7 Best (& 3 Worst) A24 Sci-Fi Films, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes

A24 has been making the rounds as a major game-changer in the independent film arena. In any genre they cover, they attain the highest quality. It is no doubt that they have raised the bar on black films with Moonlight, on horror movies with Hereditary, and anxiety cinema with Uncut Gems.

On the science-fiction spectrum, A24 has released mind-blowing films of the genre, one of which won the studio its first Oscar. In honor of that, here are 7 best sci-fi films by A24 (and 3 worst). Some of the entries are not pure sci-fi, but they cover sci-fi elements.

10 Best: Enemy- 73% (2013)

Enemy is a rare breed of psychological thriller that requires in-depth analysis to get the barebones of its basic theme. Yet, Denis Villeneuve makes this a mesmerizing experience to let the theme crawl into your mind. The story is about a college professor named Adam (Jake Gyllenhaal) who discovers he has a doppelganger, an actor named Anthony ( Also Gyllenhaal). As the two cross paths, their sanity is challenged as they desire to undertake each other’s lives.

Despite being a seedy thriller, Enemy had the visuals of a dystopian cult movie like Naked Lunch. And the viewing experience is unnervingly gratifying.

9 Worst: How to Talk to Girls at Parties-46% (2017)

Neil Gaiman is an author who had the capabilities to capture the spirit of the 1970’s punk rock scene and fuse it with 1970’s cult science-fiction elements. Thus, his short story was turned to a sci-fi romantic comedy in the same vein as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

The story is about a teenager named Enn (Alex Sharp), who comes across an uncanny gathering of teens. There, he meets a girl named Zan (Elle Fanning), who is revealed to be a rebellious alien. Despite Fanning’s and Nicole Kidman’s energetic performance, this film crams many themes that detract from the romance.

8 Best: The Killing of a Sacred Deer- 80% (2017)

This psychological thriller, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, centers on a cardiothoracic surgeon (Colin Ferrell) who takes a teenage boy (Barry Keoghan) under his wing after the boy’s father died. However, the boy has something different in mind.

The sci-fi content is on its medical procedures, due to the central character being the surgeon. The anatomical knowledge and psychological study are readily applied in the film’s thriller elements.

7 Worst: Equals- 35% (2015)

Equals is a dystopian science-fiction effort from Like Crazy director Drake Doremus. The film is set in a controlled utopia where actions are monitored by a legislative body and internal conditions like emotions or illnesses are removed. At the center of this sci-fi drama are Nicholas Hoult and Kristen Stewart as victims of a disease epidemic that allows them to receive human sympathy and have their emotions restored.

While the futuristic production design is something to behold, the predictable romance drags the plot. And it does not help that the core romance is rather dull, despite Hoult’s and Stewart’s efforts.

6 Best: High Life- 83% (2018)

High Life is a criminally underrated sci-fi from 2018 that proved Robert Pattinson is A24’s best leading man. For this hidden gem, Pattinson plays a criminal who is sent to a space mission and is being used as a guinea pig for scientific research. His scuffle with the other criminals and the lead scientist (Juliette Binoche) led him to be isolated and to take responsibility for a child he never had.

The film takes visual inspiration from Solaris and psychological tensions of Aliens. Veteran French filmmaker Claire Denis turns into a poignant story of a man’s redemption journey.

5 Best: Under the Skin- 85% (2013)

Here is the arthouse sci-fi where Scarlett Johansson plays an alien who preys on men. Like any of A24’s films, the strength of this film is on its visceral viewing experience. The jump from the teal-filtered Scotland scenery to the black void visuals of the alien’s domain is seamless. And the haunting score by Mica Levi keeps the experience spine-chilling.

Johansson has a penchant for unconventional sci-fi roles, proven by Her, Lucy, and Ghost in the Shell. Her role as the unnamed extraterrestrial adds to her best roles, considering that she has minimal dialogue and vacant expressions to work on.

4 Worst: Woodshock- 23% (2017)

Woodshock is a drug-centered drama about a woman who copes with the death of her mother by taking a powerful substance that lets her experience extreme hallucinations. Kirsten Dunst gives a compelling performance as the female lead, grief-stricken with trauma and scarred by a cataclysmic decision that sends her on a downward hallucinogenic spiral.

With all of Dunst’s efforts, the film stumbles on its lack of focus, whether this is a cautionary tale of drug dependence or an arthouse horror with intriguing visuals. Trying to mix those ideas together makes for an underwhelming horror fare. For that, Woodshock is disappointing.

3 Best: It Comes at Night- 87% (2017)

Here is a psychological drama about a family forced into hiding deep in the woods to avoid the perils of a global pandemic. However, when another family asks to take them in their secluded home, the family man Paul (Joel Edgerton) takes measures into his own hands.

Director Trey Edward Shults uses the backdrop of a viral outbreak for family tension and dreadful moments. While there is not much detail on the nature of the outbreak, it becomes a source of tension for every decision made. Thus, this is more of a character study.

2 Best: The Lobster- 88% (2015)

Yorgos Lanthimos makes a name for himself with this absurdist comedy about a man’s quest to find a romantic partner within 45 days or be turned into an animal. The man (Colin Farrell) finds a connection in a shortsighted woman (Rachel Weisz), but their attempts to find commonalities towards each other gets the best of him.

The surreal backdrop of a system requiring humans to find a mate is straight out of a dystopian novella. And Lanthimos gives a unique allegory of modern-day romance upon its absurd premise. Funny and insightful, The Lobster is a visceral romance with sharpness.

1 Best: Ex Machina- 92% (2014)

Undoubtedly, Ex Machina started A24’s reputation to be a powerhouse indie studio, delivering one critical hit after another. This Alex Garland masterwork centers on a computer programmer named Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) who is tasked by his CEO (Oscar Isaac) to conduct a Turing test on an AI named Ava (Alicia Vikander).

The film’s core strength is on Ava herself. Vikander gave such a powerful performance and the visual effects for her robotic body are truly seamless that it felt authentic. Aside from being a thought-provoking sci-fi fare about the lengths of technology, the film provided commentary on the male gaze and its destructive implications. This is apparent in Isaac’s subtle performance and the inner conflict in Gleeson’s character. For that, Ex Machina is, so far, the best A24 sci-fi film.

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