The 2010s were a great decade for sci-fi movies. CGI technology continues to get better and better, and above all, Sci-fi films directly benefit from the improved visual technology. Traditionally, science fiction films have always boasted cutting-edge visual effects: movies like Metropolis and Forbidden Planet were top-tier, groundbreaking movies. Even the models and props in all of the original Star Wars movies were mind-boggling and state-of-the-art in their day.
The past decade was certainly no exception, and the 2010s saw a plethora of exciting sci-fi movies with some of the best visual effects ever seen on the big screen. Audiences saw life-like robots, strange new worlds, and hyper-realistic space crafts. In addition to stunning visual effects, sci-fi movies in the last decade also brought audiences a variety of intelligent, thought-provoking science fiction stories that grappled with cranial concepts like artificial intelligence, the dangers of technological advancement, and what it means to be human.
Many of the titles on this list were major blockbuster hits, sometimes competing with each other when multiple sci-fi films came out in the same year. This list is not exhaustive; there were plenty more quality titles to choose from that didn’t make it on here (i.e. Star Wars). However, the 14 movies below definitely deserved a spot on the "Best Sci-Fi Movies of the Decade" list.
15. Source Code (2011)
Directed by Duncan Jones, Source Code is a thriller that had audiences sitting on the edges of their seats the entire time. Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is part of a covert military operation that allows his consciousness to be implanted into someone else. A bomb explodes on a commuter train near Chicago, and it is Stevens’ task to determine who set off the bomb. However, Stevens can only inhabit the body of someone else for eight minutes at a time. While his mission commanders inform him that he cannot alter the past in any way, Stevens tries to change what happened and prevent any further attacks. This movie takes on time travel in a wholly unique way and is filled with tension from beginning to end.
14. Cloud Atlas (2012)
Directed by Tom Tyker and the Wachowski sisters, Cloud Atlas was an enormous success, garnering 75 Golden Globe nominations and 16 wins. The film explores the idea of reincarnation with themes of love and interpersonal connections. Cloud Atlas sports an all-star cast, including Halle Berry, Tom Hanks, and Hugo Weaving. The story follows the reincarnated souls of various characters through six different and unique lifetimes stretching from the 1930s all the way to the year 2300. Through each lifetime, the audience learns that every action the characters take effect each other in the past, present, and future. Sometimes, it's difficult for filmmakers to effectively inject pathos into their stories. In this movie, the audience is presented with not only a giant cast, but an enormous group of characters; yet, audiences connect to every single one of them.
13. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
In a sequel to the original Blade Runner from the 80s, Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve, revisits the futuristic world of replicants. With greater technology today, the special effects in this movie are mind-blowing. Young LAPD Blade Runner, K (Ryan Gosling) makes his way through life “retiring” the older model of unruly replicants. On his last mission, K discovers the remains of replicant who was apparently pregnant, something not believed possible. In order to figure out the mystery, K must track down old Blade Runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who has been missing for the last 30 years. Blade Runner quickly became a cult classic and this sequel does the series justice.
12. Under The Skin (2013)
Directed by Jonathan Glazer, Under the Skin is a terrifying take on what it means to be human. In the film, an alien inhabits the body of a young woman (Scarlett Johansson) who prowls the streets of Glasgow, Scotland. She seduces men, bringing each one of them back to her refuge where unthinkable things happen to them. This film is horrifyingly beautiful, quiet yet tense, and will definitely stay with moviegoers for a long time to come. Johansson's acting abilities has the audience hating the character at the start, only to have them empathize with her by the end.
11. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
In a refreshing take on time travel and alien invasion narratives, director Doug Liman presents audiences with a film dedicated to the consequences of human actions. In Edge of Tomorrow, an alien race has attacked the earth, forcing the planet into a war that threatens the existence of the human race. Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) is thrust into the fighting without any training and dies shortly after his entrance, only to wake up and start the war all over again. Stuck in a time-loop, Cage fights and dies countless times alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), learning valuable information with every encounter. Every loop brings them closer to defeating the enemy.
Emily Blunt is a power-house in this movie and arguably shines brighter than Cruise, the king of action movies himself. If you enjoy time travel but are bored of the same storylines, this movie will definitely refresh your spirit.
10. The Martian (2015)
In another marvel from director Ridley Scott, The Martian is a claustrophobic and intense film that showcases the lengths at which someone will go to survive. During a mission on Mars, astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) and the rest of his team are hit by a surprise storm, forcing the crew to abort their mission and return back to Earth. Watney is left behind and presumed dead. The astronaut has to fend for himself with meager supplies. He manages to get word back to NASA that in turn, rallies together with other international space agencies, devising a plan to bring Watney back home. Matt Damon is utterly captivating in the role of Watney, and The Martian might just be one if his best performance to date.
9. Oblivion (2013)
The post-apocalyptic world of Oblivion has viewers guessing even in the final scenes of the film. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, this movie had audiences question the nature of reality, while contemplating the negative impacts of blind faith in authority figures. Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) is one of the last repairmen on earth, tasked with fixing drones after a terrain-altering war ravaged the world. When a mysterious crew crash-lands near his station, Harper’s reality begins to crack, and he is forced to reevaluate his life and the causes of the war. This movie goes from an interesting new take on the future in the beginning, to a mind-blowing and amazing unique story by the end. Mystery after mystery is thrown at the audience with barely any breathing time, causing audiences to feel as though they are losing their minds along with the characters.
