10 Sci-Fi Masterpieces That Are Too Complex for Normies

Sci-fi can encompass a wide range of subgenres, explore various themes, and be utilized as a tool to address larger social issues. To say one is a fan of science fiction movies is merely an introductory point to a wide range of different films, whether they explore the potential horror of humanity, present an action-packed tale on other planets, or offer a contemplative look inward.

There is no wrong answer on how to approach the genre, and we are not here to tout certain films over others simply because they may be lost on many (normies). If you approach the genre for entertainment in the form of action-packed adventures, more power to you. Still, these 10 movies present the more contemplative and challenging side of the sci-fi genre, one that most mainstream audiences will want to avoid, but those looking for something thought-provoking will want to check out.

10

‘Under the Skin’ (2014)

An alien entity, disguised as a woman (played by Scarlett Johansson), rides around Scotland seeking men to seduce and ultimately consume them. When she meets a man with a disfigured face, she feels empathy for the first time and starts to take a closer look at humanity. It is then that she decides to try to integrate and abandon her mission.

Exploring Humanity Through the Eyes of an Alien

Many sci-fi fans have a fairly set image of what aliens are, so portraying one as very human that preys on unsuspecting men using sex can be a disconnect for many. Add in some surreal narrative devices, and Under the Skin is not the type of movie that will have your average science fiction fan invested. More of a philosophical tale, with its sci-fi elements almost inconsequential to the deeper themes it explores, the Johnathan Glazer film is a gem for those willing to approach it for what it is.

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9

‘Antiviral’ (2002)

Set in a future where celebrity worship has reached new heights, with companies offering to give fans the same illnesses as their icons at a high price, Antiviral follows one employee of a service provider that provides such services. Syd March has become a smuggler of diseases, using his access to celebrities at the clinic he works for to sell on the black market. However, things take a dire turn when he injects himself with one such sickness to try to smuggle it out, only to find his newly contracted disease is deadly.

A Deadly Celebrity Obsession

To most, the question would instantly come up: Why would you want to be sick just because a celebrity is? While a valid question, Antiviral acts as a commentary on our obsessions with celebrities and envisions a future where the way we connect with them is desired on every and any conceivable level.

The debut film by director Brandon Cronenberg is also less accessible than his mind-bending other projects, like Possessor, in that its modest budget strips it of the sensationalism that could at least allow some viewers to connect on a more visceral level. Instead, the movie is a stripped-down blend of body horror and sci-fi, focused on a man fighting off a bizarre illness.

8

‘Tetuso: The Iron Man’ (1989)

Tetsuo: The Iron Man

Release Date

July 1, 1989

Runtime

67 minutes

Director

Shinya Tsukamoto

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  Shinya Tsukamoto

  Metal Fetishist

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  Tomorowo Taguchi

  Salaryman

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  Nobu Kanaoka

  Woman in Glasses

After a couple of hits with their car, they flee the scene, pretending as if nothing had ever happened. Yet, when the ghost of the man they killed, a runner obsessed with metal, appears and starts transforming the man into a metal machine himself, an odd battle between nature and industry plays out between the bodies of the two.

Cyberpunk at Its Fastest and Loudest

Cyberpunk is already enough of a niche within the sci-fi genre that asks viewers to indulge in its bizarre vision of the future. To ask a normie to go one step further and embrace the more chaotic and loud world of Japanese cyberpunk is a momentous task. Having drawn comparisons to the works of David Lynch, Tetuso The Iron Man is as abstract a story as they come, accompanied by a harsh industrial soundtrack featuring real instruments crafted from scrapyard materials. It is intense, bizarre, loud, and its story is difficult to comprehend in a single viewing.

7

‘Come True’ (2020)

Come True

Release Date

September 24, 2020

Runtime

105 minutes

Director

Anthony Scott Burns

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  Christopher Heatherington

  Dr. Meyer

Sarah Dunne is a teenage runaway whose life flows by in a haze, chronically suffering from nightmares that see her transported to a dark, maze-like world. Desperate for money, she enrolls in a sleep study for people with sleep disorders. It is here that scientists monitor her dreams, but the action breaks the barrier between the world of sleep and reality. As Sarah begins to sleepwalk and see creatures from another world, the study takes a dark turn as those involved come to learn of the horrors that exist behind the wall of sleep.

An Abstract Approach to the Science of Sleep

The science of sleep seems to be a divisive theme. Those who have the odd nightmare but mostly pleasant sleep won’t necessarily connect with those who have suffered night terrors or sleep paralysis. Come True asks for some understanding of the more troubling forms of sleep, but it goes one step further in creating a surreal world based around this concept. While not entirely abstract like others on this list, it is niche and does take an experimental approach to sci-fi horror that will leave most scratching their heads at how it appeals to others.

6

‘The Face of Another’ (1966)

The Face of Another

Release Date

July 15, 1966

Runtime

122 minutes

Director

Hiroshi Teshigahara

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  Tatsuya Nakadai

  Mr. Okuyama

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  Machiko Kyō

  Mrs. Okuyama

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• 

Engineer Okuyama becomes disfigured after an accident at work, leading him to self-isolate and his wife to distance herself from him. Okuyama is given another shot at life when a new prosthetic is offered, taken from the face of another man. With his new face, Okuyama begins to adopt the personality of another, using it to try to reclaim his old life.

