A Glean movie guide
The Sci-Fi Canon
The ultimate futuristic watchlist.
From silent masterpieces to modern mind-benders, these are the films that defined the genre.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
2001: A Space Odyssey
A visual masterpiece that redefined the scale and philosophical depth of space exploration.
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 neon-soaked noir that questions the very essence of what it 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 philosophy and high-octane action that challenged our perception of reality.
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 tension that proved space is the ultimate setting for 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 V - The Empire Strikes Back
The gold standard for space opera, balancing epic scale with profound character development.
The epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker, in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda. But Darth Vader is more determined than ever to capture Luke. Meanwhile, rebel leader Princess Leia, cocky Han Solo, Chewbacca, and droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are thrown into various stages of capture, betrayal and despair.
- 06
Metropolis
A visionary silent masterpiece that established 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 mind-bending heist through the subconscious that rewards multiple viewings with its intricate layers.
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
Children of Men
A visceral, grounded look at a near-future world that feels hauntingly plausible.
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.
- 09
Arrival
A rare, intellectual first-contact story that focuses on the power of language and 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.
- 10
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
A rare sequel that surpasses the original, blending revolutionary effects with a surprisingly human heart.
Ten years after the events of the original, a reprogrammed T-800 is sent back in time to protect young John Connor from the shape-shifting T-1000. Together with his mother Sarah, he fights to stop Skynet from triggering a nuclear apocalypse.
- 11
Akira
A landmark of animation that brought cyberpunk to the global stage with its stunning, kinetic energy.
A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath that only two teenagers and a group of psychics can stop.
- 12
Stalker
A haunting, slow-burn journey into a mysterious zone that explores the depths of human desire.
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.