10 Best Soft Sci-Fi Movies, Ranked

Science fiction is a speculative genre of fiction that has captivated audiences for decades by branching out into the possibilities of various subjects, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, time travel, and advanced technology. Like most other genres, science-fiction has developed several popular subgenres, including space opera, hard science-fiction, and cyberpunk, but one of the most versatile subgenres has to be soft science-fiction.

Unlike hard science fiction, soft science-fiction is typically rooted in natural and social sciences, like political science, psychology, and sociology, focusing more on the relationships between characters and society rather than realistic scientific advancement and technology. Even though there’s still somewhat of a debate on the definition of soft science-fiction, it hasn’t stopped Hollywood from bringing it to the silver screen. From the 1998 black and white film, Pi, to the adaptation of Philip K. Dick‘s novel, A Scanner Darkly, these are 10 of the best soft science-fiction movies.

10 ‘Pi’ (1998)

Cast: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, and Ben Shenkman

Max Cohen (Sean Gullette) is an unemployed, reclusive mathematician who becomes obsessed with finding the underlying complete order in the real world. When he builds a supercomputer, Elucid, to make stock market predictions, he discovers the potential of unraveling universal patterns, which leads him to spiral further into his obsession, and his research eventually catches the attention of both Wall Street and a Jewish researcher (Ben Shenkman) who conducts mathematical research on the Torah.

Darren Aronofsky‘s psychological thriller, Pi, is a fascinating look into the contrast between the complex world of mathematics, specifically, number theory, and the irregular nature of humanity. Pi is considered to be one of the best soft sci-fi films as it correlates the mythical aspects of the theory of everything and religious themes while remaining grounded.

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9 ‘Coherence’ (2013)

Cast: Emily Baldoni, Lauren Maher, and Maury Sterling

While a comet ascends across the night sky, a couple, Mike and Lee (Nicholas Brendon, Lorene Scafaria) are hosting a dinner party for several of their friends. After an unexpected power outage, the friends begin to experience a series of unusual and unexplainable events that soon cause them to think that they are related to the closely passing comet.

Marking the directorial debut of James Ward Byrkit, Coherence is a mind-bending surreal sci-fi flick that feels like something out of Rod Serling‘s The Twilight Zone and depicts the potential of alternate realities. While the story itself is complex and mind-boggling, Coherence features strong characters whose ongoing drama and personal conflicts keep audiences curious and intrigued about seeing the conclusion of the strange occurrence.

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8 ‘Phenomenon’ (1996)

Cast: John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, and Forest Whitaker

George Malley (John Travolta) is a small-town mechanic who, after witnessing a flash of light, realizes he now has incredible mental abilities and can move objects with just his mind and predict the future. While George wants to use his powers to help people, the government wants to bring him in and run tests on him to try and figure out how he managed to become a genius overnight.

The romantic fantasy drama, Phenomenon, might center around an out-of-this-world possibility, but it explores human nature and the common misconception that power and value are the key to true happiness. Despite initial mixed reviews, Phenomenon is a perfect example of the soft science-fiction genre as it starts with an unexplainable scenario and, in the end, teaches audiences about love and acceptance of changes, which we all go through at one time or another in our lifetimes.

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7 ‘Limitless’ (2011)

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, and Abbie Cornish

Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is an unemployed writer who believes he has no future, but when his friend gives him a pill that is still in the testing process, it unlocks the full potential of his mind and endless possibilities. As Eddie turns his life around and conquers the financial world, his success is soon jeopardized by side effects and a dwindling supply of the drug, which could destroy everything he has worked towards.

Limitless is a whirlwind of a soft science-fiction film loosely based on the 2001 novel, The Dark Fields, written by Alan Glynn. The premise of Limitless is a curious one, but it’s mainly a prime example of how good things must always come to an end. While it would be amazing if one pill could solve our problems, Limitless shows the destructive downside of relying on something other than yourself and your natural abilities.

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6 ‘K-Pax’ (2001)

Cast: Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, and Mary McCormack

Psychiatrist, Dr. Mark Powell (Jeff Bridges) works at a mental health facility in Manhattan, New York, and one day, he meets a patient, Robert Porter (Kevin Spacey), who claims to be an alien from a planet called K-Pax. While Mark tries to figure out his new patient and a reasonable explanation for his delusions, he notices that Robert is having a positive impact on his mental health as well as the other patients, causing him to second-guess Robert’s claims.

