Many films in the genre tackle poignant topics such as artificial intelligence and fun themes like interstellar travel.

After years of searching, she finds conclusive proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine.

At its core,Contactis a must-see science fiction film about the unquenchable search for truth.

The-10-Most-Thought-Provoking-Sci-Fi-Movies,-Ranked

Image via Nimesh Niyomal Perera

can be fully conscious.

Set in the upcoming year of 2027, it sees a chaotic world in which women have become infertile.

A miraculously pregnant woman, whom a former activist agrees to help transport to a sanctuary at sea.

Lena checking the inside of an alligator’s mouth in ‘Annihilation’

Image via Paramount Pictures

Banks must join forces with her crew to find a way to communicate with the extraterrestrial visitors.

Fans ofslow-burn science fictionare guaranteed to enjoy Villeneuve’s profound masterpiece.

As such, not only isSolaristechnically an incredible film, but it is also a thought-provoking, existentialist masterwork.

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However, its narrative is also responsible for its massive appeal.

It revolves around the discovery of a mysterious artifact on the Moon.

A spacecraft manned by two humans is sent to Jupiter to find its origins.

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This almost automatically makes it an essential thought-provoking sci-fi flick for anyone keen on the category.

LikeSolaris, it delves into what it means to find meaning and what we truly seek in life.

NEXT:35 Iconic Mind-Boggling Movies You Have to Watch Twice

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Aaron and Abe by their time machine in Primer.

Image via THINKFilm

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A shot of Jodie Foster inside a spaceship looking at the camera in Contact.

Image via Warner Bros.

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Ava looking at an A.I. prototype face in Ex Machina.

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From left to right: Theo (Clive Owen) embraces Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey), who embraces her child as soldiers evacuate them from a stairwell

Image via Universal Pictures

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Amy Adams in Arrival wearing a hazmat suit and holding a sign that has the word “human”.

Image via Paramount Pictures

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Donatas Banjonis as Kris Kelvin in the middle of a flower field in Andrei Tarkovsky’s ‘Solaris’ (1972)

Image via Mosfilm

Cooper, Brand, and Doyle exploring an ocean world with their ship behind them in Interstellar

Image via Paramount Pictures

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An astronaut inside a spaceship in 2001: A Space Odyssey

Image via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

A man in a stunning landscape in Stalker

Image via Goskino

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Interstellar