The best sci-fi romance movies are examples of how some gifted storytellers have effortlessly combined two otherwise diverse genres of science fiction and romance to produce cinematic masterpieces that trigger the grey cells while pulling at the heartstrings of the viewers.
Science fiction cinema has always fascinated enthusiasts by presenting the probable and improbable, the past or the future, utopia or dystopia, and the dark and the light of all things directly or indirectly connected to science. When filmmakers deft at their craft add the angle of romance to a genre based on the most objective study in the world, the result are movies that explore the ideas of interpersonal human relationships in a way that no science-based thought can explain. This is why romantic sci-fi movies, with high IMDb ratings, stand out from the rest, largely because of the dramatic diversity in the two genres.
Some believe that love and sci-fi usually do not go together. However, filmmakers such as Guillermo del Toro, Yorgos Lanthimos, Spike Jonze and Richard Curtis have proved that it is not only possible to make sci-fi movies with romance at its heart but also a great way of underlining the fact that love transcends language, race and even traditional concept. This is why films such as The Shape of Water and Her were so critically well received upon release.
Romantic sci-fi movies can also deploy the usual tropes such as time travel and genetic research to explore the complexities of human relationships. They also drive home the point that true love embraces imperfections and thrives on spontaneity.
Wong Kar-wai, one of the greatest living auteurs in world cinema, masterfully presented a melancholic tale of a man looking for his lost love across timelines in 2046. On the other hand, the 1960s Hollywood adaptation of H.G. Wells’ acclaimed 19th-century novella The Time Machine takes some liberties in storytelling to present an entertaining story of heroism, social order and human failures.
In their own way, the best sci-fi romance movies redefine the idea of love without compromising on the beauty of scientific possibilities.
Top romantic sci-fi movies based on IMDb ratings
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The Fountain (2006)
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn, Stephen McHattie
Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.2
Synopsis: A time-travelling man (Jackman) is trying to save the life of the woman he loves, Izzi (Weisz), by attempting to find the mythical Tree of Life in a Mayan pyramid. During his journeys from the present to the 16th century and in the 26th century, he starts understanding the meaning of death and life.
I Origins (2014)
Directed by: Mike Cahill
Cast: Michael Pitt, Brit Marling, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey
Runtime: 1 hour 46 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.3
Synopsis: Ian Gray (Pitt), a molecular biologist, meets a model named Sofi Elizondo (Bergès-Frisbey) and they fall in love. A tragedy leads to Sofi’s death, following which Ian becomes obsessed with finding a way to reincarnate her. Years later, his research finds a connection to a young girl in India. Ian must now find out if that girl is Sofi’s reincarnation.
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, Octavia Spencer
Runtime: 2 hours 3 minutes
Oscars won: 4 (including Best Motion Picture of the Year and Best Achievement in Directing)
IMDb rating: 7.3
Synopsis: A mute janitor named Elisa (Hawkins) works in a top-secret research facility in 1960s Baltimore, where the American government is working on a classified project — a humanoid amphibian creature that lives in captivity in a water tank. Elisa finds a strange connection to the amphibian and forms a close bond with it. Eventually, she discovers the threat to the amphibian’s life and a secret of her own.
2046 (2004)
Directed by: Wong Kar-wai
Cast: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Gong Li, Faye Wong, Takuya Kimura, Zhang Ziyi, Carina Lau
Runtime: 2 hours 9 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.4
Synopsis: Chow (Tony Leung), an author of science fiction, leads a life of pleasure. He engages in a passionate romance with multiple women at the Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong. While doing so, he works on a novel set in the future in the year 2046. As time passes, his writing and reality begin to blend.
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The Time Machine (1960)
Directed by: George Pal
Cast: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux, Sebastian Cabot, Whit Bissell
Runtime: 1 hour 43 minutes
Oscars won: 1 (Best Effects, Special Effects)
IMDb rating: 7.5
Synopsis: H. George Wells (Taylor) is a scientist who has built a time machine. He travels ahead in time, first in short jumps and then to thousands of years ahead during which his hope in humanity is shattered. In the far future, which is a post-apocalyptic world, he comes across the humanoid Eloi who is raised as food by the monstrous Morlocks. George rescues a young Eloi girl, Weena (Mimieux), from the Morlocks. He returns to his time but then decides to go back to see Weena again.
Mr. Nobody (2009)
Directed by: Jaco Van Dormael
Cast: Jared Leto, Sarah Polley, Diane Kruger
Runtime: 2 hours 21 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.7
Synopsis: It is 2092, and humanity has almost conquered death. But Nemo Nobody, the 118-year-old last mortal on Earth, is close to death. Nemo decides to tell his life story to a doctor and a journalist. His failing memory, however, means that he can recount only three major points from his life — his three romances, the divorce of his parents, and the hardships he endured. At the same time, he also thinks about the alternate life he could have led had his decisions been different.
About Time (2013)
Directed by: Richard Curtis
Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander, Margot Robbie
Runtime: 2 hours 3 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.8
Synopsis: When he is 21, Tim Lake (Gleeson) is told by his father James (Nighy) that the men in their family can travel through time without changing history. Tim immediately decides to use his power to find a girlfriend. That leads to his encounter with Mary (McAdams). But he soon realises that time travelling to set things the way he thinks is ‘correct’ is only making his present more complex.
Poor Things (2023)
Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos
Cast: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Jerrod Carmichael
Runtime: 2 hours 21 minutes
Oscars won: 4, including Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Stone)
IMDb rating: 7.8
Synopsis: Dr. Godwin Baxter (Dafoe) reanimates a deceased young woman Bella Baxter (Stone). Desirous of learning more about the world, Bella runs off with debauched lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Ruffalo). Her adventure makes Bella understand and embrace true liberation.
Her (2013)
Directed by: Spike Jonze
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Scarlett Johansson
Runtime: 2 hours 6 minutes
Oscars won: 1
IMDb rating: 8
Synopsis: Theodore Twombly (Phoenix) is a lonely letter-writer who starts increasingly communicating with an artificial intelligence (AI) programme named Samantha (voiced by Johansson). The personal touch of the AI — her voice and her playful-sounding personality — makes Theodore fall in love with the programme.
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Cast: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Tom Wilkinson
Runtime: 1 hour 48 minutes
Oscars won: 1
IMDb rating: 8.3
Synopsis: After learning that his ex-girlfriend Clementine Kruczynski (Winslet) has erased his memories from her mind, Joel Barish (Carrey) decides to do the same. But the process begins with the most recent memories, which are the worst and progresses to the oldest, which are the fondest. This means that Joel will have to relive his experiences through his subconscious.
(Hero image: Courtesy of Fox Searchligh – © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved/IMDb; Featured image: Kerry Hayes – © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved/IMDb)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The sci-fi romance genre merges elements of science fiction with that of romantic fiction. The story may centre on love but is explored through a scientific setting or backdrop.
There is technically no such thing as fantasy sci-fi, as they are two fundamentally opposite genres. Fantasy movies are more about magic. Sci-fi, on the other hand, is about scientific exploration, study or context.
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Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
