There is a very specific kind of early-2000s studio sci-fi thriller that feels almost impossible to recreate now. High concept, glossy, a little paranoid, and stacked with stars, those movies usually revolved around one killer premise and enough confidence to carry it through. Paycheck fits that mold perfectly. It has never had the reputation of the biggest Philip K. Dick adaptations, but it has always had its own odd little appeal.

That overlooked genre entry is heading to Paramount+ on April 1 as part of the streamer’s next monthly lineup. It is an easy one to imagine finding a second life there, especially for viewers who have a soft spot for old-school puzzle-box thrillers.

Directed by John Woo, the 2003 film stars Ben Affleck as Michael Jennings, a reverse engineer who takes lucrative jobs under one unusual condition: his memory is wiped after each assignment. When he wakes up after one major project, he discovers he has given up a massive payday in exchange for an envelope full of random everyday items. Naturally, those objects turn out to be the only clues he has to survive what comes next.

The cast includes Affleck as Michael Jennings, Uma Thurman as Dr. Rachel Porter, Aaron Eckhart as James Rethrick, Paul Giamatti as Shorty, Colm Feore as John Wolfe, and Joe Morton as Agent Dodge.

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Is ‘Paycheck’ Worth Watching?

Roger Ebert‘s review stated that Paycheck starts with a genuinely great sci-fi premise and then gradually turns it into something much more ordinary. Built around a Philip K. Dick idea about memory wipes, future tech, and a man trying to decode clues left for himself, the film has all the ingredients for a sharp, paranoid thriller. Instead, it mostly settles for a pretty standard action movie.

“And the attempts of the Allcom security staff to deal with the various locks and alarms in their top-secret lab had me thinking of “Dumb and Dumber.” There are countless fascinating possibilities involved in Philip K. Dick’s story, and I’m kind of sad that the ones ranking highest in the minds of the filmmakers was the opportunity to have chase scenes and blow stuff up real good.”

Paycheck will premiere on Paramount+ on April 1.

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Release Date

December 25, 2003

Runtime

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119 Minutes

Writers

Philip K. Dick, Dean Georgaris

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Every so often, Hollywood hands viewers a science-fiction movie so committed to its own nonsense that resisting it becomes kind of impossible. The Core is one of those movies. It does not just flirt with absurdity. It digs a tunnel straight through the Earth and drives right into it at full speed. That is exactly why it still has fans.

That gloriously over-the-top 2003 disaster movie is heading to Paramount+ on April 1, joining the streamer’s April lineup alongside a long list of catalogue additions. For anyone with an affection for big-studio sci-fi that takes itself deadly seriously while doing completely insane things, it is an excellent pickup.

Directed by Jon Amiel, the film follows a team of scientists and specialists sent on an impossible mission after the Earth’s core mysteriously stops rotating. If they cannot fix it, the planet is doomed. That setup is obviously ridiculous, but The Core sells it with a great cast, a straight face, and a pace that never really slows down long enough for you to protest. Sometimes that is all a movie like this needs.

The cast includes Aaron Eckhart as Dr. Josh Keyes, Hilary Swank as Major Rebecca Childs, Delroy Lindo as Dr. Ed “Braz” Brazzelton, Stanley Tucci as Dr. Conrad Zimsky, Tchéky Karyo as Serge Leveque, Bruce Greenwood as Commander Iverson, and Alfre Woodard as Talma Stickley.

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Is ‘The Core’ Worth Watching?

Roger Ebert‘s review stated that The Core is absolutely ridiculous, and weirdly enough, that’s a big part of its appeal. The film’s premise — that the Earth’s core has stopped spinning and humanity has less than a year before solar radiation wipes everyone out — is pure old-school sci-fi nonsense, and the movie leans into it with total sincerity. That includes some truly wild dialogue, over-the-top science, and a plot that feels like it was pulled straight from a vintage B-movie.

“The Core” is not exactly good, but it knows what a movie is. It has energy and daring and isn’t afraid to make fun of itself, and it thinks big, as when the Golden Gate Bridge collapses and a scientist tersely reports, “The West Coast is out.” If you are at the video store late on Saturday night and they don’t have “Anaconda,” this will do.

The Core arrives on Paramount+ on April 1.

