The early 2000s were a hotbed of strange science fiction, thanks to a combination of edgy 90s cultural malaise and the messy birth of modern VFX. No genre of cinema was more affected by the evolution of effects from mostly practical to mostly CGI than science fiction, but there are still some great hidden gems out there.
The 2000s era featured the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, two Star Wars movies, the Star Trek reboot, and much more. Behind all the big names, however, there were countless weird and interesting ideas brought to the screen over that magical decade.
Tokyo Gore Police
Extremely weird, comically violent, viscerally unnerving, brutally extravagant, and pretty well-executed, Tokyo Gore Police does exactly what it says on the tin. Yoshihiro Nishimura, often praised as Japan's answer to Tom Savini, directed this chaotic 2008 action/horror mess that somehow outclasses the average violent anime in live-action. Eihi Shiina, best known as the lead in Takashi Miike's seminal horror film Audition stars as Ruka, a wandering swordswoman seeking to avenge the death of her father. Unfortunately, the world has devolved into a gruesome celebration of violence and mutant warriors with grotesque biological weaponry roam the streets. If the title doesn't appeal, the film probably won't save the day, but anyone with even the slightest interest in a sub-genre referred to as "splatter action" should seek out Tokyo Gore Police.
The One
This 2001 James Wong film hangs entirely off of two great successes, a stellar sci-fi premise, and the stunning martial arts skill of Jet Li. Li stars as Gabe Yulaw, an LASD agent who must stop an alternate version of himself from slaying fellow variants throughout every alternate universe. It's Jet Li versus Jet Lis as he portrays both hero and villain. Though the multiverse concept has gradually become the flavor of the week in the modern day, back in 2001, it was intensely novel. Add Jason Statham to the mix as an incompetent multiverse cop, and the film is ready to go. It's a bizarre concept that the film has no issue committing to. Jet Li has made a lot of great action films over the years, and though this isn't his most impressive martial arts outing, it does add a fascinating sci-fi twist. Though fans of modern cinema might be growing tired of multiverses, there's still some charm to this oddball feature.
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
Though the kaiju sub-genre is a general term that covers a variety of film types, the Millennium Era of the franchise is pretty heavily dominated by action cinema. The franchise has undergone many generational shifts and unique ideas, but one of its most interesting features is this 2002 entry. There are three Godzilla films with Mechagodzilla in the title, but this film took a slightly modern approach to the franchise by rebooting its history all the way back to the 1954 original. Almost 50 years after the King of the Monsters' attack, fellow members of the species continue to wage war on Japan. To defeat them, the government construct a mech from the skeleton of the long-dead original and wield it as a weapon against the kaiju threat. This is one of the most engaging films in the long history of Godzilla cinema, partially thanks to the uniquely well-executed human drama. This film introduced Akane Yashiro, one of the most interesting human characters in the franchise. Most sci-fi fans know how they feel about Godzilla, but this film is easily amongst the best in the catalog.
Aliens vs. Predator
With the release of the first great Predator movie in a generation, now would be a great time to look to the dumb-yet-fun excesses of the past. The short-lived trend of versus movies was fun while it lasted, and its clear standout is this long-awaited clash between cinema's two greatest extraterrestrial killing machines. The quest of the Yautja to slay armies of xenomorphs and the small team of humans trying desperately to survive is a fun and exciting action horror piece. It doesn't have the perfect gothic horror of Alien or the stellar 80s blockbuster action of Predator, but it does have a battle to the death that brings both fanbases together.
Casshern
Over the years the "digital backlot" has become a fairly common VFX technique. Shooting a film entirely on a soundstage with a chroma key background and adding every detail later now contributes to some of the biggest scenes in cinema, but that wasn't the case in 2004. Kazuaki Kiriya's adaptation of Tatsuo Yoshida's groundbreaking anime series is the kind of visually striking spectacle that doesn't come along often. The plot is simple, but the jaw-dropping imagery turns it into a moving visual art piece that simply can't be missed. There's a lot of talk about anime adaptation today, but Casshern captures the spirit of the original work while also creating a truly singular piece of art.