Summary
The top science fiction films. With the exception of one significant exception, May was another quiet month for those who like science fiction on Max. This month saw the release of Dune: Part Two, which is not only the best science fiction movie of 2024 but also one of the most critical and commercially successful films of the year. The two contemporary Dune pictures, as well as the version of the story that was directed by David Lynch in 1984, are now available to Max for the very first time anywhere.
The top science fiction films
Not only are we focusing on that series, but we are also highlighting War for the Planet of the Apes and Inception this month. Both of these films are widely considered to be among the most outstanding examples of their respective genres throughout the whole century. If you have a look at our compilation of the top science fiction films that are available on Max, you will see that the remaining items on this list are also rather amazing.
Do you need other suggestions for streaming services? In addition, we have guides that are worth going over that cover the best movies on Max, the best programs on Max, and what’s new on HBO and Max.
Dune: Part Two
In 2024, there will be very few films that have been successful at the box office. However, Dune: Part Two was so successful that it ensured a future for the third picture, which is titled Dune: Messiah. Following the slaughter of his family by House Harkonnen, Timothée Chalamet reprises his role as Paul Atreides, the only male heir to his house who is still alive. Now that he is living among the Fremen with his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), Paul rapidly earns the respect and adoration of his new community. To add insult to injury, a lot of them are of the opinion that Paul is a prophetic figure who will guide them to the reclaiming of their world.
Chani, played by Zendaya, is a young lady who falls in love with Paul and is one of the few Fremen who refuses to bend down under him. Austin Butler, who plays Elvis, also appears in the film as Feyd-Rautha, a member of House Harkonnen who is even more cruel than Paul and who stands in the path of Paul’s rise to power. Even if Paul is successful in defeating Feyd-Rautha, the triumph he achieves might have devastating repercussions for the whole world.
The year is 2024.
Duration of the film: 2 hours and 46 minutes
Led by Denis Villeneuve, the director.
War for the Planet of the Apes
In the film War for the Planet of the Apes, it is not difficult to comprehend the reasons for Caesar’s (Andy Serkis) intense resentment against mankind. Caesar has been unsuccessful in every endeavor he has made to achieve peace with humans, and now his wife and his eldest child are the most recent casualties of the battle. Caesar and his closest associates, Maurice (Karin Konoval), Rocket (Terry Notary), and Luca (Michael Adamthwaite), make an effort to steer the human militia away from the sanctuary where they are attempting to deliver their apes.
On the other hand, the Colonel, played by Woody Harrelson, will not stop working until the apes are completely subdued. Even though Caesar is disillusioned with mankind, he grudgingly forms a relationship with a little girl called Nova (Amiah Miller), who is silent and may hold the secret to success in the struggle for this Earth.
2017, the year
Duration of the film: 2 hours and 21 minutes
Reeves, Matt, is the director.
Inception
In the setting of the film Inception, the term alludes to the act of infiltrating the mind of another individual and implanting a concept in such a way that the victim is led to think that it was their idea all along. Due to the fact that he has experienced the consequences of his actions, Dom Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, is aware that the film “Inception” really exists. In his current role, Dom is a corporate thief who steals secrets by hacking into the brains of his victims and entering their dreams in order to take their information.
Dom is given the almost impossible task of infiltrating the mind of Robert Fischer (played by Oppenheimer’s Cillian Murphy) and persuading him to abandon his father’s economic empire. This assignment is given to Dom by a Japanese businessman called Saito, who is played by Ken Watanabe. It is possible that Dom will be able to get back together with his family if he and his new team are successful. Unfortunately for Dom, whenever he enters the mind of another person, he is pursued and harassed by an apparition of his wife, Mal, who is played by Marion Cotillard throughout the film.
2010, the year
Duration of the film: 2 hours and 29 minutes
Mr. Christopher Nolan is the director.
Terminator Salvation
In spite of the fact that no one other than James Cameron has been able to create the ideal sequel to the Terminator franchise, Terminator Salvation is a significant improvement above anything that has been released since Terminator 2. This is due to the fact that the storyline of the prior two films is not repeated in this current picture. As an alternative, it transports viewers to a world of the future that was only hinted at in the films that came before it. John Connor, a soldier who is having a difficult time living up to the expectations that he will be the savior of humanity in the struggle against the machines, is portrayed by Christian Bale. As if the machines are aware of how his destiny is connected to John’s, John is also concerned about the fact that the artificial intelligence known as Skynet is aiming its attention at his father, Kyle Reese, who is played by Anton Yelchin.
In the meantime, Marcus Wright, played by Sam Worthington in Avatar 3, emerges as the wild card in the conflict between humans and machines. When Marcus first becomes aware of his transformation, he is unaware that he has been changed into a half-Terminator hybrid. It is his decisions that will determine the outcome of a crucial conflict that will have a significant impact on the future.
2009 is the year.
Duration of the film: 1 hour and 55 minutes
McG, the director
Escape from L.A.
Even while Escape From Los Angeles isn’t quite as compelling as Escape From New York, it’s still preferable than having no escape at all! In this alternative future, Los Angeles has been transformed into a remote island inhabited by President Adam, played by Cliff Robertson, who is responsible for sending all of the nation’s criminals and dissidents to this island. This turns out to be a mistake for Adam, as his own daughter, Utopia, played by A.J. Langer, manages to escape to Los Angeles while stealing the key to the ultimate satellite weapons system in the United States.