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Release Date

March 28, 2003

Runtime

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135 minutes

Director

Jon Amiel

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Some movies get permanently stuck in the shadow of the louder hit that came out right beside them. That has always been a little bit true of Deep Impact, which arrived in 1998 just months before Armageddon turned asteroid panic into full-on popcorn spectacle. The two films are always linked, but they are really doing different things. One goes big and bombastic. The other aims for something sadder and more human.

Now, that more emotional disaster movie is heading to Paramount+ on April 1 as part of the service’s new movie lineup for the month. It is one of several catalogue titles joining the platform, and it stands out as one of the more interesting rewatch plays in the batch.

Directed by Mimi Leder, Deep Impact follows the discovery of a comet on a collision course with Earth and the political, personal, and global fallout that comes with it. Rather than focusing only on destruction, the film spends a lot of time with families, reporters, astronauts, and officials trying to process what may be the end of everything. That gives it a very different tone from the flashier disaster movies it is often grouped with.

The cast includes Téa Leoni as Jenny Lerner, Robert Duvall as Captain Spurgeon Tanner, Elijah Wood as Leo Biederman, Morgan Freeman as President Beck, Leelee Sobieski as Sarah Hotchner, Vanessa Redgrave as Robin Lerner, Maximilian Schell as Jason Lerner, and James Cromwell as Alan Rittenhouse.

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Is ‘Deep Impact’ Worth Watching?

Roger Ebert‘s review stated that Deep Impact has a built-in problem most disaster movies wisely avoid: if a comet the size of a mountain is really heading for Earth, the ending can only go so many ways. That tension gives the film a strong premise, and the review credits the screenplay for finding a workable path through it without completely spoiling the spectacle.

“Whether Earth is saved or doomed, or neither, I will leave you to discover for yourself. I personally found it easier to believe that Earth could survive this doomsday scenario than that the Messiah spacecraft could fly at thousands of miles an hour through the comet’s tail, which contains rocks the size of two-car garages, without serious consequences. On the disaster epic scale, on which “Titanic” gets four stars and “Volcano” gets 1.5, “Deep Impact” gets 2.5–the same as “Dante’s Peak,” even though it lacks a dog that gets left behind.”

Deep Impact crashes into Paramount+ on April 1.

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Release Date

May 8, 1998

Runtime

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120 minutes

Director

Mimi Leder

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Writers

Michael Tolkin, Bruce Joel Rubin

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Roommates, you know when a moment just hits different and fans lose it immediately? That’s exactly what went down when Lil Mama unexpectedly joined Bow Wow on stage during his Brooklyn tour stop. Now, the internet can’t stop talking about the surprise reunion and the energy they brought.

RELATED: Who’s This For? Fans Demand Answers After Bow Wow Shares Cryptic Message About Replacing Performers Ahead Of ‘Boys 4 Life’ Tour

Lil Mama Crashes Bow Wow’s Brooklyn Show

On Saturday night, Bow Wow hit the Barclays Center and brought the vibes. Fans were already hyped for the ‘Millennium Tour’ stop in Brooklyn, but nothing prepared them for Lil Mama, 36, suddenly appearing onstage to join Bow Wow, 39, during his performance of the 2002 classic ‘Take Ya Home.’ As shown in the clip on his Instagram, the crowd erupted as Bow Wow teased the audience, “Can we please put both of us in the same frame so they know this is not AI?” before turning to Lil Mama: “Twin, you know I stay ready, right? … Can you do me a favor? Take this sh*t over with this one.”

From there, Lil Mama took over, delivering her iconic 2007 hit ‘Lip Gloss’ and even giving fans a brief a cappella rendition of her 2015 single ‘Sausage.’ Social media immediately blew up: Bow Wow shared on Instagram, “Brooklyn was crazy tonight! I can’t believe [Lil Mama] crashed my set tonight! Now y’all can’t say this was AI! We Finally In The Same Place At The Same Time!” Lil Mama chimed in with fire emojis in the comments.

This Surprise Performance Has Fans Talking

Fans didn’t waste a second hitting up TSR’s Instagram comments to share their thoughts on the surprise Bow Wow and Lil Mama moment. Some were quick to point out, “Okay, they really aren’t the same person.” While others noticed GloRilla wasn’t in the mix and joked she needs to clear that up next. Meanwhile, plenty of fans were just here for Lil Mama getting her flowers, celebrating the moment and the energy she brought to the stage.

