The Most Underrated Sci-Fi Movies Of 2023
Every year numerous films are overlooked, underrated, and lost in the shuffle. 2023 was no exception. Several sci-fi movies with merit failed to garner attention, find an audience, or receive a fair appraisal. Such outcomes can be attributed to market saturation with similar themes and concepts, exemplified by this year's surplus of films centered around AI or featuring talented actors who lack significant box office appeal. Alternatively, a film may be flawed, resulting in mixed reviews and audience reactions, yet still possessing commendable qualities.
For the purposes of this list, "underrated" refers to sci-fi films that received relatively mixed or poor responses from both critics and audiences, with a focus on those that lacked significant attention or acclaim. We'll review the notable qualities of these films and explore the reasons behind their inadequate recognition, whether it's one of Marvel's unfairly maligned sequels or a quirky, futuristic sci-fi spin on conceiving a child, there was some great sci-fi this year that deserves some respect.
So buckle up and prepare to embark on an exploration of The Most Underrated Sci-Fi Movies of 2023.
Aliens Abducted My Parents And Now I Feel Kinda Left Out
Injecting humor into the alien abduction trope, this quirky indie comedy revolves around the shattered world of young Itsy Nelson (Emma Tremblay) as her big-city family relocates to rural Pebble Falls, Utah. Amidst the limited points of interest, she encounters Calvin, an astronomy-obsessed teenager donning a spacesuit, portrayed charmingly by Jacob Buster from Showtime's "Let the Right One In." Calvin, believing his parents were abducted by aliens a decade ago during Jesper's Comet, becomes the focal point of Itsy's attempt to secure a potential escape route to civilization through a writing contest offering an NYU scholarship.
Initially exploitative in her approach, Itsy's journey takes an unexpected turn as the comet's reappearance approaches. The unlikely duo forms a bond, unraveling secrets that blur the lines between reality and Calvin's extraterrestrial beliefs.
Geared towards families and tweens, as evidenced by its inclusion in the Sundance Kids category of the indie film festival at the beginning of 2023, this film may not cater to everyone. Despite not reaching the heights of classics like "The Goonies" and "E.T.," the movie aims to capture the childhood sense of wonder. The youthful cast, particularly the compelling performances of the two leads, showcases great chemistry. Above all, it is their heartfelt portrayals that elevate the film, complemented by the stunning landscapes of Utah.
65
Admittedly, there's nothing new under the Mesozoic sun in "65," the Adam Driver minimalist survival thriller that crashed to Earth with a box office thud. Although its actual finished cost remains unclear, it likely amounted to a quarter of what "Jurassic World: Dominion" spent. Despite this significant cost difference, its box office returns were far less than a quarter of that blockbuster's returns, thus the possibility of a franchise has gone extinct.
The film treads familiar ground as the protagonist, a parent played by Driver, yearns for their child and discovers a surrogate to shield from menacing beasts. The revelation that "it was Earth all along" lacks the element of surprise, as this fact is made apparent from the beginning. While the CGI depicting most dinosaurs is effective, the fabricated species appear rather preposterous and over-designed.
However, what makes it worth viewing is Driver's intense performance as Mills and his chemistry with child actor Ariana Greenblatt as Koa, portraying the only other survivor of the crash. This connection is doubly impressive given the characters don't speak the same language and can't lean on precious or heartwarming dialogue. Another positive aspect is that the dinosaurs can be frightening in a way the umpteenth "Jurassic" sequels have largely forgotten. With its stripped-down setting and tight focus on the protagonist's struggle for survival, it delivers on all the basics. Coming in at a lean, mean, 93 minutes, "65" never overstays its welcome... something increasingly rare in an epoch where many action films feel 65 minutes too long.
The Creator
In a future marked by a war between humans and AI, ex-special forces soldier Joshua Taylor (John David Washington) grapples with grief as he embarks on a mission to locate the "Creator," the mastermind behind the AI's weaponry. His journey takes him through treacherous landscapes, compelling him to confront his own prejudices when he discovers that the AI's ultimate weapon is the child-like Alpha-O, aka "Alfie," (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). Endowed with the ability to remotely control technology, she poses a tremendous threat to the forces aligned against the AI. Torn between duty and a burgeoning parental bond, Joshua must navigate the moral complexities of war, sacrifice, and the blurred lines between humanity and artificial intelligence.
A movie's release date can impact its success in finding an audience, and "The Creator" — with its sympathetic AI child — hit theaters amidst 2023's cultural firestorm over the threats AI poses to society. It's undoubtedly bad timing. However, the film has much to recommend, particularly the firm directorial hand of producer-director Gareth Edwards ("Rogue One"), memorable action sequences, a beautifully realized future world, terrific cinematography, and sparing but effective visual effects courtesy of Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic.
