Two weeks ago, the legendary Steven Spielbergfinally returned to the sci-fi genre after almost a decade with Disclosure Day. Opening at #1 at the North American box office and turning in just shy of $100 million, the film surprised many and is a hit with critics and audiences, albeit not without its detractors. The film stars the likes of Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place), Josh O’Connor (Challengers), and Colin Firth(The King’s Speech), and is based on a story by Spielberg and a screenplay by David Koepp.
Likely to be one of the best sci-fi movies of this summer, Disclosure Day is yet another reminder of how the genre and the cinematic form go together like salt and pepper. Back in 2015, one of the best sci-fi movies of the decade was released courtesy of Alex Garland, defining the early era of A24 in the process. Starring the likes of Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, and Alicia Vikander, Ex Machinaearned just shy of $40 million at the box office against a reported budget of just $13 million, becoming the highest-grossing A24 movie of all time worldwide, although this record has since been broken several times.
Ex Machina became an instant hit with critics, with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff one of many who saw just how special this sci-fi gem was. In her review of the movie at SXSW in 2015, Nemiroff said, “Ex Machina is a strong feature and a huge achievement in a number of ways.” She added, “There’s a surprising amount of very effective humor courtesy of Isaac’s character, there’s an extremely riveting scenario at the core of the film, and there’s also tons of stunning visual work to admire as well.” Next month, you can try this masterpiece for free, as it becomes available to stream on Plex on July 1.
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Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Personality Quiz Which Sci-Fi Hero Are You Most Like? Paul Atreides · Captain Kirk · Princess Leia · Ellen Ripley · Max Rockatansky
Five iconic heroes. Five completely different ways of facing an impossible universe. One of them shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of refusing to back down. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🏜️Paul Atreides
🖖Capt. Kirk
✊Princess Leia
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🔦Ellen Ripley
🔥Max Rockatansky
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01
How do you lead when the stakes couldn’t be higher? The way you lead under pressure is the most honest thing about you.
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02
What is your greatest strength in a crisis? The quality that keeps you alive when everything else fails.
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03
What is the thing you’d sacrifice everything else for? Your deepest motivation is your truest compass.
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04
How do you relate to the people around you? Who you are to others under pressure is who you really are.
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05
You’re facing a threat that no one else believes is real. What do you do? How you respond when you’re the only one who sees it defines everything.
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06
What has your heroism cost you personally? Every hero pays. The question is what — and whether they’d pay it again.
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07
How do you feel about the rules of the world you’re in? Every hero has a relationship with the system. What’s yours?
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08
When everything is on the line, what keeps you going? The answer is the most honest thing about you.
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Your Hero Has Been Identified Your Sci-Fi Hero Is…
Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible.
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Arrakis · Dune
Paul Atreides
You carry a weight most people would crumble under — the knowledge of what you’re capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become.
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You see further ahead than others and you plan accordingly, even when the vision frightens you.
You are driven by loyalty to your people and a sense of destiny you didn’t ask for but can’t escape.
Paul Atreides is not simply a hero — he is someone who understands the cost of power and chooses to bear it anyway.
That gravity, that willingness to carry what others won’t, is exactly you.
USS Enterprise · Star Trek
Captain Kirk
You lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario — because you’ve always believed there’s a third option nobody else has thought of yet.
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You take the mission seriously without ever taking yourself too seriously.
Your crew would follow you anywhere, not because you demand it, but because you’ve earned it.
Kirk’s genius isn’t tactical — it’s human. He reads people, bends rules with purpose, and wills outcomes into existence through sheer conviction.
That combination of warmth, audacity, and relentless optimism is unmistakably yours.
The Rebellion · Star Wars
Princess Leia
You are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith — not because you’re fearless, but because giving up simply isn’t something you’re capable of.
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You lead through conviction. Your voice carries because your belief is unshakeable.
You gave up everything ordinary the moment you chose the cause, and you’ve never looked back.
Leia is not a supporting character in her own story — she is the moral centre of the entire rebellion.
That same fierce, principled, unbreakable core is what defines you.
The Nostromo · Alien
Ellen Ripley
You are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone’s hero — you just refuse to stop when it matters.
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You see threats clearly, you document the truth even when no one listens, and when the time comes you handle it yourself.
Ripley’s heroism is earned, not performed. She doesn’t have a speech — she has a flamethrower and a plan.
You share her composure under the worst possible pressure, and her refusal to pretend the monster isn’t there.
When it counts, you don’t flinch. That’s everything.
The Wasteland · Mad Max
Max Rockatansky
You have been through fire that would break most people — and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril.
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You don’t ask for help, don’t need validation, and don’t wait for anyone to tell you the rules no longer apply.
Your loyalty, when it finally arrives, is absolute — but it’s earned in silence and tested in action, not in words.
Max is not a nihilist. He is someone who lost everything and found, against his will, that he still has something worth protecting.
That bruised, stubborn, ultimately human core is exactly yours.
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A Sci-Fi Movie Joined the Box Office Race This Weekend
Described as “a big science fiction epic film” by producer James Gunn, Milly Alcock’s debut as Supergirl flew onto global screens this weekend, after receiving a hugely mixed reception from critics. Based on Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the 2021–2022 comic series by writer Tom King and artist Bilquis Evely, hope was high that all involved could follow on from the success of the David Corenswet-led Superman. Alas, if first reviews are to be believed, this will go down as one of the most underwhelming box office blockbusters this summer.
Ex Machina will be available to stream on Plex this July. Make sure to stay tuned to Collider for more streaming stories.
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