Are you looking for a good science fiction film to watch, but you’ve already finished every past, present, and future Christopher Nolan film? Fear not. Here are five science fiction films to watch that, while they lack the budget of Interstellar, still have fantastic writing and premises.

1. Time Trap

Title: Time Trap
Director: Mark Denis & Ben Foster
Studio: Giant Interactive
Release Year: 2017

A professor enters a cave and goes missing. Days later, his students follow him in. The film’s charm largely comes from watching the characters descend deeper into the cave and what they encounter along the way, as well as unraveling the its mysteries. The action is well done, but the movie is not without flaws. One of the biggest elements that holds the film back is its visual effects, which are underwhelming especially in the later parts of the film. The movie’s 95 minute runtime and exposition-filled dialogue also hold the movie back. Despite of this, it’s a fun watch.

2. Infinity Chamber

Title: Infinity Chamber
Director: Travis Milloy
Studio: XLrator Media
Release Year: 2016

Frank, a dissident who sabotaged a government operation with a computer virus, is interrogated in an advanced detention facility. In it, an artificial intelligence named Howard attempts to extract information from his memories, forcing Frank to live them out over and over again. Frank frequently finds himself in the coffee shop in the hours before he is captured, where he interacts with the shop’s owner Gabby. Infinity Chamber excels at getting the viewer invested in Frank and Gabby’s relationship, as well as Frank’s attempts to escape the facility. The film struggles the most with clarity, as it includes many fake-outs and ambiguity as to what is real and what is fake, but the execution is not as clean as Inception. Even so, it’s well worth the watch.

3. Mr. Nobody

Title: Mr. Nobody
Director: Jaco Van Dormael
Studio: Discovery Global Drama
Release Year: 2009

Nemo Nobody, the last mortal man, tells journalists about the life he lived, or might have lived. The movie follows different, nonlinear threads of lives Nemo might have lived, focusing especially on his romantic and family relationships. These form the heart of the story, and Mr. Nobody does a fantastic job of keeping us interested in all the different ways Nemo’s life may have turned out. Like many other entries on this list, it does come at the cost of clarity.

4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Title: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Director: Michael Gondry
Studio: Universal Pay Television
Release Year: 2004

Joel Barsh, played by Jim Carrey, discovers that his ex-girlfriend, Clementine, has undergone a procedure to have him erased from his memory. Shattered by that, Joel decides to undergo the same procedure. But despite the conflicts in their relationship, some attraction remains between the two. Meanwhile, Patrick, one of the men that erased both of their memories, uses them as a guide to seduce Clementine. The film does a near flawless job of portraying their relationship, and has some fantastic sequences from inside the minds of the characters. The way the absence of the other in the relationship is felt, and the way Patrick, played by Elijah Wood, tries to repeat Joel’s romantic acts, is fascinating. Given that this movie features Jim Carrey and Elijah Wood, and since it won an Oscar, it’s harder to call this film underrated. But despite its excellence and stacked cast, it seems to have dropped out of the public memory. It’s absolutely worth the watch.

5. The Man from Earth

Title: The Man From Earth
Director: Richard Schenkman
Studio: Falling Sky
Release Year: 2007

Professor John Oldman departs his university after working there for ten years. His colleagues throw him an impromptu goodbye party at his home. But they discover that his past may be more complicated than they thought, and it descends into an interrogation. The movie is almost exclusively dialogue, and the writing and cast deliver good performances. This is not a thriller or an action movie. The central question of the film is, do Oldman’s colleagues believe he is who he claims to be. The biggest weakness of the film is justifying the strange timeline of Oldman’s life, and focusing too much on trying to keep his credibility ambiguous. Even so, it’s a fun and interesting departure from the usual style of science fiction cinema.

Conclusion

Though these films do not necessarily join the ranks of Blade Runner, Interstellar and The Martian, I think they are films worthy of being remembered for their unique conceits, character explorations, and storytelling.

Are there any science fiction films, blockbuster or independent, that you think deserve more recognition? Let us know on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.

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Featured Image Source: Falling Sky