Diego Pineda has been a devout storyteller his whole life. He has self-published a fantasy novel and a book of short stories, and is actively working on publishing his second novel.
It should come as no surprise, but there are spoilers ahead!Since the infancy of cinema as a storytelling medium, sci-fi has been one of the most popular genres around—and for good reason. It's the perfect niche to translate the most imaginative, expansive, high-concept ideas that cinema could ever house into grand futuristic movies with alien invasions, cool high-tech gadgets, and stories that speculate about humanity's possible futures.
Sci-fi is entertaining enough when it just settles for creating these interesting worlds and the compelling characters that inhabit them, but it's those that go a few steps further that really stick out as fan favorites. Something that never fails to impress audiences is a good, well-executed, genuinely shocking plot twist. Whether it comes in the middle of the narrative or right at the cliffhanging end, a memorable plot twist is likely to render a science fiction film absolutely unforgettable. 10 Thanos Snaps Everyone Into Dust 'Avengers: Infinity War' At the time of its release , Avengers: Infinity War was the most unprecedentedly gargantuan pop-cultural phenomenon cinema had ever seen. It brought together the Avengers and allies both old and new, following them as they attempted to defeat the powerful Thanos before he got all the Infinity Stones and fulfilled his goal of eliminating half of all life in the universe. Unlike any other MCU movie before or since — or any other mainstream superhero film, really — Infinity War dared to have a downright tragic, tear-jerking ending with no glimmer of hope in sight, which is one of the main reasons why it's one of the few MCU films that some consider truly perfect. As Thanos gets his wish, fans are forced to watch half of the characters they've grown to love over the previous ten years turn to dust. It's a shocking, surprisingly grim ending that still has much of its original effect, even if its resolution in Avengers: Endgame takes away some of the tragic factor.Not available*Availability in US Release Date April 27, 2018 Director Joe Russo , Anthony Russo Cast Chris Hemsworth , Anthony Mackie , Elizabeth Olsen , Robert Downey Jr. , Scarlett Johansson , Mark Ruffalo , Sebastian Stan , Paul Rudd , Chadwick Boseman , Don Cheadle , Samuel L. Jackson , Josh Brolin , Tom Holland , Evangeline Lilly , Paul Bettany , Chris Evans , Jeremy Renner Runtime 149 minutes Expand 9 HAL Turns Against the Astronauts '2001: A Space Odyssey' Hailed by many as the greatest filmmaker in history, Stanley Kubrick certainly made some of the most outstanding American films of all time. A genre he seemed to be particularly fond of was sci-fi. To prove his love of it, he made what might just be the greatest speculative sci-fi movie ever made: 2001: A Space Odyssey, where two astronauts and one supercomputer are sent to Jupiter, to investigate the origins of a mysterious artifact that's been discovered under the Moon's surface. Nowadays, it's a well-known fact that the supercomputer, HAL 9000, turns against the humans when he suffers a breakdown due to the conflicting orders that his programming gave him. Still, this is very much a plot twist—and a highly effective one, at that. It turns the film into a cautionary tale about the dangers of technology spawned by humanity's imperfections, and it gives viewers one of the best sci-fi movie villains in history.Not available *Availability in US Release Date April 2, 1968 Director Stanley Kubrick Cast Keir Dullea , Gary Lockwood , William Sylvester , Daniel Richter , Leonard Rossiter , Margaret Tyzack Runtime 141 8 Cooper Was Murph's Ghost 'Interstellar' The contemporary form of the sci-fi genre owes an awful lot to British filmmaker Christopher Nolan, one of Hollywood's most popular and successful directors. Asking a bunch of people the question of what his best work is is bound to generate a solid variety of answers, but there's one movie that's bound to be mentioned more than most: Interstellar, about an ex-NASA pilot in an apocalyptic future who's tasked with leading an expedition to find a new planet to house humans. There are plenty of movies that should scratch that epic sci-fi itch for fans of Interstellar, but no film is quite like it. One of its most effective aspects, as well as the emotional core of the story—and, as it turns out in the end, the driving force of the narrative—is main character Cooper's relationship with his daughter, Murphy. In the third act, it's revealed that the mysterious force that allowed Murph to discover the key to saving humanity was Cooper all along, communicating with her through an interdimensional realm. Some may think it's a contrived twist, but it brings this touching father-daughter story to a satisfying close.