Byte Size: 2010s Sci-Fi God Tier List
The most thought-provoking sci-fi cinema of the last decade.
Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I make no secret about being a massive nerd. My house is full of film posters, books, and graphic novels, and I have a not-so inconsequential collection of media-related tattoos permanently jabbed into my skin.
For me, science fiction has always been about two things: potential and escapism. Growing up, as a mostly lonely kid stuck in the country, I would devour the history and lore surrounding my favourite films, television series, and franchises, captivated by the depth and detail of these strange other worlds. Some were hopeful, others not so much. But what they all shared was a creative spark that dared to imagine how things could—or perhaps should—be.
For this list, I’ve pulled together the best sci-fi films of the last decade. Tallying up the entries, it’s clear that three directors really stood out and defined sci-fi spectacle for a new generation, inheriting the potential that genre masters like Spielberg, Verhoeven, Lucas, and Carpenter left behind. Enjoy.
Inception (2010)
While it might be derided as the ultimate ‘film bro’ movie from the pinnacle of a film bro auteur, there’s an elegance to the construction of Inception that leaves me in awe every time I watch it. In viewing Christopher Nolan’s Tenet last year, and the furor that surrounded its controversial release, it was hard not to make comparisons to his earlier (and far superior) work and it’s still clear to me which one is my preferred cerebral take. Watch the trailer here.
Looper (2012)
This was the project that—for better or worse—launched director Rian Johnson into the Star Wars universe. What starts off as a slick gangster-noir action romp quickly morphs into a heady meditation on trauma and selflessness, with some of the best time-travel logistics ever put to film. Watch the trailer here.
Gravity (2013)
There’s the old cliché that states: “In space, no one can hear you scream.” And while that’s true on a purely physical level, director Alfonso Cuarón takes that impression to its natural conclusion in Gravity, with stunning, nail-biting action set pieces that will literally drive the air from your lungs. It’s an incredibly simplistic film narrative-wise, but the emotional connection is palpable from the film’s opening moments. Watch the trailer here.
Interstellar (2014)
Christopher Nolan doesn’t do things by half-measures. The scope of Interstellar is about as broad as contemporary sci-fi can get, collapsing the dimensions of time and space into something new, profound, and awe-inspiring. Just don’t ask me about the ‘love transcending all’ stuff, okay? Watch the trailer here.
Ex Machina (2014)
Among a gorgeous narrative exploration of AI and consciousness, director Alex Garland suffuses standard sci-fi concepts with the thematic complexity of violence, sexuality, and the desire for freedom. Garland is one of the most underrated directors working today and watching Ex Machina is worth it purely for Oscar Isaac’s highly meme-able dance sequence. Watch the trailer here.
The Martian (2015)
I’m obsessed with Mars. As a kid, campy films like Red Planet (2000), Mission to Mars (2000), and classics like Total Recall (1990) showcased the beauty of this harsh and unforgiving landscape. Ridley Scott’s gritty and realistic adaptation of author Andy Weir’s novel does all of that and more, rendering our small solar neighbour in all her glorious, alien splendour. Watch the trailer here.
Arrival (2016)
I remember watching Arrival in the theatre and being completely flawed by it. The ending is still one of the most genuinely compelling narrative moments I’ve ever witnessed, expertly complemented by Jóhann Jóhannsson’s gut-wrenching score. Auteur Denis Villeneuve’s foray into sci-fi is superb, with Eric Heisserer’s screenplay building on author Ted Chiang’s tale of weird and eerie extra-terrestrial first contact. Watch the trailer here.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
While most films on this list are either new works or novel adaptations, Villeneuve’s follow-up to one of the most celebrated works of sci-fi ever created is the only direct sequel. Even though it ultimately proved too intense for commercial audiences, Blade Runner 2049 comes as close to eclipsing the original cyber-punk masterpiece as humanly possible. It’s a stunning achievement and entirely worthy of its mammoth, near-three-hour runtime. Watch the trailer here.
Annihilation (2018)
As I said in my 2018 recap list, Alex Garland’s follow-up to Ex Machina ticks all my boxes: “A strange, surreal and loosely Lovecraftian sci-fi premise? Check. An all-female main cast featuring knock-out performances from Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson? Check. A brooding case study of bereavement, trauma, and transformation, told through hallucinatory, acid-trip mise-en-scène in the vein of Kubrick and Tarkovsky? Check.” Watch the trailer here.
Ad Astra (2019)
With an elevator pitch that’s essentially “Heart of Darkness in space,” director James Gray takes profoundly human drama and stretches it across the entire solar system: from “an ‘international space antenna’ array, stretching from the Earth’s surface into low orbit; a sprawling Moon complex, complete with capitalist retail ephemera, border disputes, and rover skirmishes; a subterranean Martian bunker, infused with burning hues of gloom; interlocking space capsules, home to dangers both human and non-human; voyages past the swirling gases of Jupiter, and the crystalline ring systems of Saturn and Neptune.” Watch the trailer here.
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