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Films with the genre "Science fiction", sorted by production date
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Master of the World (1934)
, 1h30Directed by Harry Piel
Genres Science fiction
Themes Robot films
Actors Walter Janssen, Sybille Schmitz, Willi Schur, Walter Franck, Aribert Wäscher, Siegfried Schürenberg
Wolf, as the half-crazy assistant to Dr. Heller, an inventor of robots, murders his master, and attempts to take over the world with his death-ray equipped robots. He then proceeds to borrow industrial robots all over the world for high fees. "Baumann", a mining engineer and friend of Dr. Heller, then visits Wolf in his entranched laboratory of Heller's company and learns about his plan. Having witnessed the despair of his co-workers who lost their jobs due to being replaced by robots he explains to Wolf that the people will revolt when they lose their jobs en masse. Wolf however wants to crush down any revolts using his war machines and reach for world domination. He is then prevented from attaining this goal by Baumann and Dr. Heller's widow, as he gets killed by his own invention.
The Return of Chandu (1934)
, 3h28Directed by Ray Taylor
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Horror, Romance
Themes Films about magic and magicians
Actors Bela Lugosi, Maria Alba, Clara Kimball Young, Lucien Prival, Murdock MacQuarrie, Wilfred Lucas
Béla Lugosi, in a rare sympathetic role, plays Frank Chandler: a powerful but kind man who has spent most of his life in the Orient, where he is renowned under the name of "Chandu the Magician" for his tremendous skill with White Magic. He is in love with the Princess Nadji of Egypt, who has lately escaped to America and is now staying with the Chandler family at their home in Beverly Hills, California. Princess Nadji believes she has left her troubles behind in Egypt, but when the Chandlers hold a party in her honor, she learns that her life is still in jeopardy, as are the lives of her friends. Chandu, presently arriving home from Egypt himself, is pursued by enemies at the airport, and only escapes by using his magic ring. At the party, some shady guests conspire to poison Princess Nadji, and Chandu arrives just in time to snatch the glass of deadly wine out of her hand.
The Vanishing Shadow (1934)
Directed by Lew Landers
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Action
Actors Onslow Stevens, Ada Williams, Walter Miller, Richard Cramer, Edmund F. Cobb, Monte Montague
Stanley Stanfield is the inventor of the Vanishing Ray, a wearable device which, when active, leaves only the user's shadow still visible. After meeting with a fellow scientist, Carl Van Dorn, a prototype is built. Stanley intends to sell bonds to finance his invention. He inherited them from his late father, an editor for the Tribune newspaper, but the stockbroker he meets is corruptly involved with Wade Barnett, the businessman who hounded Stanley's father to his death. Barnett wants the bonds and will go to any length to acquire them. A conflict ensues between Stanley and Barnett. However, Stanley's new girlfriend, Gloria Grant, is really Gloria Barnett, his enemy's estranged daughter. Neither hero nor villain wants to hurt Gloria and must work around this in their struggle. Many science fiction gadgets, including a robot and The Destroying Ray, also feature.
The Invisible Man (1933)
, 1h8Directed by James Whale
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Thriller, Horror
Themes Films based on science fiction novels, Invisibilité
Actors Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, Henry Travers, Una O'Connor, Forrester Harvey, Holmes Herbert
On a snowy night, a mysterious stranger, his face swathed in bandages and his eyes obscured by dark goggles, takes a room at The Lion's Head Inn in the English village of Iping in Sussex. The man demands that he be left alone. Later, the innkeeper, Mr. Hall (Forrester Harvey) is sent by his wife (Una O'Connor) to evict the stranger after he makes a huge mess in his room while doing research and falls behind on his rent. Angered, the stranger throws Mr. Hall down the stairs. Confronted by a policeman and some local villagers, he removes his bandages and goggles, revealing that he is invisible. Laughing maniacally, he takes off his clothes, making himself completely undetectable, and drives off his tormenters before fleeing into the countryside.