One Instagram user @kweenmocha shared, “Should’ve brought out Glo too so we could have Triplets on stage 😂”

This Instagram user @mynametreety said, “😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Yeahhhhhhhhh i still remember the day lipgloss premiered 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥”

And, Instagram user @natasha_nubian added, “Finally we have the siblings on stage together 😍 and she killed that Harlem shake 🔥🔥”

Meanwhile, Instagram user @__kymo___ joked, “We finally seen them at the same time😭”

While Instagram user @_.keeandmikee wrote, “Lmfao! At least his reaction was better than Jay z that one time 😂”

Finally, Instagram user @shaiangelita added, “That’s right give mama her flowers, this is DOPE! 💐”

What’s Really Going On With This Millennium Tour?

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There was a stretch when Hollywood was trying to turn every toy brand, comic property, and action line into the next giant cinematic universe. Some of those bets paid off. A lot of them did not. The G.I. Joe movies landed right in the middle of that era, and while they never became the all-conquering franchise Paramount probably hoped for, they did carve out a place for themselves with audiences who liked their blockbusters loud, shiny, and a little ridiculous.

Now one of the key entries in that franchise is heading back to its home studio’s streamer. G.I. Joe: Retaliation arrives on Paramount+ on April 1 as part of the platform’s new monthly wave of film additions, giving the sequel a fresh streaming home.

Released in 2013, Retaliation leans harder into star power and larger-scale action than its predecessor, with Dwayne Johnson stepping into a major role alongside Channing Tatum. The story follows the Joes after they are framed and nearly wiped out, forcing the survivors to regroup and hit back against Cobra’s growing influence. It is a cleaner, punchier movie than The Rise of Cobra, and one that more confidently embraces the franchise’s cartoonishly high-stakes energy.

The cast includes Johnson as Roadblock, Tatum as Duke, Adrianne Palicki as Lady Jaye, Bruce Willis as Joe Colton, Ray Park as Snake Eyes, Lee Byung-hun as Storm Shadow, D.J. Cotrona as Flint, Jonathan Pryce as President Zartan, and Arnold Vosloo as Zartan.

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Is ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ Worth Watching?

Collider’s review stated that G.I. Joe: Retaliation isn’t interested in being smart, deep, or even especially character-driven, but it does understand the assignment. This is a movie built around giant weapons, ridiculous vehicles, ninja fights, and stuff blowing up on a massive scale, and for the most part, it delivers exactly that.

The best characters, Snake Eyes and Roadblock, are the standouts partially because they’re in tune with the film’s true lead: action. That’s all G.I. Joe: Retaliation is meant to be. Director Jon Chu understands that’s why people show up, so his task is to make sure the set pieces deliver, and for the most part he succeeds. Like all the best toy commercials, G.I. Joe: Retaliation makes you forget you’re buying a piece of plastic. It lets you imagine that you’re part of the action, and free to feel like a kid again—a reckless, violent, gleefully destructive kid.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation will arrive on Paramount+ on April 1.

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Release Date

March 29, 2013

Runtime

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110 Minutes

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When going down to South Park, one can be sure to have themselves a time. Famous for toilet humor and topical satire, it’s difficult to pigeonhole this game-changing animated series. Parking may be ample, but so too are irreverent jokes and absurd twists. The series has built a reputation for crossing every line. But Trey Parker and Matt Stone have not only crossed the line, but they have also done horrible things to the line, and now the line is crying — and audiences are loving it!

With over 300 episodes, it takes a lot to stand out in the canon. The best South Park episodes blend the crude and the clever, holding space for satire and silliness to coexist. The original songs hit all the right comedic notes, and the characters are so flawed that irreverence is an expectation. So come on down to South Park, and meet some of the show’s top-rated episodes on IMDb.

65

“Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow” (Season 9, Episode 8)

IMDb Rating: 8.5/10

Image via Comedy Central

Using a parody of The Day After Tomorrow as a basis to criticize the media and public response to Hurricane Katrina and to lampoon the conversation surrounding climate change, “Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow” flaunts every bit of South Park’s referential brilliance and satirical precision. It sees Cartman and Stan accidentally destroy a beaver dam, thus causing a devastating flash flood in Beaverton. Unwilling to confess, the boys sit silent as the townsfolk blame global warming for the destruction, sparking a wave of paranoia and panic that engulfs the nation.

Within its spoof story, the episode also features moments that mock Spartacus, Marathon Man, and even Kanye West’s infamous “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” quote—along with several other accusations of selective racism amid Hurricane Katrina evacuation efforts. With its cutting satire and its pop-culture playfulness, it is easy to see why so many fans love the Season 9 episode, and why it is such a defining highlight of the adult animated series.

