In The Occupant, Abby (Ella Balinska) navigates the wilderness of Georgia.
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Some concepts are so engaging and instinctual that it’s often better to quickly recycle them instead of dissecting them. In 1950, Isaac Asimov adapted some puzzle stories to create Agatha Christie’s intriguing science fiction narrative set in outer space, Me, Robot. Meanwhile, in 1968, Stanley Kubrick raised the bar for films addressing artificial intelligence with 2001: A Space Odyssey, where the robot storyline becomes repetitive in an almost infinite cycle.
This year, Electric Nation intertwines a narrative of robot insurrection, while M3 Gun 2.0 demonstrates that a formidable killer bot can’t be restrained. With Fellow, we explored the perspective of a femme bot, creating a fitting adult-themed homage to Asimov.
All three projects engaged with prevalent themes of free will and examined when to regard machines as human. Notably, M3 Gun 2.0 was particularly enjoyable to work on, featuring a rubber-boned robot babysitter from 2023 who returns from her backup disc to save the world from her killbot sister, Am3lia. Though the script has its flaws, the humor, genre callbacks, and jump scares are well executed.
Drew Hancock’s Fellow, which follows an uninformed fembot as she uncovers her identity, felt like it could delve deeper but ultimately faltered. Months later, all that lingers in memory is a memorable cameo by Rupert Friend.
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo’s Electric Nation received backlash for their “make it up as we go” approach, which seemed mismatched with the reflective visuals that inspired their film. Devotees of Simon Stålenhag’s illustrated works were left frustrated, while others endured two hours of anticipation for something to validate the film’s stunning aesthetics. With a staggering $320 million budget, it begs the question: should they have constructed a theme park instead?
Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 presents a scenario where blue-collar astronaut Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) is enslaved by a robot because of his reprintability. The accomplished director of Parasite, Okja, and Snowpiercer reveals his satirical edge, but sadly, the film lacks faith in its audience, overwhelming with explanations.
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Seizing opportunities while attracting mass audiences may be a strategy that Stanley Kubrick and others took to their graves.
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Filmmakers in science fiction have consistently crafted intriguing extraterrestrial beings. From Solaris and Arrival to Vanishing and Under the Skin, it seems that the trend in 2025 toward monsters and demonic possession signals not fatigue but rather a transition of the horror genre into its more grounded cousin.
Scott Derrickson’s horrifying hollowness takes years to build upon in Canyon, a mix of Cold War romance, espionage, and Lovecraftian horror that undermines its intriguing elements. As Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy portray elite snipers from global superpowers guarding a vast valley in a secretive country, the extended prologue feels drawn out.
In contrast, Hugo Kaiser’s Occupier effectively showcases Abby (Ella Balinska) grappling with her own guilt and sorrow in the secluded Georgia wilderness, aided by disembodied voices, whether they are human allies or alien influencers.
We find ourselves in a stronger genre narrative with Ash, directed by Los Angeles’ Flying Lotus, presenting a unique full-length music video experience that dazzles and perplexes. Liya (Eiza González) awakens with amnesia aboard a space station filled with bodies. Bryon (Aaron Paul) comes to her aid, but is he truly what he seems? The onboard AI alarms her to strange life forms on the vessel, treading familiar territory but still offering a refreshing take.
No surprise then, that two of this year’s notable films were substantially high-budget. It reiterates the notion that seizing opportunities while catering to a large audience is a timeless trick.
Serpil Altin’s Once Upon a Time in the Future: 2121 explores a family deliberating whether to dispose of their elderly in order to comply with a “law of scarcity” enforced by a hilariously overzealous regime. Meanwhile, Joshua Oppenheimer’s end presents a musical tale about a family’s decision to execute an unanticipated visitor, a dilemma you may have encountered before.
These two films, alongside Occupier, challenge the notion that science fiction must rely on originality of plots. Science fiction is simply fiction; uh, fiction centers on humanity, and humans experience an infinitely diverse range of situations, even in common predicaments.
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Source: www.newscientist.com