Exploring Identity Through The Eyes of Another

The Face of Another is a film that explores themes of identity through a slow and dialogue-heavy approach. Considered a masterpiece and an essential entry in the new wave of Japanese cinema, the movie also focuses on cultural elements distinct to the country, which will further isolate viewers. The story is told in an abstract, surreal manner and is heavy on philosophical quandaries through Okuyama’s internal monologue. The Face of Another is going to be a challenge for normies, no matter how you slice it.

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5

‘Primer’ (2004)

Primer

Release Date

January 16, 2004

Runtime

77 Minutes

Engineers Aaron and Abe accidentally discover time travel while working on a project aimed at reducing the weight of objects. Their discovery triggers a series of experiments, during which the two meticulously record their findings. Yet, the deeper they become involved with the technology, the more they risk pushing its boundaries, resulting in anomalies occurring.

The Science of Time Travel

A time travel movie that heavily focuses on mathematical principles and attempts to explain paradoxes scientifically, Primer is characterized by its heavy dialogue and minimal action. Still, the indie time-traveling movie is oddly fascinating in its approach, almost hypnotic, in the way it expounds on so many details in an approachable way, despite tackling a deeply complex subject in time travel. For many, Primer will be the type of movie you fall asleep to, with its science and math-heavy dialogue, but to others, it is an underappreciated gem.

4

‘Annihilation’ (2018)

Annihilation

Release Date

February 23, 2018

Runtime

115 Minutes

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A force known as the “Shimmer” has appeared on Earth, containing bizarre flora and fauna and slowly growing and encroaching more and more on human-inhabited space. All expeditions into the zone have either resulted in the loss of explorers or those coming back with their memories and personalities damaged. After the husband of a biology professor and former soldier, Lena (Natalie Portman), returns in such a state, she volunteers to help lead a team into the Shimmer.

A Slow Burn Sci-Fi Film with A Complex Ending

Visually and thematically unconventional in its approach, Annihilation is one of those films that can capture the attention of the masses to a certain extent. The exploration of a bizarre sci-fi world is visually rich and fascinating enough to draw many in. Still, as more is unraveled, the film demands more of the viewer intellectually. The finale, in particular, leaves much to interpretation and is not the kind of conclusion casual fans usually enjoy, as it imbues everything that came before it with a certain vagueness that invites introspection from the viewer.

3

‘High Life’ (2018)

High Life

4.5
/5

Release Date

September 26, 2018

Runtime

113 Minutes

Director

Claire Denis

Monte (Robert Pattinson) is a convicted felon on a spaceship in deep space, accompanied by his young daughter Willow as the last survivors on board. The story unfolds as the two look to create some semblance of life to ensure that Willow can live on, interwoven with flashbacks of the accident that led to a slow decline of murder and suicide among the other inhabitants, leaving them the sole survivors.

Suffering in Silence in a Drifting Spaceship

Robert Pattinson certainly loves to challenge himself with his roles that often pay off in being called masterpieces by fans, and High Life certainly gives him one of his best and most challenging roles. Yet, sci-fi fans are unlikely to approach High Life despite the star power behind it, with a purposely non-traditional and disjointed plot that demands full attention from the viewer. The film also indulges in some extremities, both sexual and violent, that are seldom the focus of sci-fi stories; the film challenges taboos while asking greater questions about existence itself.

2

‘Altered States’ (1980)

Altered States

4.5
/5

Release Date

December 25, 1980

Director

Ken Russell

Writers

Paddy Chayefsky

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Harvard psychologist Edward Jessup (William Hurt) is conducting experiments on human consciousness using sensory deprivation tanks. Looking to get more results, Edward begins to experiment on himself and begins witnessing intense hallucinations, which he believes are memories inherent in the genetic code all people share. Looking to find the “Original Self,” Edward’s experiments escalate and begin to change him in shocking ways.

A Deep Dive Into the Mind

There is no movie quite like Altered States, and it is often one of those films that people love or don’t get. Much of this divide rests in its surreal, psychedelic visual approach to exploring the deeper human psyche. However, also exploring themes of self-identity and the potential primordial nature of humanity makes the movie more than just visually abstract.

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1

‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’ (1976)

Thomas Jerome Newton (played by David Bowie) is an extraterrestrial from a planet suffering from drought, sent to Earth to secure water for his planet. Landing in New Mexico, Newton uses his advanced alien technology to patent inventions and amass great wealth, founding a company to fund building a spaceship to take water back home. As he becomes more familiar with humanity and their vices, a nine-year journey to save his planet begins to weigh heavily on his soul.

An Alien Succumbs to The Vices of Man

Deeply contemplative with a daunting runtime to match, The Man Who Fell to Earth will come across as disjointed and aimless to many. Using sci-fi as a vehicle to explore complex themes like alienation, materialism, and loneliness, while critiquing modern culture, further pushes the film into the ‘art house’ category, as opposed to the sort of sci-fi that is accessible to a broader audience. With time, the movie has also become more inaccessible, as its experimental approach to narrative and visuals, while unique, was very much a product of the time.