Sci-Fi for the Small Screen

As summer arrives, more people are looking forward to seeing a movie in an actual theater! However, there are still many who are uncomfortable with being out in a crowd, and for those, movies at home are still the best option. For sci-fi fans, this can be a real dilemma!

Why? Because there are just some movies that need to be seen on a big screen, and many of them are science fiction. Those big-budget, special effects extravaganzas don’t feel the same in your home theater. The good news is that there are some sci-fi films that do work on the small screen! Many of these are independent movies made on a smaller budget. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that they are not high quality.

Low-budget science fiction can be some of the most profound and thought-provoking, putting more emphasis on character and story. In fact, some of the best films of the genre in recent years, in my opinion, have been much smaller in scope, but large in ideas. So, if you are looking for some of these movies to watch from the comfort of your couch, here are a few titles currently sitting on MCPL’s shelves:

• Coherence: A group of friends gather together for a dinner party on the night a comet is passing by. Suddenly, reality seems to shatter, and multiple versions of the eight people have come into existence. But only one version can survive the night.
• Another Earth: After a second Earth appears in the sky, a young woman attempts to rectify a horrible tragedy by befriending the man whose family she killed in an accident. As the other Earth comes closer, she comes to believe it could be a second chance for her.
• Moon: Sam has spent years working alone on the moon and is eager to return to his life back on Earth. However, after an accident, another “Sam” appears, causing him to question his very existence.
• The Man from Earth: A departing professor bids farewell to friends and colleagues at a party by making a shocking announcement—he has lived for 14,000 years.
• Attack the Block: An alien invasion story is told from the perspective of a group of inner-city kids in London, starring a pre-Star Wars John Boyega.
• Her: A lonely man forms a bond with the virtual assistant that was upgraded with artificial intelligence. But is it actually possible to love a machine?
• Ex Machina: An inventor brings in a scientist to administer the Turing test to the android female he has created. Does she actually have sentience or is it all an illusion?

These are just a few titles for science fiction lovers who aren’t ready to go back to the cinema. And don’t forget to check out some of the streaming services! They also carry a lot of smaller-budget films made for the small screen.

Pamela M.
Antioch Branch