A Glean movie guide
Smart Sci-Fi for a Light Night
Big ideas, easy watching.
High-concept ideas and clever writing without the existential dread.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Martian
A masterclass in optimistic problem-solving and scientific ingenuity.
During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.
- 02
Back to the Future
The perfect blend of airtight time-travel logic and pure cinematic joy.
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.
- 03
Edge of Tomorrow
A clever, fast-paced thriller that uses video game logic to brilliant effect.
Major Bill Cage is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously demoted and dropped into combat. Cage is killed within minutes, managing to take an alpha alien down with him. He awakens back at the beginning of the same day and is forced to fight and die again... and again - as physical contact with the alien has thrown him into a time loop.
- 04
Source Code
A lean, high-stakes mystery that keeps its complex premise remarkably easy to follow.
When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.
- 05
The Truman Show
A bright, suburban satire that explores deep themes of surveillance and reality.
An insurance salesman begins to suspect that his whole life is actually some sort of reality TV show.
- 06
Palm Springs
A refreshingly funny and philosophical spin on the infinite time loop.
When carefree Nyles and reluctant maid of honor Sarah have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding, things get complicated when they find themselves unable to escape the venue, themselves, or each other.
- 07
Minority Report
A polished detective story that brings complex ethical questions to a high-octane future.
John Anderton is a top 'Precrime' cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they're committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge.
- 08
Free Guy
A colorful, witty adventure that offers surprisingly sharp commentary on AI and agency.
A bank teller discovers he is actually a background player in an open-world video game, and decides to become the hero of his own story. Now, in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way before it's too late.
- 09
Gattaca
A stylish, character-driven thriller that tackles bioethics with focus and clarity.
Vincent is an all-too-human man who dares to defy a system obsessed with genetic perfection. He is an "In-Valid" who assumes the identity of a member of the genetic elite to pursue his goal of traveling into space with the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation.
- 10
Inception
An intricate heist movie that rewards your attention without losing its sense of momentum.
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.
- 11
Galaxy Quest
A brilliant satire that celebrates sci-fi tropes while delivering a genuine space adventure.
For four years, the courageous crew of the NSEA Protector — Commander Peter Quincy Taggart, Lieutenant Tawny Madison, and Doctor Lazarus — set off on a thrilling and often dangerous mission in space ... until their series was cancelled! Now, twenty years later, aliens under attack have mistaken the Galaxy Quest television transmissions for "historical documents" and beam up the crew of has-been actors to save the universe. With no script, no director, and no clue, the actors must turn in the performances of their lives.
- 12
Everything Everywhere All At Once
A wildly inventive multiverse journey that balances absurdist humor with a heartfelt core.
An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save what's important to her by connecting with the lives she could have led in other universes.