As a result of being blackmailed, Snake Plissken, played by Kurt Russell, is forced to go to Los Angeles in order to retrieve the gadget at whatever cost. At the very least, Plissken will run across at least one old buddy, a few possible friends, and a great number of new adversaries as he enters the building. To put it another way, Plissken is spending a week, which is rather typical.
1996 is the year.
Duration of the film: 1 hour and 41 minutes
Carpenter, John, is the director.
Source Code
If we were to reveal to you what the Source Code is intended to be, then we would be able to spoil the grand surprise that the movie has in store for you. Instead, we will just inform you that Captain Colter Stevens, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who is known for his role in Road House, is very perplexed. He had no idea that he was in Afghanistan on a mission of war until the very last moment. In the present moment, he is on a commuter train in Chicago, and the mirror in his car is displaying the face of another individual.
In addition, Colter has many interactions with his buddy Christina Warren, played by Michelle Monaghan, aboard the train before it explodes. Finding the person who planted the bomb on the train is the only way for Colter to escape from this time loop. Additionally, he only has a few minutes left until the cycle comes to an end each time.
2011, the year
Duration of the film: one hour and thirty-three minutes
Jones, Duncan, is the director.
Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey
The funniest time-traveling nitwits in the history of the United States make a comeback in Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, and they are even more hilarious when they are dead! Alex Winter’s character, Bill S. Preston, Esq., and Keanu Reeves’ character, Ted “Theodore” Logan, both end up being killed by their identical robot copies from the future before being sent on a one-way journey to the afterlife. This is a fact.
It is fortunate that Death, played by William Sadler, is a pretty easygoing person, and so Bill and Ted do not remain dead for an extended period of time. Nevertheless, they will want more assistance in order to vanquish their malevolent robots and alter the course of history, particularly since their music is not yet of sufficient quality to alter the course of history.
The year is 1991.
Duration of the film: 1 hour and 34 minutes
Hewitt, Pete, is the director.
Dune (1984)
Almost forty years ago, David Lynch attempted an effort to adapt Frank Herbert’s novel Dune for the major motion picture industry. Lynch, in contrast to the other Dune movies, was tasked with incorporating the whole of the book into one film. Therefore, if everything appears a little bit hurried, that is the reason why.
Paul Atreides, the youthful heir to House Atreides and the prospective savior of the Fremen people, is portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan, who will, in the future, feature in the television series Twin Peaks. In the aftermath of Paul’s family being betrayed and slaughtered by their adversaries, he and his mother, Lady Jessica (Francesca Annis), seek shelter among the Fremen. when time goes on, Paul not only rises to the position of leader of the Fremen, but he also comes to the realization that he is indeed their chosen one. This realization comes about when he leads a rebellion against Shaddam IV, the Emperor of the universe, who is played by José Ferrer.
1984, As a year
Timing: two hours and seventeen minutes
David Lynch is the director.
Godzilla
It’s possible that Godzilla Minus One is the Academy Award winner in Big G’s family tree, but the Godzilla remake that was released in 2014 was successful in launching the MonsterVerse, which is still going strong. On the other hand, Godzilla has already engaged in combat with King Kong and joined forces with him, which means that there may not be many locations left for the MonsterVerse to visit.
Whatever the case may be, filmmaker Gareth Edwards did an excellent job of bringing back Godzilla’s glory, particularly in light of the terrible American remake that was released in 1998, starring Matthew Broderick. The movie doesn’t give Godzilla a significant amount of screen time until about half of the film is finished, but it’s worthwhile to wait for him. Additionally, the movie presents Godzilla with a pair of monster adversaries that even he wouldn’t be able to fight on his own.
2014 is the year.
2 hours and 4 minutes of running time
Edwards, Gareth, is the director.
Aliens
In the event that The Terminator was not successful in persuading Hollywood that James Cameron was a talented filmmaker, then Aliens brought about the conclusion. The original version of Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, is widely considered to be among the best science fiction horror films of all time. The director James Cameron not only surpassed it, but he also produced Aliens, one of the finest action movies ever filmed. When Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) finds out that she missed her daughter’s whole existence while she was traveling back home in suspended animation, she is filled with a sense of despondency. This realization comes almost sixty years after her encounter with a single xenomorph.
Ripley is selected to join the Colonial Marines on their mission to LV-426, a colony planet, as a result of her previous encounters with xenomorphs. At the time that they arrive, LV-426 has already been taken over by a large number of xenomorph specimens. A little girl called Rebecca “Newt” Jorden, played by Carrie Henn, is the only human being to have survived, and Ripley is willing to put herself in harm’s way in order to save Newt’s life.
The year is 1986.
Duration: two hours and eighteen minutes
Cameron, James, is the director.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
The phrase “My friends, we’ve arrived home” On the other hand, if you haven’t watched Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, you won’t understand what that statement is saying. However, when seen in its proper perspective, it is among the most flawless Star Trek moments ever created. There are a few instances in which the comic tone comes dangerously close to turning the film into a farce, but the remainder of the film is likewise of exceptional quality. In the third installment of the Star Trek franchise, Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew are ready to return to Earth and face the repercussions of their actions after they have successfully rescued Spock (Leonard Nimoy).
After doing their investigation, Kirk and his crew come to the realization that Earth is already confronted with its own grave threat, and the only way to solve this issue is to go to the past. The crew arrives in 1986 with the task of rescuing the future by locating a pair of humpback whales and transporting them back to the 23rd century. With the help of Spock’s calculations, they are able to accomplish their mission.
The year is 1986.
1 hour and 59 minutes of running time
Leonard Nimoy is the director.