For better or worse, a lot of classic science fiction relies on a massive twist to really land its premise. The reason why short stories helped spawn the genre is partly that they’re the perfect length for a heady set-up followed by a shocking end. The same goes for early successful sci-fi shows like The Twilight Zone to The Outer Limits, where a reality-bending twist near the end of each episode defined the entire narrative. But in the early 1970s, one classic sci-fi film refined this tradition of twists like no other: Soylent Green.
