Just 1 Sci-Fi Movie Released in the Last 5 Years Earned 100% on Rotten Tomatoes
Whatever you're thinking, you're almost certainly wrong.
Summary
- Some big-budget movies have fallen short of 100% on RT.
- It may not have won any Oscars, but this movie ticks all the boxes.
- It's a dystopian, sci-fi thriller that's now available to stream.
Sci-fi has been one of the most popular movie genres over the years. As a result, the bar is set pretty high when it comes to quality. Blade Runner, Star Wars, Terminator, Alien, the list goes on.
Often, new movies in the genre fail to reach the heights of some of the legendary films that have come before. But a Korean offering is the only sci-fi film to score 100% on Rotten Tomatoes in the last 5 years.
A few came close
Some big movies have ranked high on Rotten Tomatoes in recent years without reaching 100%.
Steampunk sci-fi Poor Things won 90 awards, including 2 Oscars, but only scored 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. Slightly higher is They Cloned Tyrone, a sci-fi comedy starring John Boyega and Jamie Foxx. Other notable sci-fi films of recent years include Guardians of the Galaxy 3, which scored 82%. This follows a descending pattern of 92% for the original film and 85% for part 2. Avatar: The Way of the Water scored 76%. Again, this was lower than the original, which scored 76%. The chilling yet silly M3GAN scored 93% for its blend of humor and abject terror.
And the winner is…
It wasn't recognized at the Oscars, but the Korean sci-fi film with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes is Concrete Utopia.
Released in August 2023, the film has been critically acclaimed and won 14 awards at the Korean awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Cinematography.
What's it about?
Concrete Utopia is a dystopian disaster sci-fi film set in Seoul. After a massive earthquake, the city has been almost completely destroyed. The only building left standing is the Imperial Palace Apartments.
Fearing that outsiders will invade their concrete utopia, and having to find a way to live within the confines of the apartment block, the residents elect a leader and agree to work together to ensure their survival. But under immense outside pressure and with limited resources, tensions begin to rise among the residents.
Think Lord of the Flies and you're in the right ballpark.
What's so good about it?
All the best disaster movies present their protagonists with tough choices. But they're not always too close to the world their viewers inhabit. While a massive earthquake that destroys an entire capital city except for one building is thankfully not something we can all relate to, the concept of examining how far communities will go to "protect" their land from outsiders is very relevant today.
But it's not just the premise that makes the film so compelling. It's a harrowing story that forces viewers to ask deep philosophical questions and will stay with you long after the credits roll. There are also some excellent acting performances, not least from Lee Byung-hun, who starred in the G.I. Joe franchise, The Magnificent Seven (2016), and Terminator Genisys. He also had a recurring role as the Front Man in Squid Game.
Concrete Utopia is available to stream on Netflix and Apple TV+.