I’m sure a lot of people have had those quiet nights, flipping through all the options available on the streaming service, wondering and hoping that this would be a better bang for our buck. It’s always a thrill to find a sci-fi tale that just gets you, without the need for millions of dollars’ worth of explosions. The movies remind us that sometimes great concepts and good storytelling are more important than special effects, and sometimes they produce the magic that we seek on the weekend.
Primer
This 2004 movie was produced at a cost of approximately $7,000 by Shane Carruth. Two engineers make a time machine by accident in a garage. The story is told in an almost non-linear fashion, with some of the technical information only being accessible to repeated viewing. It’s a testament to the fact that smart writing can produce long-lasting puzzles.
Moon
This 2009 film was a story about a single man working on a lunar base. It has a budget of $5 million and deals with the themes of identity and corporate life with one fine performance and some ingenious practical effects. It’s intimate yet spacious.
The Vast Of Night
This 2019 tale of two youths who are searching for a mysterious radio transmission in 1950s New Mexico. It was made for $700,000 and it’s designed to inspire wonder with long takes and sound design. It’s like traditional radio drama come to life.
Coherence
A recent film, almost entirely set at a house party during a comet pass, was made in 2013. Using everyday objects and pithy conversation, friends live in parallel worlds. It is inexpensive, so much so that it demonstrates that tension is achieved not through visuals.
Timecrimes
A Spanish 2007 movie in which a man wakes up to see his future self and finds himself trapped in a time loop. The economy of the budget is mainly on playing with clever editing and suspense. It teases the audience and remains in a single place.
Cube Traps
In this 1997 Canadian movie, a group of people awakens in a deadlocked room in a deadly maze. The tension is created by minimal sets and strong ensemble acting. Makes basic geometry an exciting survival adventure.
Monsters
Gareth Edwards road-tripped this story about aliens in a quarantined zone for less than $500,000. It is based on real effects and natural settings in Central America. It’s the human relationships that have the emotional charge.
Another Earth
As a duplicate Earth comes into existence, a story from 2011 about a woman seeking forgiveness after a car accident comes to pass. A story from 2011 about a woman seeking forgiveness after a car accident comes to pass as duplicate Earth comes into existence. It’s quiet and introspective, while the sci-fi-ness allows a personal exploration of the nature of regret.
The Terminator
In 1984, James Cameron used approximately $6.4 million to achieve his breakthrough. It’s a cyborg pursuit that never lets up, in the case of Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was a blueprint for smarter action sci-fi as a result of being so practical and tight on pacing.
Mad Max
George Miller’s 1979 original created its vision of the post-apocalypse with limited resources in Australia. Incorporating practical stunts and a raw energy, an everlasting franchise was born. It’s an expression of survival spirit without the largesse of sets.
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