64

“Best Friends Forever” (Season 9, Episode 4)

IMDb Rating: 8.5/10

Image via Comedy Central

Juggling a philosophical media war and an actual war between the forces of Heaven and Hell, “Best Friends Forever” gloriously exhibits South Park’s trademark storytelling efficiency and ambition. Kenny’s skill in the PSP game ‘Heaven vs. Hell’ leads to God conjuring his death so he can lead Heaven’s armies into battle against Satan’s forces. However, Kenny’s duties are interrupted when he is revived but left in a vegetative state. Amid growing media attention to the case, Stan and Kyle implore that Kenny remain on life support. At the same time, Cartman, eager to inherit his friend’s PSP, argues that prolonging his life in such a state is wrong and would go against Kenny’s wishes.

In addition to winning an Emmy, the episode has garnered enduring acclaim for its approach to right-to-die arguments and, more pointedly, how the frenzied popularity around such cases as Terri Schiavo’s—regardless of what side of the debate one stands on—is a grotesque trivialization of someone’s fate. Ferociously suggesting media personalities who do obsess on such cases—and people who only share their opinions to capitalize on the trending topic—are parasitic, “Best Friends Forever” represents South Park at its most piercing and precise, and is a highlight of the series’ ninth season.

63

“Professor Chaos” (Season 6, Episode 6)

IMDb Rating: 8.5/10

Image via Comedy Central

Having grown tired of Butters’ lame antics since he joined the group following Kenny’s death, Cartman, Stan, and Kyle evict him from their gang and run a contest to determine who will be their fourth friend. Setting up an elaborate range of challenges, the boys orchestrate a competition for the neighborhood kids. All the while, a rejected and disgruntled Butters becomes Professor Chaos, a nefarious villain seeking to destroy the atmosphere by spraying aerosol cans and flooding the world with a garden hose.

Lampooning reality TV shows like The Bachelor through Cartman, Kyle, and Stan’s story, while parodying X-Men through the focus on Professor Chaos, the Season 6 episode is a delightful highlight of South Park’s knack for mixing referential comedy with character-driven narrative. It is a defining highlight of the show’s sixth season, and has aged gracefully with its spoof gags and its origin story for the series’ most beloved supervillain.

62

“You’re Getting Old” (Season 15, Episode 7)

IMDb Rating: 8.6/10

Image via Comedy Central

Throughout its immense run, South Park has been everything from an irreverent and crude comedy to a sharp social satire, a profound and profanity-laden parody, and even an insightful political allegory. Even with such a range being considered, there is no episode quite like “You’re Getting Old.” Following his tenth birthday party, Stan develops a cynical outlook on life, leading him to ponder his existence as he begins seeing things in the world as literal feces.

It is a moody and dark episode, one that pushes past the ridiculousness of a child experiencing such feelings to present a rich and contemplative story of growing old and growing beyond things. Stan’s emotional melancholy is only accentuated by the subplot involving Randy and Sharon’s fighting, leading to divorce, and an alarmingly abrupt ending devoid of happiness and hope. Of course, South Park still injects the story with plenty of humor, but “You’re Getting Old” is one of the most striking and unique episodes the series has ever aired, and it is no surprise that viewers consider it to be among its better entries.

61

“Go God Go XII” (Season 10, Episode 13)

IMDb Rating: 8.6/10

Image via Comedy Central

A direct follow-on from the previous episode, “Go God Go XII,” sees Cartman stranded in the distant future where religion has been eradicated, and atheists are entrenched in a struggle against super-intelligent sea otters. In the present day, Mrs. Garrison’s love affair with Richard Dawkins becomes all the more intriguing as audiences discover the duo plays a vital role in the expunging of religion.

The Season 10 episode exemplifies the brand of efficient, large-scale storytelling South Park has always executed so well, with the episode juggling its interweaving plots with impressive grace and clarity while using the juxtaposition of the stories to conjure up laughs aplenty. In an interview with Playboy in 2012, Dawkins himself revealed he wasn’t a fan of the episode. That’s okay, though, because its impressive IMDb rating implies that nearly everyone else was.

