If you’re looking for a movie night inspo, look no further. We’re listing our favorite science fiction comedies for an out-of-this world movie night that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
At some point, you will be convinced you’ve taken a drug before watching this movie.
Focusing on an immigrant family that owns a laundromat, the story unfolds after showing the tense dynamic between family members. The story then unfolds when the main character, Evelyn Wang, played by Michelle Yeoh, enters a multiverse, and realizes she must try to defeat the greatest “enemy” there, her daughter. The story goes from being an action packed multiverse saga with tons of fight scenes and lots of confusion to a very effective family therapy session (that still has fight scenes). It really dives deep, un-packing heavy themes of intergenerational trauma & healing in a very cool setting: the multiverse. A lot of great spiritual messages are thrown in throughout the later half of the movie. So, if you like fight scenes, visions of the multiverse, and advice on healing tough familial relationships this movie is right up your alley.
Truman Show (1998)
Those prone to paranoia could find solace or deep perturbation with this film.
The story follows a man going about his routine when he slowly realizes his entire life is a lie and everyone he interacts with is an actor. He discovers he is the main character of a TV show that’s been running since he was born with everyone’s knowledge but his. The movie plays out like a twisted episode of the Twilight Zone. That might be because it was inspired by a Twilight Zone episode. According to Medium & The British Film Institute, it was the 1989 Twilight Zone episode called "Special Service," where a man finds a hidden camera behind a mirror and learns his life is being broadcast to the world 24/7. The delusion of believing one is being watched or controlled at all times has existed long before the movie was created making the plot even more profound & timeless.
Blast from the Past (1999)
Post-apocalyptic false alarm turns into charming love story.
This movie centers on a family raising their son, from birth, in a fallout shelter after mistaking a downed plane for a nuclear bomb. Once grown into an adult, the son, Adam Webber, played by a young Brendan Fraser, eventually must go back up to the surface to get more supplies and realizes the world is completely different from what his parents have told him. This movie is really interesting when it comes to psychology as the father and the mother in the fallout shelter are both coping in entirely different ways with having to live down there. And the journey of Adam coping & making mistakes while interacting with society after being raised by the small scope of the fallout shelter is really captivating to see play out. My favorite part of this movie is the love story that develops once Adam meets the character Eve, played by Alicia Silverstone. Definitely worth a late night watch!
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Get ready to see a lot of John Malkovich.
On the comedy spectrum, this sci-fi movie takes the cake. The story unfolds with the main character, Craig Schwartz, working at a filing office when he accidentally discovers a portal leading into the body of the actor John Malkovich. It eventually turns into a business scheme with people charging $200 for a 15 minute journey into the skin of John Malkovich. And of course, chaos ensues. If you’re looking for a story filled with complete absurdity, give this one a watch.
Free Guy (2021)
A love story that pays homage to the simulation theory.
This story details the life of a bank teller who discovers he's actually a background player in an open-world video game. The main character ends up falling in love with a hero, who’s an actual player, inside the video game. To make things even more complicated, he later discovers his role inside the game and tries to fight the game’s upgrade. It all makes for a lot of existential dread coupled with blinding romance that’s fighting against a ticking clock. And, as always, Ryan Reynolds delivers with charm, wit & humor making for plenty of funny, awkward moments.
Idiocracy (2006)
Watch this if you’re fed up with consumerism & slightly pessimistic.
This movie takes a harsh but painfully forthright look at a future America.
In the story, a man gets cryogenically frozen as part of an army experiment and wakes up 500 years in this dystopian America run by corporations, where evolution & rapid consumerism has made humanity stupid and physically unfit. Another theme in this movie is how technology is one of the few sources of intelligent life providing guidance to the dumb Americans who heavily depend on it for most basic functions. Despite the laughs here and there, this movie takes you on a ride that holds an exaggerated mirror up to American society’s potential setbacks.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
Galactic shenanigans as only the English can do it. Douglas Adams' story is given decent treatment with Martin Freeman being Arthur Dent so deliciously well!
If you haven't read the book or listened to the radio show, both of which came before the movie, do that. Then come back and watch this. As movies based on written work are bound to be, it's not as great, but that doesn't stop the movie from being great in its own right. From the discombobulation Dent feels, to the bizarreness that Zaphod is, to commiserating with Marvin - the movie is perfect for a cozy, weird, sci-fi comedy.