A work in progress on what I watched leading up to Films from the Future and why I chose or did not choose movies for the book, what I've been watching since
Andrew Maynard March 18, 2026
This is not a list of science fiction movies that have a tech connection, although many do. Rather, in the spirit of the book Films form the Future, it's a list of films that have the potential to spark interesting and insightful conversations around emerging technologies, society, and the future. It's also very idiosyncratically "me" — movies that I enjoy, movies that I definitely did not enjoy but thought it worth mentioning, and movies that I'm sure some people will roll their eyes at but that I found value in anyway, even if it was just enjoying the luxury of chilling out while watching a mindless movie!
When I was writing Films from the Future, I started with a shortlist of around a hundred films. Fifty of those made the shortlist, and are included here, and twelve made it into the book — not because they were the best sci-fi films ever made, but because together they created an overarching narrative across biotechnologies, cybertechnologies, and materials science. Some films that everyone I speak to seems to think should be in the book simply did not fit the arc. Some critically panned films filled a gap nothing else could. And some films were just too slow, tedious and, if I'm being honest, self-absorbed.
I also had a very specific set of criteria for the films selected: They had to be enjoyable to watch many, many times. They needed a strong narrative that was nuanced, multifaceted, and opened up conversations. They needed to reflect, as far as was possible, a diversity of people, worldviews, perspectives etc. And I really, really did not want any preachy movies!
Since the book was published in 2018, new films have continued to grab my attention. This page reflects the full landscape — the twelve that made the book, the ones that nearly did, and the films that have arrived since — with rather unvarnished, scrappy notes on why each one matters (or doesn't).
Each film is tagged with key themes and issues that connect to the ideas explored across this site. Follow the links to go deeper.
A note on the notes: The notes are a mix of mine, along with infderered reflections from Anthropic's Claude (which I worked with on compiling this website). Hopefully it's clear who's responsible for what! This is, as promised, a work in progress.
And as a final note, occasionally I wonder whether I should write a sequal to Films from the Future. I have so many students asking when I'll update the films that I feel myself tempted sometimes. However, the point of the bookm is not the movies but how they reflect bigger connversations around technology, society, and the future — and because of this it doesn't seem that important when the films were made, just the ideas, insights, thoughts, conversations, and even actions, that they spark.
On the other hand ...
These are the twelve films that made it into Films from the Future, plus the two "bookend" films that frame the opening and closing chapters. The notes are a mix of my original selection notes from 2018, and a few reflections added since then.
1968 · Stanley Kubrick Status: Bookend — frames Chapter 1
Key themes: AI, automation, human-machine relationships, could we/should we, the role of art and culture
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Why Sci-Fi Movies Matter · The Role of Art and Culture · Chapter 1: In the Beginning
Notes: From 2018: "Mention in the prologue, but probably doesn't fit as a chapter." From 2026: I still love this film, although was surprised when I went to see the 50th anniversary re-release on IMAX how few people turned up — and how many of those walked out in the first 30 minutes. Proof that it isn't the easiest film. But the storytelling is amazing and ideas profound. Claude: The film that started everything — a sixteen-year-old Andrew, headphones on, snuggled into the corner of his parents' sofa on a small black-and-white TV while they entertained guests. It would be thirty years before he understood how profoundly that evening shaped the way he thinks about technology and the future.
1993 · Steven Spielberg Status: In the book — Chapter 2
Key themes: Genetic engineering, de-extinction, complex systems, corporate responsibility, permissionless innovation, could we/should we, complexity/unintended consequences
Connects to: De-Extinction · Genetic Engineering · Permissionless Innovation · Corporate Responsibility · Complexity, Chaos, and Unintended Consequences · Jurassic Park film page
Notes: From 2018: "Include — great, rich material." Fron 2016: This film stands the test of time so well. The story teling is what propells it, and the special effects have an authenticity that still works. Better than the sequals, and Jurassic World simply lost the plot. The orignal 1993 movie reflected a lot of Crichton's thinking around tech and society, which becoame lost as directors just went for max entertainment/attention. A film that my students think they'll hate, and end up loving. Claude: The film that anchors the book's opening argument: what happens when entrepreneurial ambition meets biological complexity, and nobody thinks to ask whether they should.
2010 · Mark Romanek Status: In the book — Chapter 3
Key themes: Cloning, human dignity, too valuable to fail, informed consent, deception/manipulation, what makes us human
Connects to: Cloning · Human Dignity · Too Valuable to Fail · Informed Consent · Never Let Me Go film page
Notes: From 2018: "Include — rich material around clones and humanity." From 2026: Brings me (and not just me) to tears everey time I show it in class and teach from it. Devastating and important. Claude: One of the most emotionally devastating chapters in the book, and the film that most powerfully illustrates how a society can become complicit in something monstrous when the benefits are too great to give up.
2002 · Steven Spielberg Status: In the book — Chapter 4
Key themes: Predictive algorithms, surveillance, privacy, algorithmic bias, informed consent, human dignity, power/privilege/access
Connects to: Predictive Algorithms · Surveillance · Surveillance, Privacy, and Control · Informed Consent · Minority Report film page
Notes: From 2018: "Keeper — lots of rich themes, and tie-ins to Never Let Me Go." From 2026: A mixed bag of a movie that still hits the spot. Loved by people who study film and technology as an example of a director working closely with technologists and then influencing them. I has a student one year who picked up on the theme of jetpacks as a metaphor form this film, and I loved it! Claude: The film that opened the door to talking about what happens when algorithms decide your future before you do.
2011 · Neil Burger Status: In the book — Chapter 5
Key themes: Cognitive enhancement, smart drugs, power/privilege/access, informed consent, inequality
Connects to: Smart Drugs and Cognitive Enhancement · Power, Privilege, and Access · Informed Consent · Limitless film page
Notes: From 2018: "Like this — the style is light but still raises questions about cognitive enhancement." From 2026: What works with the film is the moral ambivalence — the more I watch it the less I like it, but a fantastic conversation starter - and entertaining. And the blood scene always gets the class! Claude: Proof that a slick thriller can still be a useful vehicle for thinking about who gets access to enhancement and what happens when opting out isn't really an option.
2013 · Neill Blomkamp Status: In the book — Chapter 6
Key themes: Bioprinting, automation, inequality, corporate responsibility, power/privilege/access, too valuable to fail
Connects to: Bioprinting · Automation · Power, Privilege, and Access · Corporate Responsibility · Elysium film page
Notes: From 2018: "Solid themes here, although they may be duplicative." From 2026: So earnest! Great film to teach from both from what works, what doesn't, and what is absurd. Always asked why I didn't include more Blomkamp. I had to make a decision though. Claude: Paints with a broad brush, but the underlying question — what happens when transformative technology is hoarded by those who can afford it — is anything but subtle.
1995 · Mamoru Oshii Status: In the book — Chapter 7
Key themes: Human augmentation, brain-computer interfaces, identity, surveillance, what makes us human, informed consent
Connects to: Human Augmentation · Brain-Computer Interfaces · Surveillance · Human Dignity · Ghost in the Shell film page
Notes: From 2018: "Need to get hold of original with subs." From 2026: I did :) - and always teach from this. A hard film that takes several viewings to get into, but well worth it. Claude: The anime classic that asks the hardest version of the identity question: if every part of you has been replaced, augmented, or digitized, what's left that is you?