60

“Up the Down Steroid” (Season 8, Episode 2)

IMDb Rating: 8.6/10

Image via Comedy Central

Following up the brilliance of South Park’s Season 8 premiere with another classic gem, “Up the Down Steroid” centers on several of the South Park students’ efforts to participate in the Special Olympics, a sporting event for youths living with disabilities. While Timmy and Jimmy are eager to represent Team USA, Cartman fakes a disability so he too can participate in the event. In the lead-up to the games, Jimmy is convinced to take steroids to increase his chances of winning.

While the episode received some criticism for its similarities to the 2005 comedy film The Ringer, Parker and Stone defended their creative decisions, stating the basic premise was not at all difficult for anyone to come up with. The masses much preferred their approach to it than that of the 05 films, with the episode flaunting the series’ trademark irreverent humor and controversial zest.

59

“Something Wall-Mart This Comes Way” (Season 8, Episode 9)

IMDb Rating: 8.6/10

Image via Comedy Central

Serving as a direct parody of Disney’s 1983 movie Something Wicked This Way Comes, the Season 8 episode sees the pitfalls and allure of commercialism stand as the villain rather than a wish-granting carnival owner. A “Wall-Mart” store is built in South Park, and businesses in the town begin to fail as the residents become completely addicted to the outlet’s bargains. The four boys go to the company’s headquarters, hoping to bring an end to the hysteria before it overruns the entire town.

Like many of the series’ best episodes, “Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes” excels by blending referential comedy and parody with a razor-sharp story targeting a contemporary flaw in society. While it is perhaps overshadowed by some of the other great episodes Season 8 has to offer, “Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes” still stands as a golden nugget of South Park’s scathing comedy. It still stands as a razor-sharp critique of unvetted capitalism over 20 years since it first aired.

58

“Die Hippie, Die” (Season 9, Episode 2)

IMDb Rating: 8.6/10

Image via Comedy Central

Another excellent parody episode, “Die Hippie, Die,” mocks disaster films like The Core as South Park becomes overrun by a horde of hippies congregating for a music festival. Cartman, who has been working as a pest control expert specializing in the removal of hippies, stands as the town’s last chance for survival and begins working with political figures to enact a plan to rid the town of the anti-corporate invaders.

While it isn’t the most thematically pointed episode of the series, it still contains intriguing ideas about society’s attitudes towards hippies, and the questionable level of conviction many hippy-types have in their own espoused beliefs. It is a typically bold episode in this social commentary, but it is more famous for its disaster movie parody and its violent ending that includes Slayer’s “Raining Blood.” The episode also stands as the last to contain new voice dialogue from Isaac Hayes.

57

“The Jeffersons” (Season 8, Episode 6)

IMDb Rating: 8.6/10

Image via Comedy Central

As relentless a skewering of a celebrity personality as South Park has ever undertaken—with the possible exception of Katelyn Jenner—“The Jeffersons” is remembered by many as the episode where Michael Jackson moves to South Park. Another gem from Season 8, it sees the pop icon relocating to the Colorado town and changing his name to Michael Jefferson in order to escape the rigors of stardom. Jackson tries to grow disturbingly close to the boys. Local police, agitated at claims of there being a wealthy Black man in town, set out to frame him, but have a moral conniption when the target appears to be White.

The episode swings wildly in all directions, and the vast majority of the jokes they aim for land in emphatic fashion, offering non-stop hilarity from its opening moments. While its lens on racial prejudice in the police force may only be surface-level, it more than makes up for its thematic weaknesses with its all-out assault on Michael Jackson that remains as gasp-inducing and hysterical today as it was in 2004.

56

“The Biggest Douche in the Universe” (Season 6, Episode 15)

IMDb Rating: 8.6/10

Image via Comedy Central

While the serial, seasonal arcs wouldn’t become common practice on South Park until many years later, Season 6 does offer a consistent subplot in the form of Kenny’s spirit living on within Cartman after he mistook his friend’s ashes for chocolate milk mix and drank them. That subplot yields hilarious rewards in “The Biggest Douche in the Universe,” while the episode also offers stern skewering of celebrity psychics.

With Kenny’s spirit beginning to take possession of Cartman’s body, Chef and the kids decide to appear on a television psychic’s program to try to help Cartman, but are disappointed when they only get vague responses that offer no benefit. While Chef takes Cartman to his parents in Scotland to perform an exorcism, Stan strives to disprove the psychic publicly. It’s a hilarious take-down episode that features the creators at their scorching best.

