The crew of commercial outer space towing vessel the Nostromo receives a distress signal while on a return trip to Earth. Forced to investigate, the crew lands on a remote planet where they discover a derelict space craft. Two of the crew members descend into the hold, where they find rows upon rows of sinister-looking eggs. While trying to determine what the eggs are one of the crewmen, Kane (John Hurt), is attacked by an alien parasite, which attaches itself to his face. Kane is brought back to the Nostromo where his shipmates fear the worst. The parasite soon dies, and Kane seems fine. The comfort doesn't last long, however. Soon, Ripley (Sigorney Weaver) and the rest of the crew must fight for their lives in director Ridley Scott's horrifying sci-fi classic.
Riddick (Vin Diesel) has been outrunning the price on his head, planet-hopping through the farthest reaches of the galaxy. He finds himself a fugitive on Helion Prime, the home world of a culturally advanced society. The evil Lord Marshal has invaded Helion, and is using his army of Necromongers to subjugate and convert the humans. Riddick is exiled to an underground prison, frozen by night and burning with volcanic heat by day. In this asylum he is reunited with Kyra (Alexa Davalos), a survivor from his past. Together, Riddick and Kyra mount an escape, which leads them to the Necromonger Mothership. Lord Marshal and Riddick clash, and their forces do battle in a fateful climax where the future of both the dead and living will be decided!
Directed by Muppets creator Jim Henson and Frank Oz, The Dark Crystal is a visually breathtaking fantasy for all ages. On another planet in another time, the Dark Crystal was shattered, and peace was destroyed. Chaos was spread throughout the land by the evil Skekses, who guard the crystal in its fortress and depend on it for their power. Jen, the last of the Gelfling race, is told by his dying master of a prophecy that a Gelfling will heal the crystal. Now Jen must take the lost shard to the crystal in time for the conjunction that only occurs once in a millennium. Along the way, Jen eludes monsters, encounters many odd creatures, and finds his inner strength to fight past the Skekses and save his world.
Elements of films like Altered States and The Matrix come together in Joseph Ruben's sci-fi thriller, Dreamscape. At a university research institute, a daring technique for connecting people's minds is developed, called dreamlinking. The government-funded clinic director (Max von Sydow) recruits down-and-out psychic Alex Garland (Dennis Quaid) to further the radical experiment, and Alex proves his talents for entering subjects' dreams. When a subject mysteriously dies of an apparent heart attack during such a dream, Alex suspects foul play by another psychic. The government intends to use Alex and the technique to cure the President of his nightmares of nuclear war, but Alex soon uncovers an evil conspiracy that wants to use dreamlinking as the ultimate psychological weapon.
Bruce Willis is Corben Dallas, a taxi driver who becomes an unlikely hero in this colorful sci-fi adventure from writer/director Luc Besson. Every 5,000 years, Evil returns to do what evil does best, try and destroy life as we know it. Dallas, an ex-soldier, is thrust into the struggle when he picks up a highly unusual fare, a beautiful woman (Milla Jovovich) who's a perfect being and perfect weapon, known as the Fifth Element. The two join forces to save the universe, with help from wise-cracking entertainer Ruby Rhod (Chris Tucker). The diabolical Mr. Zorg (Gary Oldman) unleashes his alien mercenaries to help Evil's cause, hoping to profit from Evil's victory. Besson's highly stylized vision of the 23rd century highlights this outrageous tale of good vs. evil.
This comic-inspired animated saga became a cult favorite thanks to stellar visuals and a soundtrack for the ages. The film is a series of stories about the struggle between good and evil, all based on work that appeared in the comic/magazine Heavy Metal. At the heart of each segment is a glowing green orb, the Loc-Nar, that embodies all evil in the universe. Brought home by an astronaut as a present for his daughter, the Loc-Nar kills the astronaut and spreads its powers over the girl by showing her the chilling effects it's had on a variety of events. The over-the-top arena-rocking soundtrack features cuts from late '70s/early '80s titans including Black Sabbath, Journey, Grand Funk Railroad, Nazareth, Cheap Trick, Stevie Nicks, Blue Oyster Cult, and more.
