scientific sci-fi movie

[Proskill]

with the release of sigma help me find a decent s-f movie to watch

i want it to be something like interstellar (2014) or contact (1997) with how the universe works, maybe in search of extraterestial life
but definately no mean shooting aliens wanting to destroy humanity, that kind of thing
gravity (2013) was on the other hand so boring i barely finished watching it

so feel free to recommend whatever u think fits that category

[bloodwulf]

MOON

Watch MOON

So good. Don't worry about Duncan Jones' other titles. Watch Moon. It is space, but not really extraterrestrial. Too many details will spoil it.

[unbound]

While some people may not realize it, The Expanse is actually very hard sci-fi. Strongly recommend it.

[Lodreh]

Europa Report... has a good balance of science and fiction.

[Endus]

Interstellar and Contact are less sci-fi, in tems of plot, and more using sci-fi as a thin cover for "love is magic" storylines. I love everything about both movies up to the end, which retroactively makes the rest of the plot pretty stupid. Seriously frustrating.

Arrival, if you're really into linguistics, is neat, though it edges close to the above, but in a way that's still actually science fiction-y at least.

If you're interested something without aliens at all, I can heartily recommend The Martian and Moon.

If you're open for TV, The Expanse is probably the best you'll find in this sub-genre. It's a bit more political than I prefer, but the science behind the sci-fi is top-notch stuff.

[rogueMatthias]

For an earth based onei, I feel Ex Machina is one of the top sci-fis from the past years.

[Proskill]

from movies posted so far ive watched: ex machina, the moon, arrival amd the martian

will look up europa report and the expanse

[BloodyAngel12]

Mission to Mars

[Astalnar]

with the release of sigma help me find a decent s-f movie to watch

i want it to be something like interstellar (2014) or contact (1997) with how the universe works, maybe in search of extraterestial life
but definately no mean shooting aliens wanting to destroy humanity, that kind of thing
gravity (2013) was on the other hand so boring i barely finished watching it

so feel free to recommend whatever u think fits that category

- Moon
- Martian

Also Space Cowboys.

[jackofwind]

Event Horizon is as accurate a space sci-fi as they get.

[Nynax]

Interstellar and Contact are less sci-fi, in tems of plot, and more using sci-fi as a thin cover for "love is magic" storylines. I love everything about both movies up to the end, which retroactively makes the rest of the plot pretty stupid. Seriously frustrating.

Arrival, if you're really into linguistics, is neat, though it edges close to the above, but in a way that's still actually science fiction-y at least.

If you're interested something without aliens at all, I can heartily recommend The Martian and Moon.

If you're open for TV, The Expanse is probably the best you'll find in this sub-genre. It's a bit more political than I prefer, but the science behind the sci-fi is top-notch stuff.

I think it's the politics that really helps sell the shows "realism" compared to so many other attempts at "sci-fi." It allows for drama because of sensible ideology instead of the usual "drama because angst."

[unbound]

Thinking about movies, Annihilation hasn't been mentioned and is something very thought provoking (with some action)...right up there with Arrival.

I think the caveat of exploring the universe or looking for aliens really restricts the options for finding good science fiction.

Other good science fiction that involve aliens would include Alien and The Thing (1982)...but the horror elements may turn you off.

2001 and 2010 are definitely worth watching for alien interactions...more mystery in those cases, with Moon being a great entry.

Blade Runner is thought provoking, but doesn't involve any of this, as is The Matrix.

[Krawu]

If you're listing Interstellar or Contact you don't seem to be on the lookout for hard sci-fi but for the cerebral kind that elevates plot over action.

If so, I have two recommendations you definitely want to check out:

Arrival (2016)
Sunshine (2007)

One more that isn't really sci-fi at the start but fits amazingly well with this kind of movie is

Time Trap (2017)

Time Trap doesn't have the greatest reviews but anyone with anything bad to say about it is just plain wrong.

All of these are insanely reliant on their plot. Do yourself a favor and don't even look them up on Wikipedia. These really are best unspoiled.

[Endus]

I think it's the politics that really helps sell the shows "realism" compared to so many other attempts at "sci-fi." It allows for drama because of sensible ideology instead of the usual "drama because angst."

I wasn't saying it's "bad", it's a taste thing. The political framework is important, my issue is how much of the story revolves around the high politics, directly, with world leaders and diplomats and admirals. I prefer more human-scale stories, where those political moves may help shape the story, but they're the background worldbuilding, not the driving plot and characters.

Stuff more like Firefly, to pick another TV show with similar tech levels and focused on Sol system without FTL. The politics there "matter", but more in explaining backstory than driving the plot of each episode.

The stuff with Holden and his crew in The Expanse is what keeps me coming back. Less so the political chicanery between Earth and Mars and the Belt. The Expanse is less "the story of James Holden" and more "the story of humanity touching the beyond" (to be as spoiler-free as I can make it), where Holden is just a guy who happened to end up in the middle of it all. They could, theoretically, kill off Holden and the entire crew of the Rocinante, and The Expanse could keep going without them; you couldn't have done that with Firefly.

[Shadowferal]

Thinking about movies, Annihilation hasn't been mentioned and is something very thought provoking (with some action)...right up there with Arrival.
I think the caveat of exploring the universe or looking for aliens really restricts the options for finding good science fiction.

Annihilation is a good example of how truly alien...an alien can be.

[bloodwulf]

from movies posted so far ive watched: ex machina, the moon, arrival amd the martian

will look up europa report and the expanse

Expanse is brilliant in my opinion. One of the best Scifi shows in a long time. Just a heads up, without spoiling anything it does get into weird at points. I will say, the way ships act in space, and how they handle damage and such is really well down. Extra immersion, play Elite Dangerous and watch it at the same time...

[Rotted]

with the release of sigma help me find a decent s-f movie to watch

i want it to be something like interstellar (2014) or contact (1997) with how the universe works, maybe in search of extraterestial life
but definately no mean shooting aliens wanting to destroy humanity, that kind of thing
gravity (2013) was on the other hand so boring i barely finished watching it

so feel free to recommend whatever u think fits that category

It's an oldie but try Event Horizon

Also Prometheus falls into, well both your categories. But more so universe works / life searching. I also enjoyed Life.

[Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang]

If you're listing Interstellar or Contact you don't seem to be on the lookout for hard sci-fi but for the cerebral kind that elevates plot over action.

If so, I have two recommendations you definitely want to check out:

Arrival (2016)
Sunshine (2007)

One more that isn't really sci-fi at the start but fits amazingly well with this kind of movie is

Time Trap (2017)

Time Trap doesn't have the greatest reviews but anyone with anything bad to say about it is just plain wrong.

All of these are insanely reliant on their plot. Do yourself a favor and don't even look them up on Wikipedia. These really are best unspoiled.

I second Sunshine (2007). Not pure hard sci-fi in all aspects but superb movie. Arrival too.

Since earthbound movies were also mentioned, Abyss (1989) is quite nice too.

[babalou1]

Mission to Mars

Not going to lie, I love this movie and just cant explain why

[Machismo]

Moon and the Expanse are both damn solid. The latter is more of a political drama, but it's still very engrossing.

I know it's not what you are looking for, but Killjoys is a fun sci-fi show to pass the time.