There’s a common misconception that sci-fi and romance don’t mix. And though it is true that, often, sci-fi focuses a lot on the differences between the worlds being depicted and the ones we inhabit, that doesn’t mean the genre is completely devoid of emotion. We don’t invest in technology, after all, we invest in people – and the relationships those people manage to build, in the best and worst of times.
And though movies have much less time to build lasting romances than TV shows do, there are still some great sci-fi movies that have managed to depict the kind of romances that people cannot stop thinking about, even after the movie is done. Those romances don’t all look alike, and they don’t all follow the same tropes, but they do have one thing in common: they set the standard for not just the genre, but romance in general.
The Matrix Is the Standard for Sci-Fi Romance
It’s hard to sum up the cultural impact of The Matrix series. The movies, a trans allegory and a powerful critique of the ways technology can sometimes dominate humanity, don’t feel like the kind of storytelling that is rooted in romance. And yet, the guiding center of the journey the series embarks on is the love between Neo and Trinity, and the decisions both of them make based on that love.
The Matrix Resurrections, the fourth and final movie in the series, leaves no doubt about this theme. Yes, we have to be careful with the way we use technology. But that’s not the main theme of the movies. Above all, The Matrix is about how people are more important than machines and that one person you love can change your world – and be the reason you change the world.
The Fifth Element is At Heart a Love Story
The Fifth Element feels like a straight-up sci-fi adventure, and though it remains that throughout, the heart of the story is about love and the hope that it provides. The story does, after all, see Leelo basically only decide humanity is worth it because Korben Dallas loves her. And though her decision to give up has to do with empirical facts – humanity does kind of suck; love is the thing that makes her believe that people aren’t just one thing.
Love being at the center of storytelling isn’t new, but The Fifth Element is the kind of movie that, on the outside, looks like anything but a romance. It doesn’t even follow all the normal romantic beats. But it’s still a tale about the power of love, and how it makes life worth living and the universe worth saving.
Wall-E’s Romance is Different but Crucial
It shouldn’t be surprising to find a Pixar movie on this list. For all Pixar started with movies aimed at a younger audience, the studio has always done a really good job at telling stories about human emotions. And what is more human than love? Even if that love happens to develop between two very different robots, the aforementioned Wall-E and Eve.
At its heart, Wall-E is a critique of contemporary consumption patterns that harshly criticizes corporations and the culture of consumerism. But not so deep down, it’s also a story about how, even in the middle of a wasteland, you can find something – someone, that is perfect for you, even in imperfect ways. Sounds pretty romantic, right?
The Bicentennial Man Showcases the Enduring Power of Love
The Bicentennial Man, an adaptation of one of Isaac Asimov’s short stories, is the quintessential sci-fi tale. It features a robot, Andrew (played by Robin Williams), that develops the ability to eat, sleep, and even experience human emotions – even romantic ones. Of course, the movie is not so deep down a critical view of human social structures, as well as the roles people play in those. But, perhaps above all things, it’s a story about the power of love.
Not just romantic love, though the love story at its center is certainly important, but familial love too. Andrew might be a robot, but we follow his life in the film as he finds and loses his family, falls in love, and grapples with what it’s like to be truly human. There’s no real answer to the last question, but for Andrew, and for us, it has a lot to do with that love he discovers.
Gattaca Focuses on Why We Love Who We Love
Gattaca is another movie that is, ostensibly, about family – but that features a pretty good romance all while examining issues of discrimination. In the movie, discrimination is genetics-based, but the storyline makes a very good argument against discrimination in general, all while introducing a love story that reinforces that we don’t fall in love with people for what they are, but who they are.
The movie’s theme about the importance of individuality might be the thing people most remember about the film, but Ethan Hawke and Emma Thurman still do a pretty great job at selling a love that isn’t really about what society expects. And though the love story is left pretty open-ended, as is the film in general, like Vincent, we choose to have hope in the future. What else do we have?
The Adam Project Proves Love is At the Center of Every Story
The most recent addition to the list, The Adam Project is another very emotional story about familial love, and also a story about the ways we deal with loss – as well as the ways loss shapes us. In it, Adam literally travels through time to save the future the only way he can: by destroying time travel for good.
Big sci-fi themes permeate the movie, but underneath it all, The Adam Project is truly a story about love and about appreciating the time you have with your loved ones, whether they be the love of your life, the absent father you adore but lost way too soon, or the mother you always resented for not being able to fix a loss she was also broken by. The happy ending is just the icing on that cake.