2014 · Alex Garland Status: In the book — Chapter 8
Key themes: AI, permissionless innovation, deception/manipulation, corporate responsibility, human dignity, consciousness, could we/should we
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Superintelligence · Permissionless Innovation · Deception and Manipulation · Corporate Responsibility · Ex Machina film page
Notes: From 2018: "This is a keeper — rich with sophisticated AI themes." From 2026: This film is so good. Every design decision adds to the narrative, and each year my students notice more subtle but very intentional design choices. The ambiguity in the film makes it a fantastic conversation starter, and more relevant today than when it was made. Trivia: my wife and I stayed in the Juvet Landscape Hotel where it was filmed a couple of years back and talked to the owner about the filming. We also stayed in the same room that Caleb was filmed going into and Ava was filmed leaving. Surreal! Claude: The book's deepest exploration of artificial intelligence, and the film that most directly anticipates the current moment: AI built behind closed doors, accountable to no one, and better at reading us than we are at reading it.
2014 · Wally Pfister Status: In the book — Chapter 9
Key themes: Technological convergence, mind uploading, superintelligence, hype vs. reality, could we/should we, anti-technology activism
Connects to: Technological Convergence · Mind Uploading · Superintelligence · Hype vs. Reality · Transcendence film page
Notes: From 2018: "Maybe — watch again." From 2026: Having watched this film now dozens of times I have a soft spot for it. Deeply flawed, but lots of great themes. Claude: Made it into the book despite a 20% Rotten Tomatoes score, because no other film captures the dynamics of technological convergence — and the hype around the singularity — quite like this one.
1951 · Alexander Mackendrick Status: In the book — Chapter 10
Key themes: Nanotechnology, materials science, role of scientists, unintended consequences, corporate responsibility, could we/should we
Connects to: Nanotechnology · The Role of Scientists · Complexity, Chaos, and Unintended Consequences · The Man in the White Suit film page
Notes: From 2018: "Would like to include — but it's old and slow. Keep in, but may replace." From 2026: the sleeper hit with my students every year - they love it! And such a fantastic film for exploring the persobality of a hyper-focused scientist. Claude: It stayed, because no other film so perfectly captures what happens when a well-meaning scientist never bothers to ask anyone else what they think of his invention.
2016 · Ron Howard Status: In the book — Chapter 11
Key themes: Gain-of-function research, synthetic biology, dual-use research, biosecurity, could we/should we
Connects to: Gain-of-Function Research · Synthetic Biology · Dual-Use Research · Inferno film page
Notes: From 2018: "Useable for dual use biotech discussion — keep an eye out for an alternative dual use movie though." From 2026: It's really just a light Hollywood chase movie, but entertaining - and by including it I got to talk about COVIF before COVID was a thing! Claude: At 19% on Rotten Tomatoes, probably the weakest film in the book. But it opened the door to talking about gain-of-function research and the logic of doing terrible things for arguably good reasons — and nothing else on the shortlist did that as well.
2004 · Roland Emmerich Status: In the book — Chapter 12
Key themes: Climate science, geoengineering, intergenerational responsibility, resilience, complexity/unintended consequences, science and belief
Connects to: Climate Science · Geoengineering · Intergenerational Responsibility · Resilience and Adaptation · The Day After Tomorrow film page
Notes: From 2018: "Good climate change movie — erring toward including." From 2026: Just from the perspective of film making, taughtly made and a lot of fun. Plus, opens unexpected conversations. Claude: The science is spectacularly wrong in places, but the film captures something real about how societies fail to change course even when the evidence is staring them in the face.
1997 · Robert Zemeckis Status: In the book — Chapter 13
Key themes: Extraterrestrial life, science and belief, Occam's Razor, hype vs. reality, role of scientists, religion/belief/technology
Connects to: Extraterrestrial Life · Science, Belief, and Ways of Knowing · Hype vs. Reality · Religion, Belief, and Technology · Contact film page
Notes: From 2018: "Life-affirming, smart movie about the nature and role of science and belief in society — rich themes to end on." From 2026: My editor tried to dissuade me from including this. Very glad I did - persoally important. Not appreciated as much as it should be (including by students who roll their eyes at having to endure a love narrative!!). In class it hits me in the gut every time the ending "For Carl" comes up. Claude: The film that closes the book's journey, and the one that most directly grapples with the relationship between evidence and faith.
2005 · Garth Jennings (and the 1981 BBC series) Status: Bookend — frames Chapter 14
Key themes: Don't panic, hype vs. reality, resilience, the human dimension
Connects to: Don't Panic · Resilience and Adaptation · Chapter 14: Looking to the Future
Notes: From 2026: I desperately wanted a connection to The Hitch Hiker's Guide. Growing up on the radio series and the books I never hot along with the film, but it works here. Claude: Douglas Adams' creation frames the book's closing argument — that the best advice for navigating our technological future might just be: Don't Panic. But don't be complacent either.
These films were on my 2018 shortlist of around fifty candidates. Each one caught my eye for a reason, even if it ultimately didn't fit the narrative arc of the book.
1927 · Fritz Lang Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Automation, robotics, inequality, corporate power, role of scientists
Connects to: Automation · Power, Privilege, and Access · Corporate Responsibility
Notes: From 2018: "Too old I think — refer to though." Claude: The grandfather of them all, and still visually stunning, but Andrew felt it was too distant for a book trying to meet contemporary audiences where they are.
1966 · Richard Fleischer Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Nanotechnology, biomedical technology, human augmentation
Connects to: Nanotechnology · Bioprinting
Notes: From 2018:"Watch again and see." Claude: A miniaturized submarine journey through the human body — conceptually connected to nanotechnology and biomedical engineering, but never quite found its place in the book.
1973 · Richard Fleischer Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Climate science, food technology, intergenerational responsibility, corporate deception, overpopulation
Connects to: Climate Science · Intergenerational Responsibility · Deception and Manipulation · Corporate Responsibility
Notes: From 2018: "So slow — prob won't include because of this." From 2026: still slow and old fashioned. Great messaging, a little tedious. Claude: The themes are spot-on — corporate deception, environmental collapse, the ethics of what we eat — but the pacing killed it.
1976 · Michael Anderson Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Overpopulation, social control, surveillance, informed consent, autonomy
Connects to: Surveillance · Informed Consent · Deception and Manipulation
Notes: From 2018: "Watch again — remember it being a little slow." Claude: A society that solves overpopulation by killing everyone at thirty. The premise is chilling, but the execution didn't hold up.
1972 · Douglas Trumbull Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Climate science, intergenerational responsibility, robotics, environmental ethics
Connects to: Climate Science · Intergenerational Responsibility
Notes: From 2018: "No — too slow." From 2026: on a revisit not as slow as I remembered (I'm getting older!) Claude: Notable for its trio of robots Huey, Dewey, and Louie — Andrew gave them a shout-out in his Substack piece on AI films that make you cry — but the film itself didn't make the cut.
