Our list of best low budget high concept films you need to watch.
In this day and age, when computer-generated imagery (CGI) is able to create the most outrageous special effects for movies, it is ironic that instead of engendering more creativity, CGI has become a crutch for film studios/producers/directors. Thus, CGI has replaced effective story-telling, dazzling audiences with visual gimmicks that provide superficial gratification for the eye without anything left over for the soul.
Whilst CGI has certainly benefitted the super-hero movie genre the most, it has also at times marginalized the strength of super-hero stories to begin with – strong characters and plot. Recent casualties of this trend include Man of Steel and Amazing Spider-Man 2, where the sheer massive scale of the battles begins to wear on the filmgoer and taxing that tenuous suspension of disbelief. And please do not get me started on the Transformer or Hobbit movie franchise.
Invariably, scifi geeks (like yours truly) have had to search for high concept flicks with low budgets where directors & writers have had to resort to creative means to tell an effective story. Thankfully, there have been quite a few in recent years that fit this description. Here’s a handy list for your reference (not necessarily in order of merit).
District 9 (Directed by Neill Blomkamp)
Watch on Amazon.
Moon (Directed by Duncan Jones)
Watch on Amazon.
Mr. Nobody (Directed by Jaco Van Dormael)
Watch on Amazon.
Predestination (Directed by the Spierig Brothers)
Watch on Amazon.
The Signal (Directed by William Eubank)
Watch on Amazon.
The Machinist (Directed by Brad Anderson)
Watch on Amazon.
The Machine (Directed by Caradog W. James)
Watch on Amazon.
Monsters (Directed by Gareth Edwards)
Watch on Amazon.
Upstream Color (Directed by Shane Carruth)
Watch on Amazon.
Open Your Eyes (Directed by Alejandro Amenábar)
Watch on Amazon.
Did we miss out any film worthy of inclusion? Let us know in the comments section.