Science Fiction Film Essays (BFI 500-word series)

Essays from a collection originally requested and written for the British Film Institute's 500-word essay series.
These remain unpublished by the BFI, but it seems a shame to waste them, so here's a selection:


Metropolis
Fritz Lang
1926
Things to Come
William Cameron Menzies
1936
The Time Machine
George Pal
1960
           
Mad Max 2
George Miller
1981
Back to the Future
Robert Zemeckis
1985

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Leonard Nimoy
1986

           
Back to the Future, Part II
Robert Zemeckis
1989
Groundhog Day
Harold Ramis
1993
Stargate
Roland Emmerich
1994
           
Twelve Monkeys
Terry Gilliam
1995
Artificial Intelligence: AI
Steven Spielberg
2001