Douglas Adams' goofball sci-fi classic gets the big-screen treatment (on the small screen) in this faithful, effects-filled adaptation of his best-selling novel. Ordinary, average guy Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) is having a bad day. His house is going to be bulldozed and he's just discovered that his best friend is from another planet. To make matters worse, Earth is scheduled for demolition to make room for a new interstellar expressway. In order to survive, Dent hitches a ride on a passing spacecraft, sending this ordinary guy on an extraordinary adventure. It helps that his buddy, Ford Prefect (Mos Def), is writing a new version of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which is only the standard repository for all wisdom and knowledge in the universe.
Will Smith stars in Alex Proyas' thought-provoking and entertaining sci-fi thriller based loosely on Isaac Asimov's classic robot fiction. I, Robot follows the exploits of angry cop Del Spooner (Will Smith) who is certain that the robots that serve humanity will someday betray their human masters. When the world's top robot scientist is found dead, Spooner is determined to find a guilty robot. But as he digs deeper into the mystery, he finds he will have to face his prejudices if he's going to crack the case and save the day. Also starring Alan Tudyk, Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood and James Cromwell, I, Robot features stunning special effects and gripping action that is sure to please sci-fi fans.
Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) hates her baby brother Toby even more than most fifteen-year-olds. The resentful Sarah wishes that her brother would disappear, and that is exactly what happens when goblins kidnap the boy! Regretting her wish, Sarah strikes out after Toby and finds herself lost in the Labyrinth, a fantastical puzzle world inhabited by magic and monsters, friends and peril. Sarah's every turn reveals a new friend or mind-bending puzzle. To get her little brother back, Sarah will have to discover the route to the labyrinth's center where Toby is held captive by the wicked Goblin King (David Bowie). Written by Monty Python's Terry Jones and directed by master puppeteer Jim Henson, Labyrinth tells a delightfully dark tale of a unique fantasy world.
Many kids wish they could just run away and join the circus. Helena (Stephanie Leonidas) is just the opposite. The 15-year-old circus performer wishes she could leave the big top and run away to real life. Instead, Helena slips further from reality when she finds herself in a strange world known as the Dark Lands. The dream-like realm is filled with bizarre creatures and people wearing masks. Two queens compete to rule the Dark Lands, and one of them, the Queen of Light, is not healthy. Unsure whether she's awake or dreaming, Helena is pulled into a mysterious adventure. Her quest: find the MirrorMask, a powerful object that can heal the Queen of Light and help Helena find a way home.
The spine-tingling sci-fi thriller, Pitch Black, introduced audiences to the character of Riddick (Vin Diesel), one of those bad guys you can't help but root for. When their ship crashes on a distant planet, the marooned passengers fear they'll be done in by Riddick, the escaped convict traveling with them. They quickly find that there are much worse things to worry about: Deadly creatures that lurk in the shadows and attack in the dark. With a total eclipse and complete darkness looming, the doomed survivors put their hopes on Riddick, whose eerie eyes are the only thing that can bring them to safety. As time shrinks, the body count grows. If they're going to survive, the castaways must follow one rule - stay in the light!
Mark Wahlberg takes on Charleton Heston's legendary ape-cursing astronaut in Tim Burton's update of the 1968 sci-fi classic. In the year 2029, Captain Leo Davidson steps into a pod and blasts out of his space station for a routine mission. Things go awry, and he lands on a mysterious Earth-like planet inhabited by human-like apes, who clearly sit at the top of the planet's food chain. Humans are their enslaved captives. Desperate to get off this rock, Davidson rallies a group of human rebels, including the primitively alluring Daena (Estella Warren). He also gets some help from human-friendly chimp Ari (Helena Bonham-Carter) as he and his group try and avoid the soldiers of General Thade (Tim Roth), Colonel Attar (Michael Clarke Duncan), and the rest of the apes.