5 underrated science fiction based on a novel

Science fiction films based on books have been made for a long time, currently perhaps the most popular film is Dune – but not all science fiction gets such attention, and a few really valuable pieces can easily get lost among the many films (which, moreover, has excellent literary material). Next comes science fiction based on five novels, which received less attention than it should have (but just in case!).

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Irony, self-irony, existentialism, morbid banter, absurdity and satire are all present in Douglas Adams’ series of novels with special humor. British madness set in a sci-fi environment was very well received by readers, and rose to cult status, but the film made from it soon disappeared into the abyss. Perhaps the reason for this is that

this kind of complex humor works well on paper, but is difficult to adapt to screen.

Even so, if we don’t expect it to be what we get from the novels, and we accept that can only trace the humor of Douglas Adams, they can enjoy a pleasant and entertaining experience.

Child of Man (2006)

Post-apocalyptic sci-fi, probably Alfonso Cuarón’s best film, yet it is the least known. The Son of Man presents an Armageddon in which

the destruction of humanity is not the result of a sudden event, but a slow, agonizing process:

for some unknown reason, most of the people on Earth will be barren thus fewer and fewer children are born, which eventually leads to the gradual decline of the economy and society. Although the movie nominated for three Academy Awards (including Best Adapted Screenplay), but it didn’t get any, and it didn’t do well at the box office either. Although the film based on the novel by PD James is quite strong, perhaps it did not find its audience because it does not have the classic sci-fi elements (spaceships, futuristic lights, gadgets, etc.), and it’s closer to a thriller.

Cloud Atlas (2012)

If we say that this directed by the same Wachowski brothers as The Matrix, you might not believe it. But that’s the way it is! Although Cloud Atlas is not as unique as the aforementioned cult film, it is it absolutely holds its own in its genre.

The main criticism against him is that he wanted too much, but finally broke down:

he wanted to turn several stories from David Mitchell’s short stories into a movie at the same time, but in the end he didn’t succeed – would have worked much better as a TV series, as a motion picture. Nevertheless, when it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012, the audience gave him a standing ovation – so obviously there is value in it, which makes it worth watching.

Oblivion (2013)

Well, that’s interesting because it’s a movie starring Tom Cruise It was based on a comic book by Joseph Kosinski, and Kosinski himself sat in the director’s chair. However, for some reason the comic was never released, but if it’s as good as the movie, we’re curious. Cruise plays an engineer who remains on Earth after humanity flees the planet. He is part of a larger plan in which vital resources are extracted from the Earth, so that humanity can continue to live after the alien invasion. But when he saves a stranger, he’s forced to reinterpret everything he’s ever thought.

This movie has everything you need for a spectacular sci-fi: vehicles and gadgets, and it even runs on a shocking twist.

And the sound effects make Discovery particularly unique, which unfortunately lost in the science fiction dump of 2013 (this is when Ring of Fire was released in cinemas).

Expedition (2018)

Natalie Portman plays a former Marine biologist who is tasked with a small team penetrate the anomaly called Space X, where mutant animals and other disorders of mysterious origin await them. The film is based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer

received very good reviews, but could not even break even at the box office.

Typically the movie that worth revisiting at least once, that it is entirely their understanding – and it does not lose its power even when we know the twist ending. Some consider it a horror film because of the mutant animals and tense atmosphere.

(via Collider)