Before Ready Player One, watch these five Steven Spielberg sci-fi classics

One cannot utter the phrase science-fiction, and not mention ET: The Extra-Terrestrial. The 1982 film was emotional, packed with nuanced performances and a narrative that struck a chord with everyone.

An alien finds himself on earth and befriends a boy who is trying to come to terms with his parents’ divorce.

The movie was emblematic of the 1980s as rumours regarding UFOs and aliens were aplenty. The film was a great success and went on to earn nine Oscar nominations.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

Based on the short story called Supertoys Last All Summer Long, the 2001 sci-fi film was directed and produced by Spielberg, with a script penned by the man himself. The movie starred Jude Law, Brendan Gleeson, Haley Joel Osment and Frances O’Connor in pivotal roles.

The story revolves around an android who has been programmed to love. It’s an emotional robot, people. And the film is obviously set in the future. The android is played by Osment, who displays love to its owners.

A collaboration between the late Stanley Kubrick and Spielberg, the film boasts of great visuals and a coherent, concrete structure that really pulls you in. Mirroring Pinnochio, the android called David, also wants to be ‘alive’, become a real boy who can feel emotions, play with his friends and live a life. What follows is both heartbreaking and spellbinding in equal measure.

Minority Report

Inspired by the short story of the same name by Philip K Dick, Tom Cruise starrer Minority Report was truly mind-boggling. A unique blend of neo-noir and sci-fi, Spielberg’s film brings the best of both the worlds to the table.

Set in the year 2054, where a police department operates and catches criminals based on the predictions made by psychics called precogs, it is ‘commercial’ in the sense that it dwells well into the cop-chase movie, but it turns it on its head in the most exciting manner. Released in 2002, the film also features Colin Farell, Samantha Morton, and Max von Sydow in significant roles.

Jurassic Park

Now, this is not your traditional sci-fi film. It’s often described as an action-adventure drama, but for those who have paid enough attention, that section of the audience also describes Jurassic Park as a science-fiction movie.

Based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, the film was released in 1992, and thereafter went on to become the cult classic that it is considered today.

What happens when a group of scientists decides it would be fun to clone a wildlife park full of dinosaurs? Mayhem ensues. People run, people scatter like grains on the floor, people die. The film starred Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough and Bob Peck in pivotal roles. And the memorable music of the movie was given by the one and only John Williams.

War of the Worlds

HG Wells would have liked this adaptation of his novel. Or maybe, it would have been a tad bit much for him. Well, we will never know. But the film is a little melodramatic, not the kind of melodramatic you would usually associate with the word, but as far as Spielberg’s movies go, it’s a bit out there.

However, that didn’t stop this Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning starrer from raking in big numbers at the box office. The film is about a man who does everything in his power to protect his loved ones after aliens invade earth.