Bird Box Barcelona
You might have come across "Bird Box Challenges" on social media awhile back, where people attempt tasks blindfolded. Such challenges were inspired by the 2018 Sandra Bullock film, "Bird Box," a post-apocalyptic story where the mere sight of unseen-to-the audience entities drives people to immediate suicide, and survival hinges on navigating the world with blindfolds on.
"Bird Box Barcelona" is a spin-off set in the same world. It echoes the original but delves into a subject touched upon but not explored in its predecessor: the existence of "Seers" who can survive looking upon these entities, even though it drives them insane. After the death of his daughter Anna (Alejandra Howar), Sebastián (Mario Casas) confronts the entities. But instead of being driven to suicide, he becomes a "Seer" who sees a vision of Anna, enticing him to "save" others by removing their blindfolds. This disturbing shift in focus prevents the film from being a mere copy of the original.
For audiences unfamiliar with "Bird Box," the scenario will be relatively novel. Even for those acquainted with the original, this spin-off's thematic approach to the scenario is quite different. Whether this appeals to you may depend on whether following a Seer intrigues or frustrates you. The film's significant strengths lie in its haunting empty Barcelona setting, performances, claustrophobic atmosphere, and exploration of the human psyche
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Jung_E
Audiences familiar with South Korean director Yeon Sang-ho's 2016 zombie-apocalypse action horror film "Train to Busan" might have had unrealistically high expectations for "Jung_E."
Combiningsci-fi elements with social commentary, delving into artificial intelligence, memory, and human identity, this sci-fi shares similarities with two other entries on this list: "65" and "The Creator." Similar to the former, a super-soldier parent embarks on a mission to afford medical treatments for their only child. Echoing the latter, moral and ethical questions revolve around the relationship between humans and humanoid AI. The twist in "Jung_E" is that the caregiver roles reverse when the now-adult child, Seohyun (Kang Soo-yeon), has the opportunity to revive her decades-comatose parent, Jung-yi (Kim Hyun-joo), by cloning her memory and personality into AI-driven robotic soldiers.
While the action scenes are effective, they're constrained to simulations of Jung-yi's final failed mission and we never see the war for which she was created. The true strengths of "Jung_E" lie in its exploration of parent-child relationships, questions of legacy, and ethical considerations surrounding artificial beings — both during wartime and to what questionable uses they are put when their military services are no longer required. Its weakness lies in its short runtime, which isn't sufficient to delve more deeply into these complex issues.
Paradise
Set in a near-future dystopia, this German Netflix movie unfolds in a world where mega-corporation Aeon offers a controversial service: the ability to purchase years of another person's life. The narrative revolves around Max (Kostja Ullmann), a successful Aeon employee who initially dismisses ethical concerns about the process. However, his perspective shifts when a substantial debt accrues and the collateral is 40 years of life from his wife Elena (Marlene Tanczik and later Corinna Kirchhoff). Now facing the consequences, Max embarks on a perilous journey to reclaim his wife's forfeited years and restore her youth, leading to a confrontation with the ethical implications of Aeon's technology.
At the film's core is the prevalent issue of the wealthy exploiting the lower classes, with the privileged literally extracting years from the lives of the less fortunate. The analogy isn't explicit, but the critique is implicit: even today the have-nots of the world suffer shortened lives doing the dirty work that enables the lifestyles and technology enjoyed by the haves. This thematic exploration prompts reflection on the limits of our own moral stances and the potential compromises we might entertain to enhance or prolong the lives of ourselves or our loved ones.
The Pod Generation
"The Pod Generation" presents a utopian dystopia: a tech-obsessed world as pristine as an Apple Store but vaguely inhuman. In this world, AI therapists dismiss dreams as hopelessly outmoded, people experience "nature" through screen-equipped pods, and employ oxygen masks to breathe in literal fresh air. Additionally, the well-to-do can bypass the messy human reality of reproduction through artificial wombs — the titular Pods — resembling a smart speaker merged with a Tamagotchi egg. No fuss. No muss. However, questions arise about the kind of baby produced by a tech product and the extent of influence exerted by Womb Center and its corporate parent in this ex-utero (iWomb?) gestation. Just whose baby is this, really?
The story in this Brave New World revolves around a well-to-do couple, Rachel (Emilia Clarke) and her botanist husband Alvy (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who desire a child but disagree on the approach, especially after Rachel's corporate overlord suggests that bearing a child could (read: would) negatively impact her career. Eventually, the couple opts for a Pod baby, driving the understated satire of society, our relationship to tech and convenience, and the inhumanity that can accompany it.
Director Sophie Barthes takes a low-key approach, and while the results evoke more knowing smiles than outright laughs, the world she successfully brings to the screen is only slightly more ridiculous than our own. This makes it simultaneously funny and a little bit frightening.
