I Am Mother is receiving much more positive reviews from critics and fans than almost any other of Netflix’s forays into science fiction. It’s set underground in a world which needs to rely on robots like Mother to repopulate the earth. Mother’s chief duty is to look after Daughter, seemingly the only human left alive - that is until Hilary Swank’s character turns up.
The set up of I Am Mother is a science fiction staple - characters are confined thanks to an outside threat only to discover that what they’ve been told isn’t necessarily the truth. If you enjoyed the film and you’re looking for your next sci-fi fix after watching Netflix’s latest, we’ve got you covered. Here are ten sci-fi movies to watch if you like I Am Mother.
Ex-Machina
A house in the forest is the location for Ex-Machine, a movie that revolves around the idea of whether or not a robot can pass the Turing Test; that is a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from that of a human.
This well-celebrated movie got lots of positive press on its release and then continued to find a wider and wider audience as word spread. It seems like a film that even now people would watch it for the first time and think ‘why didn’t I watch this before?’
Moon
The directorial feature of Duncan Jones who went on to make the CG-love in that was Warcraft: The Beginning, Moon is a brilliantly put together movie that feels intimate in a world where science fiction films seem to only be trying to get bigger and bigger.
Fronted by everyone’s favorite actor Sam Rockwell, Moon is the story of astronaut Sam Bell who’s coming toward the end of his three-year stint working on the Moon for mining company Lunar Industries. His only company is his seemingly trustworthy computer GERTY, that is until he catches it talking to Lunar Industries without him.
A Quiet Place
One of the most popular movies of last year, A Quiet Place is one of the least sci-fi sci-fi films there is but instead mixes science fiction elements with ideas from horror and thriller movies to create something really impressive.
Most of the movie takes place in one family’s home in a world inhabited by aliens - yes, John Krasinski confirmed they were in fact aliens - that attack any sound they hear. If I Am Mother is quick to establish distrust in one of its main characters then A Quiet Place is about what happens when you live in a world that you can’t trust.
10 Cloverfield Lane
While he shall forever be Sully in Monsters Inc. to many, John Goodman’s role in 10 Cloverfield Lane has to be high up there on his list of great performances. He plays a mild-mannered - albeit strange - figure who’s built a shelter to protect himself and a select few against an attack on the earth that’s left the air unbreathable.
It's full of so many twists and turns that any synopsis should leave it at the basics; but it goes without saying that this is definitely one to watch if you haven't already.
Devil
If bottle episodes of a sitcom are ones that take place entirely in a single - usually small - location, then Devil is the equivalent of an entire series taking place inside a Jack Daniels miniature.
Like I Am Mother but set in an elevator, Devil is a creepy and extremely claustrophobic exploration of confinement and the idea of being trapped with something inherently evil. The difference is that unlike I Am Mother, we don’t know what it is right until the end. And you don't have to look much further than the title to work out what the evil is.
Cube
Waking up somewhere without any prior knowledge of how you got there is most definitely a well-used storytelling device in science fiction. This is the start of Cube, a cleverly pieced-together movie that sees five characters trapped inside a cube. They have to use their skills to try and find a way out of a maze filled with traps, all while debating why they’re there and who is responsible.
Not a science fiction movie in the purest sense, but certainly in the grand idea of the movie, Cube spawned a few lesser-received sequels and is in the process of being remade. But that being said, the original is most definitely worth the time.
Snowpiercer
While the main character in I Am Mother is trapped in a single location while there’s something going on outside, Snowpiercer is the story of characters tackling something going on inside. All set on a train, the film is something of a cult favourite that has a somewhat limited but enthusiastic fan base and is about to premiere as a TV show.
RELATED: What To Expect From The Snowpiercer TV Show
Captain America’s mindset has burrowed its way into Chris Evans as he just can’t shake the idea that everything should be just and fair. He plays Curtis, the leader of a revolution onboard the titular Snowpiercer train on which the poor travel at the back and the wealthy at the front.
Exam
Writer/Director/Producer of Exam Stuart Hazeldine has a really limited IMDB resume which is a shame when you look at something like this movie. It only really becomes a science fiction film as the plot unravels, Exam is a whip-smart thrill ride of a movie with great performances from the cast of unnamed characters who are locked inside a room to face a final exam which if they pass, will secure them a job.
There are much bigger forces at work however than a potential new employer and this becomes more and more apparent as the stakes continue to rise throughout the movie.
WALL-E
Bare with us on this one… But if Daughter in I Am Mother is, as the main character, unaware of what’s really going on outside her confinement and just lives her life as best she can, then she’s not a bad comparison to a certain little yellow robot.
WALL-E goes about his day unaware of the incredible thing he’s stumbled upon when he finds a tiny green shoot growing on a previously abandoned earth. It’s only when EVE turns up and shows him the truth that he can really fulfill his potential and help mankind.
2001: A Space Odyssey
We’re fully aware that this movie is always on any list of science fiction films to watch - even on a list of best films - but it’s for good reason. And especially now in 2019 where there’s likely an audience of fledgling movie buffs who haven’t yet seen 2001: A Space Odyssey.
If I Am Mother has characters with events happening that are outside of their control, you will most definitely find similarities in what many call Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic masterpiece. And if those characters are ably-assisted by an intelligent robot then you have to know where many of the ideas that drive those machines come from; H.A.L 9000.