Movies in the Science Fiction/Thriller genre
Spoiler Warning: I’m not 100% certain what constitutes a “spoiler” for this film and what has been revealed in the trailer and/or pre-release publicity. However, it’s difficult for me to engage in a coherent discussion of the movie wit...
U.S. Release Date: 2019-08-30
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Gore, Profanity)
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Director: Jacob Estes
Cast: David Oyelowo, Storm Reid, Mykelti Williamson, ...
The scenario presented in Captive State would almost certainly have worked better in a mini-series format. The filmmakers’ low-budget approach of minimizing special effects might have allowed for an expansion of the narrative over a six or ei...
U.S. Release Date: 2019-03-15
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Torture, Profanity, Sexual Content)
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Cast:
Hotel Artemis has the look and feel of a graphic novel adaptation, albeit with a few pages missing. With its flashy action sequences and Tarantino-wannabe vibe, the movie tries hard to be hip and edgy but ends up simply being uneven. Tonal shi...
U.S. Release Date: 2018-06-08
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Director: Drew Pearce
Cast: Jodie Foster, Sterling K. Brown, Dave Bautista, ...
Upgrade, the exploitation-influenced stepchild of Payback and Robocop, is the latest creation from Leigh Whannell, the influence behind Saw and Insidious. Working without the James Wan safety net, Whannell proves adept at providing sufficien...
U.S. Release Date: 2018-06-01
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Gore, DIsturbing Images, Profanity)
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Director: Leigh Whannell
Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Benedict Hardie, Betty Gabriel, ...
You don’t have to look too far or to deep to find the similarities among writer/director Andrew Niccol’s three science fiction films (I’m ignoring The Host, which is more Stephanie Meyer than Niccol). Like Gattaca and In Time, Anon boas...
U.S. Release Date: 2018-05-04
MPAA Rating: "NR" (Violence, Sexual Content, Nudity, Profanity, Drugs)
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Director: Andrew Niccol
Cast: Clive Owen, Amanda Seyfried, Colm Feore, ...
With most big-budget science fiction movies ignoring intelligence in the unhealthy pursuit of orgiastic special effects, the realm of the idea-based sci-fi film has been co-opted by low-budget indies. In that vein, along comes Anti Matter, the...
U.S. Release Date: 2017-09-08
MPAA Rating: "NR" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Nudity)
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Director: Keir Burrows
Cast: Yaiza Figueroa, Tom Barber-Duffy, Philippa Carson
Few things are more depressing in moviedom than films that squander a great premise. Such is the case with What Happened to Monday, a sci-fi thriller than all-but-abandons its deep philosophical underpinning in order to pursue a straightforward...
U.S. Release Date: 2017-08-18
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity, Sexual Content, Nudity)
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Director: Tommy Wirkola
Cast: Noomi Rapace, Marwan Kenzari, Willem Dafoe, ...
Criminal is an action-thriller with a science fiction twist. To the extent that its purpose is to energize and involve an audience, it succeeds. The premise, however, which involves transplanting the memories of a dead man into the mind of a living o...
U.S. Release Date: 2016-04-15
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Director: Ariel Vromen
Cast: Kevin Costner, Gal Gadot, Gary Oldman, ...
When J.J. Abrams released Cloverfield in 2008, it arrived cloaked in secrecy. Now, some eight years later, the film’s so-called “blood relative” (Abrams’ term, not mine), comes with a similar marketing strategy. Going-in, viewers are unlikely...
U.S. Release Date: 2016-03-11
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Disturbing Images, Profanity)
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.
Self/less begins with a promising (albeit well-worn) science fiction premise, degrades it by turning it into a generic thriller, and finishes it off with a rushed, disjointed ending. The film, from director Tarsem Singh (whose most recent credit was ...
U.S. Release Date: 2015-07-10
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Sexual Content, Profanity)
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Director: Tarsem Singh
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Ben Kingsley, Natalie Martinez, ...