President Obama Loves These Sci-Fi Films

As President Obama nears the end of his second term, it's essential for citizens of the United States to not only look back on the things he's accomplished while in office, but to also reflect on the guy who will be leaving the Oval office. In fact, there's a lot the American people learned about him over the years: He can carry a tune, for instance. He can perform the greatest of mic drops. He's even quite the movie buff. The latter is exactly why President Obama shared his top science fiction movie and television picks in his latest interview with Wired magazine.

Yep, when President Obama's not busy being the leader of the free world, he likes to kick back with a good science fiction film just like the rest of us. (He just has a giant movie theater in the White House while the rest of us... likely do not.) And, from the looks of his top sci-fi picks, I think it's safe to say that the prez has some great taste. However, there are also some films and TV shows noticeably missing from the President's list of recommendations. And, well, come the end of his term, he may have some time on his hands — so, what better to do than brush up on his sci-fi movies? So, based off of his recommendations, here are some of the sci-fi films he should check out next.

1. Interstellar (2014)

There's a reason why the Christopher Nolan-directed flick has often been compared to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey : Both feature stunning special effects and both seek to answer the question of what humanity's role is in the universe. In his piece for Wired, President Obama complimented 2001: A Space Odyssey on how it “captures the grandeur and scale of the unknown.” Well, sir. If you haven't seen Interstellar yet, then you haven't seen nothing yet.

2. I, Robot (2004)

Aside from everyone's obvious reason for liking Blade Runner (Harrison Ford, duh), President Obama told Wired that he appreciated the Ridley Scott film for how “it asks what it means to be human.” Well, if that's the case, there's a whole world full of artificial intelligence films to love — including the 2004 Will Smith film, I, Robot. Taking place in 2035, this action sci-fi questions the motives of a robot and whether or not they are threat to humanity.

3. Contact (1997)

I get it. Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind is nothing less than pure masterpiece. So, apart from E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (which everyone has seen, I hope), how can another sci-fi director compare? Well, director Robert Zemeckis did a pretty extraordinary job with Contact.

4. Serenity (2005)

As a huge Star Wars fan myself, I can tell you that the President made an excellent decision including Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope on his list. But, what else can compare? Assuming you've already seen Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens, I have to lead you towards Joss Whedon's Serenity. Based off of his 2002 series Firefly, this 2005 sci-fi film follows a futuristic space crew rebelling against a space-like government. And, yes, it's just as much like Star Wars as it sounds like it is — without going ahead and stealing George Lucas' entire idea.

5. Black Mirror (2011-Present)

If President Obama liked Star Trek, Black Mirror is going to blow his mind. Considering the prez told Wired he appreciated Star Trek's ability to focus on “values and relationships” amidst technological advances "to promote a humanistic ethic," Black Mirror focuses specifically on new technology and how it may, in the near future, directly affect the day-to-day lives of the human experience. It's mind-bending, emotional, and there are even a couple of political episodes.

6. Gravity (2013)

OK, so considering all of the award season-hype Gravity received in 2013, many have already seen this one. However, if President Obama enjoyed The Martian, he'll definitely enjoy this flick about an astronaut (Sandra Bullock) who gets stranded, mostly alone, in space.

7. Inception (2010)

The Matrix is an amazing film — as President Obama told Wired, it "asks basic questions about our reality — and looks very cool.” However, The Matrix isn't the only sci-fi story to do this. Christopher Nolan's Inception does too, and it does it well. And, get this, it looks really cool too.

8. Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (2014)

First off, I love the fact that President Obama put Carl Sagan's 1980 television series, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, on his Wired list. The series is more a documentary than a sci-fi show, though — so, I have to recommend Neil deGrasse Tyson's current documentary mini-series that's based off Sagan's show, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. A whole lot has been discovered in the past 30 years.

There is just too much good sci-fi out there. But for now, enjoy these, President Obama. You are very welcome.