
Ask HN: Interesting sci-fi movies BY TOPIC? - b0rsuk
My favorite, ML-based movie recommendation website is (temporarily?) down.<p>The main reason I like SF (movies) is they explore intriguing ideas. HN has had a number of threads about favorite SF movies, but they tend to repeat the same movies. And some topics are very repetitive, for instance it&#x27;s hard to find a time-travel movie which does not show the grandfather paradox.<p>In this post, we can take advantage of <i>threaded</i> nature of HN and create a list of most interesting SF movies <i>by topic</i>.
-----------<p>Rules:<p>1. Top-level comments are for topics ONLY. I suggest not to upvote any of them, my intent is not karma fishing.<p>2. Only mention individual movies in comments of 2nd level and later. (index 1 when starting from index 0)<p>3. For each movie, try to write a single sentence describing why this movie shows an interesting angle.<p>EDIT: go ahead and create a category if a movie focuses on a different theme!
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gwid0n
I'd suggest to look at Letterboxd lists, ie.:

[https://letterboxd.com/illusorium/list/the-cyborg-is-
taking-...](https://letterboxd.com/illusorium/list/the-cyborg-is-taking-over/)

[https://letterboxd.com/sofaraway/list/parallel-
universes/](https://letterboxd.com/sofaraway/list/parallel-universes/)

You can search for your own topics of interest. If you want movie
recommendations, it seems more sensible to browse through the site for movie
buffs, not the one for engineers.

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b0rsuk
It's a good site, thanks.

I posted here precisely because I wanted /your/ recommedations. There are some
super smart people around here, and HN is my main source of thought-provoking
articles.

I mostly use a website with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Item-
item_collaborative_filter...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Item-
item_collaborative_filtering)

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b0rsuk
Topic: Cyborgs / Body Augmentation

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b0rsuk
Robocop (1987)

A crime thriller, a corporate dystopia, a lot of black humor and some social
commentary.

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b0rsuk
Topic: Environmentalist / Ecology

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fetus8
Annihilation (2018): A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition
into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply.

Could fall into a few different categories but...

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b0rsuk
TOPIC: Artificial Intelligence

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b0rsuk
Her (2013)

No guns, teleportation or colorful explosions, but a really in-depth
exploration of (disembodied) artificial intelligence.

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b0rsuk
TOPIC: (Alternate) Evolution

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b0rsuk
Planet of the Apes (1968)

Partially an action movie, but poses a couple of good questions.

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b0rsuk
TOPIC: Deep Sea Exploration

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b0rsuk
The Abyss (1989)

An adventure in the depths

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b0rsuk
Topic: Genetic Engineering

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b0rsuk
Jurassic Park (1993)

Dinosaurs restored back to life from DNA.

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b0rsuk
TOPIC: Memories (Identity)

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b0rsuk
Blade Runner (1982) A classic movie about artificial humans (replicants).

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b0rsuk
TOPIC: Parallel Universes

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fetus8
The Endless (2017): As kids, they escaped a UFO death cult. Now, two adult
brothers seek answers after an old videotape surfaces and brings them back to
where they began.

Bizarre little indie film, worth sitting through.

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b0rsuk
TOPIC: Alternate History

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b0rsuk
TOPIC: Post-Apocalyptic

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b0rsuk
A Boy And His Dog (1975)

Very good for a shoestring budget movie. One of main influences for Fallout
and Wasteland. A bit politically incorrect and you may find it offensive.

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b0rsuk
TOPIC: What Is Reality

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b0rsuk
Dark City (1999)

An overlooked, but very enjoyable movie in the style of The Matrix. WARNING!
The theater version was shoe-horned into an action movie format, including a
very spoiler-heavy narration at the start. Either watch the Director's Cut, or
mute sound and fast forward to when the title screen.

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b0rsuk
TOPIC: Future society

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aguyfromnb
Snowpiercer

[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1706620/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1706620/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Ecological dystopia...on a train.

Has some plot holes, but original story with great action sequences.

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b0rsuk
TOPIC: Colonization

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b0rsuk
Prospect (2018)

A slow-paced movie, and pacing is its main flaw, but it's an interesting
vision of colonies with a great visual style.

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b0rsuk
TOPIC: Space Travel

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b0rsuk
2001: A Space Odyssey

This is what this movie is primarily about, although it has an iconic second
act (AI) and a terrible last act. One of most realistic depictions of space
travel to date.

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b0rsuk
TOPIC: Time Travel

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b0rsuk
Les Visiteurs (1993) (Guests)

A comedy about a medieval knight and his squire traveling into modern times.

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b0rsuk
TOPIC: Alien Life

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aguyfromnb
Contact

[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118884/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118884/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2)

Not sure where to put it, so I'll stick it here. Deals with the _politics_
behind alien contact, which seems even more relevant in today's political
climate.

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b0rsuk
TOPIC: Robotics

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b0rsuk
Virus (1999)

An American tugboat crew finds an abandoned Russian research vessel. Very good
special effects and overall a pretty unique movie, but poor execution. I guess
it doesn't stand the test of time but I liked the oppressive atmosphere when I
was young. Watch this if you liked System Shock.