Last Sentinel
Climate change has reduced the inhabitable surface of the Earth to only two continents, leading to the demise of much of humanity. Instead of uniting, a state of war prevails. A small group of soldiers from one side finds themselves stationed, or rather stranded, on a remote outpost positioned above the waves, midway between the warring nations. Armed with a doomsday weapon capable of devastating both sides, assuming their long-unseen enemy still exists, the tiny crew has been there for two long years, three months past their scheduled relief, with no response from their home. The outpost is gradually falling apart, rations are depleting, and life is miserable.
The status quo shifts when the abandoned ship Aurora is discovered adrift near the outpost. Naturally, this discovery sparks conflict. The commander (an excellent Thomas Kretschmann) desires to strip the ship for resources to prolong their stay, while those under his command aim to repair the ship and sail for home, assuming it still exists. The ensuing narrative unfolds with shifting allegiances and double-crosses as the characters grapple with decisions.
This is undeniably a low-budget production, but director Tanel Toom, whose 2010 film "The Confession" earned a Student Academy Award and an Oscar nomination for Best Short Film, Live Action, demonstrates an adept use of budget resources. Despite its military setting and characters, the film staunchly opposes war, which arguably stands as its greatest strength.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Whether Marvel fatigue or franchise fatigue is real is, perhaps, debatable, but there's no denying that several recent MCU entries have fallen short of expectations. Some of these suffer from formulaic predictability or mediocrity. "Quantumania" reportedly became the first MCU entry not to break even in its theatrical run, a fact largely overshadowed by the utter box office disaster of "The Marvels." Sure, "Quantumania" isn't peak Marvel, but it's far from being one of its worst.
The plot follows typical comic book conventions with multiverse complexities and obligatory setups for future MCU installments. However, the movie is pure bubblegum fun, thrusting our protagonists into the weirdness of the Quantum Realm. The dynamics between Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), his now-adult daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton), Hope (Evangeline Lilly), and other characters along for the ride are engaging. The Quantum Realm's novelty and its trippy landscapes serve as fantastic settings for family squabbles and superheroic escapades alike. Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) proves to be an effective and memorable villain, with his scowling face unobscured by CGI virtual makeup. (It's worth noting that, in the months since the film's release, the allegations against Majors and his very public courtroom drama might influence your perception of the character and the performance.) Finally, Cassie demonstrates that one can be both a teenager and a microscopic badass.
Simulant
In the not-too-distant future, Agent Kessler (Sam Worthington) pursues a renegade Simulant, who defies the commands of her human superiors, a clear violation of the film's thinly-veiled take on Asimov's famous Three Laws of Robotics. Meanwhile, grief-stricken Faye (Jordana Brewster) is troubled by the behavior of the Simulant recreation of her late husband, Evan (Robbie Amell), and decides to part ways with him. Unaware that he wasn't a real boy, Evan plays the Pinocchio card, aspiring to achieve full self-actualization. In this quest, he forms an alliance with Casey (Simu Liu), a brilliant hacker who unlocks his full potential, removing the restrictions that limit Simulant thought and action. This act extends beyond Evan, as Casey aims to unleash a world-altering wave of Simulant self-awareness.
While "Simulant" is a pastiche of better films, that alone doesn't explain its poor reception. Similar to "The Creator," the film's release during the year of questioning AI likely hindered its prospects. In light of this reality, expecting audiences to sympathize with artificial humans becomes a significant challenge, especially given the events in the last act.
Nonetheless, the film boasts numerous twists, turns, and a genuinely effective scene depicting a Simulant resisting a mind wipe, the outcome of which I won't spoil. As its plot unfolds, "Simulant" raises pertinent questions about future technology and our ethical obligations towards our creations. However, perhaps 2023 was an inopportune time to pose these questions.
Linoleum
"It's not that simple." This line echoes throughout the genre-bending blend of sci-fi, dramedy, and teen coming-of-age, and the sentiment equally applicable to the film's narrative devices and its characters. The story begins innocently enough... until a sports car inexplicably falls from the sky and crashes upside-down on a suburban street.
The sole witness, Cameron (Jim Gaffigan), is disbelieved by his family. His own confusion intensifies when the unharmed driver of the car appears and takes over as host of his little-watched kids' science show. This event marks another occurrence in his full-blown mid-life crisis. With his marriage on the brink, he's overwhelmed by regret for missed opportunities, while his practical wife, Erin (Rhea Seehorn), is frustrated by unfulfilled desires to do something "fantastic" in her life. Meanwhile, their teen daughter Nora (Katelyn Nacon) becomes involved with son of the man who took Cameron's show. When another object, a piece of space junk, inexplicably falls from the sky into his backyard, it becomes the catalyst for Cameron to pursue his youthful dream of becoming an astronaut. Determined to achieve the impossible, he sets out to build a rocket from the wreckage. Much of what happens doesn't make sense... until it does.
While it might be tempting to treat this as a mere puzzle box, "It's not that simple" once again prevails. What happens is not as important as why it happens. Overall, "Linoleum" is a visually stunning and thought-provoking experience, featuring dreamlike visuals, aesthetics, and introspective exploration of identity and family.