A Glean movie guide
Sci-Fi’s Greatest Visions
The ultimate cinematic frontier.
From silent-era dystopias to mind-bending space epics, these are the films that defined...
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
2001: A Space Odyssey
A visual masterpiece that redefined cinema’s approach to space, evolution, and artificial intelligence.
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
A neon-soaked noir that asks profound questions about what it truly means to be human.
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 groundbreaking fusion of high-concept philosophy and revolutionary action choreography.
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
Alien
A masterclass in atmospheric dread that blends industrial science fiction with visceral survival 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.
- 05
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
The definitive space opera that transformed the genre into a global cultural phenomenon.
Princess Leia is captured and held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker and dashing captain Han Solo team together with the loveable robot duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess and restore peace and justice in the Empire.
- 06
Metropolis
A stunning silent-era epic that pioneered the visual language of the futuristic city.
In a futuristic city sharply divided between the rich and the poor, the son of the city's mastermind meets a prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.
- 07
Inception
A high-stakes heist thriller that explores the intricate architecture of the human 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.
- 08
Arrival
A deeply moving first-contact drama centered on the power of language and non-linear time.
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.
- 09
Children of Men
A visceral, grounded look at a near-future society on the brink of collapse.
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.
- 10
Interstellar
An ambitious journey through wormholes and time that balances hard science with raw human emotion.
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.
- 11
The Thing
A chilling study of paranoia and isolation featuring legendary practical creature effects.
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
- 12
Back to the Future
A flawlessly executed adventure that remains the gold standard for time-travel storytelling.
Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.