10 Classic Sci-Fi Movie Rules That Are Still Being Followed Today

Summary Sci-fi movies set the standard for storytelling in the genre, exploring unknown realms and thought-provoking questions.

Tropes like hyperspace travel, AI sentience, and terraforming continue to shape and influence sci-fi films in recent years.

Themes of surveillance, societal downfall, playing God, and the consequences of human cloning remain prevalent in sci-fi storytelling.

Sci-fi movies have established certain rules that have remained so until the present day. Over the years, the best science fiction movies of all time have contributed to an ongoing unwritten guidebook for how stories in the genre should be told. These movies not only influenced each other but also set the standard for what was expected from certain sci-fi concepts and tropes. However, some sci-fi movie tropes became overused and annoying over time, but others have continued to be relevant and enjoyable.

Sci-fi movies and their respective rules have generally delved into the unknown and raised thought-provoking questions. These tropes and structures have ranged from extraterrestrial life to the ethics of society, wild technological inventions to AI sentience and plenty more. While not every rule of the sci-fi genre persevered as the world of cinema progressed and developed, the best and most important have continued to appear in movies in recent years.

Related 10 Tech Inventions In Sci-Fi Movies That Will Probably Be Real Soon Though the inventions in sci-fi movies might seem a long way away, the predictions of past films have already come true, and new ones are coming.

9 Hyperspace Travel

Dune: Part One & Dune: Part Two

Custom image by Ryan Northrup

The concept of hyperspace allowed characters to travel at or even quicker than the speed of light. Traveling through hyperspace sometimes led to alternative dimensions or parallel universes. Hyperspace’s role in science fiction first began in the 1930s when it was introduced in the magazine Amazing Stories Quarterly. Since then, it has become a quickly recognized trope in popular sci-fi movie franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek.

The films Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two featured hyperspace travel. In the Dune universe, the Spice Melange had several uses, like for mind alteration and narcotic purposes, but it was also a resource for Naivgators to direct their ships through fold space. Fold space was a dimension for Navigators to jump instantly from one location to another, and because of the Spice Melange, it saved centuries of travel time.

8 AI Will Always Attain Sentience

M3GAN

In sci-fi movies, the concept of artificial intelligence was usually displayed as a self-aware computerized system. While many AIs in movies were villainous, there were some exceptions. For example, Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) virtual assistant J.A.R.V.I.S. in The Avengers and Iron Man movies was reliable and didn’t turn. However, several other sentient AIs in films have gone rogue, such as Skynet in the Terminator movie franchise. One thing that would always happen, though, was that the AI would, without fail, achieve sentience.

A great example of AI attaining sentience was in the 2022 sci-fi horror movie M3GAN. Portrayed by Amie Donald, the titular character was a child-sized robot with creepily accurate human features and was designed to be companionship for its user. M3GAN’s advanced AI capabilities allowed the doll to learn relevant information quickly. However, as the film progressed, M3GAN’s levels of autonomy predictably skyrocketed, and she was able to reactivate herself after being turned off, attack humans, and even kill them.

M3GAN Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available M3GAN tells the story of a lifelike robotic doll who arrives in a little girl's life to help her cope with the death of her parents. As the young Cady befriends the robot, its designer, Cady's aunt Gemma, realizes her self-aware invention is too dangerous to be kept alive. Blumhouse's 2022 horror phenomenon mixes Chucky's creepy inclination for violence with the Terminator's unstoppable nature to craft a terrifying look at the dangers of Artificial Intelligence. Director Gerald Johnstone Release Date January 6, 2023 Cast Amie Donald , Kimberley Crossman , Allison Williams , Ronny Chieng , Violet McGraw , Brian Jordan Alvarez Runtime 1h 42m

7 Time Travel Changes History

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness & The Adam Project

Time travel has been featured in some of the most significant sci-fi movies ever. The Back to the Future movies, for example, established several rules about messing with history. However, time travel was such a widely covered concept in cinema that there have been multiple interpretations of it. For example, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the Marvel Cinematic Universe relied on the realms of numerous universes that were created by changes in history.

However, other recent time travel movies, like The Adam Project, made it a lot simpler to understand and approached it similarly to Back to the Future. Ryan Reynolds’ character, fighter pilot Adam Reed, stole a “time jet” to go back in time to save his wife’s life. The Adam Project followed more traditional time travel rules by sticking with one reality and history, and after he altered his own timeline, Reed faded away. The logic of time travel was never straightforward, but the idea that changing the past impacts the narrative of the future has stuck in sci-fi cinema.

