There are many clever sci-fi films, but only a handful so smart that they deserve to be watched again. There are some sci-fi movies that get better on every rewatch, thanks in no small part to their well-written stories that keep audiences thinking even after the credits roll. Those who achieve this deserve all the praise they receive, as it’s a unique blend of clever writing and general narrative excellence that allows them to entice their audiences back for more so soon after the first viewing.
7) 12 Monkeys (1995)
One of cinema’s great but overlooked time-travel movies, 12 Monkeys is often praised, but rarely recognized enough for its brilliance. Its plot, which involves a man travelling from an apocalyptic future to the ’90s in the hopes of preventing the outbreak of a deadly virus, is revealed in the final scene to have been a causality loop all along, establishing that the protagonist’s quest was always destined to fail. It’s an ending so naturally clever that it makes the viewer want to immediately go back and reexamine 12 Monkeys‘ story, which is truly flawless from start to finish.
6) Looper (2012)
Looper isn’t often considered among the best sci-fi movies of recent decades, but that does a disservice to its neat and clever time-travel plot. Its story involves assassins who make use of a one-way time travel technology to take out victims transported from the future, but who must eventually assassinate themselves, preventing any potential paradoxes. It’s a sci-fi story that’s deceptively smart throughout, carefully wending its logic throughout each of its major plot points in a way that makes it a joy to rewatch a second time, unpicking the more complex elements of its narrative.
5) Interstellar (2014)
Known for making complex movies, Christopher Nolan can claim ownership of some of the cleverest sci-fi of the 21st century so far. Interstellar might not be his most complicated movie, but its use of scientific principles at the very core of its story adds emotional layers to its narrative that are intensely powerful. The way it all comes together is deeply satisfying and just a little devastating, and it often leaves viewers wanting to go back through it immediately to better appreciate just how smart a movie Interstellar really is.
4) Arrival (2016)
There are a handful of great sci-fi movies with no villain, and Arrival is arguably the best of all. Its story concerns a linguistics expert tasked with establishing contact with alien visitors, only to have her eventual understanding of their language completely reframe her entire existence. In doing so, Arrival also manages to redefine the events shown throughout its runtime, delivering a wickedly clever final scene that causes many to watch it back for a second time to better appreciate how well-crafted the story is.
3) Coherence (2013)
Coherence doesn’t rely too heavily on well-known sci-fi tropes like aliens or space travel. Instead, it tells the story of a group of friends who experience a shift in reality as a result of a passing comet. The complexity of the movie’s plot is part of its appeal, as the audience is taken along on the same mind-bending journey as its characters. It’s one of those sci-fi movies that requires multiple viewings to fully grasp, and even then, it’s maddeningly complicated.
2) Primer (2004)
Some sci-fi movies never seem to make sense even when rewatched over and over, and in Primer‘s case, that’s essentially the point. A low-budget time-travel movie, Primer explores the direct implications of travelling through time, and exactly how messing with reality can only ever confuse those attempting to follow along. In many ways, it’s a movie that’s smarter than its audience, although that doesn’t stop many from watching it twice just to try and figure it out a little better.
1) Tenet (2020)
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.
There are only a few perfect sci-fi movies that nobody really understands, and Tenet is one of them. From its first scene, the movie features objects and characters moving both forward and backwards through time, making its narrative inherently hard to follow due to simple uncertainty. From its mind-bending action scenes to its cleverly written story, Tenet is an incredibly smart sci-fi movie that demands to be watched more than once.
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