Building Better Worlds

Experience three of sci-fi’s most daring future visions like never before on Blu-ray

Science fiction has repeatedly built breathtaking worlds, places which fuel the imagination, indulge the eyes and render the jaw incapable of movement away from the floor. From Star Wars to Avatar, alien worlds are a common sight on screen, but it takes something extra special to construct a believable vision of our own future – an artform in its own right. Now the future looks better than ever on Blu-ray. Here are three movies worth upgrading…

I, Robot

In director Alex Proyas’s adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s definitive short story collection I, Robot, Will Smith plays a no-nonsense police officer investigating the first case of robo-homicide in 2035 Chicago. The filmmakers worked hard to craft an authentic vision of the future, grounded in science, and consulted advisors to make projections on how society would look in 30 years time. Rather than underground cities or motorways in the sky, urban blight and decrepit 20th century architecture persist, mixed with inner-city prosperity and cutting edge design.
Better On Blu-ray: In stunning high definition this unique window into the future looks breathtaking, with vibrant, natural colour reproduction, pin-sharp detail and crisp, life-like textures. In fact we’d go so far to say it looks better than it did in the cinema – indeed, it’s referred to as a reference quality disc among home cinema enthusiasts.

Sunshine

Alex Garland was inspired to write Sunshine after coming across theories on the heat death of the universe. This was the starting point for a thriller that feels knee-knockingly plausible – the Sun is dying and Earth is turning into the next Hoth. Our only hope – a mission to kick-start the star with a nuclear device.
Setting the film a mere 50 years in the future to maintain familiarity, director Danny Boyle hired advisors like top TV physicist Professor Brian Cox, who talks about the science of the film in detail on the Blu-ray’s superb commentary track.
Better On Blu-ray: Blu-ray captures the intense, high contrast blacks of deep space in a way DVD never could, while occasional flashes of solar orange and lush green vegetation would make a trip to the Amazon look dull. And the Underworld soundtrack? You haven’t heard it till you’ve heard it in breathtaking Blu-ray surround sound.

Minority Report

The daddy of them all is Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report, a film so advanced and prescient on its release that reality is only just catching up, with technology like targeted advertising, motion-sensing interfaces and retinal scanners
In 1999, Spielberg invited 15 experts to a hotel in California for a three day think tank. The idea: to create a plausible “future reality” for 2054. Production designer Alex McDowell kept a “2054 bible”, a guide to their decisions which you can learn about on the Blu-ray’s exclusive bonus features .
Better On Blu-ray: Over an hour of exclusive features include an interview with Spielberg, featurettes on the film’s coolest props and an unmissable conversation with Philip K Dick’s daughter about the author’s work. The beautiful visuals come from a Spielberg-approved HD master, using the latest tools to make the images look amazing.

Check out Fox’s Better On Blu-Ray releases for April

Dave is a TV and film journalist who specializes in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He's written books about film posters and post-apocalypses, alongside writing for SFX Magazine for many years.