8. Prometheus (2012)
As a prequel to the Alien franchise, director Ridley Scott uses Prometheus to explain how the famed alien creatures came into existence. That answer opens the door to a whole slew of more philosophical questions about human nature and the meaning of life. The film follows Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) as they embark on an expedition through space to find who they believe may be the creators of the human race.
The science-based expedition soon turns deadly, and the crew must defend their lives against a mutated species in order to get off the planet. It's no secret that Ridley Scott hated a couple of the Alien sequels — via Prometheus, Scott returns the franchise back to the quality of the early films. It's a thought-provoking and philosophical story while being tense and action-packed at the same time.
7. Arrival (2016)
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Arrival explores the ideas of connection and how we make sense of the world through forms of language. After a number of alien space ships land on the earth, the US military enlists the help of linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) to help communicate with the beings inside. While prominent nation leaders argue about what to do with the aliens, Banks must decipher the alien language and determine whether they are friendly or potential enemies. In the end, the film takes a twist that no one sees coming. This movie refuses to be labeled as one thing in particular and that's what makes it so interesting. There are elements of drama, levity, and mind-bending science-fiction. Likewise, Amy Adams is a tour-de-force and steals the show every time she's on screen.
6. Predestination (2015)
The Spierig Brothers direct this mind-bending time travel epic, Predestination, delving into the age-old question of chicken or the egg. A temporal agent (Ethan Hawke) is on his last mission to stop a terrorist who plans to set a bomb in a populated building. While the agent manages to contain the bomb, the terrorist escapes, forcing the agent to go on a series of time jumps through history in order to stop him. The agent is presented with a number of twists and time paradoxes on his journey. Repeat viewings are essential for one to fully appreciate every nuance in this film. The complexity is astounding and makes fans wonder how the Spierig Brothers managed to map out the story without losing their minds in the process.
5. Inception (2010)
As one of the most talked about movies of the year, Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan, left audiences with so many more questions than answers. It even had many returning to theaters for a second viewing just to try and figure out what was actually going on. Inception follows Dominic Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), who is able to delve into people’s subconscious in order to steal valuable secrets for corporate entities. His espionage and thievery has landed him on the international list of fugitives, and in an effort to get his life back, Cobb decides to take on one last job. However, the final job has an added difficulty: the team will be planting information into the subconscious instead of extracting it.
Inception is both an exciting action thriller and a contemplation on the nature of reality. The audience is lead through the mind-bending realities of different levels within dream states where it becomes harder and harder to decipher what is real and what is fiction. This film is a special effects triumph backed by incredible acting from the entire cast.
4. Gravity (2013)
Gravity, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, is arguably one of the best films of 2013, regardless of the genre. Mission Commander Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) directs his final flight before retirement together with medical engineer Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock). While on a space walk, the team receives notice from Houston control that a Russian satellite has exploded and the debris is headed directly towards their team. The wreckage irreparably damages their shuttle, kills everyone in the crew except Kowalski and Stone, and knocks out communication with Houston. The two astronauts must figure out a way to get on board the ISS and get back to earth before the debris strikes them again after making a second rotation around the globe.
Gravity is without a doubt, one of the most intense 91 minutes of anyone’s life. Cuarón's direction captures the characters' claustrophobia vividly, and has audience members' nails digging into the edge of the seats for an hour and a half. Not only is the film a thrilling and evocative emotional experience, but it is also an amazing feat of CGI and acting capabilities rolled into one.
3. Annihilation (2018)
Another movie directed by Alex Garland, Annihilation makes audiences question the nature of reality, and how our surroundings directly impact our personalities. In the film, biology professor Lena (Natalie Portman) joins a covert military mission to save her husband, Kane (Oscar Isaac). The all-female team travels on a 4-month expedition into a mysterious electromagnetic bubble dubbed the Shimmer. Inside, the laws of nature quickly deteriorate, growing more and more bizarre the closer they get to the epicenter. While battling strange creatures inside the Shimmer, Lena must also turn inward and battle her personal demons if she wants to make it out alive. The audience is led on a mind-bending expedition with the characters through this tense story which only leaves us with more questions than answers by the end.
2. Ex Machina (2015)
Ex Machina is another film on this list that won an Oscar for visual effects — and for good reason. Director Alex Garland presents audiences with a quiet but poignant tale of what it means to be human and have a conscience. Winning a company lottery, Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) spends a week with the reclusive CEO Nathan (Oscar Isaac). Once there, he realizes there is more going on than he first believed, and he is soon thrust into an experiment with a new AI robotic creation, Ava (Alicia Vikander). Caleb must interview Ava to determine how “human” she is, but what results is a conversation laced with manipulation and ulterior motives. This movie is dangerously quiet, like the moment when a predator is sneaking up on its prey. Even when nothing is really happening, there is an undeniable sense of tension that leaves everyone on the edge of their seat.
1. Interstellar (2014)
Interstellar was a massive hit with theater-goers and critics alike, winning an Oscar for visual effects. Director Christopher Nolan delivers another mind-bending spectacle of space travel and survival. Joe Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is an ex-NASA test pilot and engineer, who is reenlisted for a critical space mission in a bid to save the future of humanity. Cooper and the rest of the team are tasked with traveling to the edge of our solar system, and flying through a wormhole, in order to find a new home for humanity. The results are reminiscent of the mind-bending final scenes of 2001: A Space Odyssey, which require a second watch to fully appreciate what is actually going on. While the story at its core is a simple one, there is an intricate web of space and time travel woven into every moment. This movie is not only a top sci-fi film for this decade, but likely for many decades to come.