Science Fiction: 316

BURN-E (2008), an American short film produced by Pixar Animation Studios, is included with the DVD and Blu-ray of WALL-E. As WALL-E journeys through space with EVE on a ship heading to the Axiom starliner, he dislodges a small rock while passing through the Rings of Saturn. The rock gains enough momentum to become a meteor and collides with one of the Axiom’s running lights (known as ‘spires’), causing it to break. AUTO, the ship’s computer, alerts autopilot SUPPLY-R to fix the damage. BURN-E is then activated and equipped with a welding torch and an intact spire to complete the repair on the hull track. However, he becomes distracted ...

The film WALL-E (2008) is an American animated science fiction romance produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Set in the 29th century, Earth has become a wasteland due to an ecocide caused by rampant consumerism, corporate greed, and environmental neglect. Humanity was evacuated to space by the megacorporation Buy n Large (BnL) 700 years ago, leaving only trash compacting robots to clean up the planet. However, this cleanup effort has failed and only one active robot remains – Waste Allocation Load Lifter: Earth Class (WALL·E). He survives by salvaging parts from other inactive robots and lives with his pet cockroach in a large truck ...

In Stargate: Continuum (2008), a science fiction movie directed by Martin Wood and written by Brad Wright, SG-1 and Jack O’Neill attend a Tok’ra extraction ceremony for Ba’al, the final System Lord of the Goa’uld. However, Ba’al claims to be just one of his many clones and reveals that the true Ba’al has a plan in place. This real Ba’al travels back in time to 1939 and destroys the crew of the Achilles, where the Stargate was being transported to the US. The captain manages to save the ship from complete destruction by dropping a ...

Director Robert C. Cooper brought us Stargate: The Ark of Truth (2008), a military science fiction film following the events of the television series Stargate SG-1. The story follows the regular cast of SG-1 as they uncover a box on Dakara that they believe to be the Ark of Truth. However, their discovery is interrupted by Ori soldiers led by Tomin. Despite Daniel’s clever trick, the box is revealed to be a fake. Tomin defies orders from the Prior and refuses to kill SG-1, prompting Mitchell to eliminate the Prior with an Anti-Prior device. With their leader dead, the Ori soldiers surrender and ...

The supernatural thriller, The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008), was directed by Chris Carter and co-written by Carter and Frank Spotnitz. After leaving the FBI, former Special Agent Dana Scully now works as a staff physician at a Catholic hospital where she is treating Christian, a young boy with symptoms similar to Sandhoff disease. FBI Special Agent Mosely Drummy seeks out Scully’s aid in locating her ex-partner, Fox Mulder, who has been on the run for several years. To call off their manhunt for Mulder, the FBI ...

Jumper (2008) is an American science fiction action film that loosely follows Steven Gould’s novel of the same title. Directed by Doug Liman, the movie centers around 15-year-old David Rice, who discovers his ability to teleport after falling through thin ice on the Huron River while retrieving a snow globe for his crush, Millie Harris. Using this newfound power, he leaves his abusive father behind and moves to New York City where he uses it to rob banks by teleporting into their vaults. Eight years pass and David now lives a lavish lifestyle in a penthouse, ...

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) is an American science fiction film, serving as a remake of the 1951 film with the same title, which was originally based on the 1940 short story Farewell to the Master. Way back in 1928, a lone mountaineer exploring the Karakoram mountains in India comes across a glowing sphere. After losing consciousness, he wakes up with a scar on his hand and finds that the sphere has vanished. Fast forward to present day, an unidentified object is spotted heading towards Earth from Jupiter’s orbit with potential to wipe out all life. In response, the U.S. government hastily enlists a team of scientists, including Helen Benson ...

Franklyn (2008) is a British science fantasy film written and directed by Gerald McMorrow as his debut feature. Set in a vivid, comic book-inspired world, it tells the story of Jonathan Preest, the masked vigilante of Meanwhile City. In this city, everyone is required to adopt a religion by law. However, Preest stands out as the only atheist around. When he discovers that his archenemy, The Individual, has abducted a young girl, Preest sets out to find her. But his quest takes an unexpected turn when he is taken into custody by the local authorities. In exchange for his eventual release, they attempt to implant a ...

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2020), created by George Lucas, is a popular computer-animated television series in the Star Wars multimedia franchise. It takes place during the time period of its prequel trilogy, with seasons 1-6 covering the three years between Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) and Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005). Meanwhile, the first eight episodes of the final season also occur during this time period, with the last 4 episodes taking place concurrently with Revenge of the Sith. Initially receiving positive reviews and later earning critical ...

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) hit theaters as an animated sci-fi film. Produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and Lucasfilm Animation, it was a departure from the usual distributor 20th Century Fox for the franchise. Amidst the ongoing Clone Wars, the Galactic Republic finds themselves stranded in the Outer Rim, with the Separatists gaining control of key hyperspace lanes. On Christophsis, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker leads his forces against Count Dooku’s army alongside his teacher Obi-Wan Kenobi and clone captain Rex. Despite their valiant efforts, the clones are no match for the enemy. Enter young Jedi Ahsoka Tano, sent by Grand Master Yoda to train under ...