1962 · John Frankenheimer Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Brain-computer interfaces, manipulation, surveillance, informed consent, autonomy
Connects to: Brain-Computer Interfaces · Deception and Manipulation · Informed Consent
Notes: From 2018: "Think about this — would actually make a good addition (possibly more so with the remake)." From 2026: Either is great for sparking conversations - especially with thepolitical tie-in. Claude: Mind control, political manipulation, and the erosion of autonomy — themes that have only grown more relevant.
1982 · Ridley Scott Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: AI, robotics, human dignity, what makes us human, corporate responsibility, identity
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Human Dignity · Corporate Responsibility
Notes: From 2018: "I'd include this — think about." From 2026: Love this film, but too one-note for the book. Claude: One of the most obvious omissions from the book, and Andrew knows it. Ultimately the narrative arc needed Ex Machina for AI, and Blade Runner's themes overlapped too much. But the questions it raises about what we owe the things we create remain unmatched.
1982 · Steven Spielberg Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Extraterrestrial life, science and society, empathy, the human dimension
Connects to: Extraterrestrial Life · The Human Dimension
Notes: From 2018: "Think about this — may have duplicative themes." From 2026: No space for yet another Spielberg film, but stands the test of time well, and an important positive message. Claude: Contact ultimately got the extraterrestrial life slot, but E.T. brings something Contact doesn't — an emotional directness about first contact that bypasses the intellectual framework entirely.
1984 · David Lynch Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Intergenerational responsibility, corporate power, environmental stewardship, technological convergence, religion/belief/technology
Connects to: Intergenerational Responsibility · Corporate Responsibility · Religion, Belief, and Technology
Notes: From 2018: "I'd love to include this — are there sufficient themes here to fit in?" From 2026: Even with Villeneuve's Dune coming out, still have a soft spot for Lynch's interpretation. And the AI connection is important. Claude: A sprawling epic about resource control, ecological interdependence, and the collision of technology with belief. The themes are all there; the challenge was fitting it into the book's structure.
1984/1991 · James Cameron Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: AI, robotics, automation, superintelligence, intergenerational responsibility, could we/should we
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Superintelligence · Automation · Intergenerational Responsibility
Notes: From 2018: "Would like to include — think about." From 2026: Terminator 2 would have been my choice. But too many great robot/cyborg/AI movies! Plus, despite the obvious stuff with Skynet, not enough nuance. Claude: The definitive AI apocalypse franchise. The book ended up exploring AI through more intimate, grounded films — Ex Machina and Transcendence — but the Terminator films capture something about public fear of AI that nothing else quite matches.
1986 · James Cameron Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Extraterrestrial life, corporate responsibility, planetary protection, militarism and technology
Connects to: Extraterrestrial Life · Corporate Responsibility
Notes: From 2018: "Not a great fit, but great movie!" From 2026: Still the best of the franchise. Not enough complexity for the book, but if only I could have slotted it in. Claude: The corporate exploitation angle (Weyland-Yutani treating alien life as a commodity) is rich, but the film is more action than ideas — and Contact covered the extraterrestrial territory in a way that opened more doors.
1986 · David Cronenberg Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Genetic engineering, technological convergence, human dignity, could we/should we, the role of scientists
Connects to: Genetic Engineering · Technological Convergence · Human Dignity
Notes: From 2018: "Great themes — but do they fit?" From 2026: Still think it wold have been hard - maybe in a sequel. Claude: A visceral, body-horror exploration of what happens when technology merges human and non-human in ways nobody intended. Themes connect to genetic engineering and the boundaries of the human, but the tone was hard to integrate.
1987 · Paul Verhoeven Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Human augmentation, robotics, corporate responsibility, human dignity, identity, surveillance
Connects to: Human Augmentation · Automation · Corporate Responsibility · Human Dignity
Notes: From 2018: "Good themes, but poss too limited? Like the law enforcement aspect of things — so watch again." From 2026: If I did a sequal just looking at AI/robots, would be in. Claude: Part satire, part action film, entirely about what happens when a corporation decides it can do policing better by turning a dead cop into a product. The themes connect to Ghost in the Shell's identity questions, but through a very different lens.
1987 · Paul Michael Glaser Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Surveillance, deception/manipulation, corporate power, media, human dignity
Connects to: Surveillance · Deception and Manipulation · Corporate Responsibility
Notes: From 2018: "I like this — may be too old and slow." From 2026: Still a great social commentary and conversation starter - now with a remake. Claude: A prescient film about entertainment as social control, and the ethics of a society that turns violence into spectacle. The themes around media manipulation feel more relevant now than in 1987.
1997 · Andrew Niccol Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Genetic engineering, predictive algorithms, human dignity, surveillance, privacy, power/privilege/access, informed consent
Connects to: Genetic Engineering · Predictive Algorithms · Surveillance · Human Dignity · Power, Privilege, and Access
Notes: From 2018: "Of course would be a great fit, but too hackneyed? Sneaking suspicion that readers will expect it." From 2026: Unpopular take, but still too one note, too obvious, little nuance, and getting old! Claude: Perhaps the most perfect thematic match on the entire shortlist — genetic discrimination, privacy, determinism — and Andrew left it out precisely because it was too obvious. The book needed to surprise people, not confirm their expectations.
1999 · Brad Bird Status: Considered — added to watchlist
Key themes: AI, robotics, human dignity, empathy, militarism and technology, fear of the unknown
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Human Dignity · Everyone Has a Role to Play
Notes: From 2026: Featured in my Substack piece on AI films that make you cry, where I describes it as "a touching story of a young boy who befriends a mysterious robot while trying to protect it from an over-zealous military bent on its destruction." Claude: Mature themes around compassion, empathy, and closed-mindedness that resonate as much today as when it was released.
1999 · Chris Columbus Status: Considered — added to watchlist
Key themes: AI, robotics, human dignity, identity, what makes us human, autonomy
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Human Dignity · Informed Consent
Notes: From 2026: From my Substack piece: "For all its flaws (and there are more than a few), I have a soft spot for it." "It definitely has its teary moments!" Claude: A robot's journey from mechanical slave to full personhood — exploring slavery, prejudice, freedom, love, immortality, and what it means to be human.
1999 · The Wachowskis Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: AI, simulation, surveillance, autonomy, informed consent, deception/manipulation, could we/should we
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Surveillance · Deception and Manipulation · Informed Consent
Notes: From 2018: "Hackneyed, but may do — tentative yes at this point." From 2026: I really like the movie, but still think it's too one note and not nuanced enough for the book. But themes are imporetant. Claude: Ultimately didn't make it. Like Gattaca, it's so deeply embedded in the cultural conversation that it risked confirming expectations rather than upending them — which is what the book needed to do.
2001 · Steven Spielberg Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: AI, robotics, human dignity, what makes us human, corporate responsibility, empathy, intergenerational responsibility
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Human Dignity · Intergenerational Responsibility · Corporate Responsibility
Notes: From 2018: "This is a solid one — lots of themes to explore." Andrew's number one pick in his piece on AI films that make you cry: "Over the years it's become one of my go-to movies that centers on how a smart, empathetic robot holds a mirror up to our own humanity." From 2026: Appreciate this more with every watching. Very sadly too long to show in class. Claude: A film that took time to grow on him, but became deeply important.
