Worst2First: My Top Ten Alternate Reality Films

Worst2First: 

My Top Ten Alternate Reality Films

"Alternate Reality" is a very broad definition, and could relate to a host of different aspects.  For my Worst2First list, I based the term "alternate reality" on a reality that's something outside the normal narrative - be it time travel, parallel universes, alternate futures, or events that occur outside the current definition of normal.

So here is my top ten alternate reality films, worst2first...

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

#10

Watchmen

Based off the highly cerebral graphic novel by Alan Moore, Zack Snyder's "Watchmen" centers on a group of superheroes who have aided the U.S. in winning some of their biggest wars, especially the Vietnam War thanks to Dr. Manhattan.  Taking place in the middle of the Cold War in 1985, the United States is still under the leadership of President Nixon, and the superhero Watchmen are being hunted by a powerful evil that threatens to change the course of history as they know it.  "Watchmen" sets itself apart from the traditional superhero subgenre by focusing on the heroes' flaws and issues with morality, as well as giving an overly dark view of their state in life, which makes it a breath of fresh air.  Plus the film boasts a strong ensemble cast including Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

#9

12 Monkeys

In 1996, a deadly man-made virus killed millions of people, which caused the world to decay into a dystopian world where humanity has to survive underground.  In 2035, a man is sent back in time to prevent the virus from ever being created.  Boasting a tremendous cast including Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe and Brad Pitt (who received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor), "12 Monkeys" is a thrilling time-travel adventure with great acting, a compelling story and edge-of-your-seat suspense.

#8

District 9

In 1982, an alien spaceship parks above Johannesburg, and the government confines the aliens to live in ghettos and internment camps known as District 9.  Directed by South African native Neill Blomkamp, the film is an alternate take on the real-life apartheid that his country went through, only in this world it's happening to aliens from another planet.  It's a deeply emotional film delivered with fantastic acting and a solid script that hits a little too close to home for an alternate reality.

#7

Donnie Darko

If you want to treat your mind to the ultimate screw job, look no further than "Donnie Darko," a film that blends time travel, parallel universes, prophetic visions and their abilities to intermingle with each other in a way that leaves you terribly confused, but yearning to see it again.  Featuring a young Jake Gyllenhaal as the lead, the film not only takes you down the rabbit trail, it leaves you there to ponder your own existence and makes you question if what you see is reality.

#6

The Matrix

The red pill or the blue pill?  This is just the tip of the iceberg for a film that threatens our sense of reality.  "The Matrix" tells the story of a parallel universe, where the world we live in is really just a simulated reality generated by machines that have already won a future war against humanity, until the fabled Promised One can come and free them all.  Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne star in this mind-bending action epic far before its time, winning four Oscars, and forever changing our view on what is real.

#5

1984

Based on George Orwell's classic novel, "1984" takes place in London in an alternate reality where the citizens are under constant surveillance from the Thought Police, governed by The Party and ruled by the leader known as Big Brother, who sets out to monitor peoples' thoughts in hopes of rewriting history.  This is where the phrase, "Big Brother is watching" comes from, and even though this takes place in an alternate reality, it seems that it's slowly becoming more and more an actual reality with the advent and rise of computers, cameras, and the slow deterioration of privacy.

#4

Pan's Labyrinth

There's a saying that goes, "we create our own reality."  For visionary director and writer Guillermo del Toro, he turned that into a reality with "Pan's Labyrinth," an intimate tale of a young girl during Francoist Spain who lives under the steel toe of her abusive, powerful father who is also a Captain.  She escapes to a fantasy world in a labyrinth of overgrown bushes and meets a faun (who appears terrifying but is actually good), along with several other equally terrifying mythical creatures.  The film won three Oscars and was revolutionary for its time, telling a unique tale with top notch CGI and practical effects that really transports the viewer into the fantasy world the little girl creates in order to escape her pained, tortured reality.

#3

 Back to the Future

You can't include a list of alternate reality movies without referencing the granddaddy of them all, the totally 80s "Back to the Future" trilogy that has withstood the tests of time and is still an epic mainstay in many critics' lists.  Starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, "Back to the Future" pokes fun at the idea of time traveling, especially dealing with the issues of paradoxes and accidentally becoming the love interest of your own mother.  The series is the quintessential 80s film that can be enjoyed over and over thanks to the actors, a solid script and brilliant directing by Robert Zemeckis.

#2

Inception

Christopher Nolan is one of the most intellectual filmmakers out there, from his mind-trip "Memento" to his transformation of the Dark Knight into a superhero that goes far beyond traditional superhero movies.  With "Inception," he introduces us to the world of dreams and, more importantly, the ability to break into our dreams and alter our thoughts.  That is what a group of con men do best - go into the minds of powerful people and steal their secrets, holding them for ransom.  Not only did Nolan direct this mind-bending masterpiece, he also wrote the script and cast some of the best actors in the business - Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard and Cillian Murphy - to deliver a pitch-perfect film where you don't know if what's happening is reality, or a dream...within a dream...within a dream...within a dream...within...

#1

It's a Wonderful Life

When you think of alternate reality movies, you probably think of epic action taking place in some faraway world that resembles our own but in vastly different ways.  You probably don't think of a beloved Christmas classic in the black-and-white era featuring absolutely no action whatsoever.  Yet "It's a Wonderful Life" is indeed an alternate reality movie in that the entirety of the film focuses on the life of George Bailey - and offers an alternate reality where he never existed.  It's the ultimate Christmas favorite that's shown on an almost twenty-four hour loop during the holidays featuring some of the best actors to ever grace the big screen, and delivers a heartwarming, important message to us all - life is worth living, no matter how rough it gets.  The world is better because we're a part of it.