Much of Gattaca’s story revolves around the admission that nothing can ever be as flawless as we’d like it to be regardless of how hard we try to make it so. Using subterfuge to climb company ranks, Vincent gets increasingly closer to his ultimate goal just as the walls begin closing in on him. Enter Vincent Freeman, who has lofty ambitions of space travel, though his short life expectancy and genetic makeup disqualify him from consideration. Though discrimination against those who have not had their DNA tampered with is supposedly illegal, they are forced into menial labor as a general rule. In a eugenics-based future, parents are allowed to genetically engineer their unborn children to ensure “perfect” results. Stars: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, Loren Dean, Ernest Borgnine, Gore Vidal, and Alan Arkin.
Surprisingly providing one of Ryan Reynolds’ most down-to-earth performances after a long series of successes capitalizing on his over-the-top antics, The Adam Project asks heavy questions and never forgets to lead with its heart. Fun but not as light-hearted as one might think, The Adam Project leans just as hard into the skill of its actors as it does the kookiness of its premise. Though time travel is a tried and true staple of sci-fi, one of the most intriguing elements of this story is the way it shows how the early trauma in the young Adam has crystalized into a serious lack of emotional connection in later years, giving this one an unexpected punch to go along with the fast-paced action sequences. Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Walker Scobell, Zoe Saldaña, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, Catherine KeenerĮncountering serious issues mid-flight, rocket ship pilot Adam flies right into a wormhole that takes him into the “distant past of 2022.” Immediately connecting with his younger self, the two Adams must work together to return the elder to his respective time.Stars: Clara Rugaard, Luke Hawker, Rose Byrne, and Hilary Swank.Claustrophobic dystopian tales that keep you on your toes until after the credits roll like Solaris (1979) or Moon (2009) will delight in the heady concepts tucked into a roller coaster plot. I Am Mother is one of those stories that is remarkably difficult to describe without inevitably giving away a major twist, but that’s all the more reason for genre fans to seek it out for themselves. Hinging on its disturbing, horror-infused vibes and solid acting by Hilary Swank and Clara Rugaard along with the collaborative performance of Mother, this is not to be missed by fans that love a good ominous sci-fi film. When a stranger appears at the base telling Daughter of the genocide that AI like Mother has unleashed on the human population, the once safe (if creepy) world that Daughter has known becomes uncertain and terrifying. Raising one of these to young adulthood and referring to the young woman as Daughter, the two form an emotional bond that is both unsettling and endearing. Mother is a humanoid robot that tends to embryos in an apparently deserted underground facility. Stars: Eden Duncan-Smith, Dante Crichlow and Astro.
Full of lovable homages to sci-fi of yesteryear while keeping its feet firmly grounded in the possibilities of the future, this is a remarkable debut from director Stefon Bristol that is braced by impressive performances from lead actors Eden Duncan-Smith, Dante Crichlow, and Astro. While staying soundly in the realm of an improbable sci-fi adventure, See You Yesterday deals with some of the heaviest real-world issues imaginable while remaining disarmingly good-intentioned.
Yet, the cyclical nature of time means that new threats and disasters appear every time she attempts to correct the mistakes of the past. Implementing her newly discovered secret of time travel, she and her friend Sebastian go back in time to prevent this tragedy from ever occurring.
However, unlike so many that have experienced a similar loss in the real world, CJ can actually change things to ensure it never happened. Deceptively light in its opening scenes, the central premise of the story kicks off when teenage scientist CJ loses her brother in a police shooting, leaving her and her family reeling. While the title might make it sound like this is a run-of-the-mill time travel story, See You Yesterday is a surprising entry to one of the genre’s favorite tropes.