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Science fiction

Science fiction
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Science fiction. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Actor Jared Harris (centre) plays mathemetician Hari Seldon, seen here with Leah Harvey and Lou Llobell, in the Foundation TV series. Photo: Apple TV+
Books and literature

Opinion | Why Asimov’s Foundation series still resonates in the AI era

Social engineering: why Elon Musk, Nobel Prize winners and cult leaders are all obsessed with Asimov’s Foundation.

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American cinema

8 Hollywood films where AI is front and centre, from Terminator to Wall-E

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TV shows and streaming video

Review | Human Vapor: Shun Oguri, Yu Aoi anchor Netflix’s bold sci-fi thriller reboot

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American cinema

Review | Disclosure Day: Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi thriller is a flawed but fun ride

Starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor and Colin Firth, Disclosure Day starts well and features exciting set pieces, but the final act blows it.

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Emily Blunt as meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (left) and Josh O’Connor as cybersecurity expert Dr Daniel Kellner in a still from Disclosure Day (category IIA), directed by Steven Spielberg. Colin Firth co-stars.
European cinema

Review | Arco: Annecy winner is a charming Peter Pan-esque sci-fi fable for our times

Featuring voices including Natalie Portman and Mark Ruffalo, Ugo Bienvenu’s directorial debut Arco delivers a powerful ecological message.

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Fame and celebrity

Meet James Ortiz, voice of Rocky the alien in Project Hail Mary

The sci-fi epic based on Andy Weir’s novel of the same name is already a blockbuster hit – but who’s the voice behind Rocky the alien?

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China consumption

China’s sci-fi industry rides a tech wave as revenues hit record high

China’s sci-fi industry has built on the success of breakout hits like ‘The Three-Body Problem’, with revenues up over 15 per cent last year.

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Robots perform at the China Science Fiction Convention in Beijing. The Chinese sci-fi industry saw revenues reach a record high last year, according to a report released during the event. Photo: Xinhua
American cinema

Review | Project Hail Mary: Ryan Gosling is stranded in dull Martian clone

Ryan Gosling plays an astronaut on a mission to save Earth in this film directed by The Lego Movie’s Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

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Germany

Open-source sci-fi beloved in China tech circles sends geeks to ‘fix’ late Ming

The Morning Star of Linggao has attracted attention in the US but has remained outside the Chinese mainstream.

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China's military weapons

Everything we know about China’s mysterious, futuristic Nantianmen Project

Is it a storytelling vehicle for imaginative military hardware, blending science fiction with reality, or is it a glimpse of the future?

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A CCTV report said the “space-sky integrated” fighter jets of the sci-fi Nantianmen Project would one day become reality. Photo: CCTV
UFOs and Extraterrestrial Life

Are aliens real? Obama says yes but rules out long-running conspiracy

Barack Obama says a secretive US base isn’t holding extraterrestrials - unless a massive conspiracy kept him in the dark.

Razor wire and security cameras at the entrance to Area 51 in Nevada. Photo: Reuters
Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | All You Need Is Kill: Japanese novel behind Edge of Tomorrow gets animated

A young recruit is stuck in a time loop amid an alien invasion in All You Need Is Kill, an animated sci-fi thriller based on a light novel.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Wicked City and 2000 AD rewrote the rules of Hong Kong cinema

Tsui Hark-produced alien flick Wicked City and Gordon Chan’s 2000 AD were ambitious projects that tried things new to the Hong Kong industry.

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Science

Letters | Moving to Mars? First, bring the human ego under control

Readers discuss why humanity needs to manage the forces within rather than change planets, and the problem with delegating work to machines.

SpaceX’s Starship lifts off during a flight test in Boca Chica, Texas in 2024. Photo: Reuters
American cinema

Review | Mercy: Chris Pratt battles a virtual judge in flawed AI courtroom thriller

Chris Pratt plays a detective accused of murder who has 90 minutes to clear his name in this ‘screenlife’ thriller that fluffs its third act.

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Chris Pratt as Detective Chris Raven in a still from Mercy (category IIA), directed by Timur Bekmambetov. Rebecca Ferguson co-stars.
Asian cinema

Loved Back to the Past? 10 Asian time travel gems you may also enjoy

After the success of Louis Koo’s Back to the Past, here are 10 other Asian time-travelling movies that are well worth checking out.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Back to the Past: Louis Koo, Raymond Lam lead nostalgic film sequel

This big-budget sci-fi fantasy may be an emotional watch for fans of the 2001 Hong Kong show A Step into the Past, even if it falls short.

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United States

Director convicted of scamming millions from Netflix for unfinished sci-fi show

Carl Erik Rinsch, best known for ‘47 Ronin’, was convicted of wire fraud, money laundering and other charges.

Netflix studios in Los Angeles, California. Photo: AFP
Open Questions series

Open Questions | Why sci-fi’s Liu Cixin hopes AI surpasses humanity

The Three-Body Problem author on technology’s remorseless progress, why superintelligence isn’t a given and the decline of science fiction literature.

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Science

Opinion | Simulation hypothesis is really a proof for the existence of God

While science still disagrees on whether humanity lives in a simulation, philosophy has yet to rule out a ‘cosmic host’.

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TV shows and streaming video

AppleTV+ sci-fi Pluribus makes the end of the world look happier than ever

The new show from Breaking Bad’s creator about a cheery hivemind virus that infects humanity flips the script on the post-apocalyptic genre.

Rhea Seehorn (left) in a still from AppleTV+‘s Pluribus. Seehorn stars as Carol Sturka, one of the only humans not to have “joined” the majority who share the same memories, skills and proclivity for kindness. Photo: Apple TV/TNS
American cinema

Michael J. Fox looks back on Back to the Future as the sci-fi turns 40

Fox talks about the DeLorean, being suddenly thrown into the lead role of the 1985 film, and how it has become ‘more accessible’ with age.

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Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd in a still from Back to the Future (1985). Fox reflects on the landmark sci-fi film as it turns 40 years old. Photo: Universal Pictures via AP
American cinema

Why Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days, 30 this month, was ahead of its time

It bombed upon release, but this 1995 sci-fi with Ralph Fiennes offers a vivid portrait of contemporary society, and some prescient warnings.

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American cinema

Review | Tron: Ares – third time’s almost a charm for sci-fi film series

Starring Jared Leto and Greta Lee, Joachim Ronning’s Tron Ares is at times thrilling but features an overly familiar plot focusing on AI.

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US-China relations

China stakes a claim on the future with sci-fi and speculative fiction

Liu Cixin’s Three-Body trilogy and other Chinese works may challenge the West’s projection of capitalist society in fiction, experts say.

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Speculative fiction, cited in 2022 by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology as useful for promoting science engagement, has become an important platform to showcase China’s soft power. Photo: Xinhua
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Measure in Love: Angela Yuen and Greg Hsu in baffling fantasy romance

Benny Kung’s dystopian fairy tale in which humanity is separated across two sides of the ocean looks good but leaves basic logic far behind.

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Greg Hsu (left) and Angela Yuen in a still from Measure in Love (category IIA, Cantonese and Mandarin versions available), directed by Benny Kung.
Asian cinema: Korean films

Review | The Great Flood: Kim Da-mi can’t save bewildering Netflix sci-fi fantasy

Kim Da-mi stars in what begins as a disaster movie then spins off into science fiction, a move that will surely leave viewers floundering.

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Asean

Opinion | AI won’t provide the answer to today’s geoeconomic puzzles

No algorithm can predict how the clash of civilisations and economies on a global scale will unfold.

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