Taylor Sheridan starred in Sons of Anarchy and penned Sicario, but he became a household name after the success of Paramount’s Yellowstone. Starring Kevin Costner, the modern Western follows the Dutton ranching dynasty as they do everything to hold onto their way of life as modern America tries to take it from them. Sheridan’s franchise took the world by storm and yielded many spin-offs about the Dutton clan.

As beloved as Yellowstone is, Sheridan’s feature films are his greatest achievements. Following the Duttons’ conflict with an increasingly modern world, the writer took on another strictly American issue. In 2016, he wrote Hell or High Water, another modern Western that did not hold back on its messaging.

Chris Pine stars in the feature as Toby, a desperate rancher who is out of options. Weeks away from the bank foreclosing on his land, he has no other option than to rob banks to pay off his reverse mortgage. Enlisting his ex-con brother, Tanner (Ben Foster), Toby achieves the American dream, which slips so easily through the fingers of many others like him. Sheridan makes a clear point with this film, with very little room for misinterpretation. While not as high-profile as Sicario, Hell or High Water is becoming a cult classic.

‘Hell or High Water’ Has a Universal Message

Taylor Sheridan is no stranger to pointed messaging in his stories. Yellowstone communicates a clear narrative about how modern America is steamrolling cowboy culture. Hell or High Water has a similar message, but one that is far more translatable to most people. While it is a story about bank robbers and the authorities that are trying to catch them, the primary villain is the banks.

Before her death, Toby’s mother was swindled out of her land by the bank, which was intent on obtaining the oil rights on it for a low price. As their family was always poor, there was no way to escape this situation fairly. In a world where it continues to be impossible to pull oneself up by one’s bootstraps, this story was extremely relevant in 2016. Toby and his brother are criminals because they have no other option. They targeted the bank branch that took their land, but they aren’t inherently wrong.

In one pointed scene, Sheridan plays a cowboy trying to outrun a fire and ensure the safety of his cattle. He laments that this is the reason his children don’t want to take on ranching as a living. Modern life has destroyed the middle class, making Americans either poor or rich. Ten years after the fact, this message is even more significant than ever.

Even though Hell or High Water garnered a few Oscar nominations that year, it is still one of the more underrated of Sheridan’s projects. The showrunner excels with these short-form stories elevated by the impressive cast. Jeff Bridges stars as the sheriff trying to catch Toby and his brother, and yet, neither party is inherently bad. They are all trying to make their way in an increasingly unfair world. With all its obvious political messaging, Hell or High Water still has immense nuance and a heartfelt story at the center. Art reflects the times in which it exists, and this one is more important than most.

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August 11, 2016

Runtime

102 minutes

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Director

David Mackenzie

Producers

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Carla Hacken, Julie Yorn, Peter Berg, Sidney Kimmel

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A sci-fi classic is not just a great movie with futuristic ideas in it. If that was the case, every sci-fi would be partially classic. Instead, a classic is a movie that people keep returning to because the concept, the execution, and the feeling of it all locked together so completely that time could not shake it loose. Some of these films changed visual language. Some changed blockbuster pacing. Some changed what audiences thought science fiction was even allowed to do.

But the real reason they last is simpler than that: they still work on the most basic level. They still pull people in fast, still create worlds you immediately believe in, and still deliver scenes that feel alive no matter how many times you watch them. That is what makes these ten movies below undeniable. Not important in the dry film-history sense. Undeniable.

10

‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ (1977)

Image via Columbia Pictures

What makes Close Encounters of the Third Kind such a permanent sci-fi classic is that it does not approach alien contact like a war film, a horror film, or a puzzle box first. It approaches it like an obsession. Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) is turned into a chosen-one hero and he is a man whose normal life starts breaking apart because he has seen something he cannot fit back into ordinary reality. That choice gives the whole movie its strange pull. It is about being drawn somewhere you do not understand.

And Steven Spielberg’s control of wonder here is unbelievable. The film keeps letting mystery build through behavior, sound, fragments, and mounting compulsion. Roy shaping Devil’s Tower out of mashed potatoes should be ridiculous, but it works because the movie has made obsession feel physical by that point. The lights, the music, the scale, the patience of it, the sense that communication itself is the event, it all hits and earns the movie its awe.

9

‘The Matrix’ (1999)

Image via Warner Bros.

A lot of movies changed action. A lot of movies changed sci-fi aesthetics. Very few changed both while also dropping one of the most immediately gripping high-concept premises blockbuster cinema has ever seen. The Matrix wastes almost no time getting its hooks in. Neo (Keanu Reeves) is already living with a low-grade sense that reality is wrong, and once Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) starts pulling him toward the truth, the movie becomes a machine built to reward curiosity.