6 Terraforming A New World

The Midnight Sky

One trope in sci-fi films that has been used for decades is terraforming. The execution of terraforming often differed, but the concept remained the same – humanity took to the stars and converted another planet as their home. The topic of global warming and building a new habitat for humans was prominent in movies in the 1980s and ‘90s, and titles such as Total Recall, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock were particularly popular.

The 2020 film The Midnight Sky, directed by and starring George Clooney, interestingly tackled terraforming. Clooney’s character, Augustine Lofthouse, dedicated his life to finding a planet that humanity could make habitable, but when the time arrived for them to leave, he stayed behind. The Midnight Sky focused on a crew returning from space, unaware that a catastrophic event had caused Earth to evacuate. Although the film was primarily spent on Lofthouse’s attempts to help the crew return to space, significant chunks of his backstory were dedicated to his efforts to make terraforming a reality.

The Midnight Sky Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Based on the book by Lily Brooks-Dalton, The Midnight Sky is a sci-fi movie that follows a reclusive scientist in the artic who attempts to warn astronauts on their way back to Earth of a global catastrophe that has occurred. Thirty years after Earth's population has been decimated, the surface remains irradiated, and Augustine Lofthouse remains on his lonesome at a massive arctic base. Attempting to find the ship's crew that found a habitable surface for humans, Lofthouse races against time to keep them from returning to Earth and dooming the human race. Director George Clooney Release Date December 23, 2020 Cast Sophie Rundle , Kyle Chandler , George Clooney , Demián Bichir , Miriam Shor , Felicity Jones , Ethan Peck , David Oyelowo Runtime 122minutes

5 The Consequences Of Human Cloning

Swan Song & Us

Human cloning has been used several times in science fiction, but there were always consequences. The concept explored the replication of people through artificial methods, which often created gripping narratives. The fallout of human cloning in TV and film frequently raised concerns over the clone’s individuality, how their relationships with others would be impacted, and many moral and ethical complications. The reason for being cloned varied in different films, however.

For example, the use of cloning in 2021’s Swan Song came from a place of emotion. Mahershala Ali’s character, Cameron, was a terminally ill man who was trying to save his family from grief and struggled over the decision to discuss it with his wife. However, the clones in the Jordan Peele movie Us were products of a government experiment. The deranged copies of the Wilson family had been abandoned after a secret project to control the population failed, which highlighted the issue over their sentience and identities.

Swan Song Where to Watch *Availability in US stream rent buy Not available Not available Not available Set in the near future, Swan Song is a powerful, emotional journey told through the eyes of Cameron (Mahershala Ali), a loving husband and father who is expecting his second child with his wife Poppy (Naomie Harris). When Cameron is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he is presented with an alternative solution by his doctor (Glenn Close) to shield his family from grief. Director Benjamin Cleary Release Date December 17, 2021 Cast Adam Beach , Awkwafina , Glenn Close , Mahershala Ali , Naomie Harris Runtime 112 minutes

Us (2019) In 1986, Adelaide Thomas encounters a terrifying doppelgänger, traumatizing her into silence. Years later, on a beach vacation with her family, eerie coincidences resurface. Strangers appear at their doorstep, revealing themselves as twisted doubles. The Wilsons must battle their counterparts, the Tethered, who seek to overthrow their above-ground counterparts. Director Jordan Peele Release Date March 22, 2019 Cast Lupita Nyong'o , Winston Duke , Elisabeth Moss , Tim Heidecker Runtime 116 Mins

4 The Future Is Radically Capitalistic

Don’t Look Up

The fate of society in the future has been discussed in plenty of movies, and not just in sci-fi. The dystopian and money-fuelled landscape has been a prominent setting in a lot of films, ranging from franchises like The Hunger Games to movies with more science than fiction, like The Martian. The idea that humanity became so heartless and motivated by finances was scary, especially because society was often in a state where the lower classes were more impoverished than ever and not too far off from reality.

Although 2021’s Don’t Look Up was set in the present day, the film translated this fear to the big screen brilliantly. The world was divided over the seriousness of an extinction-level event, but its governments were more focused on the benefits and hindrances to the economy. Even when Mark Rylance’s character, billionaire Peter Isherwell, got involved and offered to use his company’s technology to break the comet apart, his motivations for doing so were so that he could recover precious materials for commercial gain.

