Science Fiction: 316

Another Earth (2011), a film directed by Mike Cahill and starring Brit Marling, William Mapother, and Robin Lord Taylor, tells the story of Rhoda Williams. This brilliant 17-year-old girl has always been fascinated by astronomy and is overjoyed when she is accepted into MIT. To celebrate her achievement, she goes out with friends and unfortunately ends up driving while intoxicated. While listening to a radio story about a newly discovered Earth-like planet, she looks at the ...

In the American sci-fi action flick Predators (2010), directed by Nimród Antal and written by Alex Litvak and Michael Finch, a group of strangers discovers they have all been mysteriously dropped into a jungle. Among them are Royce, Cuchillo, Nikolai, Isabelle, Mombasa, Stans, Hanzo, and Edwin. Led by Royce, who Isabelle suspects is a former special ops soldier turned mercenary, the group explores the unfamiliar terrain. Along the way, they come across strange structures and evidence of someone else’s presence – ...

Haven (2010–2015) is a supernatural drama loosely based on Stephen King’s novel The Colorado Kid (2005). Located in the fictional town of Haven, Maine, the show was a collaborative effort between American and Canadian producers, filmed on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. When FBI Special Agent Audrey Parker is sent on a routine assignment to Haven, she becomes increasingly involved in the resurgence of ‘The Troubles’ – a series of supernatural occurrences that have plagued the town in the past. With an open mind towards the unexplainable, she also discovers a potential connection to her ...

Tron: Legacy (2010) is an American science fiction action film directed by Joseph Kosinski. In 1989, Kevin Flynn, who had been promoted to CEO of ENCOM International seven years earlier, mysteriously vanishes. Two decades later, his son Sam, now the primary shareholder of ENCOM, pulls a prank on the company by releasing their signature operating system for free online. Alan Bradley, an executive at ENCOM and Flynn’s longtime friend, approves of this act as he believes it aligns with Flynn’s values of open software. However, Sam is arrested for breaking and entering. Alan bails him out and reveals that there ...

Inception (2010), a science fiction action film by Christopher Nolan, features Cobb and Arthur as skilled ‘extractors’ hired for corporate espionage. They use innovative dream-sharing technology to delve into the subconscious minds of their targets and extract valuable information. Their current task is impressing Saito, who is interested in Cobb’s ability to create multiple layers of dreams. Saito then offers Cobb a seemingly impossible job: to implant an idea into the mind of Robert Fischer, the son of his competitor Maurice Fischer, with the goal of dissolving his father’s company. In exchange ...

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) is a military science fiction action film based on the popular G.I. Joe toy line. Weapons expert James McCullen has developed a highly advanced weapon using nanotechnology called nanomites, designed to destroy metal and other materials, including tanks and entire cities. These destructive bots can only be stopped by activating the kill switch. McCullen’s company, M.A.R.S., sells four of these warheads to NATO forces, which are being delivered by American soldiers Duke and Ripcord. However, their mission is compromised when they are ambushed by the Baroness, who Duke recognizes as his former fiancée Ana Lewis. ...

Race to Witch Mountain (2009), directed by Andy Fickman, is an American sci-fi adventure thriller. In the small town of Searchlight, Nevada, an alien spacecraft crashes just outside of Las Vegas. In response, Project Moon Dust – a covert Defense Department group under the command of Henry Burke – arrives in black helicopters. Without hesitation, the men in black take control of the spaceship and begin their search for its occupants, determined to exploit their DNA and abilities. Meanwhile in Vegas, ex-convict Jack Bruno has turned his life around as a taxi cab driver to avoid returning to jail. Along his ...

Created by writer and director Joss Whedon under Mutant Enemy Productions, Dollhouse (2009–2010) is an American science fiction television series. It follows the journey of Echo, a ‘doll’ or ‘Active’ for the Los Angeles ‘Dollhouse’. This facility is part of a company that provides human beings to wealthy clients for various engagements, ranging from romantic interludes to high-risk criminal enterprises. The Actives, including Echo, have their memories wiped and live in a childlike state until new memories and personalities are inserted prior to each mission. These individuals have ...

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (2009), a television film set in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica universe, follows the events leading up to the destruction of the Twelve Colonies as shown in the miniseries. Humanoid Cylon John Cavil is seen strategizing the devastating attack on humanity with the other seven known Cylons at their main base. Meanwhile, two versions of Cavil reside in a Resurrection Ship along with the mysterious ‘Final Five’ Cylons in stasis. In a brief conversation, the two Cavils discuss their plans for punishing their creators. One version of Cavil makes his way to witness the annihilation of humanity firsthand on planet ...

Stargate Universe (2009–2011) is a military science fiction drama series in MGM’s Stargate franchise. It follows a present-day multinational exploration team on their adventures aboard the Ancient spaceship Destiny, located billions of light years away from the Milky Way Galaxy. The team must find a way back to Earth while also navigating and surviving in their unfamiliar surroundings. To aid them in their mission, the SGC (Stargate Command) constructed Icarus base on a distant planet with a Stargate powered by naquadria deposits. The team, led by Dr. Nicholas Rush, believes that this powerful energy source can be used to dial into the Stargate using a ...

Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods – Final Cut (2009) is the debut installment of Stargate SG-1, a military science fiction TV show. It was written by producers Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright, and directed by Mario Azzopardi. The episode originally aired on July 27, 1997 on Showtime as a TV movie before being split into two parts for repeats and syndicated viewings. On July 21, 2009, an updated version titled Children of the Gods – The Final Cut was released. At an underground United States Air Force base known as Stargate Command in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, five airmen are playing poker in front of the inactive Stargate. One of them, ...

The science fiction drama film, Mr. Nobody (2009), written and directed by Jaco Van Dormael, follows the life of Nemo Nobody. As the last mortal on Earth in a world where humans have achieved quasi-immortality, 118-year-old Nemo’s memories are fading. He shares his life story with a doctor and journalist, discussing his three main loves and the impact of his parents’ divorce on his journey. Throughout the film, the speculative narrative explores alternate life paths resulting from different decisions made by Nemo at ages nine, fifteen, and thirty-four. With a nonlinear structure incorporating the multiverse ...

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) is an American science fiction action film, inspired by Hasbro’s popular Transformers toys. In ancient times, the Primes, highly regarded leaders of Cybertronians, obtained their energy known as Energon through star harvesters. However, there was a rule among the Primes to never deplete stars that support life. One Prime broke this rule by constructing a star harvester on Earth and thus became known as ‘the Fallen’, the first Decepticon. Fast forward to 2009, two years after the battle in Mission City, the Autobots and humans have joined forces to form NEST (Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species ...

Terminator Salvation (2009) is an American military science fiction action film and the fourth installment of the popular Terminator franchise. It serves as a sequel to Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), while also functioning as a soft reboot. In that same year, Dr. Serena Kogan, of Cyberdyne Systems, persuades death row inmate Marcus Wright to donate his body for medical research after his execution. Later on, Skynet – a highly advanced automated system – becomes self-aware and perceives humans as a threat to its existence, triggering a nuclear holocaust known as ‘Judgment Day’. In 2018, John Connor leads an assault ...

Avatar (2009) is an epic science fiction film directed, written, co-produced and edited by James Cameron. Set in 2154, the Earth’s natural resources have been depleted and the planet is facing ecocide. To mine the valuable mineral unobtanium on Pandora, a moon in the Alpha Centauri star system, the Resources Development Administration (RDA) has been established. However, Pandora’s atmosphere is unsuitable for human life. The inhabitants of Pandora are the Na’vi – a species of 10-foot-tall, blue-skinned, intelligent beings who live harmoniously with their natural surroundings. In order to interact ...

The American science fiction thriller film, Knowing (2009), was directed and co-produced by Alex Proyas and starred Nicolas Cage. In 1959, a Lexington, Massachusetts elementary school held a competition for students to envision the future through drawings. One student, Lucinda Embry, ignored the task and instead listened to whispering voices that guided her to write out a series of numbers. The teacher collected all the drawings before Lucinda could finish writing the final numbers. The next day, she etched the remaining numbers into a closet door with her fingernails. ...

2012 (2009) is a science fiction film directed and written by Roland Emmerich and Harald Kloser. American geologist Adrian Helmsley travels to East India in 2009 to meet with astrophysicist Satnam Tsurutani, where he learns about a new type of neutrino causing the Earth’s core to heat up. Upon his return to Washington D.C., Adrian informs White House Chief of Staff Carl Anheuser and President Thomas Wilson. The following year, over forty-six nations work together to build nine arks in Tibet and secure important artifacts. Nima, a Buddhist monk, is evacuated with his ...

The American science fiction action film, Star Trek (2009), was directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Serving as the 11th installment in the Star Trek franchise, it marks a reboot featuring a new cast portraying the main characters from the original television series. In the year 2233, while investigating a mysterious ‘lightning storm’ in space, the Federation starship USS Kelvin is unexpectedly attacked by a Romulan ship called Narada. The commanding officer of Narada, ...

Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) is a 3D film directed by Eric Brevig, featuring an American cast. Volcanologist Trevor Anderson, living in Boston at the time, was expecting his 13-year-old nephew, Sean, to stay with him for ten days. However, Trevor’s day took a turn when he learned that his brother’s laboratory was closing due to budget constraints. In the midst of the chaos at work, Trevor received multiple messages from Sean’s mother, Elizabeth. Once Sean arrives and Elizabeth leaves to go home, she hands Trevor a box filled with belongings that once belonged to his brother Max – who ...

Wanted (2008) is an American action thriller film helmed by Timur Bekmambetov, loosely based on the comic book miniseries written by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones. In the bustling city of Chicago, Wesley Gibson toils away in a mundane desk job under the tyranny of his boss. He struggles with panic attacks and relies on medication to keep them at bay. His abrasive girlfriend, Cathy, is unfaithful with his supposed best friend and colleague, Barry. Wesley’s world is turned upside down when a woman named Fox reveals that ...