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10 Sci-fi Movies You May Have Missed in 2016

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Every year, blockbuster science fiction movies drive ticket sales for the industry and get us all flocking to the cinema. But for every Arrival or Rogue One, there are many smart and inventive sci-fi films that go totally unnoticed.

Here we’ve assembled a few of our favourites from 2016 that are worth catching up with before 2017 gives us even more.

Synchronicity

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Jacob Gentry’s Synchronicity deserves credit for its mind-bending plot and a slick noir aesthetic. A throwback to 80s sci-fi, the film feels like an unearthed Trimark Pictures release, and certainly Ben Lovett’s Moog-drenched soundtrack is Vangelis to the max, up there with the best synth scores of the year including S U R V I V E’s Stranger Things and Clint Mansell’s work for The Neon Demon.

In Synchronicity, a physicist who invents a time machine must travel back to the past to uncover the truth about his creation and the woman who is trying to steal it.


ARQ

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Netflix dropped two sci-fi flicks in 2016, ARQ and Spectral, and despite having a blast with Spectral‘s “gritty Ghostbuster” vibe, I found ARQ to be much more engaging and full of surprises. Perhaps that comes down to taste, but for me ARQ proves that an inventive screenplay can sometimes trump big budgets and massive set pieces.

In ARQ, written and directed by Tony Elliott, a couple gets trapped in a time loop, fending off masked home-invaders while protecting an invention that could save humanity.


Approaching the Unknown

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From Moon to The Martian, Eurpoa Report  and Gravity, there is a rich tradition of space travel done awry. Approaching the Unknown is a similar tale.

The film stars stars Mark Strong as Captain William Stanaforth, who prepares for a one-way mission to colonize Mars. In what is essentially a one-man-show, Strong gives a bravaura performance  as an astronaut slowly losing it as he faces insurmountable odds and stresses on a perilous journey.


Kill Command

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Boasting some truly great production and robot designs as well as taking its story cues from James Cameron’s Aliens, Kill Command is a fun, military sci-fi film that’s a B movie through and through. And that’s okay!

In Kill Command, an elite army unit travels to a remote island training facility to investigate a problem with a new robot prototype. Engage killbots!


High-Rise

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Ben Wheatly (Kill List) dystopian High-Rise is an impenetrable fever dream of a film that takes no prisoners in its portrayal of free market ideology run amok. Adapted from the dystopian novel by J.G. Ballard, High-Rise tells the story of the inhabitants of a new, state of the art high rise apartment complex that engage in a sort of class warfare.

Full disclosure, as much as I found this film to be haunting overall, by the second act I think it devolves into a big mess. However, what’s good about it works. It’s gorgeous;y shot, and the needle-drop soundtrack is killer.


Into the Forest

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Evan Rachel Wood may have captured the zeitgeist with her role as Dolores in HBO’s Westworld, but that wasn’t her only great sci-fi role in 2016. Into the Forest is a harrowing tale of two sisters (Wood and Ellen Page) who find themselves out in the wilderness during an apocalyptic event. As they work to survive in a world slowly crumbling around them, the bond betweem them grows stronger.

Similar to other sci-fi dramas like the recent Z is for Zachariah, Part sci-fi drama, part thriller, Into The Forest emerged as one of the year’s biggest surprises.


Tank 432

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Produced by Ben Wheatley, Tank 432 is the directorial debut of that director’s long-time cinematographer, Nick Gillespie. With a resume that includes such psychotropic  flicks as A Field in England and High-Rise, it’s no surprise that his first film is equally as trippy.

In the immensely claustrophobic movie, a group of mercenaries come under attack and hole up inside a long abandoned Bulldog tank. But, while they try to keep the forces outside at bay, the real enemy is already among them, locked inside the ‘Belly of the Bulldog’.


Midnight Special

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Jeff Nichols crafts a heartfelt tale of a father trying to protect his son that can only be described as “Spielbergian”. In it, Michael Shannon races across the country to save his gifted son who may have supernatural powers.

Ultimately, the film is a rumination on how difficult it is to allow a child live and learn on their own. As a father myself, I can certainly relate to the conflicts at the center of the film. And even though I felt some of the mysteries of the film fell a bit flat, overall Midnight Special feels like a singular experience.


Terminus

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A polarizing film that seems to have sci-fi fans either hailing it as an original gem or calling it a piece of crap, Terminus is really neither of those extremes. What it it, is a compelling and smart sci-fi indie from Australia with some good performances and an original concept.

In the film, following a near-fatal accident, David Chamberlain makes an unprecedented discovery that will not only determine the fate of his family, but of mankind.


Evolution

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If you didn’t see Evolution in 2016, don’t panic! It only got released at the end of November so you’re not that behind. Easily one of the most striking films of 2016 visually, it is also one of the most compelling science fiction films of the last few years. Some are calling it Horror, but Evolution straddles genres in the sci-fi in the same way that H.G. Wells’ “The Island of Dr. Moreau” does.

In Evolution, 11-year-old Nicolas lives with his mother in a seaside housing estate. The only place that ever sees any activity is the hospital. It is there that all the boys from the village are forced to undergo strange medical trials that attempt to disrupt the phases of evolution… then sh*it gets weird.

2016 definitely saw a number of interesting science fiction experiments emerge that flew under the radar. Looking back over the year, it seems strong for genre overall. But don’t let the smaller films slip through the cracks.

Okay, now it’s  your turn. What sci-fi films did you llike in 2016 that seemed to go unnoticed?

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

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Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

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Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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