A Glean movie guide
Essential Sci-Fi Cinema
Beyond the stars and into the mind.
A curated collection of the most influential and thought-provoking science fiction films.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
2001: A Space Odyssey
A foundational masterpiece that redefined the genre through technical brilliance and philosophical depth.
Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.
- 02
Blade Runner
The definitive cyberpunk noir that masterfully explores the blurred lines between humanity and technology.
In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.
- 03
The Matrix
A high-concept action landmark that challenged our perception of reality with iconic visual effects.
Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.
- 04
Arrival
A deeply moving, intelligent exploration of communication and time that anchors its scale in human emotion.
Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.
- 05
Inception
A complex, high-stakes heist film that takes place within the intricate architecture of the subconscious.
Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.
- 06
Children of Men
A gritty, masterfully shot vision of a near-future world struggling with the loss of hope.
In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.
- 07
Interstellar
An ambitious, visually stunning journey that balances hard science with the enduring power of human connection.
The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.
- 08
Ex Machina
A tense, character-driven thriller that forces us to question the ethics of creating artificial life.
Caleb, a coder at the world's largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world's first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl.
- 09
Stalker
A haunting, atmospheric journey into a mysterious zone that serves as a mirror for the human soul.
Near a gray and unnamed city is the Zone, a place guarded by barbed wire and soldiers, and where the normal laws of physics are victim to frequent anomalies. A stalker guides two men into the Zone, specifically to an area in which deep-seated desires are granted.
- 10
Alien
A perfect fusion of science fiction and suspense that remains the gold standard for space-based horror.
During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.