Originally known as Terra, Battle for Terra (2007) is an American animated film from 2007 that tells the story of a planet under threat. The peaceful and advanced inhabitants of Terra, a star system in the Milky Way galaxy, are faced with destruction when humans, displaced from their own planet, attempt to colonize it. Mala and her friend Senn belong to this alien race and live on the near Earth-like planet. When a large object blocks the sun, Mala’s curiosity leads her to go beyond the boundaries set by the ruling council and create a telescope. From outside the city walls, she uses it to investigate further. Soon after, reconnaissance ships emerge ...

The television film Battlestar Galactica: Razor (2007) is a re-imagining of the popular series and premiered on multiple networks, including Sci Fi in the US, Space in Canada, and Sky One in the UK. It takes place during the first thirty days of Lee Adama’s command on the Pegasus, after ‘The Captain’s Hand’ but before ‘Lay Down Your Burdens’, utilizing flashbacks to showcase Rear Admiral Cain’s orders during and after the Cylon attack. Kendra Shaw, who sees herself as Cain’s legacy, connects her actions during the post-apocalyptic aftermath with the present. Meanwhile, viewers witness Lieutenant William Adama and Helena ...

The teen supernatural thriller, The Invisible (2007), directed by David S. Goyer, hit theaters on April 27th of that year. This film is based on a Swedish young adult novel by Mats Wahl, which was previously made into another Swedish film with the same title. Nick Powell, a high school senior, has plans to skip his graduation and attend a writing program in London. However, his controlling mother Diane strongly disapproves and maintains an emotionally distant relationship with him. Pete Egan, Nick’s best friend, confides in him about being bullied by Annie Newton, a ...

Sunshine (2007) is a science fiction psychological thriller film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. In the year 2057, Earth is facing a crisis as the Sun is nearing its end and causing global freezing. To save humanity, eight international astronauts embark on a mission aboard Icarus II – a spacecraft equipped with a mirrored stellar bomb designed to reignite the dying star. However, as they pass Mercury, they receive a distress signal from Icarus I – a previous attempt that was lost seven years ago. Despite objections from Mace, Physicist ...

Transformers (2007), an American sci-fi action film based on Hasbro’s toy line, follows the epic story of two factions of sentient robots – the Autobots led by Optimus Prime and the Decepticons led by Megatron. A brutal civil war on their home planet Cybertron has left it devastated and in ruins, as both sides fight for control of the AllSpark – a powerful cube that holds the key to their existence. The Autobots seek to use it for healing and peace, while the Decepticons aim to use its power for destruction and domination. But fate brings them to Earth when Megatron crash-lands in the Arctic Circle, where he remains frozen until discovered by Captain ...

Déjà Vu (2006) is a American thriller film directed by Tony Scott, written by Bill Marsilii and Terry Rossio, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. In New Orleans, a ferry carrying U.S. Navy sailors and their families during Mardi Gras explodes, resulting in the death of 543 individuals. Doug Carlin, an ATF Special Agent, uncovers proof of a bomb planted by a domestic terrorist while examining the body of Claire Kuchever. Although she was believed to have died in the explosion, ...

Lifted (2006), an American computer-animated short science fiction film directed by Gary Rydstrom and produced by Pixar Animation Studios, follows the story of Stu, a young alien taking an alien abduction test. His task is to abduct a sleeping farmer named Ernie while being observed by his unemotional examiner, Mr. B. To complete the task, Stu must use an extensive array of unlabeled toggle switches from memory. However, Mr. B remains stoic and offers no guidance on which switches to use. With each hesitant flick of the switches, Stu’s attempts are unsuccessful and cause Ernie to collide with the walls and ceiling ...

A Scanner Darkly (2006), directed and written by Richard Linklater and based on Philip K. Dick’s novel of the same name, tells the story of a United States that has failed in its fight against drugs. The country is plagued by Substance D, a potent drug that causes strange hallucinations and has resulted in approximately 20% of the population becoming addicted. In an effort to combat the epidemic, the government has implemented an extensive surveillance system and enlisted undercover agents and informants. One such agent is Bob Arctor, tasked with infiltrating the ...

The Norwegian film, The Bothersome Man (2006), was directed by Jens Lien and written by Per H. V. Schreiner. In the opening scene, Andreas Ramsfjell is in an underground train station observing a couple kiss. However, the lack of aesthetic in their display makes it appear unpleasant and repulsive to him. As his discomfort grows, he eventually steps forward and jumps in front of a subway train, abruptly ending the scene. In the following scene, he finds himself on a bus that drops him off at a deserted gas station in the middle of nowhere. There, he is greeted by an older ...

Doom (2005), a science fiction film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, is loosely based on the video game series of the same name by id Software. In 2026, a wormhole portal known as the Ark is discovered deep below the Nevada desert, leading to an ancient city on Mars. Two decades later, the 85 personnel at Union Aerospace Corporation’s (UAC) research facility on Mars are ambushed by an unknown attacker. In response to a distress call from Dr. Carmack, a team of eight marines is dispatched to the facility. The group includes squad leader Sgt. Asher ‘Sarge’ Mahonin as well as ‘Duke’, ...