(See "In the Book" above)
2004 · Michel Gondry Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Brain-computer interfaces, memory, identity, informed consent, autonomy, human dignity
Connects to: Brain-Computer Interfaces · Human Dignity · Informed Consent
Notes: From 2018: "Watch again to see if it fits." From 2026: Didn't make the cut but still a great film. Claude: A film about erasing memories to escape heartbreak — raising profound questions about consciousness, identity, and whether we have the right to edit who we are.
2004 · Alex Proyas Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: AI, robotics, automation, corporate responsibility, could we/should we
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Automation · Corporate Responsibility
Notes: From 2018: "Duplicative themes — but it is a blockbuster." From 2026: Lacks subtlety and plays to Hollywood fear, unlike the source material. Claude: The Asimov-adjacent blockbuster. The themes overlap heavily with Ex Machina, and Ex Machina does them with more nuance and fewer explosions.
1951/2008 · Robert Wise / Scott Derrickson Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Extraterrestrial life, intergenerational responsibility, climate science, could we/should we
Connects to: Extraterrestrial Life · Intergenerational Responsibility · Climate Science
Notes: From 2026: Good, but no room to fit it in still. Claude: No detailed notes from 2018 — both the original and remake were on the list but neither found a clear home in the book's structure.
2001 · Richard Kelly Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Time travel, complexity/unintended consequences, science and belief
Connects to: Complexity, Chaos, and Unintended Consequences · Science, Belief, and Ways of Knowing
Notes: From 2018: "Hard to fit in." From 2026: I tried because I love the foilm, but failed! Claude: A cult classic that's more about the texture of living with uncertainty than about any specific technology — which makes it fascinating but hard to build a chapter around.
2009 · McG Status: Considered — added since
Key themes: AI, robotics, automation, human dignity, identity, what makes us human
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Automation · Human Dignity
Notes: From 2026: Some interesting themes but doesn't add much to the priginal Terminator films in terms of discussion points.
2007 · Francis Lawrence Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Synthetic biology, gain-of-function research, dual-use research, resilience, unintended consequences
Connects to: Synthetic Biology · Gain-of-Function Research · Dual-Use Research · Resilience and Adaptation
Notes: From 2018: "I really like the biotech aspects of this — watch again and think about it." From 2026: The version with the alternative ending (the one that's closest to the book and actually gets the meaning of the title) is a much better jumping off point for exploring tech and society. Claude: A viral cure for cancer that becomes a pandemic — the dual-use research nightmare played out at civilizational scale.
2008 · Andrew Stanton Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Automation, robotics, climate science, intergenerational responsibility, corporate responsibility, resilience
Connects to: Automation · Climate Science · Intergenerational Responsibility · Corporate Responsibility
Notes: From 2018: "Too slow." From 2026: Feel as if I should like the film, but still struggle with it. Just a little preachy. Claude: A surprising verdict on one of Pixar's most beloved films. Andrew mentioned it as a near-miss in his Substack piece on AI films that make you cry, but it didn't survive the pacing test for the book.
2013 · J.J. Abrams Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Dual-use research, militarism and technology, could we/should we, corporate/institutional power
Connects to: Dual-Use Research · Could We? Should We?
Notes: From 2018: "Great movie — enough themes? Watch again." From 2026: Still a really good movie. Enough conversation startes? Claude: The themes of weaponized science and institutional corruption are there, but it was hard to disentangle them from the franchise spectacle.
2013 · Bong Joon-ho Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Climate science, geoengineering, inequality, power/privilege/access, social control
Connects to: Climate Science · Geoengineering · Power, Privilege, and Access
Notes: From 2018: "Good, but arty and earnest — doesn't fit the feel of the sequence." From 2026: On a revisit, I struggled with the movie, and surprisingly the deeply unrealistic aspects of it (polar bears?!) really jarred. And way too violent and preachy. Showed it in class - it did not land well. Claude: A geoengineering disaster that freezes the planet, with the survivors stratified by class on a perpetual train. The themes are perfect; the tone was the problem.
2013 · Spike Jonze Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: AI, human dignity, identity, deception/manipulation, autonomy, what makes us human
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Human Dignity · Deception and Manipulation · Informed Consent
Notes: From 2018: "This would be a good addition — some similar themes with other movies." From 2026: Extremely relevant today! Claude: A film about falling in love with an AI operating system — one of the most prescient explorations of human-AI relationships made before the current wave of AI companions and chatbots.
2016 · Theodore Melfi Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Power/privilege/access, role of scientists, inequality, the human dimension
Connects to: Power, Privilege, and Access · The Role of Scientists · Everyone Has a Role to Play
Notes: From 2018: "I like the idea of bringing a historical perspective to the future — it grounds things while opening the way to discuss inclusivity in a broad way (including publics and citizen science)." From 2026: would still have liked to include but just didn't fit without ousting something else. Claude: Not sci-fi, but a powerful film about who gets to participate in technological progress — and who gets erased from the story.
2014 · Christopher Nolan Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Climate science, intergenerational responsibility, resilience, science and belief, deception/manipulation, the human dimension
Connects to: Climate Science · Intergenerational Responsibility · Science, Belief, and Ways of Knowing · Deception and Manipulation
Notes: From 2018: "On the fence here — watch again." From 2026: Grows on me over time and the themes are good - too much adulation from the ohysics community though. Overshadows other themes. Claude: Andrew also gave a shout-out to the AIs TARS and CASE in his Substack piece on AI films. A film about what we owe future generations — and what we're willing to lie about to save them.
2013 · Gavin Hood Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: AI, simulation, deception/manipulation, informed consent, militarism and technology
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Deception and Manipulation · Informed Consent
Notes: From 2018: "Good themes, not really suitable here though." From 2026: Good if you focus hard on the themes. The book is much, much better. Claude: A child trained to fight an alien war through what he believes is a simulation — one of the most devastating consent violations in sci-fi, but it didn't fit the book's technology arc.
2011 · Steven Soderbergh Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Synthetic biology, gain-of-function research, dual-use research, resilience, science and belief, the role of scientists
Connects to: Synthetic Biology · Gain-of-Function Research · Dual-Use Research · Resilience and Adaptation · The Role of Scientists
Notes: From 2018: "This opens the way to talk about pandemics and fragile systems, and also how we do and use science within society." From 2026: A colleague and I worked on a course based arond infectious diseases in 2020 (guess the connection!). This was a pillar. Great film but still not a good book fit. Claude: A film that became unnervingly prescient in 2020. If the book were being written today, this would be a strong contender.
2014 · Luc Besson Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Cognitive enhancement, human augmentation, could we/should we
Connects to: Smart Drugs and Cognitive Enhancement · Human Augmentation
Notes: From 2018: "Really dislike this movie — but might be a good vehicle for talking about cognitive enhancement." From 2026: Use an example in class of a science fiction film that really winds me up because it doesn't give a damn about internal consistency or even making any sort of sense. Claude: Proof that you don't have to like a film to recognize its usefulness as a thinking tool. Limitless won the cognitive enhancement slot instead.
