PM's sci-fi film guide

LAST YEAR was a very good year for sci-fi. With no major Avengers blockbusters (thanks to Thanos’s shenanigans in 2019) and Star Wars going on a cinematic hiatus, other films were given a chance to have their own moment. Because of the pandemic, a few others expected in 2020 have had their release dates pushed back to this year.

- DARREN ORF

THE INVISIBLE MAN

Any adaptation of an HG Wells classic is going to grab our attention. Starring Elizabeth Moss, The Invisible Man takes Wells’s work and modernises it into something that seems to be speaking to today’s #MeToo movement. Whether the film has entirely succeeded with this update is hard to say, but it’s certainly a gripping narrative that shouldn’t be missed.

VERDICT: Must-see

ARTEMIS FOWL

This is one of the bolder, more eclectic YA stories to emerge in the wake of Harry Potter. Based on a series of eight science-fiction-fantasy (our two favourite things) novels of the same name, this movie takes place in a realm called the Lower Elements, populated by dwarves, fairies, and a computer hacker who also happens to be a centaur. (Yeah, it’s that kind of thing.) It’s not a great sign that the film’s original 2019 release date was pushed into 2020, and it has received a few harsh reviews.

VERDICT: Skip

TENET

Few things excite movie-goers more than a new Christopher Nolan film. Little was known about his new project (we thought it was going to be a full-on spy thriller), until the trailer hinted at so many sci-fi elements (including some timey-wimey stuff). Tenet has turned out to be one of the top sci-fi(ish) films of 2020.

VERDICT: Must-see