The science-fiction mystery film, K-Pax, is based on the 1995 novel by the same name written by Gene Brewer and also stars Mary McCormack, Alfre Woodward, and Conchata Ferrell. K-Pax initially received mixed reviews, but the film does an excellent job of creating a perfect balance between exploring the impossible while remaining rational and practical about Robert and his notion of being from outer space.

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5 ‘Scanners’ (1981)

Cast: Michael Ironside, Stephen Lack, and Jennifer O’Neill

In a dystopian society, Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) is a drifter who, after causing a woman to have a seizure with his telepathy, is captured and committed to a facility by a private military company. There he’s informed that he’s one of over two hundred people who are psychics with unusual telepathic abilities and are known as scanners. Vale soon learns that the company hunts and uses scanners for their own purposes and is assigned to destroy a renegade scanner (Michael Ironside) who is waging a war against them.

Scanners is a Canadian science-fiction thriller that is best known for its eye-catching special effects and for adding a new emotional dimension to the classic genre. Originally, the movie earned mixed reviews, but in recent years, it has gained significant support and is considered to be a vital cult classic. In 2012, Canadian film magazine, CineAction, revisited Scanners, pointing out how the scanners could be viewed as examples of the young political radicals in the 1960s as well as what could potentially happen if the counterculture became the dominant one.

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4 ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ (2004)

Cast: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, and Kirsten Dunst

When Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) go through a painful breakup, the loss is too much for Clementine to bear, and she decides to undergo a procedure that will erase all of her memories of Joel from her mind. Once Joel learns about the extreme lengths Clementine is going through to forget him and their relationship, he also makes the decision to have the operation as well.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an iconic sci-fi romantic drama that also stars Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, and Tom Wilkinson. The film essentially explores the psychological impact of love and tremendous loss and uses a nonlinear narrative to examine the value of human memory. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind earned rave reviews from critics, who praised Carrey and Winslet’s bittersweet on-screen chemistry and unique story that, despite its sci-fi and fantasy elements, resonated with audiences on a relatable level.

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3 ‘The Truman Show’ (1998)

Cast: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, and Ed Harris

Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) thinks that he’s living an average, normal life, but unbeknownst to him, he lives on a gigantic television set and is the star of a television show. The executive producer of the show, Christof (Ed Harris), orchestrates Truman’s life like it’s his own puppet show and even goes as far as replacing Truman’s girlfriend, but when Truman discovers the truth, he’s faced with the choice of acting on it or continuing to play along for the cameras.

Carrey stars in one of his best dramatic roles in The Truman Show, which film critic, Roger Ebert, gave four out of four stars, comparing it to Tom Hanks’Forrest Gump and had the perfect balance of both comedy and drama. Compared to other soft science-fiction movies, The Truman Show doesn’t contain the typical special effects audiences would usually expect to see in a sci-fi film, which is the main part of the film’s genuine charm.

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2 ‘Repo Man’ (1984)

Cast: Emillo Estevez, Olivia Barash, and Harry Dean Stanton

In Los Angeles, slacker and punk rocker, Otto Maddox (Emilio Estevez) is fired from his job but soon manages to find another one working for a repo man, Bud (Harry Dean Stanton). Despite not being too thrilled about his new job, Otto eventually starts to enjoy himself and when he learns about a $20,000 Chevy Malibu, he sets out to find it with a beautiful woman, Lelia (Olivia Barash) who tells him the car’s trunk contains something of another world.

The science-fiction comedy, Repo Man, is considered to be one of the best movies of 1984 and even though it had a troubling initial release, it earned overall praise from critics and audiences. Unlike other traditional sci-fi films at the time, Repo Man was a breath of fresh air that didn’t follow the same basic formula a majority of other films at the time followed and brought a new, original concept to the big screen that effortlessly hooked audiences with light humor and a compelling, otherworldly mystery.

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1 ‘A Scanner Darkly’ (2006)

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., and Winona Ryder

Set in a futuristic society, Robert Arctor (Keanu Reeves) is a narcotics police officer in Orange County who has become hooked on the latest drug, Substance D, while being deep undercover. While Robert tries to keep his addiction a secret from his superiors, he works to identify a major supplier by infiltrating a group of dealers, but his mission becomes complicated when he starts to become attached to his new circle of friends.

A Scanner Darkly is considered to be one of the best adaptations of Philip K. Dick’s work and is also known for its interpolated rotoscope animation and all-star cast. While the animation itself is a mind-blowing experience for viewers, A Scanner Darkly dives deep into a dark, unstable world where the line between right and wrong is blurred by political interference and a lack of human morality.

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KEEP READING:The 15 Best Hard Sci-Fi Movies, Ranked