There are still a few years left in the 2020s, but it’s already been a fantastic decade for science fiction movies. The Dune films are likely the biggest highlight, as director Denis Villeneuve has finally brought the proper scale to Frank Herbert’s novels from the 1960s. The 2010s were certainly a better decade for the superhero sub-genre of sci-fi than the 2020s have been, particularly for Marvel Studios, but there have still been some breakout comic book films like Deadpool & Wolverine, Superman, and a trio of Spider-Man films. Even some non-franchise sci-fi films have managed to achieve greatness, like Project Hail Mary.
Of course, a huge part of the success of these films has been their scripts, which is why I decided to take a crack at figuring out the best sci-fi quotes of the decade thus far. There are a lot of good ones to choose from and plenty of room for debate. And surely, as the 2020s advance, at least a couple of these quotes will be eclipsed by others. But for now, these five are the best I could find.
5
Mickey 17
Bong Joon Ho’s 2025 film Mickey 17, which he both wrote and directed, features a wonderfully original, darkly funny concept. In a not-too-optimistic view of the year 2050, the dirtiest jobs done by mankind are given to “expendables,” people who consent to being cloned over and over again if they die on a job. Once an expendable dies, a new one is printed out at the same age and they’re uploaded with the most recent backup of the previous clone’s memories. Robert Pattinson plays Mickey Barnes in the film, as well as his various clones. It’s Mickey’s 17th clone, however, that the story focuses on, hence the title.
The movie is quite funny and the most darkly humorous line comes from Mickey’s narration, when he says the following:
“Even on my 17th go-around, I hate dying.”
The line is absurd on its face, but Pattinson delivers it with hilarious understatement, like someone complaining about bad weather. Mickey 17 is a very good film, largely because of writing like this.
4
28 Years Later
23 years after the release of the 2002 zombie thriller 28 Days Later, director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland returned with the follow-up 28 Years Later. With so many zombie movies out there, it might be hard to imagine anyone finding new ground to explore, but Boyle and Garland did exactly that with the wholly original character of Dr. Ian Kelson, played by Ralph Fiennes.
Dr. Kelson was a general practitioner before the world ended, and nearly three decades later, he lives on his own, studying those infected with the rage virus. Meanwhile, he has erected a morbid, beautiful monument to the dead called the Bone Temple, made up of thousands of skulls. At one point in the film, Kelson explains his monument to Spike (Alfie Williams), the boy at the center of the film’s story, and his explanation is nearly Shakespearean.
“There were so many dead, infected and non-infected alike. Because they are alike. Every skull is a set of thoughts. These sockets saw and these jaws spoke and swallowed. This is a monument to them, a temple.”
3
Superman
Granted, this one is as much a monologue as it is a single quote, but it’s too good not to include. In 2025, James Gunn’s Superman finally restored a sense of optimism to the Man of Steel. Superman is a character that the audience needs to believe in, and Gunn, who wrote and directed the film, achieved that with the help of actor David Corenswet.
Superman can be a tough character to relate to for any audience, given his immense power, but the film imbued him with a sense of humility and vulnerability, making him the best representation of the character since Christopher Reeve. The greatest example of that relatability comes when he confronts Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) towards the end of the film, and Hoult insults Superman, calling him nothing more than an alien. In response, Superman delivers a speech that is positively uplifting and exemplifies his innate goodness.
This is what Superman says:
“That is where you’ve always been wrong about me, Lex,” says Superman. “I am as human as anyone. I love, I get scared. I wake up every morning, and despite not knowing what to do, I put one foot in front of the other, and I try to make the best choices I can. I screw up all the time, but that is being human, and that’s my greatest strength. And someday, I hope, for the sake of the world, you understand that it’s yours too.”
2
Dune
Technically, this line dates back to 1965, as Frank Herbert included it several times in his original Dune novel, but Villeneuve, along with his two co-screenwriters Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth, also used it to great effect in the 2021 film.
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.”
This is the opening line of the “Litany Against Fear,” a mantra used by members of the House of Atreides. The House of Atreides is a noble family at the center of the struggle for control of Arrakis, a harsh desert planet which contains spice, the universe’s most valuable resource. Several characters say this line in both the novel and the film to fortify their will against impossible odds and the line is just as resonant in the 2020s as when Frank Herbert first wrote it.
1
Project Hail Mary
The beauty of Project Hail Mary is how uplifting it is. The movie is about a scientist named Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) who travels to a distant star to find out how to save Earth from destruction by what is essentially a solar virus. Early in the film, however, he’s convinced he’s not equipped for space travel or the responsibility of the Earth-saving mission.
In one early scene, Grace is speaking with mission commander Yao Li-Jie (Ken Leung) and Grace tells him “I don’t have the bravery gene that you all have.” With a sense of moral certainty, this is Yao’s reply:
“It’s not a gene. You just need someone to be brave for.”
At that moment in the film, Grace almost disregards what seems like a platitude, but the sincere, heartfelt quote proves to be the core of the whole film, as Grace learns to be brave for the sake of all mankind.