But the reason it still stands this tall is that all those themes that were hinted at in 1999, are coming to light today in 2026. It is more relatable today. Its pills references are vibrant in pop culture now, 27 years later. It is structurally clean. The rules get introduced clearly, the stakes grow naturally, and the action is always tied to Neo’s changing belief in himself. The lobby shootout is iconic, obviously. The rooftop dodge, the subway fight with Smith, the bullet-time imagery, all of that landed for a reason. But the movie’s real strength is how confidently it makes philosophy playable. Identity, control, illusion, fate, freedom, these are big ideas, and the film manages to turn them into tension instead of homework.

8

‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ (1991)

Image via Tri-Star Pictures

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is one of the easiest movies in the world to rewatch because it understands escalation at every level. It is bigger than The Terminator, more emotional, more ambitious, and somehow even cleaner in its storytelling. The setup is instantly strong: John Connor (Edward Furlong) is the future, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) is already wrecked by what she knows, and the machine that once hunted her is now the closest thing John has to a protector. That reversal is so smart because it gives the movie action, character, and emotion in one move.

Then it just keeps delivering. The T-1000 (Robert Patrick) is one of the great movie antagonists. He is relentless without being noisy about it. Patrick plays him with this cold, efficient inevitability that makes every pursuit scene sharper. The canal chase, the hospital escape, the steel mill finale, the set pieces are incredible, but what makes the film a classic is how much feeling it carries inside them. Sarah’s terror, John’s need for connection, the Terminator slowly becoming something John can attach meaning to — that is why the ending works as more than spectacle. The film knows how to make action hurt.

7

‘Blade Runner’ (1982)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

There are more propulsive sci-fi movies than Blade Runner. There are cleaner plots. There are easier first watches. None of that matters much when the atmosphere, thematic weight, and visual identity are this complete. Ridley Scott made one of the most convincing cinematic future worlds ever put on screen, a place where rain, neon, exhaustion, commerce, memory, and moral decay all feel fused together. You are inside it within minutes.

And the movie’s staying power comes from the fact that it is not using its sci-fi ideas as decoration. They are the film’s whole moral challenge. Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer)’s acting is an epic sci-fi performance. He forces the movie past simple hunter-prey dynamics. He is angry, intelligent, cornered by mortality, and more emotionally awake than many of the humans around him. All in all, Blade Runner is a movie about how fragile life looks when time starts running out.

6

‘Alien’ (1979)

Image via 20th Century Studios

Alien is a sci-fi classic because it understands that futuristic world-building means nothing if the space itself does not feel lived in. The Nostromo, apparently a glossy fantasy of the future, also feels industrial, cramped, tired, mechanical, and real. These people feel like workers before they feel like genre pieces on a chessboard. Once the horror begins, the movie has already given the setting texture. You believe this crew exists. You believe their routines. You believe the ship. So when things go wrong, the panic sticks harder.

The brilliance of the film is how long it trusts dread. The facehugger, the chestburster, the motion tracker tension, the ventilation shafts, the revelation about Ash (Ian Holm), Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) piecing together the real shape of the threat — none of this is rushed. Weaver is a huge part of why the movie became immortal. Ripley does not feel like she was built in a lab to be iconic. She becomes iconic because she thinks clearly under pressure, notices what others miss, and survives through will and competence rather than movie-star invincibility. Alien keeps proving that science fiction can be tactile, intelligent, and terrifying all at once.

5

‘Star Wars’ (1977)

Image via Twentieth Century-Fox

What puts Star Wars in this tier is not just influence, though the influence is absurd. It is how fast and how completely it locks into story pleasure. Within one movie, you get a tyranny, a rebellion, a farm boy pulled into something larger, a cynical smuggler with actual charm, a princess with backbone, a masked villain with mythic presence, a mentor figure, a superweapon, dogfights, rescues, and one of the cleanest heroic arcs ever made. That is an insane amount to land, and it lands because George Lucas keeps the storytelling simple where it needs to be simple.