*Availability in US Release Date November 7, 2014 Director Christopher Nolan Cast Matthew McConaughey , Anne Hathaway , Jessica Chastain , Michael Caine , Bill Irwin , Casey Affleck Runtime 169 minutes 7 Soylent Green Is Made Out of People 'Soylent Green' One of the most underrated sci-fi films of the 20th century, Soylent Green is a nightmarish futuristic fantasy about the controlling power of big corporations and an innocent cop who stumbles into the truth. It's a melodramatic, occasionally uneven film, but what makes it so powerful is the fact that it feels like a punch straight to the gut since its apocalyptic world is one that very well could become reality not too far in the future. It's no coincidence that Soylent Green is set in 2022. It might as well be a movie made today. Its themes of environmental collapse being followed by social breakdown, and of the danger of huge corporations going unchecked and unchallenged feel much more timely in the present than they did fifty years ago. In the end, it's revealed that Soylent Green — the substance that a company makes as society's main source of food — isn't actually made of plankton as they'd claimed, but of human corpses. It's a gritty, twisted surprise that brings a whole new perspective to audiences, making them want to watch the film again immediately.Release Date April 19, 1973 Director Richard Fleischer Cast Charlton Heston , Chuck Connors , Joseph Cotten , Brock Peters , Edward G. Robinson Runtime 97 Watch on TCM 6 Everyone's a Clone 'Moon' The 2000s saw the release of multiple outstanding sci-fi movies, and one that's not talked about nowadays nearly as much as it deserves is Moon. It's about an astronaut called Sam nearing the end of his three-year stint on the Moon, where he and his computer send back to Earth parcels of a resource that's helped reduce the planet's power problems. There, he has an encounter with a clone of his that'll change his whole perspective of reality. Sci-fi movies built on top of clone-based narratives tend to make several common mistakes, but not Moon. Creative, richly philosophical, and with a magnificent performance by Sam Rockwell, it's without a doubt one of the best sci-fi movies of its decade. Its effect is made even more powerful by its pivotal plot twist that both Sams are actually clones of the original, since the company who owns the lunar station has been using and killing said clones every three years to save money on training and transport. It changes what at first looked like a pretty typical sci-fi flick into something else altogether, with powerful themes regarding memory and what it means to be human.*Availability in US Release Date July 10, 2009 Director Duncan Jones Cast Sam Rockwell , Kevin Spacey , Dominique McElligott , Rosie Shaw , Adrienne Shaw , Kaya Scodelario , Matt Berry Runtime 97 minutes 5 Borden Has a Twin 'The Prestige' Christopher Nolan sure does love his sci-fi movies with big plot twists. One of his earlier works is the phenomenal The Prestige, which he made in between his first two Batman movies. It's about two stage magicians in Victorian London, who, after a tragic accident, begin a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they love to outwit each other. One of the best sci-fi mystery movies ever, The Prestige is an enthralling tale about the destructive dangers of obsession and male competition. Its story is fueled by a cloning machine devised by Nikola Tesla , which Angier uses to frame Borden for his death. In the end, however, it turns out that the person Angier framed was actually Borden's twin, and the actual Borden gets to walk away with his daughter. It's a potent ending that reinforces the story's themes about how far some people are willing to go in search of glory.*Availability in US Release Date October 20, 2006 Director Christopher Nolan Cast Hugh Jackman , Christian Bale , Michael Caine , Piper Perabo , Rebecca Hall , Scarlett Johansson Runtime 130 minutes 4 That Brutal Ending 'The Mist' A tense kaiju thriller based on a Stephen King novella, directed by common King adapter Frank Darabont, The Mist is among the best bug movies ever made. In it, a freak storm unleashes a strange species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens takes refuge in a supermarket in a last-ditch effort to save their lives. Despite not having particularly good visual effects, The Mist is a lot more focused on exploring the human condition in the face of the utmost desperation, and in that sense, it succeeds. Greatly changing the conclusion of the source material, Darabont made his adaptation end in one of the most devastating gut punches in modern horror cinema. Thinking that they're trapped in the town with no way of escaping, the protagonist shoots his son and three friends. Before he can do the same thing to himself, though, a rescue mission barges into town. While some dislike the ending for how cynically hopeless it is, others think it's phenomenal precisely for that reason.