King Kong (1933)
, 1h35Directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack, Merian C. Cooper
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Thriller, Fantastic, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Horror
Themes Films about animals, Films about films, Dinosaur films, Films about magic and magicians, Seafaring films, La préhistoire, Transport films, Animaux préhistoriques, Films about apes, King Kong films, Giant monster films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère, Disaster films
Actors Fay Wray, Bruce Cabot, Robert Armstrong, Frank Reicher, Steve Clemente, James Flavin
In New York Harbor, Carl Denham, famous for making wildlife films in remote and exotic locations, charters Captain Englehorn's ship Venture for his new project, but he is unable to secure an actress for a female role he reluctantly added. Denham searches the streets of New York for a suitable woman. He meets penniless Ann Darrow and convinces her to join him for the adventure of a lifetime. The Venture quickly gets underway. The surly first mate, Jack Driscoll, gradually falls in love with Ann. After weeks of secrecy, Denham finally tells Englehorn and Driscoll that their destination is Skull Island, an uncharted island shown on a map in Denham's possession. Denham speaks of something monstrous there, a legendary entity known only as "Kong".
Alice in Wonderland (1933)
, 1h16Directed by Norman Z. McLeod
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Comedy, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Horror
Themes Films about animals, Films about magic and magicians, Monde imaginaire, Films about cats, Mise en scène d'un lapin ou d'un lièvre, Films based on Alice in Wonderland, Children's films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère
Actors Charlotte Henry, W. C. Fields, Edna May Oliver, Roscoe Ates, Cary Grant, William Austin
Left alone with a governess one snowy afternoon (Alice's sister does not appear in this version), Alice is supremely bored. She idly starts to wonder what life is like on the other side of the drawing room mirror, when she suddenly feels a surge of confidence and climbs upon the mantelpiece to look. She discovers that she can pass through the looking glass and finds herself in a strange room where many things seem to be the exact reverse of what is in the drawing room. Strangely, through all of this, the governess does not seem to notice what has happened.
It's Great to Be Alive (1933)
, 1h9Directed by Alfred L. Werker
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Comedy, Musical, Comic science fiction
Themes Medical-themed films, Post-apocalyptic films, Films about religion, Comedy science fiction films, Films set in the future, Musical films, Films about viral outbreaks, Political films, Dystopian films, Disaster films
Actors Gloria Stuart, Edna May Oliver, Raul Roulien, Herbert Mundin, Joan Marsh, Edward Van Sloan
A young aviator, Carlos Martin (played by Raul Roulien), is dumped by his girlfriend (Gloria Stuart), and heads on a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean. He has engine trouble and makes an emergency landing on an uninhabited island out in the Pacific. Shortly afterward, a global epidemic of a new disease called masculitis kills every fertile male human on the planet. When efforts to cure the disease fail, the human race is doomed. Humanity's institutions are all run by women, including the Chicago underworld. Carlos escapes the island, and once he returns home and hears the news, it now depends on him to continue the human race.
Men Must Fight (1933)
, 1h12Directed by Edgar Selwyn
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, War
Themes Political films, Films based on plays
Actors Diana Wynyard, Lewis Stone, Phillips Holmes, May Robson, Robert Young, Robert Greig
Nurse Laura Mattson (Diana Wynyard) and World War I military pilot Lt. Geoffrey Aiken (Robert Young) fall in love after only knowing each other for a few days. Tragically, he is brought to her hospital and, by chance, put under her care after being fatally wounded on his very first mission. After he dies, Laura realizes she is pregnant. Edward Seward (Lewis Stone) loves her and persuades her to marry him. As far as anyone knows, the child will be his.
Deluge (1933)
, 1h10Directed by Felix E. Feist
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Thriller
Themes Post-apocalyptic films, Films about religion, Films based on science fiction novels, Films set in the future, Political films, Dystopian films, Disaster films, American disaster films
Actors Peggy Shannon, Sidney Blackmer, Lois Wilson, Matt Moore, Fred Kohler, Edward Van Sloan
Scientists discover that a violent storm is heading toward New York and begin the warning process throughout the city. They believe that something is wrong with the natural barometer patterns and that an unprecedented event is imminent. A sudden eclipse of the sun verifies their notions and it seems that global destruction is near. Telegraphs from Rome and London explain days of unending earthquakes and state "The End of the World is at Hand." Tremendous earthquakes hit the Pacific Coast, killing millions and it is reported that the entire western coast of the US has been demolished. The earthquakes have also caused major tsunamis in the oceans and disaster is just moments away.
