2023 was a great year for film, with movies likeBarbieandOppenheimerbecoming some of the most popular films of the year. Despite hotly anticipated sci-fi epics likeRebel MoonandThe Marvelsdisappointing critically and commercially, there were still a number of amazing sci-fi movies this year.
What makes a great movie is often determined by the wider audience, but these scenes were universally loved. They featured amazing effects as well as great stories, incredible animation in some cases, comedy, action, and an overall grandeur that makes these the standout moments of sci-fi movies from 2023.
Spider Man: Across the Spider Verse — The Opening Sequence
Into The Spiderversewas a groundbreaking film itself, butAcross The Spiderversedials upwhat made the first movie so amazing. With an emphasis on beautiful animation and unique characters in a seemingly infinite universe of Spider-Men, the imagination in these films seems endless. Though it might not immediately come to mind when audiences think “science fiction,” the dimension-hopping premise is firmly rooted in sci-fi tradition.
There were a number of standout sequences inAcross The Spider-verse, like Miles and Gwen sitting upside down at the Williamsburg Bank Building, the escape from the Spider-Man Headquarters, and the final stand against Miguel O’Hara near the film’s climax. However, it’s the opening sequence that remains the best.
Across The Spider-verseis the longest animated studio film in history at 140 minutes, and wastes no time getting into its story. The pacing in the opening twenty minutes is fantastic, and introduces a plethora of new characters, such as Spider-Man 2099, Jessica Drew, The Vulture, Captain Stacy and The Lizard. It even includes an incredible portal-jumping action scene set at The Guggenheim Museum — all before audiences even meet the titular character. It’s a risky decision that pays off and introduces viewers to all of its new characters without missing a beat.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 — Battle on The High Evolutionary Ship
With two massive flops for Marvel this year, the once-titanic cinematic universe seemed on the decline. But James Gunn’sGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3did not disappoint. It delivered a potent mix of hilarity, great characters, emotional heft, and stunning action that seemed to outweigh the negatives put out by Marvels' other ventures.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3finds Peter Quill, Gamora, Rocket, Nebula, Mantis, Drax and Groot onboard the ship of an intergalactic Overlord who razes planets and performs experiments on innocent creatures. One of the most stunning sequences finds these heroes battling through hordes of alien creatures to stop him, all set to the banging tunes of Beastie Boy’s ‘No Sleep Til Brooklyn.’ It’s a fight scene with clear passion put into it.The MarvelsandAnt Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniaboth suffered from bland villains and ugly, unfocused action, but this is such a delightful fight sequence where fans see how the Guardians work together to get the job done.
Asteroid City — The Alien Encounter
Wes Anderson is one of the more unique filmmakersout there, with a distinctive style beloved by many. His films align more with independent works than blockbusters and still retain comedy. They draw in large audiences with his huge ensembles, often joined by Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Jeff Goldblum and Owen Wilson.
Many were interested in seeing what his first sci-fi film would look like.Asteroid Cityrevolves around a Junior Stargazing Competition held in a large crater formed by a meteorite, which becomes witness to an uncanny spectacle.
The film is a return to form for Wes Anderson, who utilizes animation in one particular sequence. Mid-way through the film, a stop-motion alien descends upon the night-sky simply to snatch up a fallen flake of meteorite. It’s simple, subtle comedy as the alien watches with big round eyes, as the humans stare not even in shock, but just in awe. This dead silence as the alien picks up his meteorite and leaves quietly on his UFO fits the tone of a Wes Anderson film perfectly. There’s no big action, no dramatic pauses. It’s a simple alien encounter treated with an almost ironically casual tone.
No One Will Save You — The Home Invasion
No One Will Save Youis a masterfully crafted sci-fi horror movie, but it’s also incredibly suspenseful while containing barely any dialogue. Most films in this style might be considered slow or less engaging by today’s horror and science-fiction standards, butNo One Will Save Youis always riveting. It utilizes incredible sound design, musical beats, and its sparse dialogue to create a sense of isolation and fear in the viewer, in a movie that feels like a feature-length adaptation of the classicThe Twilight Zoneepisode “The Invaders.”
The film follows Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever), who lives by herself in a quaint cottage in the middle of the woods. One night, she awakens to hear strange sounds and finds that many of the electronics in her home are not responsive. To her horror, she discovers a UFO parked above her house and a malevolent alien roaming her property. Brynn has to evade the intruder, but increasingly becomes aware that whatever has entered her house is not human.
The eerie scene builds on both Brynn and the alien’s confusion. LikeAsteroid City, this is not a standard invasion film where hordes of aliens have come to attack Earth, but it is focused on this one woman, living in the middle of nowhere who has to stop a creature that has entered her home. That concept is terrifying and is executed perfectly in this suspenseful sci-fi film that’s one of the best of 2023.
Poor Things — Bella Absconds to Lisbon
Poor Thingsis stunning to witness on the big screen. Unlike many big films this year, Yorgos Lanthimos' dark comedy, fantasy, sci-fi, feminist Frankenstein story is not a blockbuster. Yet, it still got a release on big screens. The film follows Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), who is brought back to life by scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe), who fits her with the mind of a child. The film follows Bella’s discovery of the world, including being swooned by a corrupt and slimy lawyer, Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo).
InPoor Things, Bella Baxter is whisked away by Wedderburn to Lisbon. The movie makes use of stark color changes and feels like a classic film, in the vain of an early Universal Studios monster movie. The colors are stark black and white, it employs traditional sci-fi themes, and shows off a host of Dr. Baxter’s experiments, such as a duck’s head on a dog’s body. But as Bella travels to Lisbon, the colors change and the world she inhabits becomes even more bizarre and uncanny. The initial sci-fi aesthetic is enhanced even more to illustrate Bella’s discovery of the world. Now there are futuristic vehicles, towering cities, and even more strange creatures.
The film’s director and art designers go to extreme lengths to create a unique sci-fi world with flying carriages, a mechanical car with a horse’s head mounted to the front, and plenty more odd design choices.Poor Thingsis one of the most unconventionaland best sci-fi films of 2023. Instead of repeating the tropes of the many films that inspired it, it tells its own story of a woman’s discovery of the world and herself.
