Every Isaac Asimov Movie & TV Adaptation Ranked (Including Foundation) – Armessa Movie News

The works of Isaac Asimov have seen a number of film and TV adaptations, greatly varying in quality and faithfulness to the source material, including the latest Foundation adaptation. The prolific science fiction works of Asimov have been considered difficult to adapt. For example, the Foundation book trilogy spans hundreds of years, and the stories don’t follow character arcs like modern film and television often require, often electing to explore concepts and ideas instead. Asimov’s novels also aren’t particularly flashy, lacking the splashy visualizations that are often desired for big-budget science fiction films.

Apple TV+’s Foundation has been a recent success for Asimov adaptations, as TV networks have been working to bring fantasy/sci-fi novels to the screen. The success of Game of Thrones changed the television landscape, and every network has wanted to bring sprawling book universes to life, paving the way for Foundation. The Foundation series, with Robots and Empire books included, is Asimov’s most expansive work. If it can be adapted, anything else is possible too. Attempts have been made at bringing the author’s novels and novellas into feature films, though so far few have been successful or faithful adaptations.

RELATED: Foundation Season 2’s Ending Explained

7 Nightfall (2000)

Nightfall is a 1941 short story by Asimov that has seen two film adaptations so far. Like many of the Asimov adaptations, the 2000 Nightfall adaptation was a low-budget, straight-to-video film that received terrible reviews from fans and critics. The original short story is about people on a planet that live in perpetual daylight, where scientists have anticipated an existential crisis in the form of a period of darkness. The film adaptation is loose and has been critiqued for poor acting, writing, and production quality.

6 Nightfall (1988)

The 1988 adaptation of Nightfall is around the same quality as the 2000 adaptation. Both are abysmal, and the 1988 version again had very little connection to Asimov’s novel. The film is poorly made, and a tasteless adaptation. According to Asimov Online, Asimov himself even disowned any connection to the project and was not consulted during its production. A short story seems like a great place to start with adapting Asimov, as they aren’t as expansive as the novels, but the two adaptations of Nightfall completely miss the story’s ideas.

5 The End Of Eternity (1987)

The End of Eternity is a 1987 adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s novel of the same name. The sci-fi film has elements of mystery and thriller and actually proves to be a well-made and faithful adaptation of the time travel novel. The film, which was released episodically for television, may have some pretty niche appeal for fans of the novel. For readers who love the story, the film is definitely worth a watch.

4 Robots (1988)

While Robots isn’t exactly a film, it is an adaptation of one of the most prolific Asimov stories. The 1988 adaptation is an “interactive movie,” meaning that it’s acted out cinematically, but serves a dual purpose as a game. The film is set in the world of the Robots series, with characters like Daneel and Elijah Baley on screen. The video actually has solid production and acting and offers a fun, retro glimpse into the Asimov world. Originally a VCR game with accompanying cards, the video can now be seen on YouTube.

3 I, Robot (2004)

The Will Smith-led I, Robot film from 2004 is by all accounts a poor adaptation of a great sci-fi book. In the sense of adapting a great novel and capturing its essence on film, I, Robot is a failure. However, compared to many Asimov adaptations that came before it, I, Robot can at least be viewed as a decent sci-fi action film, and has some enjoyable actors in it like Alan Tudyk and Bruce Greenwood, on top of Smith’s star performance. The production value is also significantly better than other Asimov adaptations that came before it, though it doesn’t hold up well by modern standards.

2 Bicentennial Man (1999)

Like I, Robot, Bicentennial Man actually has a decent production value and a great cast, including Robin Williams and Sam Neill. Bicentennial Man is actually a faithful adaptation of Asimov’s work. Based on Asimov’s novelette The Bicentennial Man, the film follows a family that purchases a robot who begins to experience emotions and creativity, aspiring to be a human. The adaptation of a shorter story allows for Bicentennial Man to be the truest Asimov adaptation, which might make it the best by some standards.

1 Foundation (2021-)

Apple TV’s Foundation adaptation took a while to find its footing, but catching up to the end of season 2 is incredibly rewarding. The series takes its creative liberties with changes from Asimov’s Foundation books but still manages to be faithful to the novel’s themes and ideas. The key difference between the TV series and novels is the pacing of time. The original Foundation novel is a set of five short stories, each of which has decades of time in between them. The first season of the show covers two of those stories. The second season essentially combines the next three stories, as well as the next novel, Foundation and Empire.

While this may seem like an issue, as it upsets the flow of events as Asimov established them, it allows for the series to have consistent characters, and still represents the importance of each story. Foundation season 2 explores the conflict between the Foundation on Terminus against the Empire. The season demonstrates the Foundation’s growing religious power, and also frames Hober Mallow as a hero, leaving room for the Foundation’s era of commercial power to follow. The season also illustrates the struggle for power between Empire and its military leaders with General Bel Riose. Despite combining different crises and stories, the Foundation show managed to capture each one’s importance.

The TV series has also taken ideas from the novels and expanded on them. The Emperor is a character only mentioned in the first Foundation novel, but the show brings him to life with the Genetic Dynasty, a completely original idea. The ruling Emperor, Brother Day, who is played excellently by Lee Pace, is one of the most enjoyable parts of the series, loosely based on the Cleon emperors from Prelude to Foundation and Foundation and Empire. Written for Television by David S. Goyer, Foundation, may not be a one-to-one adaptation of Asimov, but it is the best adaptation of his work so far.