The movie’s greatness is in its clarity. Every location feels distinct. Every character slot is memorable. Every tonal shift is easy to follow. The Death Star rescue in the film has already made Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) fun to watch together. The trench run is so good because the movie has spent enough time building Luke’s growth and the rebellion’s desperation. Darth Vader (David Prowse) works because the film understands the power of holding something back. Star Wars did not become a foundational classic because of brand afterlife. It became one because, on its own terms, it is an outrageously efficient and satisfying piece of sci-fi adventure storytelling.

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4

‘The Thing’ (1982)

Image via Universal Pictures

Few sci-fi classics hold up as savagely as The Thing because it attacks trust itself. The monster is terrifying, yes, but what makes the movie great is that the creature changes the social order of the room. After a certain point, nobody can be read normally anymore. Every glance, hesitation, accusation, and decision starts carrying the possibility of contamination. That turns the film into something meaner and smarter than a creature feature. It becomes a paranoia machine.

John Carpenter has helmed it with total confidence. The Antarctic isolation is already enough to strip away comfort, and then the movie starts using identity as the battlefield. MacReady (Kurt Russell) works because he is not some polished chosen hero. He is practical, irritated, suspicious, and forced into leadership by the fact that the situation no longer allows indecision. The blood-test scene alone would secure the film’s legacy. It is one of the tightest suspense sequences in sci-fi horror because the entire movie’s idea is compressed into one unbearable stretch of waiting. Add in the practical effects, which are still disgusting in exactly the right way, and The Thing becomes impossible to deny.

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3

‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)

Image via Universal Pictures

Jurassic Park is such a towering classic and it shouldn’t be debatable by anybody. It nails both halves of the premise. The awe is real, and the danger is real. A lot of creature-driven sci-fi can do one or the other. This movie does both with precision. Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) anchor the film’s ideas so well that the T. rex breakout becomes one of the greatest blockbuster sequences ever staged because every detail is doing work before chaos erupts.

When Grant, Sattler, and Malcolm first see the dinosaurs, that whole wonder that’s captured on screen? Yeah that has moved generations and still does. Steven Spielberg wanted the audience to feel why this dream would seduce investors, scientists, children, and egomaniacs alike. And he did it. That is crucial groundwork. The water cup trembling. The fence failing. The kids trapped. Grant trying to take control while understanding immediately how bad this is. The movie never let the dinosaurs become empty effects demonstrations. The velociraptors are not just cooler threats added late. They complete the film’s idea that intelligence without humility is a disaster waiting to happen. Jurassic Park is thrilling, its spectacle is built on consequence, it moves you even today, and that’s why it’s a classic.

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2

‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (1968)

Image via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

There are sci-fi classics that changed the genre. Then there is 2001: A Space Odyssey, which changed the scale of what sci-fi on film could even attempt. This is not a mere movie that tries to spoon-feed wonder or terror or explanation. It trusts image, duration, composition, sound, silence, and viewer attention at a level that still feels radical. From the Dawn of Man opening to the space-station movement to the HAL crisis to the final cosmic passage, the film keeps reinventing what kind of experience it wants to be.

And yet what makes it undeniable is not just that it is ambitious. It is that the ambition holds. HAL 9000 (Douglas Rain) is one of the greatest sci-fi creations ever. A machine built for perfect assistance becomes the source of deadly control, and the calmness of HAL’s voice makes every moment worse. Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) pulling himself back into the ship, shutting HAL down piece by piece, listening as HAL regresses — that stretch is as gripping as anything in the genre. 2001: A Space Odyssey remains a classic because it is operating on a level too high to dismiss.

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1

‘Back to the Future’ (1985)

Image via Universal Pictures

Back to the Future is the most undeniable sci-fi movie classic because it does the hardest thing of all: it makes brilliance look effortless. Time travel movies are usually either too messy, too technical, too self-serious, or so busy admiring their own mechanics that they forget to be fun. This movie is almost impossibly clean. Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) gets thrown back into 1955, accidentally disrupts his parents’ first connection, has to repair the timeline, and needs a way home. That is the plot. And from there, the film just executes at a nearly supernatural level.

Every relationship pays off. Every gag matters later. Every ticking-clock element comes back stronger near the end. Fox gives Marty exactly the right mix of confidence, panic, decency, and quick-thinking charm. Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) turns what could have been a one-note eccentric into the emotional and comic heartbeat of the whole movie. George McFly (Crispin Glover)’s arc is satisfying because the film understands that courage can be funny, humiliating, and real at the same time. Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson) is the exact right kind of bully for this world. The lightning-strike finale is one of the best sustained endings in blockbuster history. And all that is why it sits at number one.

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