Now that 2014 is nearly a decade behind us (gulp!) all the best sci-fi movies of 2014 are available on DVD. Rather than going to the cinema, why not curl up with some popcorn and a DVD this evening? I love this genre and managed to see plenty of movies last year. My husband doesn’t mind the genre but it’s me who is the real fan, so I’m going to share with you my top sci-fi movie recommendations!
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Interstellar
When I think about 2014’s best movies, this one comes to mind first. I just loved it. I saw it on a plane so it wasn’t like watching it on ‘the big screen’ but with movies this good, it barely matters. Interstellar is nearly 3 hours long and it’s about a team of explorers traveling through a wormhole in space to try and ensure the survival of humanity.
The planet Earth has been devastated by famine and drought, along with extreme climate changes. A tear in the space-time continuum is discovered and a group of explorers have to search for a planet which can sustain life.
The pilot must decide between seeing his kids again and saving the human race, and there are plenty of twists and turns. If you’re only going to see one 2014 sci-fi movie, make sure it’s Interstellar! This is one of the best sci-fi movies of 2014 for sure.
Lucy
Another one of the best sci-fi movies of 2014 is Lucy. My husband and I went to see Lucy at the local cinema and we both loved the story. Scarlett Johansson plays Lucy, a girl asked to deliver a mysterious briefcase. She is captured and forced to become a drug mule for a new synthetic drug.
The bag she is carrying in her stomach leaks and her body undergoes incredible changes that start to unlock the full potential of her brain including abilities such as telepathy and telekinesis. She uses her new powers to get back at her captors, enlisting the help of a neurologist to help her.
There has been some criticism about the movie getting its facts wrong (in fact it’s a myth we don’t use all our brain) but forget all that and just enjoy Lucy for what it is, and that is a fast-paced, exciting sci-fi movie which is great from beginning to end. A worthy addition to the best sci-fi movies of 2014 list.
Divergent
Another excellent sci-fi movie from last year, Divergent is set in a future dystopia. Society is divided into 5 factions, each of which represents a different virtue, and teens must decide whether to stay in their own faction or go into another, for the rest of their lives.
There is a highly competitive initiation process including extreme psychological and physical tests. Tris Prior is a Divergent however, meaning she doesn’t fit into just one group. This would mean certain death if anyone finds out.
Tris discovers a conflict threatening to unravel the society, and she must use her divergence to try and save the people she loves. This is a great movie with a strong cast. The concept is good and the movie itself has plenty of action. It’s a bit the Hunger Games in some ways I think, and one of the best sci-fi movies of 2014.
Edge of Tomorrow
Is this one a good contender for the best sci-fi movies of 2014 list? I believe it is. If aliens are your bag, take a look at this one. Edge of Tomorrow is about an alien race coming to the planet Earth with an assault no military unit on the globe is prepared for. Major William Cage is dropped into what can be called a suicide mission.
He is soon killed and then finds himself in a time loop, forcing him to live out the combat over and over, fighting and then dying again and again. He finds himself able to engage the adversaries with more and more skill each time and, with Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski, gets stronger fighting the aliens, and using his new-found skills to find new ways to fight them.
The director of this movie says it’s a bit like Groundhog Day meets Starship Troopers, a pretty apt description. The fact Tom Cruise is in it also makes it great. Have you ever seen a bad Tom Cruise movie? I don’t think I have!
How Realistic are Sci-Fi Movies?
To be honest, I am usually happy to overlook any gaping flaws in the plot although there are people who say “well THAT wouldn’t happen! That isn’t realistic!” and I just think, why criticize when it’s sci-fi? Sci-fi is basically a fantasy storyline blending the ‘what if’ type of scenario with the ‘what is’ and ending up with a brand new concept. Else the best sci-fi movies of 2014 list would be a lot shorter.
Sci-fi = science fiction, after all, to use its full name. The science part is the factual part while the fiction part is the artistic license. Yes, maybe Lucy was already using 100% of her brain and it would be impossible for any kind of futuristic drug to do to her what it did in that movie but honestly, so what? Sticking strictly to the facts would have made for a much duller movie!
Some sci-fi movies, especially the ones about robots, might depict at least somewhat accurately the future. Go back a couple hundred years.
What if someone had dared suggest man would be able to use a ‘flying machine’ to get from Paris to New York?
Well he would be locked up in an asylum for being crazy!
As for space travel, finding new inhabitable planets, well – never say never.
Could the Best Sci-fi Movies of 2014 Become Reality?
Nobody knows what the future has in store for us, as scary as that is. But sci-fi movies aren’t about accurate space reporting. They’re about turning ideas into movies and having fun with certain concepts. I am interested in space and astronomy but I’m also interested in sci-fi.
The key is keeping these things separate in your mind. If you go to see a movie and you end up thinking well that couldn’t happen, and that isn’t realistic, and oh that couldn’t happen either, you’re setting yourself up for a disappointing couple of hours. Indulge in the pure fantasy of sci-fi and the movie will be that much better.
There are serious websites you can visit if you are interested in learning more about space or if you are a technical student or simply looking for facts about satellites, space stations and the like, and then there are fun space websites if you want bite-size chunks of space facts, space trivia and a gentle introduction to the wonders above us, and then there are sci-fi movies, created for fun and entertainment.
There’s nothing wrong with liking all of those as long as long as you realize sci-fi movies are simply where the ‘what could be’ meet pure creativity and imagination!
If you’ve already seen the above best sci-fi movies of 2014, then congratulations, but if you managed to miss any of them, it’s not too late to see them on DVD or even download them and enjoy them at your leisure.
My Top 4 best sci-fi movies of 2014 were based on movies I liked but yours might be different. Have I forgotten about your favorite sci-fi movie of 2014? If so, leave me a comment below. I’m always on the lookout for recommended sci-fi movies!