The Son of Kong (1933)
, 1h9Directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantastic, Comedy, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Horror
Themes Films about animals, Dinosaur films, Films about magic and magicians, Seafaring films, La préhistoire, Transport films, Animaux préhistoriques, Films about apes, King Kong films, Giant monster films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère, Disaster films
Actors Robert Armstrong, Helen Mack, Frank Reicher, Victor Wong, Clarence Wilson, Ralf Wolter
The story picks up about a month after the dramatic finale of the previous film and follows the further adventures of filmmaker Carl Denham, now implicated in numerous lawsuits following the destruction wrought by Kong. Denham leaves New York with the captain of the Venture, Captain Englehorn, who is certain it is just a matter of time before he is similarly served. Their efforts to make money shipping cargo around the Orient are less than successful. In the Dutch port of Dakang, Denham is amused to see there's a "show" being presented, so he and Englehorn attend. It turns out to be a series of performing monkeys, capped by a song ("Runaway Blues") sung by a young woman named Hilda.
The Tunnel (1933)
, 1h13Directed by Curtis Bernhardt
Origin France
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Crime
Actors Jean Gabin, Paul Hartmann, Madeleine Renaud, Attila Hörbiger, André Nox, Edmond van Daële
L'ingénieur Mac Allan est chargé de la construction d'un tunnel sous l'Atlantique, reliant l'Amérique à l'Europe. Malgré les intrigues et les sabotages, malgré une catastrophe qui tue sa jeune femme, Mac Allan parvient à mener sa tâche à bien, grâce à l'enthousiasme de ses collaborateurs et de ses ouvriers.
F.P.1 Doesn't Answer (1933)
Directed by Karl Hartl
Origin France
Genres Science fiction
Actors Charles Vanel, Danièle Parola, Jean Murat, Pierre Brasseur, Ernest Ferny, Marcel Vallée
Doctor X (1932)
, 1h16Directed by Michael Curtiz
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Thriller, Comedy, Horror, Crime
Themes Serial killer films
Actors Lee Tracy, Fay Wray, Lionel Atwill, Preston Foster, John Wray, Harry Beresford
Doctor X is a graphic mystery-horror film with some tongue-in-cheek comedic elements. It is considered by some to be of the "old dark house" genre of horror films, and takes place in 1932 New York City and Long Island.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)
, 1h35Directed by Rouben Mamoulian
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Disaster, Fantastic, Horror, Romance
Themes Serial killer films
Actors Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, Rose Hobart, Holmes Herbert, Halliwell Hobbes, Edgar Norton
The film tells the story of Dr. Henry Jekyll (Fredric March), a kind English doctor in Victorian London, who is certain that within each man lurks impulses for both good and evil. One evening, Jekyll attends a party at the home of his fiancée Muriel Carew (Rose Hobart), the daughter of Brigadier General Sir Danvers Carew (Halliwell Hobbes). After the other guests have left, Jekyll informs Sir Danvers that, after speaking to Muriel, he wants Carew's permission to push up their wedding date. Sir Danvers sternly refuses Jekyll's request. Later, while walking home with his colleague, Dr. John Lanyon (Holmes Herbert), Jekyll spots a bar singer, Ivy Pearson (Miriam Hopkins), being attacked by a man outside her boarding house. Jekyll drives the man away and carries Ivy up to her room to attend to her. Ivy begins flirting with Jekyll and feigning injury, but Jekyll fights temptation and leaves with Lanyon.
The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932)
, 1h8Directed by Charles Vidor, Charles Brabin
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Horror
Actors Boris Karloff, Lewis Stone, Myrna Loy, Jean Hersholt, Ferdinand Gottschalk, Karen Morley
Sir Denis Nayland Smith (Lewis Stone) of the British Secret Service warns Egyptologist Sir Lionel Barton (Lawrence Grant) that he must beat Fu Manchu in the race to find the tomb of Genghis Khan. The power-mad Fu Manchu (Boris Karloff) intends to use the sword and mask to proclaim himself the reincarnation of the legendary conqueror and inflame the peoples of Asia and the Middle East into a war to wipe out the "white race". Sir Lionel is kidnapped soon afterward and taken to Fu Manchu. Fu Manchu tries bribing his captive, even offering his own daughter, Fah Lo See (Myrna Loy). When that fails, Barton suffers the "torture of the bell" (lying underneath a gigantic, constantly ringing bell) in an unsuccessful attempt to get him to reveal the location of the tomb.