In celebration of its 40th anniversary, here are 5 reasons Back to the Future remains an iconic cultural phenomenon.

When I felt alone and invisible, Back to the Future became my way of accessing the world—and eventually connecting with others.

The characters in Max Barbakow’s terrific 2020 time-loop comedy Palm Springs confront their existential crisis with denial, anger, and curiosity. As someone who left the religion of my youth, I found that very familiar.

Alex Garland’s 2018 sci-fi horror film Annihilation shows that not all art is an equation to be solved.

12+1 questions with the Things Will Be Different director about his filmmaking influences, needle drops, directing actors, and more!

Everyone has that one movie from their childhood that first introduced them to the magic of cinema. For me, that was Steven Spielberg’s captivating 1977 sci-fi classic.

A sci-fi comedy featuring a large, mechanical T-Rex with a human brain? That’s cinema at its finest if you ask me.

Daniel Espinosa’s 2017 sci-fi horror film Life certainly borrows components from Alien and Gravity, but its whole is far greater than the sum of its parts.

12+1 questions on their favorite behind-the-scenes “what ifs”, MCU horror they’d love to see, casting the Ringer crew as X-Men, and much more!

As a fan of westerns, I enjoy watching how they have influenced and combined with other genres. But there’s one modern sci-fi western that remains 12 parsecs ahead of the rest.

12+1 questions about Michael J. Fox’s filmography and comedic timing, current trends in film editing, needle drops he’d love to use, and more.

12+1 questions with Jake and Sierra in a joint interview about their experience working on The Vast of Night, doing long takes, acting advice, and more.

12+1 questions about Biosphere, summer movies, Wisconsin being underrated, Barbie vs. Oppenheimer, and more.

Despite a wild storyline and all-star lineup, Repo! has not one trace of sarcasm, self-consciousness, or so much as the smallest amount of external context.

12+1 questions about working with Criterion and Andrew Stanton on the new cover design, his go-to sources of inspiration, his artistic style as a film genre, and more!

Rewatching the film as a non-religious adult, I’m glad I have grown out of my extremely narrow sense of certainty. But it also makes me wonder: how much have I actually changed?

Sure, Galaxy Quest is a modern classic of sci-fi comedy with an incredible cast and nerd cred. But did you know its characters match up perfectly with the 12 signs of the Zodiac?

Writer, actor, and comedian Matt Weinhold sweet-talks the 1974 cult classic film Zardoz.

The award-winning British electronic composer shares his favorite sci-fi film score.

If you had to live in one of these less-than-ideal sci-fi settings, which would it be?