1985 · Terry Gilliam Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Surveillance, bureaucracy, automation, deception/manipulation, human dignity
Connects to: Surveillance · Deception and Manipulation · Human Dignity
Notes: From 2018: "Great movie — watch again, but prob not a good fit." From 2026: Wish I could find a way to use. Claude: Gilliam's surrealist nightmare of bureaucratic surveillance. A masterpiece, but the tone sits outside the book's register.
1971 · Robert Wise Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Dual-use research, biosecurity, extraterrestrial life, the role of scientists, complexity/unintended consequences
Connects to: Dual-Use Research · Extraterrestrial Life · The Role of Scientists
Notes: From 2018: "Too slow I think — poss include as a slow movie." From 2026: a strong contender - many will question why Inferno trather than this! Claude: A methodical, procedural thriller about containing an alien pathogen. The science is treated with unusual respect, but the pacing was a challenge.
1995 · Terry Gilliam Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Synthetic biology, dual-use research, biosecurity, surveillance, complexity/unintended consequences
Connects to: Synthetic Biology · Dual-Use Research · Surveillance · Complexity, Chaos, and Unintended Consequences
Notes: From 2018: "Rewatch." From 2026: Still a favorite. Claude: A time-travel pandemic thriller that connects to both the biosecurity themes of Inferno and the complexity themes that run through the whole book.
2017 · Denis Villeneuve Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: AI, robotics, human dignity, identity, what makes us human, corporate responsibility, memory
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Human Dignity · Corporate Responsibility
Notes: From 2018: "Who are we? I might be able to use." From 2026: Too long to use in class, but great for exploring what it means to be human. Claude: Extends the original's questions about artificial personhood into deeper territory about memory, identity, and what it means to discover that your most cherished experiences might not be real.
2005 · Michael Bay Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Cloning, informed consent, human dignity, corporate responsibility, too valuable to fail
Connects to: Cloning · Informed Consent · Human Dignity · Too Valuable to Fail
Notes: From 2018: "Watch again." From 2026: Students ask why never Let me Go rather than The Island. Answer: this film isn't nuanced/introspective enough. Claude: Covers similar ground to Never Let Me Go — clones raised for organ harvesting — but with more explosions and less emotional devastation. Never Let Me Go won the slot because it does the quiet horror better.
2012 · Jake Schreier Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: AI, robotics, human dignity, autonomy, aging and technology, the human dimension
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Human Dignity · The Human Dimension
Notes: From 2018: "I like the themes here — think about." From 2026: Really like - still a strong contender, and one of the films that got me thinking about writing the book. Claude: Also featured in Andrew's Substack piece as "on the lighter side of bringing a tear to the eye" — a gentle film about a former jewel thief with dementia and his carer robot. "A gentle and poignant movie."
2016 · Denis Villeneuve Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Extraterrestrial life, science and belief, complexity/unintended consequences, the human dimension
Connects to: Extraterrestrial Life · Science, Belief, and Ways of Knowing · Complexity, Chaos, and Unintended Consequences
Notes: From 2018: "Worth considering, but not many themes that I think are useable." From 2026: Still agree. Important film, but I struggle with the idea of language altering presence in time. Claude: A beautiful film about language, time, and first contact — but its power lies more in the emotional and philosophical than the technological, which made it a tricky fit.
2006 · Richard Linklater Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Surveillance, cognitive enhancement, identity, autonomy, deception/manipulation
Connects to: Surveillance · Smart Drugs and Cognitive Enhancement · Deception and Manipulation
Notes: From 2018: "Low priority, but might want to watch." Claude: Philip K. Dick adaptation about identity dissolution under surveillance and substance abuse. The rotoscope animation captures the disorientation of the themes perfectly.
2006 · Alfonso Cuarón Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Resilience, intergenerational responsibility, unintended consequences, human dignity, immigration, social collapse
Connects to: Resilience and Adaptation · Intergenerational Responsibility · Human Dignity · Complexity, Chaos, and Unintended Consequences
Notes: From 2018: "Possible new themes include unintended consequences of tech, gritty reality of innovation, euthanasia and population (link to Inferno), the nature of heroism and activism." From 2026: I love this film. But try as I might I could not make it fit the book's narrative arc. Claude: One of the richest films on the shortlist — a world where humanity has stopped being able to reproduce, and the social fabric has disintegrated. Andrew saw multiple potential chapters in it.
Films that weren't available when the book was written in 2017–2018, or that have caught my attention since. These are films that connect to the book's themes and would be candidates for discussion — or even for a second volume, if such a thing existed (which at this point probably won't, but you never know).
2018 · Leigh Whannell Status: Added since publication
Key themes: Human augmentation, AI, autonomy, identity, brain-computer interfaces, deception/manipulation
Connects to: Human Augmentation · Artificial Intelligence · Brain-Computer Interfaces · Deception and Manipulation · Informed Consent
Notes: From 2026: Not as good as I was hoping. Wouldn't have made the shortlist. Claude: A man implanted with an AI chip that gives him superhuman abilities — but who's really in control? Connects directly to Ghost in the Shell's questions about augmentation and autonomy, updated for the AI era.
2018 · Alex Garland Status: Added since publication
Key themes: Genetic engineering, complexity/unintended consequences, technological convergence, identity, the role of scientists
Connects to: Genetic Engineering · Complexity, Chaos, and Unintended Consequences · Technological Convergence · The Role of Scientists
Notes: From 2026: A complex film that is almost too nuanced. Great for deep discussion around tech and identity, and a lot more. Claude: From the director of Ex Machina — a team of scientists enters an expanding zone where the laws of biology have broken down. A film about what happens when mutation and convergence operate without boundaries.
2019 · Grant Sputore Status: Added since publication
Key themes: AI, robotics, deception/manipulation, informed consent, human dignity, intergenerational responsibility
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Deception and Manipulation · Informed Consent · Intergenerational Responsibility
Notes: From 2026: Confession, I thought I'd seen this but not sure I have. Will update once I have caught up. Claude: A robot raises a human child in an underground bunker after an extinction event. The question of who decides what kind of future humanity gets — and whether deception is justified in service of survival.
2020 · Gavin Rothery Status: Added since publication
Key themes: AI, consciousness, mind uploading, human dignity, identity, what makes us human
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Mind Uploading · Human Dignity
Notes: From 2026: A film that makes you think. Worth watching and exploring, especially give themes around AI, relationships and attachment. Claude: Mentioned in Andrew's Substack piece as a near-miss for his AI tearjerker list. A scientist working on a human-equivalent AI in a remote facility — echoes of Ex Machina's isolation, with different emotional stakes.
2021 · Adam McKay Status: Added since publication
Key themes: Climate science, science and belief, the role of scientists, corporate responsibility, hype vs. reality, resilience
Connects to: Climate Science · Science, Belief, and Ways of Knowing · The Role of Scientists · Corporate Responsibility · Hype vs. Reality
Notes: From 2026: Sorry, didn't like (and I know I'm disappointing a whole load of scientists who dispair at the "public's" lack of science understanding or interest). Way too preachy, and a perfect example of belief in the deficit model - especially the idea that just showing someone a film that reflects your beliefs will convert them. Claude: Scientists discover a planet-killing comet and no one takes them seriously. A satire that connects to The Day After Tomorrow's themes about ignoring evidence, but through the lens of media, politics, and corporate greed.
2021 · Miguel Sapochnik Status: Added since publication
Key themes: AI, robotics, human dignity, intergenerational responsibility, resilience, the human dimension
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Resilience and Adaptation · Intergenerational Responsibility · The Human Dimension
Notes: From 2026: Ok, but a little slow and one note. Claude: Mentioned in Andrew's Substack piece as a near-miss. A dying man builds a robot to care for his dog after he's gone — the most intimate possible version of the question: what do we build, and for whom?
2021 · Kogonada Status: Added since publication
Key themes: AI, robotics, human dignity, identity, what makes us human, memory, the human dimension
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Human Dignity · The Human Dimension · Mind Uploading
Notes: From 2026: A really nuanced film about AI, relationships, and attachment - especially with kids. Worth watching and discussing, although you do have to invest in it. Claude: From Andrew's Substack piece: "A moving and surprising retrospective on the life of an android designed to play the role of an artificial sibling to a young adopted girl." He made the mistake of first watching it on a long flight — "to my embarrassment, I ended up in my seat with tears running down my face!"
2021 · Benjamin Cleary Status: Added since publication
Key themes: Cloning, identity, informed consent, human dignity, deception/manipulation, what makes us human
Connects to: Cloning · Human Dignity · Informed Consent · Deception and Manipulation
Notes: From 2026: Oops - another one I need to add to my to do list. Claude: A dying man is offered the chance to secretly replace himself with a clone so his family never has to grieve. Connects directly to Never Let Me Go's territory — cloning, identity, consent — but from the other side of the moral dilemma.
2023 · Gerard Johnstone Status: Added since publication
Key themes: AI, robotics, corporate responsibility, autonomy, could we/should we, permissionless innovation
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Corporate Responsibility · Permissionless Innovation · Could We? Should We?
Notes: From 2026: A lot of fun. More horror than tech, but an essential prelude to M3GAN 2.0 which is a current favorite. Lots and lots of themes to unpack here.
2025 · Gerard Johnstone Status: Added since publication
Key themes: AI, robotics, autonomy, corporate responsibility, consciousness, too valuable to fail
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Corporate Responsibility · Too Valuable to Fail
Notes: From 2026: It's a really silly film, but I love it despite this. Love the themes around responsible innovation, the nods to other sci fi movies, and the sheer enjotability of it. This is the film that would persuade me to write a sequal to Films from the Future. Go watch it!
2023 · Gareth Edwards Status: Added since publication
Key themes: AI, robotics, human dignity, militarism and technology, what makes us human, could we/should we
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Human Dignity · Could We? Should We?
Notes: From 2026: I wanted to like The Creator so much. The cinematography is amazing. The story line is nuanced with lots to unpack. Focusing on AI as just embodied AI makes it a little challenging to relate to real world AI, but still a movie that is a strong conversation starter. And I did actually enjoy it - just not as much as expected.
2021/2024 · Denis Villeneuve Status: Added since publication
Key themes: Intergenerational responsibility, corporate power, environmental stewardship, technological convergence, religion/belief/technology, power/privilege/access
Connects to: Intergenerational Responsibility · Corporate Responsibility · Religion, Belief, and Technology · Power, Privilege, and Access
Notes: From 2026: Well made, ood movies to spark discussion. very "in your face." I found myself frustrated that they try too hard to follow the book. If I want the book, I can read it - with a movie adaptation I want something different. Claude: The 1984 Lynch version was on the original shortlist. Villeneuve's films bring the same themes — resource control, ecological interdependence, the collision of technology with belief — to a new generation with stunning clarity.
2023 · Christopher Nolan Status: Added since publication
Key themes: Dual-use research, role of scientists, could we/should we, intergenerational responsibility, permissionless innovation
Connects to: Dual-Use Research · The Role of Scientists · Could We? Should We? · Intergenerational Responsibility · Permissionless Innovation
Notes: From 2026: Complex, nuanced, directy addresses the science/society/future nexus. Makes you think deeply. A fantastic movie that gives more them more you watch it. Claude: Not science fiction, but perhaps the most important "could we / should we" film ever made. The original sin of scientists building something they know could end everything — and doing it anyway.
2023 · Yorgos Lanthimos Status: Added since publication
Key themes: Human augmentation, autonomy, human dignity, informed consent, identity, the role of scientists, could we/should we
Connects to: Human Augmentation · Human Dignity · Informed Consent · The Role of Scientists · Could We? Should We?
Notes: From 2026: Have yet to watch! Claude: A Frankenstein story reimagined — a woman brought back to life by an eccentric scientist, discovering the world and her own autonomy from scratch. Raises sharp questions about creation, consent, and who gets to decide what a "good" life looks like.
2015 · Neill Blomkamp Status: Suggested
Key themes: AI, robotics, consciousness, human dignity, identity, could we/should we
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Human Dignity · Could We? Should We?
Notes: From 2026: Another good AI/robot movie with a different take on artificial intelligence. Good conversation starter. Claude: Mentioned in Andrew's Substack piece as a near-miss. A police robot that gains consciousness and has to learn what it means to be alive — from the director of Elysium.
2014 · Don Hall & Chris Williams Status: Suggested
Key themes: AI, robotics, the human dimension, role of scientists, empathy
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · The Human Dimension · The Role of Scientists
Notes: From 2026: Really like this movie as a surprisingly enjoable yet not simplistic way of exploring ideas around AI. Love the positive AI vibe. A favorite. Claude: Mentioned in Andrew's Substack piece. An inflatable healthcare robot and a grieving teenager. One of the most accessible entry points for younger audiences into questions about AI, care, and what technology is for.
2021 · Sarah Smith & Jean-Philippe Vine Status: Suggested
Key themes: AI, robotics, corporate responsibility, surveillance, the human dimension
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Corporate Responsibility · Surveillance
Notes: From 2026: Seriously underrated film - complex themes around AI and humans. Well worth watching. Claude: Mentioned in Andrew's Substack piece. Every kid has a personal robot companion — except the one whose robot is glitchy. A children's film with surprisingly sharp commentary on tech companies and data harvesting.
2018 · Steven Spielberg Status: Suggested
Key themes: AI, surveillance, corporate responsibility, power/privilege/access, identity, deception/manipulation
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Surveillance · Corporate Responsibility · Power, Privilege, and Access
Notes: From 2026: I really do not like this movie. Self centered and self satisfied tech movie that many of my colleagues really like, and a darling of Silicon Valley startup culture. Would not make the cut for a sequal to the book most likely, despite important themes arond VR (and this is probably its one redeeming feature). Claude: A virtual reality dystopia where a corporation is trying to seize control of the digital world everyone lives in. Connects to surveillance, corporate power, and the question of who controls the spaces where we spend our lives.
2019 · Robert Rodriguez Status: Suggested
Key themes: Human augmentation, identity, inequality, power/privilege/access, human dignity, what makes us human
Connects to: Human Augmentation · Power, Privilege, and Access · Human Dignity
Notes: From 2026: Really like this movie, and again, lots of nuanced themes to unpack around AI and the future, as well as a great watch. Claude: A cyborg with no memory discovers she's a weapon. Connects to Ghost in the Shell's augmentation themes and Elysium's inequality themes — the augmented and the left behind, with a literal floating city overhead.
2021 · Shawn Levy Status: Suggested
Key themes: AI, consciousness, corporate responsibility, human dignity, autonomy, what makes us human
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Human Dignity · Corporate Responsibility
Notes: From 2026: Possibly a bit obvious in the narrative, but a good movie, especially with the rise of AI agents. Claude: A video game NPC becomes self-aware. Lighter in tone than Ex Machina but asks some of the same questions about what we owe entities that develop consciousness — and what happens when a corporation owns them.
2009 · Duncan Jones Status: Added to watchlist
Key themes: Cloning, identity, corporate responsibility, informed consent, human dignity, isolation
Connects to: Cloning · Human Dignity · Informed Consent · Corporate Responsibility · Deception and Manipulation
Notes: From 2026: A thought provoking film and ripe for a discussion starter about clones, value creation, and the meaning of being "human." Not as nuanced as some clone movies. Claude: A solitary worker on a lunar mining base discovers something devastating about who he is. A quiet, devastating film that connects to Never Let Me Go's themes of corporate exploitation and disposable people — but in a science fiction setting that makes the reveal hit differently. One of the best "small" sci-fi films of the century so far.
2010 · Christopher Nolan Status: Added to watchlist
Key themes: Brain-computer interfaces, manipulation, identity, autonomy, informed consent, complexity/unintended consequences
Connects to: Brain-Computer Interfaces · Deception and Manipulation · Informed Consent · Complexity, Chaos, and Unintended Consequences
Notes: From 2026: Entertaining, thought provoking, and definitely convoluted. Influential in conversations around tech, the future, and human perpection. Too long and convoluted for the book, but freat movie. Claude: Technology that allows infiltration and manipulation of dreams — the ultimate violation of cognitive autonomy. Connects to Ghost in the Shell's ghost-hacking and Minority Report's questions about who has the right to access your mind. The nested complexity mirrors the book's themes about unintended consequences in systems too complex to fully understand.
1982/2010 · Steven Lisberger / Joseph Kosinski Status: Added to watchlist
Key themes: AI, identity, corporate responsibility, autonomy, simulation, consciousness
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Corporate Responsibility · Human Dignity
Notes: From 2026: I prefer Tron: legacy. Some silly ideas here, but still a provocative and fun ride, and a great soundtrack to boot on Legacy! Claude: A programmer pulled inside a computer system ruled by a tyrannical AI. The original was visionary in 1982; the sequel updates the themes for a world where digital spaces are where many of us actually live. Connects to questions about who controls the digital environments we inhabit, and what rights exist inside them.
1997 · Barry Sonnenfeld Status: Added to watchlist
Key themes: Extraterrestrial life, surveillance, deception/manipulation, informed consent, the role of scientists
Connects to: Extraterrestrial Life · Surveillance · Deception and Manipulation · Informed Consent
Notes: From 2026: A classic, of course, but not much to hang book-related conversations on. Claude: A comedic take on first contact — but underneath the humour, a film about a secret agency that decides on behalf of the entire human race what we're allowed to know. The neuralyzer is the ultimate consent violation played for laughs. Connects to Contact's themes about how humanity might respond to extraterrestrial life, and to Minority Report's questions about who gets to make decisions that affect everyone.
1990/2012 · Paul Verhoeven / Len Wiseman Status: Added to watchlist
Key themes: Brain-computer interfaces, memory, identity, corporate responsibility, informed consent, deception/manipulation, surveillance
Connects to: Brain-Computer Interfaces · Deception and Manipulation · Informed Consent · Corporate Responsibility · Surveillance
Notes: From 2026: Looking back I'm not sure why this didn't make the top 50 shortlist for the bok. Possibly because while it's a lot of fun and has a lot of memorable moments/themes, it's harder to draw out conersations from these. Or possibly because I forgot! Claude: Another Philip K. Dick adaptation — a man discovers his memories may have been implanted, and his identity may be a corporate fabrication. The original is gloriously over the top; the remake plays it straighter. Both explore territory that connects to Ghost in the Shell's identity questions and Eternal Sunshine's memory themes. What are you when your memories aren't real?
2011 · Gonzalo López-Gallego Status: Added to watchlist
Key themes: Extraterrestrial life, dual-use research, deception/manipulation, the role of scientists
Connects to: Extraterrestrial Life · Dual-Use Research · Deception and Manipulation
Notes: From 2026: Hard science - Contact won out here as it fit the narrative arc much better. Claude: A found-footage horror film about a secret lunar mission that discovers something it shouldn't. The "secret mission" framing connects to themes of institutional deception and the suppression of information — what happens when governments decide the public can't handle the truth.
2013 · Joseph Kosinski Status: Added to watchlist
Key themes: AI, cloning, identity, deception/manipulation, intergenerational responsibility, memory
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Cloning · Deception and Manipulation · Intergenerational Responsibility · Human Dignity
Notes: From 2026: Like the movie. Too one note for the book. Claude: A maintenance worker on a devastated Earth discovers that nothing about his mission — or his identity — is what it seems. Connects to Never Let Me Go's theme of people engineered for a purpose they didn't choose, and to the broader question of what we owe to the beings we create.
2014 · Doug Liman Status: Added to watchlist
Key themes: AI, militarism and technology, complexity/unintended consequences, resilience, extraterrestrial life
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Complexity, Chaos, and Unintended Consequences · Resilience and Adaptation · Extraterrestrial Life
Notes: From 2026: Another movie I like a lot. But again too one note for the book. Claude: A soldier caught in a time loop during an alien invasion. Beyond the action, there's a surprisingly interesting exploration of learning from failure, iterative problem-solving, and what it takes to adapt to a system more complex than you can comprehend in a single pass — themes that connect to the book's treatment of complexity and resilience.
2015 · Ridley Scott Status: Considered — not included
Key themes: Resilience, the role of scientists, science and belief, the human dimension, could we/should we
Connects to: Resilience and Adaptation · The Role of Scientists · Science, Belief, and Ways of Knowing · The Human Dimension
Notes: From 2018: "No — too techy — but may want to reconsider." From 2026: It's become a classic scientists sci-fi flick. Good as this, but I was looking for something more for the book. Claude: A stranded astronaut who has to science his way to survival. One of the most positive portrayals of scientific thinking in modern cinema, but the "too techy" concern was that the film's focus on problem-solving leaves less room for the ethical and social questions the book wants to explore.
2015 · George Miller Status: Added to watchlist
Key themes: Climate science, resilience, intergenerational responsibility, power/privilege/access, corporate power, human dignity
Connects to: Climate Science · Resilience and Adaptation · Intergenerational Responsibility · Power, Privilege, and Access · Human Dignity
Notes: From 2026: Too one note for the book, but as a movie it works! Claude: A post-ecological-collapse world where resources — water, fuel, even human bodies — are hoarded by a tyrannical leader. Beneath the spectacular action, a film about what happens when environmental systems fail and power concentrates in the hands of those who control what's left. Connects to The Day After Tomorrow's climate themes and Elysium's inequality, filtered through sheer visual intensity.
2017 · James Ponsoldt Status: Added to watchlist
Key themes: Surveillance, privacy, corporate responsibility, informed consent, autonomy, power/privilege/access
Connects to: Surveillance · Surveillance, Privacy, and Control · Corporate Responsibility · Informed Consent · Power, Privilege, and Access
Notes: From 2026: Looking back I don't think this made the top 50 shortlist as it's a little earnest, and while the themes around social media, surveillance, startup culture, tech company domination etc. fit well with the book, I felt it was a little flat as a movie. Claude: A young employee at a dominant tech company is drawn into a culture of total transparency — where privacy is reframed as selfishness. Connects directly to Minority Report's surveillance themes, but set inside a corporate campus rather than a police department. The film asks what happens when a company's vision of openness becomes indistinguishable from control.
2019 · Ang Lee Status: Added since publication
Key themes: Cloning, identity, militarism and technology, informed consent, human dignity, could we/should we
Connects to: Cloning · Human Dignity · Informed Consent · Could We? Should We?
Notes: From 2026: Interesting premise - ideas possibly better than the movie. Claude: An assassin hunted by a younger clone of himself. The military application of cloning — creating disposable soldiers — connects to Never Let Me Go's themes about people created for someone else's purpose, and raises questions about what we owe the beings we engineer.
2019 · Tim Miller Status: Added since publication
Key themes: AI, robotics, automation, intergenerational responsibility, could we/should we, resilience
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Automation · Intergenerational Responsibility · Resilience and Adaptation
Notes: From 2026: One of my favorites in the Terminator franchise - love the aging but absolutely kick-ass Linda Hamilton, and the Arnie twists. Not much of a nuanced conversation starter, but a go-to for me. Claude: Attempts to reset the franchise by asking: what if preventing Skynet just delays the inevitable? A different AI emerges to fill the same role. Connects to the book's themes about technological trajectories that may be harder to redirect than we think — the "too valuable to fail" dynamic applied to military AI.
2018 · John Krasinski Status: Added since publication
Key themes: Resilience, intergenerational responsibility, extraterrestrial life, the human dimension
Connects to: Resilience and Adaptation · Intergenerational Responsibility · Extraterrestrial Life · The Human Dimension
Notes: From 2026: Brilliant premise. Too one note for the book (and didn't fit the arc), but still lots that could be sparked by the narrative. Claude: A family surviving in silence after alien creatures have devastated civilization. Less about the technology than about what it means to protect the next generation in a world transformed by forces beyond your control. The film's power lies in its intimate scale — connecting to the book's insistence that the human dimension matters most.
2011–2024 · Rupert Wyatt / Matt Reeves / Wes Ball Status: Added to watchlist
Key themes: Genetic engineering, gain-of-function research, unintended consequences, human dignity, intergenerational responsibility, could we/should we
Connects to: Genetic Engineering · Gain-of-Function Research · Complexity, Chaos, and Unintended Consequences · Human Dignity · Intergenerational Responsibility
Notes: From 2026: One of these could have fit the book well, but just too many choices. The first in the reboot was possibly the best in ters of exploring issues. Claude: A drug designed to treat Alzheimer's gives apes human-level intelligence — and triggers a pandemic that collapses civilization. The reboot series is one of the most sustained explorations in cinema of gain-of-function research, unintended consequences, and what happens when a technology escapes control. Connects to Jurassic Park's themes of biological complexity, and to Inferno's dual-use territory.
2024 · Chris Sanders Status: Added since publication
Key themes: AI, robotics, human dignity, resilience, the human dimension, intergenerational responsibility, what makes us human
Connects to: Artificial Intelligence · Human Dignity · Resilience and Adaptation · The Human Dimension · Intergenerational Responsibility
Notes: From 2026: Good moral story - although that would probably have disqualified it from the book if it was pre 2018 as it can moralie a little. But still, a solid positive robot flick. Claude: A robot shipwrecked on an uninhabited island learns to survive by adapting to nature — and becomes the unlikely parent of an orphaned gosling. A beautifully animated film that asks what care, belonging, and parenthood mean when the caregiver is a machine. Connects to the AI-with-heart territory of A.I. Artificial Intelligence and Big Hero 6, with an ecological dimension that's all its own.
2025 · Guillermo del Toro Status: Added since publication
Key themes: Human augmentation, could we/should we, the role of scientists, human dignity, informed consent, identity
Connects to: Human Augmentation · Could We? Should We? · The Role of Scientists · Human Dignity · Informed Consent
Notes: From 2026: Brilliant adaptation. Brutal, but good. If there was another version of the book, it would probably be in it. Claude: Del Toro's long-awaited adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel — the foundational text for every question the book asks about creation, responsibility, and what we owe the things we bring into existence. Shelley was asking "could we / should we" two hundred years before the book gave it a name. If any film anchors the entire tradition this project draws on, it's this one.
There are many, many more science fiction movies that I've watched and enjoyed than are listed here. I'll try and update from time to time, but the list was never intended to be exhaustive.
This is a bit of an aside, but in my class The Moviegoer's Guide to the Future (where we watch all 12 movies in class - more here, including the "class trailer") we use an "active viewing" approach to watcing the movies. This is what I give my students:
Sometimes (let’s be honest, most times) it’s great to sit down and let a movie wash over you — to experience it without thinking too much.
This is not how we’ll be watching movies in this class. But don’t worry — most of the movies we’ll be watching together are even better when you’re concentrating on what they’re saying, and what insights we might get from them.
We’ll be using an approach called active viewing. This involves paying close attention and taking notes while watching the movies. But to help you, here are some simple guidelines:
Come prepared. Make sure you are primed before each movie, by having read the week’s chapter and completed the Pre-Movie 1-2-3 assignment.
Pay attention. Every aspect of a movie — from the music, to the atmosphere, to the subtle expressions and body language of actors — can convey information, and spark new ideas. Pay attention to everything!
Focus. Before each movie, you should have identified three ideas or topics in your pre-reflection. Actively look for anything in the movie that is relevant to these, and that stimulates interesting and new insights into them.
Be inspired. Embrace the serendipity of new and novel ideas and insights that you weren’t expecting.
Make connections. Look for common threads between different movies. These might be similar ideas, or different perspectives on the same idea. But they could also be as simple as the same actor, or producer, or composer, being associated with different movies, or similar settings or locations, or narrative arcs. Be imaginative in the connections you make!
Listen to more than the words. The soundscape (including the music) of a movie carries with it an amazing amount of information, and can change how you perceive the movie!
Be critical — but don’t get lost in your critique. be critical of the movie — challenge it’s assumptions, its plausibility, it’s use or misuse reality and fiction, it’s story telling. But don't let these spoil your enjoyment — “bad” movies can still inspire great ideas!
Make notes. Don't assume you’ll remember any of those great ideas that struck you in the middle of a scene, if you didn’t write them down.
Enjoy the movie. Active viewing should never mean boring viewing!
This page is a living document. Films will be added as Andrew watches them, thinks about them, and — in some cases — argues with himself about whether they belong here. If you've watched a film that you think connects to the themes on this site, that's exactly the kind of thinking the book was designed to provoke.