Science Fiction is a truly beautiful term. On the one hand you have science which many people (rightly or wrongly) count as irrefutable. The other side of the coin gives us fiction. This can literally be whatever the mind can conjure up. Merge the two and you have the best of both worlds, right?
In 2016 it sure seems like that is the case. This year we have the usual culprits. Sequels of reboots, maiden voyage reboots, regular sequels and brand spanking new films. This might be a stretch, but it honestly seems like sci-fi is the place where cinema truly chooses to break new ground.
Think I am wrong? Let’s just start with A Trip to the Moon. How about2001: A Space Odyssey? Lets bring it a little closer to home withGravity? Now, I know what you are thinking, “Hey moron, there’s like a million years between each of those films!!”
Yes! You are 100% correct. However, whenever new ground is broken it takes awhile for the effects to truly be felt. If new ground was being broken every day in cinema, it probably wouldn’t be new ground would it? This isn’t to say that other genres don’t bring new forms and ideas to the medium. It just seems like if you really want to introduce something transcendent, there’s no better way than with a sci-fi film.
So it is with great excitement that that we bring you the 13 biggest Sci-Fi Movies Coming in 2016. Some of the films on this list might not seem appropriate. Others might seem curious choices for a bevy of other reasons. What matters is that with each of these delectable celluloid delicacies, there is a real chance that one of them is going to turn the medium of cinema on its ear in the greatest of ways.
12Rogue One: A Star Wars Story- December 16
The most exciting thing about a new film in theStar Warsuniverse is that we don’t know too much about it! One thing is certain, it will contain nods to the previous films. But the air of mystery aroundRogue One: A Star Wars Story, after what we got withStar Wars: The Force Awakens, seems truly well deserved. Rebels on a mission to steal the Death Star plans? Count us in.
11Independence Day: Resurgence- June 24
It certainly took Fox long enough to bring this one out, didn’t it? And with a $200 million price-tag, this thing had better be more than merely good. Considering that the US is presently shrinking its military, a movie about earth being attacked by aliensagainjust might be highly topical. With a cast that sees some of the originals returning, we haven’t yet given up thatWill Smithwill make an appearance SOMEWHERE. But we know he won’t, since it’s been confirmed that his character has been killed off.
10Star Trek Beyond- July 22
With a highly secretive plot dangling before us (that always seems to be the way with sci-fi films, right?), we do know one thing just by looking at the credits… Director Justin Lin will deliver. Look, it’s not like theFast & Furiousfranchise is in the same class as Star Trek, but if you want a big movie about things that go boom…Hire Justin Lin and let him do what he does best. The fact that the cast is returning as well bodes quite nicely for the third installment in this new, old, rebooted franchise.
9The Divergent Series: Allegiant- March 18
Any film that has a Bureau of Genetic Warfare already has our attention. Sure, some may see The Divergent Series as simple, young adult pap. We at MovieWeb choose to see the adventures of Beatrice Prior as metaphors for the world around us. Or…Perhaps just a harbinger of a really scary world to come.
8Ghostbusters- July 15
Alright, we get that sci-fi likes to keep things tight-lipped, but do they really need to be so secretive with aGhostbustersmovie? Or, is this not our parents Ghostbusters film? If this thing is half as funny, scary and interesting as the cast and top secret plot have led us to believe, theGhostbustersof 2016 might finally be the 1980s film to bring it all back. Whatever it ends up being…We sure hope it has been worth the wait, right?
7Spectral- August 12
Okay, there are echoes of Escape from New York in this thriller from first time director Nic Mathieu. It also sounds a lot like the previous mentionedGhostbusters reboot. Now, let us be the first to say that this is a good thing. The plot sees supernatural entities wreaking havoc on New York City. A special-ops team must come in and show these entities that, as crazy as the NYC is, there’s only so much carnage it will put up with. Lets us say it now, this will be the sleeper sci-fi hit of this year!
6The Purge: Election Year- July 1
The fauxelection yearcampaigns (during an election year) are nothing short of a brilliant marketing trick. As somebody who loved the first Purge and didn’t love the second Purge as much, I am really hoping that The Purge of 2016 literally brings in some new blood. The plot seems to be anti-purge, and the cast is solid (Raymond Barry and Mykelti Williamson, anyone?), so lets sit back and hope that the third time is the charm for this franchise.
5Midnight Special- March 18
The marketing for this film seems like a cross between Earth to Echo and Close Encounters. Is that a bad thing? Not when the result seems to be almost scary.Jeff Nicholsis proving himself to be the most eclectic of eclectic directors. We aren’t ruling the other offerings on this list out, but if new ground is going to be broken…It might just be done with this film. It also has a stellar cast that includesMichael Shannon,Adam Driver,Joel EdgertonandKirsten Dunst.
4Passengers- December 21
InPassengers, a spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet and transporting thousands of people has a malfunction in one of its sleep chambers. As a result, a single passenger is awakened 60 years early. Faced with the prospect of growing old and dying alone, he eventually decides to wake up a second passenger. Could this film be Before Sunrise masquerading as a Gravity-esque science fiction film? You know what? Who cares! WithJennifer LawrenceandChris Prattleading the cast something tells us we’re going to get a lot more than we bargained for. Having captivated us with The Imitation Game, something says that director Morten Tyldum is going repeat that feat again, and, dare we say… Break new ground?
Geostorm- TBA
Call this one Armageddon meetsGlobal Warming.Dean Devlindirects this tale that sees a man trying to prevent satellites from putting together a storm that could literally end humanity. You know, sometimes you just want a good sci-fi tale that takes things back to their roots. Geostorm may not be groundbreaking, but whatever it is, we probably haven’t seen a similar movie in quite some time.
3Max Steel- August 26
Based on the animated series and toyline, the idea behind this film is thatMax McGrath(Ben Winchell) needs to find a way to harness this incredible power inside of him. He finds this vessel in an alien named Steel. Now, united as one, Max Steel, this half man/half alien superhero has to battle a new foe from a far off land. This film has a sleeper quality about it and that could be the thing that separates it from the pack.
