It’s not an easy feat to craft a completely original sci-fi story. The genre has been around for years, after all, arguably since British author Mary Shelley publishedFrankensteinback in 1818. A lot ofgreat sci-fi movies, books, and TV shows that have come out since then have left their mark, so much so that their echoes can be found in every corner of this particular genre still to this day.
Still, the fact that asci-fi TV showor movie isn’t exactly as original as it could be doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not high quality, or that it doesn’t have anything to add to the larger sci-fi scene.There have been plenty of great stories that have taken their inspiration from pre-existing propertiesand added their own twist to it, amassing accolades and dedicated fans in the process.
Pacific Rim
Cast
In a post-apocalyptic future, Earth battles a deadly race of alien monsters called the Kaiju, who have begun arriving on the planet through an interdimensional portal in the Pacific Ocean. In an attempt to combat the Kaiju, humanity has created Jaegers, giant robot suits powered by at least two pilots that can match their enemy for size and strength. When the Kaiju begin to become too strong, however, a washed-up Jaeger pilot must return to the program to participate in one final mission to save Earth for good.
Pacific Rimisa love letter to a specific sub-genre of the larger sci-fi scene, and that is thekaiju-and-mecha niche. The story is set in a not-so-distant future where humanity is under attack by gigantickaijupopping up from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. To fight them, humanity createdjaegers—massive mechas that are driven by two pilots connected by a neural link known as “the Drift”.
The Japanese wordkaijuliterally translates to “strange beast,” and it’s used as an umbrella term to indicate movies that deal with giant monsters. The mechas being namedjaeger, the German word for “hunter,” is something that is instead unique to thePacific Rimnarrative universe.
Pacific Rimowes much to staples of its sub-genre, likeGodzillaandNeon Genesis: Evangelion, and yet it doesn’t feel like an uninspired carbon copy.Its callbacks to previous works come from director Del Toro’sdeep love for this particular undercurrent of sci-fi.Building off of that scaffolding,Pacific Rimmanages to deliver an engaging and still unique story that has become a niche classic in its own right.
Avatar
Avatar is a 2009 science fiction film directed by James Cameron. Set in the 22nd century, it follows a paraplegic Marine sent to the moon Pandora on a mission. He becomes conflicted between his orders and defending the indigenous Na’vi civilization.
Avatarpossibly fits the textbook definition of “derivative”. At its core,Avatar’s storylineis nothing new—a (white) man arrives in a strange, supposedly “savage” place and slowly blends in with the local culture, ultimately saving the community he has been accepted in while also possibly falling in love with the woman who introduced him to said culture in the first place.
The world in which it’s set and the special effects that were needed to bring it to life are what made it the highest-grossing movie of all time.
Avatar’s appeal, though, was never its story.The world in which it’s set and the special effects that were needed to bring it to life are what made it the highest-grossing movie of all time. The moon Pandora, its people, and its creatures are what sets Cameron’s passion project aside from all the similar stories that came before it, fromDances with WolvestoLawrence of ArabiatoFernGully.
Prometheus
Prometheus, released in 2012, is a science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott. It follows a team of explorers as they uncover clues about humanity’s origins, embarking on a perilous interstellar expedition where they confront formidable challenges to secure the future of mankind.
Prometheusisset within the same universe of theAlienfranchise, a true staple of the sci-fi genre, and yet it’s not exactly connected to it. It’s a prequel that branches off in its own direction, even though it’s still, of course, inspired byAlienand other sci-fi pillars like Kubrick’s2001: A Space Odyssey.Prometheusalso looks back into literature and myth to create its storyline, from the eponymous Greek Titan who defies his gods for the sake of humanity to John Milton’sParadise Lost.
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All of these different inspirations makePrometheusan undoubtedly derivative work that still manages to carve out its own space and make itself unique even when placed inside such a popular franchise asAlien.Its themes of humanity and divinity, hubris, and creation are what set it apart from the rest.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road is a post-apocalyptic film set in a desolate desert landscape where society has collapsed. Released in 2015, the story follows two rebels, Max Rockatansky and Imperator Furiosa, as they attempt to survive and bring balance to a world torn by chaos and strife.
Mad Max: Fury Roadis the fourth installment of Miller’sMad Maxfranchise, which came out thirty years after its predecessor with a complete change of cast. Even though Tom Hardy took up the mantle of Max Rockatansky that had belonged to Mel Gibson, the movie still echoes the themes of folk heroes and civilization collapse that have been staples of theMad Maxsaga ever since its beginning in 1979.
Mad Max: Fury Roadhas a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
What setsFury Roadapart and made sure it became one of the best and most successful movies of its release year, though, is the switch it made when it came to its protagonist. While Hardy’s Max is a pivotal part of the movie,the story revolves around Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa, a character so iconic that it spawned its own prequeland ensuredFury Roada place of honor within its franchise.
The Wandering Earth
In “The Wandering Earth,” humanity faces an apocalyptic threat as the sun begins its transformation into a red giant, which will eventually consume Earth. To avert total annihilation, the world’s nations unite in a monumental effort to move the entire planet out of the solar system. This ambitious project involves building massive thrusters to propel Earth toward a safer star system. The story centers on Liu Qi, his sister Han Duoduo, and their grandfather Han Zi’ang, who become key players in the struggle for survival. As catastrophic natural events and technical malfunctions threaten their mission, the trio must overcome immense challenges and personal sacrifices.
The Wandering Earthis a Chinese movie loosely based on Liu Cixin’s short story of the same name, which he published some fifteen years before hisHugo Award-winning novelThe Three-Body Problem. Everything aboutThe Wandering Earthis as sci-fi as they come—a cataclysmic astronomical event threatens to destroy Earth, and humanity endeavors to save it like it has done in so many movies before, fromArmageddontoIndependence Day.