*Availability in US Release Date November 21, 2007 Director Frank Darabont Cast Thomas Jane , Marcia Gay Harden , Laurie Holden , Andre Braugher Runtime 126 minutes 3 The Flashbacks Were Actually Flashforwards 'Arrival' Largely thanks to his portrayal of Frank Herbert's world in the new Dune movies, Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve is nowadays recognized among Hollywood's best sci-fi directors. His first incursion into the genre, though, was in 2016's Arrival. It's about a linguist named Louise tasked with leading a team of researchers when giant mysterious spaceships land across the globe. She and her team must find a way to communicate with these visitors before global war ensues. With exceptional performances, outstanding technical qualities, a great script, and some of the quotes that best sum up the sci-fi genre, Arrival is one of the best spectacles of the 2010s. At the beginning of it, Louise's twelve-year-old daughter dies of a terminal illness, and viewers are led to believe that what follows is everything that happens after. However, after the aliens teach Louise their language, granting her their ability to see time non-linearly and thus see visions of the future, it's shown that those scenes with Louise and her daughter were actually flashforwards, not flashbacks. It's a poignant yet touching ending that brings the story's themes full circle perfectly.*Availability in US Release Date November 11, 2016 Director Denis Villeneuve Cast Amy Adams , Jeremy Renner , Forest Whitaker , Michael Stuhlbarg , Mark O'Brien , Tzi Ma Runtime 116 minutes 2 Taylor Was on Earth All Along 'Planet of the Apes' Back in 1968, the charming B-movie Planet of the Apes proved to be a revolutionary success, and not just because of its unprecedented makeup and prosthetics. It's a sci-fi adventure about a spaceship crew who, after being kept in cryosleep during an expedition into deep space, crash-lands in the 40th century on a planet they don't recognize. There, highly intelligent ape species rule the Earth, and humans are enslaved. One of the best sci-fi movies based on books, Planet of the Apes remains as exciting, entertaining, and enjoyably cheesy today as it was back in the late '60s. Throughout the story, the crew thinks that the place they've arrived at must surely be an alien planet. For the vast majority of the runtime, viewers are given no indication that that's not the truth. So, in the end, when the protagonist stumbles upon a decayed Statue of Liberty, revealing that he'd been on a futuristic Earth all along, it's nothing if not a shocker. Nowadays, this ending has become a widely parodied pop culture icon, so it may not be nearly as surprising anymore. However, it's still every bit as effective, and its legacy can't be understated.*Availability in US Release Date April 3, 1968 Director Franklin J. Schaffner Cast Charlton Heston , Roddy McDowall , Kim Hunter , Maurice Evans , James Whitmore , James Daly , Linda Harrison , Robert Gunner Runtime 112 Minutes 1 Darth Vader is Luke's Father 'Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back' The king of sci-fi movie plot twists may just be the king of movie plot twists in general. It comes in Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back, which follows Luke continuing his Jedi training with Master Yoda while his friends are chased across the galaxy by the empire. Today, one would be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn't know that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father — but that's the thing about plot twists. If they're good enough, they become so popular that they eventually become common knowledge. So, what is it that has allowed this twist to remain as iconic, effective, and powerful as it is? Of course, the fact that Empire Strikes Back in general is a perfect sci-fi movie has a lot to do with it. Mainly, however, this reveal proves that even if plot twists lose their surprise factor over time, if they're good enough, they can easily maintain their reputation. This particular twist is phenomenal because it's what the entire Skywalker Saga hinges on, and because it's a masterclass in how to flawlessly execute a big plot twist. It may be common knowledge, but that's precisely because of how perfect it is.Where to Watch Not available*Availability in US Release Date June 18, 1980 Director Irvin Kershner Cast Mark Hamill , Harrison Ford , Carrie Fisher , Billy Dee Williams , Anthony Daniels , David Prowse , Kenny Baker , Peter Mayhew , Frank Oz Runtime 124 minutes NEXT:Movie Plot Twists That Everyone Saw Coming
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