Science fiction films offer us visions of the future (well, from the perspective of the times in which they were made) that open our minds to the possibilities of what humankind might be capable of, in both the good and bad sense. These are some of the best sci-fi films on Stan.
Ready Player One
Based on Ernest Cline's best-selling novel of the same name, Ready Player One sees mega-director Steven Spielberg return to science fiction for the first time since 2005's War of the Worlds. Set in a distant future where humanity spends most of its time within a virtual reality realm known as The Oasis, Ready Player One sees Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) and friends attempt to track down a hidden Easter Egg that would grant them ownership and control of the whole virtual world. Of course, it's a race against time, as the nefarious corporate stooge Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn) is also after the same prize, and has plans to exploit the online realm for commercial benefit. Packed with more pop culture references from the last 30 years than can be conceivably spotted in one viewing, Ready Player One is a delightful and visually spectacular adventure for fanboys and fangirls everywhere.
IMDB Rating: 7.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
RoboCop
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With director Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Chappie) announcing that he's bringing RoboCop back to cinemas with a direct sequel to the original 1987 film, now's as good a time as any to revisit this ultra-violent classic. A cutting satire of corporate greed in the '80s, Robocop is more than the sum of its parts. Brilliantly directed by Paul Verhoeven (Total Recall, Starship Troopers), the film sees a rookie cop viciously murdered by a group of criminals, only to be revived by a corporation and used as a robotic crime-fighting product. Pretty soon, his memories start to return, and it's only a matter of time before he tracks down his killers and discovers the real intents of his makers.
