Tired of the constant sequels, book-based, unoriginal movies that have flooded the box office this summer, I decided to look back and came up with a short list of movies that have left me thinking, even after the credits.
1. Interstellar
I personally thought this film was the best film of 2015. Directed by Christopher Nolan, Interstellar depicts the story of Cooper's (Matthew McConaughey) interstellar travel for the survival of mankind. This movie has it all: action, amazing score by Hans Zimmer, time travel, stunning CGI, and even philosophical paradox. It can become hard to understand once concepts like multidimensionality and Bootstrap paradox is introduced, but upon understanding, it will leave you with endless thoughts.
2. Minority Report
How would you feel if the police could foresee future crimes that you will commit? Tom Cruise plays the role of John Anderton, the chief of Pre-crime unit in Washington D.C. in the year 2054. Minority Report brings up topics such as determinism and free will. Can you still have free will when your future is predicted? Is free will an illusion? These questions will linger in your mind upon finishing this film.
3. The Prestige
Another film by Christopher Nolan, The Prestige depicts a rivalry between two 19th-century magicians played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale. Nolan plays with the concept of illusion, reality, and perception in the film. The movie itself is like an illusion magic trick; the audience sees the outward appearance while being truly deceived. I thought I knew what was going on, but in the end, it turned out I didn't. Upon watching it the second time, I was able to pick up on clues that Nolan left, and I couldn't believe I was oblivious to them. Very similar to how a magic trick seems obvious when you know the secret. This is a film that is worth watching a second, third time, and it will still bring new surprises that you didn't catch before.
4. Se7en
This gritty film noir by David Fincher, the director of Fight Club, Gone Girl and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions that will leave you exhausted in the end. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman play two detectives that are on the hunt for a serial killer (Kevin Spacey) that is murdering based on the seven deadly sins. This movie makes you question the concept of absolute morality, a black and white moral judgment that we are taught since we were young. Can absolute morality still stand in amidst of great depravity? Or are people forced to adjust their morality based on their environment?
5. Her
This movie was directed by Spike Jonze, a director with an eclectic list of movies containing Being John Malkovich, Jackass, and Where the Wild Things Are. This movie is set in the future and explores the relationship between Samantha, a computer named AI, and Theodore Twombly, a human. This movie asks you to reevaluate topics such as artificial intelligence, consciousness and love. As technology and artificial intelligence, such as Siri, become more advanced, we have to ask ourselves: Will it ever be conscious like us? Ever since we have been building computers, we have been wondering if they will ever be as complex as us. So, Alan Turing came up with the Turing Test, in order to test if the machine could think like us. Now, we have supercomputers that can beat pro chess players and make decisions for us, so the question of "Can it think?" has long passed. Can it fall in love? Is its consciousness different from ours? Is silicon and plastic hardware any different from neuron synapses? This film makes you ponder these questions as the film progresses.
Personally, I prefer original movies like these instead of the trite, overplayed superhero movies that dominate the box offices every summer. Rather than mindless action (I'm looking at you, Michael Bay), I'd like to see more thought-provoking films for the remainder of this year.
