A Glean movie guide
The Sci-Fi Decade: 2010–2019
A decade of future visions.
From mind-bending dreams to distant galaxies, the definitive sci-fi hits of the 2010s.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Inception
A high-concept heist that redefined the boundaries of the mind and blockbuster storytelling.
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.
- 02
Interstellar
A visually stunning odyssey through space and time driven by a powerful emotional core.
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.
- 03
Arrival
A cerebral first-contact drama that uses linguistics to explore the nature of time and memory.
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.
- 04
Blade Runner 2049
A breathtaking expansion of a classic world that tackles deep questions of identity and soul.
Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
- 05
Mad Max: Fury Road
A relentless, high-octane chase through a vibrant and imaginative post-apocalyptic wasteland.
An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order.
- 06
Ex Machina
A tense, claustrophobic thriller that examines the ethics and dangers of artificial intelligence.
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.
- 07
Her
A soulful look at human connection through the lens of a man falling in love with his AI.
In the not so distant future, Theodore, a lonely writer, purchases a newly developed operating system designed to meet the user's every need. To Theodore's surprise, a romantic relationship develops between him and his operating system. This unconventional love story blends science fiction and romance in a sweet tale that explores the nature of love and the ways that technology isolates and connects us all.
- 08
The Martian
A gripping survival story that celebrates human ingenuity and the power of science.
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.
- 09
Annihilation
A haunting and surreal journey into a zone where the laws of nature no longer apply.
A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply.
- 10
Edge of Tomorrow
A clever and energetic time-loop thriller that balances intense action with sharp humor.
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.
- 11
Under the Skin
An eerie, visual-first experience that views humanity through the eyes of an alien visitor.
A seductive stranger prowls the streets of Glasgow in search of prey: unsuspecting men who fall under her spell.
- 12
Snowpiercer
A gritty, imaginative class-warfare drama set entirely on a perpetually moving train.
In a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet, a class system evolves aboard the Snowpiercer; a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine.