When people think of the fantasy or sci-fi genre, they think of superhero, space, or magic movies. But there’s a genre of films that are technically fantasy or sci-fi, yet are rarely remembered as such. The reason often comes from the fact that their fantasy or sci-fi elements are secondary.
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These special films wrap fantasy and reality so closely together, they don’t feel like any typical fantasy or science fiction movie. They have premises based in the wondrous, but the story itself focuses on real and tangible elements. This unique combination makes them great for conveying meaningful themes in impactful ways.
8 Midnight In Paris Employs Time Travel
One of the most iconic tropes of the sci-fi (and fantasy) genre is time travel, causing Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris to fall into the sci-fi/fantasy realism genre. The film follows Gil, who learns he can time travel to 1920s Paris every night, a period of time he has spent his entire 21st century life idealizing.
Midnight in Paris has a greater focus on history and romance, with themes of appreciating one’s own life and time. Echoing the principle that there’s a reason for being alive now, Allen brilliantly creates a fantasy/sci-fi realism film focused on real-world and human themes.
7 The Green Mile Is Fundamentally Fantasy
The Green Mile isn’t a common pick when someone’s in the mood for fantasy, but it definitely qualifies as a magical-realism film. A falsely convicted inmate on death row, John Coffey is a gentle giant with supernatural healing abilities. Paul, a prison guard, learns of these abilities and begins to wonder if Coffey truly is innocent.
The Green Mile is a beautiful story about compassion and the dignity every human being holds, including prisoners. These ideas are conveyed to a greater degree thanks ot the added supernatural element pushing the characters.
6 Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind Is The Epitome Of Science Fiction
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a perfect example of sci-fi. The film is a romance focusing on how Joel and Clementine come together, but more so, how they fell apart. Later in the film it’s revealed they have already been in a relationship, but the break-up is so hard they go through a scientific procedure to remove their memories of one another. This causes them to cycle together again. The film is a beautifully emotional romance story, with the added elements of sci-fi, allowing for the themes of attraction and destiny to be fully realized.
5 The Prestige Incorporates Sci-Fi With A Touch Of Realism
While The Prestige isn’t Christopher Nolan’s most popular film, it’s one of the best examples of sci-fi realism out there. A truly underrated movie, it follows competing magicians Borden and Angier, as they try to one-up the other’s tricks. When Borden creates a trick that seemingly transports him across the stage, Angier makes it his mission to copy the trick and make it better.
To do so, Angier recruits the scientist Tesla, who creates a machine that duplicates everything put inside. Although the film focuses more on the theme of obsession than on the sci-fi elements, it doesn’t change the fact The Prestige is indeed sci-fi realism.
4 The Time Loop In Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day is the most iconic time loop movie out there. And what’s a time loop, if not sci-fi? Bill Murray’s character Phil is a snobby, selfish person, so the universe decides he needs to be taught a lesson. Phil wakes up to relive the same day over and over again, until he finally changes his ways.
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Groundhog Day set up a trope that’s been used in many more films since its release. It’s a great way to convey different themes, like choosing goodness, while having an entertaining, sci-fi hook.
3 Big Became The First Time Travel Comedy
Big, starring a young Tom Hanks, broke new ground as one of the first time travel comedy films. After making a wish, young boy Josh wakes up one morning to find himself “big.” He is now a full-grown man — with the mind and maturity level of a boy — setting up many hilarious adventures.
Josh doesn’t time travel in the normal sense, rather his body has matured (traveled to the future) while his mind and the world around him hasn’t changed. Big is first and foremost remembered as a coming-of-age comedy, with the sci-fi/fantasy element being more of an afterthought.
2 Chocolat Weaves Mystical Magic In Its Story
Chocolat is a magical realism film. This movie is about a small, traditional town that has its world rocked by the arrival of Vianne, a chocolatier who has a mysterious way of knowing what people need and crave. The movie is primarily about embracing change, revealing it isn’t always as scary or scandalous as it seems.
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The change in the town is all sparked by Vianne, who shows people all that life can be by using her mysterious ability. Usually this movie is categorized into romance and drama, but perhaps it should be added to the fantasy category as well.
1 13 Going On 30 Is Built On Time Travel
13 Going On 30 is one of the many films to follow Big‘s groundbreaking structure — taking a young girl, and granting her wish to become older. However, 13 Going On 30 takes a slightly different approach.
When Jenna wishes to be 30, she wakes up to find the entire world jumped nearly 20 years into the future, but she’s the only person who is aware. This movie is a funny, heartfelt, coming-of-age comedy. The sci-fi aspect of time travel is apparent, but not the main focus on the movie.