The decade of the 2000s has come to an end, so naturally we're going to take a look back at its best science fiction movies. This was a decade marked by remakes and comic book adaptations (and, of course, Avatar), but many of its high points were in fact original works. Below are our favorite flicks, both adapted and new. These are the movies of which we're most proud to say, "We were there for that."
10. Iron Man
Iron Man was something of a surprise hit when it earned over $300 million in 2008, but the reasons for its success are clear. Stellar action sequences and superb special effects make the film a technical marvel (pun intended). Where it truly excels, though, is in director Jon Favreau’s careful handling of both the comedic and tragic side of the unlikely protagonist, billionaire arms dealer Tony Stark. Robert Downey, Jr., rounds the movie out with a magnetic performance that, like the film itself, is a mix of entertainment and gravitas. You couldn’t ask for a better superhero film.
9. WALL-E
WALL-E's achievement is that it endows a robot character with so much emotion that its emotional journey comprises practically the entire arc of the film. With the premise of a little robot searching for companionship, this film will have you forgetting that its main character is comprised of computer chips and gears. Plus, the CG animation is plain beautiful. WALL-E isn't just for science fiction lovers. It's for anyone with a heart.
8. Children of Men
Children of Men is beautiful and thoughtful, but more than anything, it is suspenseful. Director Alfonso Cuarón exhibits a relentless desire to create the tensest possible scenes, and he does so masterfully. On top of that, many of the film's locales are brilliantly composed (such as one that makes use of both Picasso's Guernica and the album art for Pink Floyd's Animals). Children of Men is a full cinematic experience, directed with the most careful and deft of hands.
7. 28 Weeks Later
It would have been silly to expect 28 Weeks Later to be better than its predecessor, 28 Days Later. Amazingly, though, the sequel managed to be more intense than anyone could have expected. This is a true sci-fi horror film, one that is so intent upon providing horror that there is no one character that we know will turn out safe. If you want a breathtaking experience, you got it here.
6. Minority Report
With the theme of seeing and the setting of a futuristic society in which crimes are predicted before they occur, Minority Report turned out to be surprisingly insightful for a Tom Cruise thriller. The dangers of such a society will be clear to any fan of science fiction, and they are brought to life here. Would knowledge of the future affect the future? Can people truly be said to be guilty for something that they are going to do? These are but the most basic questions Minority Report brings up. This is both an exciting thriller and an intriguing film.
5. Moon
Moon may have gotten a small release, but it is one powerful film. Written and directed by no less than the son of David Bowie, Duncan Jones, the movie is based entirely on one character alone on the moon. With this setup, Jones creates an existential crisis on par with those of Andrei Tarkovsky, and actor Sam Rockwell tops the film's intelligence with a brilliantly moving and nuanced performance. Moon was an inauspicious project, but it turned out to be a great one.
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is layered with intricacies, each as rewarding as the last. On the surface it is a tale of love lost and found again (and lost again) in a world where memories can be erased like data on hard drives. However, viewers will find multiple meanings buried in this hypnotic film, which provides an experience that is never the same upon subsequent viewings. However ironic this statement may be, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of the most unforgettable science fiction films of the decade.
3. Avatar
It's almost pointless to say anything about Avatar because it seems everyone in the world has seen it. With this film, James Cameron created an experience like no other, giving audiences the most immersive, fully-realized alien world cinema has seen. In doing so, he may well have revolutionized the movie industry. Need we go on?
2. The Host
The Host is successful on virtually every level: it is scary, exciting, intelligent, and funny, but most of all it is moving. This film reaches emotional heights as it progresses through a story about family, love, and responsibility. It also has a heck of a giant monster. If you would have told us in 2000 that the decade's second best film was going to be a Korean monster flick, we would have been excited, but we never would have expected something like The Host.
1. District 9
Neill Blomkamp’s feature film debut pulls viewers in such varying emotional directions that we’re never quite sure how we’re supposed to feel, but we know that whatever emotion we’re tapped into during any given scene is a strong one. That’s the brilliance of District 9, which traverses such an adverse path of alien encounters, xenophobia, and body horror that it is disorienting. Blomkamp has said that he just wanted to make a sci-fi film set in South Africa, but these modest aims resulted in the most politically and socially relevant genre film of the decade, as well as the best.
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