Science-fiction films, when they are good, send viewers into alternate, moving universes marked by reminders of life on Earth. Things may seem vaguely familiar or parallel in these movies, but supernatural elements lurk behind every corner. Through technological landscapes, horrifying monsters, and scientific anomalies, the best science fiction films delve deeply into humanity’s most interesting fears and potentials.
Before the days of big-budget special effects, filmmakers relied on prosthetics, impressive camera work, and elaborate set designs to make their science-fiction worlds appealing. The films on this list are some of the most visually stunning classic science-fiction films of all time, made using old-school methods. In order to appreciate them to their full ocular potential, it’s definitely worthwhile to splurge on the Blu-Ray.
Metropolis
Fritz Lang’s 1927 epic is about a dystopian future where the proletariat toils underground, maintaining the city’s machinery, while the wealthy class harbors all the fruits of the labor in luxurious high rises above.
One of the earliest science fiction films, Metropolis is a black and white, silent film gem containing some of the most outrageous and mechanical sets imaginable. It was one of the most expensive films produced in Germany, and it shows. Thanks to the remastered Blu-Ray, Lang’s ground-breaking vision of gears, engines, robots, and complex underground systems really comes alive.
Blade Runner
This 1982 science-fiction noir film stars Harrison Ford as an android killer in 2019 Los Angeles, a dreary, yet futuristic place with flying cars and endless rain. Director Ridley Scott imbues the movie with neon lighting, mood-inducing smog, and digital advertisements.
Ford, as the Blade Runner Deckard, is backed by a cast of beautifully costumed humans and Replicants. The faces and movements of the film’s characters through the intricately-planned dystopic LA are rendered with extra clarity in the Blu-Ray version.
Fantastic Planet
This bizarre French animated feature follows the humanoid aliens Draags, who have brought humans to their home planet, Ygam, where they are treated like indentured servants and pets.
Released in 1973, every aspect of the movie is dazzling, from the animation style to the soundtrack to the interactions between Draags and humans. The film’s vibrant color scheme pops in the Blu-Ray edition, and it’s surreal circumstances are enhanced by the remastering.
The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers
The original 1956 The Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a taut, fast-paced flick about an alien invasion in California. As a doctor played by Kevin McCarthy attempts to figure out what’s happening in his small town, his friends and loved ones slowly succumb to the invaders.
There’s not much more horrifying than aliens snatching the bodies of everyone you know, and Dr. Miles Bennell’s predicament unravels in a truly terrifying way. A black and white movie, the Blu-Ray edition of the film gives its noir vibes extra potency, and the infiltration presented in the film is boosted by the added visual lucidity.
Videodrome
David Cronenberg is the king of body horror, and Videodrome investigates the shortcomings of technological advancements and the television age through some seriously shocking special effects sequences. Without the Blu-Ray version, the film’s innovative approach to science fiction is not as obvious.
Made in 1983, Videodrome stars James Woods as a local TV station executive who gets sucked up into a world of torture, pornography, and mind control. The movie remains as relevant as ever.
The Andromeda Strain
Based on a Michael Crichton novel of the same name, The Andromeda Strain is one of the most optically impressive science fiction films of all time. Released in 1969, it follows four scientists who have been tasked with looking into a deadly extraterrestrial infectious outbreak in Arizona.
The film’s most exciting feature is the underground Nevada laboratory, Wildfire, the group descend into and use to solve the outbreak. Marked by bright, solid colors and illuminated gadgetry, the set makes the technical and scientific specifics fun to watch. It’s even more fun on Blu-Ray.
THX 1138
Before Star Wars, George Lucas made the dystopic THX 1138. Starring Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasance, this 1971 debut feature from Lucas was also produced by Francis Ford Coppola. It’s a Blu-Ray must-have for any science fiction fan.
In the 25th century, reproduction, emotions, and sexual interactions are illegal, and the government keeps its population at bay through mind-altering drugs. The crisp, white uniforms everyone is forced to wear and the militaristic police force brings the surveillance state depicted in the film to life.
Alien
Ridley Scott defined the deep-space expedition genre when he released Alien in 1979. From the detailed set designs made by H.R. Giger to the life-size models around which the action unfolds, the space shift Nostromo is brought to life with exacting and alarming articulateness.
Sigourney Weaver stars as the famous final girl, Ripley, the surviving crew member after an alien gets on board. Her epic battles with the Xenomorph deserve the extra definition granted to it by Blu-Ray.
Forbidden Planet
Another classic 1950s science fiction film, Forbidden Planet introduced many new special effects techniques when it was released in 1956. Taking place on another planet in the 23rd century, it brings audiences into a unique and unknown world that includes sentient robots. Although it was filmed entirely indoors, the set designs are lush and all-consuming, and so are the costumes.
Forbidden Planet’s plot has a comic tone, but it’s an early science fiction innovator that should be in any diehard’s Blu-Ray collection.
The Thing From Another World
While John Carpenter’s remake of The Thing From Another World, which he titled The Thing, is a masterpiece in its own right, the original from 1951 stands on its own as a science fiction treasure that shines on Blu-Ray.
Set in the Artic, the snowy landscape and stranded scientists add a sense of imminent doom to the story uncurling. The alien attacking the research team is a force to be reckoned with, and no matter how much scientific knowledge the group possesses, there are few defenses against the unknown.
