Sci-fi movies are among the most popular genres in Hollywood, allowing audiences to explore exciting worlds and rich themes with fantastical plots. Technology is a massive science fiction component, allowing characters to do amazing things. But the most intriguing aspect of the sci-fi genre is its ability to act as a mirror for reality. They can serve as subtle warnings of possible outcomes if humans continue down a particular road, or as tales of inspiration that show a hopeful outcome.
2024 has a wide range of sci-fi movies set to premier, from book adaptations, to sequels of recent films, to video game adaptations. Sequels and book adaptations look to be the most significant source of science fiction in the upcoming year. Projects of this ilk have some of the best directors, such as Denis Villeneuve and Bong Joon-ho, attached. These are the films that promise to stand out from the herd, looking to offer deeply enthralling cinematic experiences.
Dune: Part Two
Director | Denis Villeneuve |
|---|---|
Writer(s) | Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts, Frank Herbert |
Cast | Rebeccas Ferguson, Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet |
The Dune remake by Denis Villeneuve was one of the most anticipated films of 2021, and it did not disappoint. It's Game of Thrones in space, without the rushed ending. The sheer volume of talent in the film was nothing to balk at either, as every actor put their best foot forward.
Now, Timothée Chalamet returns as Paul Atreides, heir to House Atreides, as he struggles to survive in the barren wilds of the desert planet Arrakis. He allies himself with the planet's natives, the Fremens, while plotting his revenge against those who slaughtered his family and forced him to flee their stronghold on the planet. This movie promises epic battles, more behemoth sandworms, and a compelling story that might make it the best science fiction film of the year.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Director | Gil Kenan |
|---|---|
Writer(s) | Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman, Ivan Reitman |
Cast | Mckenna Grace, Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd |
Paul Rudd and Finn Wolfhard return in the highly anticipated sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Fans waited decades for a direct sequel to 1984's Ghostbusters, and now they're getting a sequel to the sequel. This one also has a new villain, and sees the heroes suit up in the classic Ghostbuster jumpsuits. Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson return in their classic roles to give the future generation a hand. This sequel has all the makings of an instant classic that fans will rewatch numerous times while it's still in theaters.
What's most exciting about this film is that it's free to do something new, making the franchise's future its own. Ghostbusters: Afterlife served as a bridge between the original movies and this sequel series, thus reusing an old villain. Thanks to its success, the series can now expand on the lore in the Ghostbusters universe.
Mickey 17
Director | Bong Joon-ho |
|---|---|
Writer(s) | Edward Ashton, Bong Joon-ho |
Cast | Mark Ruffalo, Robert Pattinson, Toni Collette |
Writer/director Bong Joon-ho received international acclaim for Parasite in 2019, and proved himself apt within the science fiction genre with 2013's Snowpiercer. Mickey 17 sees him direct Robert Pattinson (The Batman), Toni Collette (Hereditary), and Steven Yeun (Invincible) in a property that is not part of a larger franchise, but it is an adaptation of the novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton.
The movie follows Mickey 17, a member of a human expedition sent to colonize the planet Niflheim, an ice world filled with hazards. Mickey is an "expendable" employee whom his employer can clone with all of his memories intact if he dies, which highly likely. The novel is titled Mickey7 because it takes place during Mickey's seventh iteration. The movie is a clear reference to that fact, taking place during Mickey's 17th cycle.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Director | Wes Ball |
|---|---|
Writer(s) | Patrick Aison, Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa |
Cast | Freya Allan, Dichen Lachman, Kevin Durand |
The new Planet of the Apes movies take a different, more linear approach to the timeline, showing the rise of the apes and the fall of humanity. This put the franchise on a collision course with success. While the first three films saw the ape population establish their new place in the food chain, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes shows a world entirely dominated by them, with humans subservient and incapable of speech.
This world more resembles the one that Charlton Heston's George Taylor ended up in the original Planet of the Apes, before learning that it once was the same Earth he hailed from. It's a planet where the apes don't struggle to speak fluent English, leading many fans to believe that the George Taylor character will either appear, or his ship will crash just before the end credits.
Alien: Romulus
Director | Fede Alvarez |
|---|---|
Writer(s) | Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues |
Cast | Cailee Spainey, Isabela Merced, Archie Renaux |
The last mainstream installment in the Alien franchise was in 2017, before Disney acquired the entire Fox Studios vault of movies. Despite Prey's success on Hulu (which is also a Disney property thanks to the Fox Studios acquisition) fans are torn about their feelings for Alien: Romulus. Disney isn't known for graphic violence, something that fans love about the sci-fi horror franchise. The studio hasn't released much about the Fede Alvarez-helmed movie except the summary: "Young people from a distant world must face the most terrifying life form in the universe."
Between Prey receiving an R-rating, fans begging for more of it, and Marvel giving its Echo miniseries a TV-MA rating, it's likely that Alien Romulus will follow suit and present a worthy successor to the original movies. Alvarez has an extensive background in horror, so it comes down to his ability to mesh that with the science fiction genre to make a successful Alien movie.