

The year is 2027, and mankind has slowly become infertile. Read the Empire reviewĭirector: Alfonso Cuaron Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Clare-Hope AshiteyHow grounded can a science-fiction film feel while still ultimately remaining a genre work? Alfonso Cuaron's harrowing human dystopia goes right down to the wire – there are flourishes of future-tech in Children Of Men, but its world feels a stone's throw from our own. It didn't have the box office impact of Cameron's big-hitters, but it's still worth submerging yourself into.
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Cameron's love of diving and his environmental side are on full display here, laying the groundwork for much of what he's gone on to since – from the waterworks of Titanic, to Avatar's bioluminescent planet, and the long-promised oceans of Pandora in the upcoming Avatar sequels.

At the heart of it is a team of expert divers who are hired to look for a missing nuclear submarine and find something much more fascinating. With its sub-aquatic entities (rendered with then-cutting-edge VFX that still looks good today) and a Jules Verne-ian sense of deep-sea exploration, The Abyss feels distinct from the usual space-bound sci-fi. Trust James Cameron, then – long before Avatar – to look to the other inky-black instead, the mysterious ocean depths. Director: James Cameron Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael BiehnMost sci-fi films look to the cosmos for signs of new life.
