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Since 1977, when the first ‘Star Wars’ film created a rage among the masses, it led filmmakers to churn out sci-fi content in abundance.
Disney Plus has an undeniably out-of-the-world sci-fi line (Marvel excluded!) to keep one glued to the couch throughout the weekend. This guide lists all the best AI and tech-driven movies and tv shows on the platform to binge all weekend.
- Silicon Valley (2014-2019)
IMDb rating: 8.5/10
The six-season series follows the struggle of Richard Hendricks, a Silicon Valley engineer trying to build his own company called ‘Pied Piper’.
A top-tier sitcom that entertains and educates on the lives of everyday developers and businessmen.
- Wall-E (2008)
IMDb rating: 8.4/10
When humans leave earth because it’s become a wasteland, ‘WALL-E’, a robot built using AI, slowly tries to clean it up—one piece of garbage at a time. He starts to develop a lonely personality as he is the last robot of his kind on earth. And then enter EVE!
With a gloomy atmosphere on earth, the mix of old-timey yet desolate landscape WALL-E is probably the most remarkable sci-fi of the Pixar films.
- The Martian (2015)
IMDb rating: 8/10
With several real techs from NASA and a Neil deGrasse Tyson seal of approval, ‘The Martian’ is a movie with some breath-taking views and fascinating depictions of the yonder. The story unfolds as the protagonist strives to survive on Mars after being accidentally stranded by his crew members.
The direction, screenplay, and scientific accuracy are amplified by Matt Damon’s stellar performance. One of the best sci-fi films that you just cannot miss!
- Avatar (2009)
IMDb rating: 7.8/10
A James Cameron vision that brought about major technological innovations in cinema: the film occupies such a strange place in our collective imagination and won’t fail to stun you with a classic ‘Romanesque’ story.
The 2009 sci-fi was the highest-grossing movie in history, yet somehow the cultural footprint it left behind feels surprisingly shallow. So with a sequel on the way, is it worth a revisit now?
- Big Hero 6 (2014)
IMDb rating: 7.8/10
The story of Hiro Hamada, a robotics prodigy and Baymax, his late brother’s inflatable companion robot.
Even though Disney has produced many animated films, Big Hero 6 set a precedent with the truly heartwarming tale of the bond between a little boy and his robot.
- Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
IMDb rating: 7.3/10
The film explores the subject of humanity in an AI-driven world.
You’d expect some serious eye candy from a collaboration between James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez, and Alita: Battle Angel delivers on that front.
- Free Guy (2021)
IMDb rating: 7.1/10
A film that will make you wonder, ‘can tech like this actually exist?’
Free Guy revolves around a bank teller who discovers he’s an NPC inside a brutal, open-world video game.
- Ron’s gone wrong (2021)
IMDb rating: 7/10
Of course, some of the best SF is about the here and now: the robots and tech stuff make the pill a little easier to swallow.
And that’s the case with ‘Ron’s Gone Wrong’ which, on the face of it, is a cute film about a funny robot with something to say about social media and its negative effects on kids and teens.
- Tron (1982)
IMDb rating: 6.8/10
A 1982 classic way ahead of its time.
Tron follows Kevin Flynn, an engineer who is transported into The Grid, where programmes suffer under the tyranny of the Master Control Programme. With the help of TRON, a security programme, Flynn seeks to free The Grid from the Master.
- Tron: Legacy (2010)
IMDb rating: 6.8/10
Being better late than never.
The critically acclaimed Tron: Legacy arrived 28 years later but managed to hold a place in our cultural imagination as a visual spectacle, much like its predecessor.
Documentaries/docu-series
- Among the stars (2021)
IMDb rating: 7.7/10
‘Among The Stars’ is a docu-series that will take you behind the scenes of NASA’s mission to repair a $2 billion science experiment, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, that aims to reveal the universe’s origins.
- Hubble’s cosmic journey (2015)
IMDb rating: 8/10
Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionised our understanding of the universe and become a global icon in its own right.
Narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, this is a story of NASA’s most successful science project ever in Hubble’s Cosmic Journey.
- Mars inside SpaceX (2018)
IMDb rating: 7.3/10
MARS: Inside SpaceX explores SpaceX’s plan to get humanity to Mars.
Filmed over three years—this journey will take you behind the scenes with Elon Musk and his engineers through their setbacks and triumphs.
- The Inventor: Out for blood in Silicon Valley (2019)
IMDb rating: 7.1/10
This is the story of ‘Theranos’, a multi-billion dollar med-tech company, its founder Elizabeth Holmes, the youngest self-made female billionaire, and the massive fraud that collapsed the company.
