8 Blockbusters That Aren't Just About Action & Explosions, Ranked by RT

In modern cinema, blockbusters are firmly associated with spectacular explosions, car chases, and computer-generated special effects that fill the screen from start to finish.

However, another category of big-budget movies also exists: those that prove spectacle need not come at the expense of content.

8. 'Tenet', 2020

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%

A CIA special agent learns of secret developments related to time inversion. The technology is in the hands of Andrei Sator who the protagonist must gain access to. First, though, he must understand how two opposing timelines can coexist.

Christopher Nolan's sci-fi action movie Tenet is often accused of being meaningless, as if its complex plot is intended solely to confuse the viewer.

Tenet is, indeed, first and foremost a spectacular blockbuster, impressive in its scope and unusual production design. However, it can also be a mental exercise – try deciphering the timeline of the film.

7. 'Dune: Part One', 2021

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

By order of the Emperor, Duke Leto Atreides, his son Paul, and his entire court are relocated to the sand planet Arrakis. The valuable substance known as spice is mined there – it makes space travel possible.

Previously ruled by Baron Harkonnen, the planet's leadership is about to change. However, with the Emperor's consent, the predecessors have devised a cunning plan.

Frank Herbert's famous science fiction novel was previously adapted for the screen by David Lynch in 1984 and as a miniseries that aired on the Syfy channel in 2000. However, the new version is closer to the original source material.

6. 'The Batman', 2022

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

For two years, Bruce Wayne, heir to a vast fortune, has been fighting crime by night in a batsuit. Now, he must identify the Riddler, a serial killer who targets government officials and leaves clues at the crime scenes.

Meanwhile, Selina Kyle, a burglar, tries to unravel the mystery behind her friend's disappearance.

In the 2000s, Christopher Nolan already presented a realistic version of Batman in The Dark Knight trilogy. In this new adaptation, Matt Reeves transforms the story into a dark noir: Bruce Wayne is a depressed loner, and the Riddler resembles the real-life Zodiac killer.

5. 'Blade Runner 2049', 2017

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

Years after Rick Deckard disappeared, replicants are working for the police. One of them, named K, captures fugitives. He lives with a holographic girlfriend named Joi and suffers from loneliness.

While hunting down another target, K discovers the remains of a replicant girl and realizes that they have the potential to change the world.

Initially a box office failure, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner was eventually recognized as a sci-fi masterpiece with philosophical undertones. 25 years later, Denis Villeneuve built on its themes, depicting an even more depressing world in Blade Runner 2049.

4. 'Oppenheimer', 2023

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Robert Oppenheimer, a talented young physicist, led the Manhattan Project, a program that developed nuclear weapons and helped win World War II. The film also depicts a security committee meeting years later where the scientist's actions are discussed.

Christopher Nolan is perhaps the only modern director capable of turning the physicist's life story into a three-hour blockbuster. The film draws heavily on Oppenheimer's experiences – he created the most destructive weapon yet was guided only by noble intentions.

3. 'Arrival', 2016

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Alien spaceships have appeared in various parts of Earth. While the aliens are not aggressive, they are very different from humans – it's necessary to establish contact with them somehow.

Among those working on this are linguist Louise and astrophysicist Ian. They study the aliens' language and discover that the aliens perceive time differently.

Denis Villeneuve has become known for some of the most spectacular and engaging science fiction of the past ten years, and his journey in the genre began with Arrival.

2. 'Project Hail Mary', 2026

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

Biologist Ryland Grace awakens on a spaceship and gradually remembers how he got there. Due to astrophagic organisms appearing on the sun, Earth will soon freeze over. Therefore, an international team of scientists decides to go into space and find a way to save humanity.

Ryland is the only one who survives. He meets an alien whom he names Rocky, and together, they develop a plan to save the world.

This adaptation of Andy Weir's book offers an optimistic take on science fiction: the main character views an encounter with another species as an opportunity to make friends and learn something new, not as a threat.

1. 'Sinners', 2025

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

The story is set in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 1932. Prohibition is only a year away, yet Jim Crow is still in full force. Twin brothers Smoke and Stack return to their hometown with plans to start a business.

Having left the horrors of World War I behind them and with their pockets full of dollars, the brothers buy an abandoned sawmill from a former Ku Klux Klan member for an exorbitant price – they plan to open a juke joint there.

While Ryan Coogler's movie has a similar premise to From Dusk Till Dawn, Sinners adds historical and social subtext by drawing parallels between vampirism, racism, and cultural appropriation.