NRC scientist Dr. Niko ‘Nick’ Tatopoulos is conducting research on the effects of radiation on wildlife in the Chernobyl exclusion zone when he is approached by an official from the U.S. State Department with a special mission. In Tahiti, a mysterious Frenchman interrogates the survivor about his experience, to which he keeps responding with ...

In Star Trek IX: Insurrection (1998), a science fiction film directed by Jonathan Frakes, Lieutenant Commander Data is temporarily transferred to an undercover mission observing the peaceful Ba’ku people. However, he experiences a malfunction and inadvertently reveals the presence of a joint Federation-Son’a task force also observing the Ba’ku. Admiral Matthew Dougherty reaches out to the USS Enterprise-E for Data’s schematics, but firmly asserts that their assistance is not necessary. Despite this, Captain Jean-Luc Picard decides to defy orders and retrieve Data with the Enterprise. As Picard ...