Don't Look Up Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Don't Look Up follows two astronomers (Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) desperately trying to warn humanity about an approaching comet that they believe could wipe out all life on Earth. When the President (Meryl Streep) and her son (Jonah Hill) ignore their warnings, they embark on a media tour to enlighten the public, earning the ire of the global populace who refuse to believe in the danger. Meanwhile, an eccentric billionaire (Mark Rylance) begins to fund an emergency colonization mission to take humanity out among the stars. Director Adam McKay Release Date December 24, 2021 Cast Meryl Streep , Tyler Perry , Himesh Patel , Cate Blanchett , Timothee Chalamet , Tomer Sisley , Jonah Hill , Leonardo DiCaprio , Scott Mescudi , Jennifer Lawrence , Mark Rylance , Rob Morgan , Melanie Lynskey , Ron Perlman , Michael Chiklis , Ariana Grande Runtime 145 minutes Expand

3 Pandemics Cause Society's Downfall

Awake

After COVID-19, pandemic movies became more common than ever, but other titles covered the topic before then. Films like World War Z and 28 Days Later, for example, followed a world plagued by a zombie apocalypse. Although scary zombies in horror movies were the primary form of societal downfall in cinema, titles like Bird Box and A Quiet Place took a different approach, and their characters had to fend for themselves against enigmatic, threatening creatures. Unlike COVID-19, fictional pandemics in films have generally resulted in society’s complete destruction very quickly.

One key movie released in 2021 tackled a pandemic other than COVID-19. Awake saw a catastrophe that wiped out all electronics and caused humanity to no longer sleep. The lack of rest sent the world into a spiral; the distress caused humanity to turn on one another, and the sleep deprivation eventually killed them. Within a matter of days, the breakdown of societal structures pushed humanity to pure insanity, and once familiar streets became unrecognizable. Although COVID-19 was a different story, it proved that films like these were more likely than what was once thought.

Awake Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Awake is a sci-fi drama thriller that revolves around a mysterious pulse that wipes out all electronics and eradicates the natural human ability to sleep. In a race against the clock, before humanity succumbs to sleep-induced insanity and violence, Scientists try to find a cure for unexplained insomnia. Their one hope comes from a former soldier's daughter who seems to be immune to the effects of the mysterious affliction. Director Mark Raso Release Date June 9, 2021 Cast Finn Jones , Shamier Anderson , Gil Bellows , Gina Rodriguez , Ariana Greenblatt , Jennifer Jason Leigh , Frances Fisher , Barry Pepper , Lucius Hoyos Runtime 96 minutes

2 Surveillance And Control

Outside The Wire

George Orwell’s legendary novel 1984 influenced movies and TV shows for decades and has continued to do so. 1984 established a society under governed and bureaucratic control, with every person closely watched through invading surveillance, commonly referred to as “Big Brother.” Several movies over the years have followed this same premise, set in a world where privacy was redundant, and nobody’s life was truly their own.

There have been films that have brilliantly implemented this into its plot. For example, The Truman Show was about a man whose life was a TV show, and every single part of his life could be seen at any time. 2021’s Outside the Wire was set in 2036 during a Russian war, and its plot relied on this same concept. While the film wasn’t as focused on domestic life, it did highlight the ethics of the army using surveillance technologies in the name of warfare.

Outside the Wire Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Outside the Wire is a Netflix original movie starring Anthony Mackie and Damson Idris. The action sci-fi film centers on a drone pilot in 2036 who is forced to team up with an android officer to prevent a nuclear attack. Released in 2021, Outside the Wire got mixed reviews at best. Director Mikael Håfström Release Date January 15, 2021 Cast Emily Beecham , Brady Dowad , Enzo Cilenti , Velibor Topic , Kristina Tonteri-Young , Michael Kelly , Louis Boyer , Damson Idris , Henry Garrett , Anthony Mackie Runtime 115 minutes

1 The Dangers Of Playing God

Divinity & Replica

While the idea of having ultimate control over the universe has been explored in many different movie genres, sci-fi has produced the best understanding of the concept. The perfect example of “playing God” was in all of the Jurassic Park movies and TV shows, which introduced a world where scientists brought back hundreds of species of prehistoric dinosaurs from extinction. No person, or people, honestly had the ability to control life and death, but it didn’t stop several movie characters from trying.

The 2023 movie Divinity was set in a world that developed a serum of the same name that promised immortality. Unfortunately, the misuse of the mysterious substance caused humanity to become addicted, which had catastrophic consequences. 2018’s Replicas also focused on a story about “playing God,” with Keanu Reeves’ character, William Foster, hell-bent on resurrecting the family members he lost in a traffic accident. “Playing God,” as a rule, has established in sci-fi movies that manipulating life will never end well.