HONOLULU (KHON2) — As 2024 marked the 20th anniversary of several major sci-fi films from 2004, it’s a perfect time to reflect on how they shaped the genre.
These films blended action, technology and adventure and offered bold new visions of the future.
From exploring the consequences of rapid technological advancement to depicting dramatic environmental disasters, they captured audiences with both thrilling narratives and deeper philosophical questions.
So, KHON2.com decided to revisit these classics this holiday season for a holiday watch list, in no particular order. These films remind us of the lasting impact of innovative storytelling in science fiction.
I, Robot
- Plot: A futuristic detective investigates a crime possibly committed by a robot, which contradicts the fundamental laws of robotics.
The Day After Tomorrow
- Plot: A global climate disaster leads to catastrophic weather events and a race to save humanity from an impending ice age.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
- Plot: Set in a retro-futuristic world, a flying ace and a reporter join forces to stop a mad scientist from destroying the world with giant robots.
The Chronicles of Riddick
- Plot: Riddick, a fugitive with special powers, becomes the key to preventing an intergalactic war.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- Plot: After a painful breakup, a couple undergoes a procedure to erase each other from their memories, only to regret their decision during the process.
Van Helsing
- Plot: Van Helsing, a legendary monster hunter, is sent to Transylvania to stop Count Dracula from unleashing an army of undead creatures.
The Incredibles
- Plot: A family of superheroes must come out of hiding to save the world from a new villain.
Alien vs. Predator
- Plot: The two iconic alien species, the Xenomorphs and Predators, collide in an ancient pyramid beneath the Antarctic ice.
I Am Legend
- Plot: The last human survivor of a post-apocalyptic world struggles to find a cure for humanity’s extinction while avoiding mutated creatures.
- This was released in 2004 as a teaser trailer and later fully released in 2007.
Thirteen Ghosts
- Plot: A family inherits a mansion that contains a strange collection of cursed spirits.
The Terminal
- Plot: A man from a fictional Eastern European country is stuck at New York’s JFK airport after his homeland undergoes a political coup, turning the airport into his home.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
- Plot: Arthur Dent is taken on a bizarre journey through space after the Earth is destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass, based on the novel by Douglas Adams.
The Butterfly Effect
- Plot: A young man discovers he can travel back in time to change his past, but doing so creates unintended consequences in the present.
Sky Blue (also known as Wonderful Days)
- Plot: Set in a dystopian future, the film follows a group of people trying to survive in a city ravaged by environmental collapse.
Primer
- Plot: Two engineers accidentally invent a time machine and struggle to deal with the consequences of their invention. Known for its complex, intellectual approach to time travel.
Control
- Plot: A psychological drama with sci-fi elements that focuses on a man who can control the lives of others through a strange, supernatural power.
Dawn of the Dead
- Plot: A group of survivors takes refuge in a shopping mall after a zombie outbreak ravages the world. As they struggle to survive, tensions rise and danger escalates.
The Notebook
- Plot: An elderly man reads a love story to a woman in a nursing home, recounting the passionate, transformative romance between a young couple from different social backgrounds.
Zatoichi
- Plot: A blind, wandering masseur and skilled swordsman arrives in a small village where he becomes entangled in a conflict between yakuza gangs seeking justice while hiding his true identity.
Now that you have your list, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season and that these films give you a bit to reflect on as we move into 2025. Happy New Year!