Frant Gwo was a sci-fi lover before he started actually directing sci-fi movies, and his genuine enthusiasm for this genre shines through every frame of this movie.
That is because director Frant Gwo was a sci-fi lover before he started actually directing sci-fi movies, and his genuine enthusiasm for this genre shines through every frame of this movie. That’s something that can make or break a movie’s reception, regardless of originality, and it certainly paid off in the case ofThe Wandering Earth.The movie is to date the fifth-grossing non-English film of all time.
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games is a dystopian thriller set in Panem, where annually selected tributes from twelve districts compete in a televised battle to the death. The story follows Katniss Everdeen, who must navigate the brutal competition and rely on her instincts and mentor’s guidance to survive and possibly return home.
It’s not just the fact thatThe Hunger Gamesfranchiseis the movie adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ incredibly fortunate—and rightly so—book saga. It’s the fact that the book saga itself draws on previously existing works, like Shakespeare’s Ancient Rome tragedies likeJulius CaesarandCoriolanusbut especially like other dystopian novels like Koushun Takami’sBattle Royaleand William Golding’sLord of the Flies.
At the same time,The Hunger Gamesput its particular spin on the tropes in these works and created a long-lasting storywhose themes of rebellion, sacrifice, dictatorship, and the power of propaganda remain incredibly poignant to this day. Funnily enough,The Hunger Gamesalso inspired its own deluge of derivative works, even though none ever came close to its level of complexity and relevancy and focused simply on the romantic aspects ofThe Hunger Games’ story.
Us
Us is a horror film directed by Jordan Peele, depicting the unsettling vacation of the Wilson family, led by Lupita Nyong’o as Adelaide and Winston Duke as Gabe. Their beach house retreat turns sinister when unexpected guests, identical in appearance to the family members, disrupt their peaceful getaway.
Jordan Peele’s sophomore movieUs, which came out two years afterGet Out, toys the line between sci-fi and psychological horror.Peele mentioned several horror classics as his inspirations for this movie, from Hitchcock’sThe Birdsto Kubrick’sShiningto Romero’sNight of the Living Dead. Us’s biggest inspiration, though, comes from the 1960 episode ofThe Twilight Zone“Mirror Image,” which features döppelgangers exactly like the movie does.
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Still,Usmanages to be its own unique thing, creating the menacing group of döppelgangers known as “Tethered” and being overall chilling and terrifying. Its great performances—Lupita Nyong’o’s first and foremost— and haunting score all contributed to makingUsone of the most watched and talked about movies of 2019, as well as one of the best horrors of the 21st century.
Ex Machina
Young computer programmer Caleb is selected to participate in a groundbreaking experiment by evaluating the human qualities in a new and improved female artificial intelligence. But in the luxurious, isolated mansion of the man who created this technology, all may not be as it seems.
Blending sci-fi and thriller,Ex Machinais the story of a programmer and the CEO of the company he works for who spend a week in the latter’s mansion to administer the Turing test to hishumanoid robot named Ava.It has all the hallmarks of other android-centric movies, fromBlade RunnertoI, Robot, as well as the inescapable2001: A Space Odysseyand William Shakespeare’sThe Tempest.
Building off of these well-known themes that most audiences are familiar with when it comes to stories about robots developing a human-like consciousness,Ex Machinatells its own story of humanity, manipulation, and search for freedom. The entire plot happening inside a single house also helps in creating a sense of anxiety and dread, which grows and grows until it explodes during the movie’s final scene.
Space Sweepers
Space Sweepers, set in the year 2092, follows a crew of misfit space scavengers aboard the spaceship Victory. When they discover a humanoid robot named Dorothy with the potential for mass destruction, they find themselves entangled in a dangerous business deal. The South Korean space opera explores themes of survival and morality amidst high-stakes interstellar adventures. Directed by Jo Sung-hee, the film stars Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri, and Jin Seon-kyu.
Space Sweepersisconsidered the first South Korean space blockbuster, and it climbed up to the top spot in several countries as soon as it was released worldwide via Netflix. Its ragtag group of protagonists—the titular crew of space sweepers who work around a space station created after Earth has become inhabitable in a not-so-distant future—is what makes the movie enjoyable, and also what ties it to several of its predecessors within the genre.
The crew of likable scoundrels who are more than happy to live on the fringes of society but who instead find themselves thrust into the center of much larger machinations has been a sure-fire way to get to audiences’ heart fromCowboy BeboptoGuardians of the Galaxy, passing byThe Expanse. In this sense,Space Sweepersmight not be incredibly original, and yet it remainsvery entertaining.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
Star Wars: The Last Jedi continues the saga as Rey hones her powers under the guidance of Luke Skywalker. As her abilities unsettle her mentor, the Resistance faces the First Order in a pivotal battle.
The Last Jedicaused quite the stir in theStar Warsfandomwhen it was released back in 2017, and while opinions on the movie are still as polarized as everit’s become clearer and clearer that it’s one of the franchise’s best products of the new Disney era. Johnson himself revealed the influences that went into his writing process forThe Last Jedi, which includeTwelve O’Clock High,Three Outlaw Samurai, andThe Bridge on the River Kwai.
The Last Jediis also where the characters of Rey and Kylo Ren begin to grow closer and explore their connection in the Force, so there are also glimpses of some gothic romances to be found in the movie, fromJane EyretoWuthering Heights. YetThe Last Jediremains a quintessentialStar Warsmovie down to its very last shot, which promised great things ahead for the franchise—promises that were somehow disappointed byThe Rise of Skywalker.
