The ENFJ (The Protagonist) is a very outgoing sign, full of a powerful charisma that is often infectious to those around them, especially since so many of them are both loyal and sensitive to the needs of others. Science fiction is definitely not one of those film genres that normally comes to mind when thinking of films full of heart, but there are some notable exceptions.
In fact, sometimes the science fiction genre can explore different aspects of the human emotional condition than those that are more typically associated with feelings. Let’s see which ones of this MBTI® type they would like and which they would like.
Love: Ready Player One (2018)
Science fiction, perhaps more than any other genre, is concerned with the future, of what will happen to humanity as it continues its march of progress. What’s more, it is also often focused on the efforts of individuals to change what they see as wrong with the world around them.
That is certainly the case in this film, which focuses on a group of charismatic youths who attempt to gain control of a game so that they can defeat a nefarious corporation. The film’s emphasis on loyalty will appeal to the ENFJ.
Hate: Her (2013)
This film explores what it means to form a connection with another being, focusing in particular on one man’s growing love for his digital assistant. It’s a haunting film, one that forces the viewer to think critically about the way that they engage with (and sometimes rely too much on) their own digital technology.
However, it’s also a very cold film, and while Scarlett Johansson provides her inimitable voice to the digital assistant, the lack of screen presence nevertheless drains the film of much significant feeling.
Love: Independence Day (1996)
The 1990s was something of a heyday for the disaster science fiction film as if American culture generally simply loved to see itself brought to its knees, on the brink of oblivion. This film is emblematic of that trend, and the image of an alien spaceship destroying the White House is one of the most enduring in popular culture.
The ENFJ will, however, appreciate the way that the film emphasizes the spirit of cooperation in the face of an external threat, as well as the power of male friendship.
Hate: Gravity (2013)
In addition to being something of a new golden age of science fiction, the 2010s has also shown itself to be a decade obsessed with the idea of people being stranded in space. In this case, it is not one but two people who find themselves trapped in the darkness of space.
Given how extroverted ENFJs tend to be, and how much they enjoy the company of others, they will probably begin to find themselves feeling more than a little claustrophobic and stifled as the film goes on.
Love: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Famous for its late-night showings and for its encouragement of audience participation, this film is one of the most famous cult science fiction films of all time. It’s almost impossible not to sing along with the numerous musical numbers, and the film also encourages the viewer to abandon themselves to the pleasures of song and dance. As a musical with a lot of feeling, it is sure to appeal to the extroverted part of the ENFJ character.
Hate: Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
The future is a rather bleak place in this film, in which people have to struggle for the basics of survival while being ruled over by mutated tyrants. It’s a very disturbing film in many ways, even if its visual design is truly stunning.
Though it ends on a mostly happy ending, the twists and turns that it takes to get there, and the depressing vision of the world that the film offers, is not something that most ENFJs will enjoy.
Love: Men in Black (1997)
What’s not to love about a film that costars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones? This is one of those science fiction comedies that doesn’t take itself, or the science part, very seriously, and that’s part of its charm.
While this film might be suitable for just everyone, there’s a liveliness to it that will resonate with most ENFJs, and the undeniable chemistry that exists between the two leads makes one easily believe that they are friends.
Hate: Cloverfield (2008)
Eschewing some of the more bombastic elements of the sci-fi genre, this film depicts a monster invasion of New York City through an evocative use of “found footage.” It’s a truly disturbing film in many ways, in large part because the monster itself remains so frustratingly out of view.
While it was well-received by the critics, the way in which the film refuses to offer up the source of so much death and destruction, still less to defeat it, will not be to the ENFJ’s liking.
Love: Iron Giant (1999)
Some science fiction films seem destined to become classics of the genre, and this film seems to be one of them. It’s one of those films that it’s good to watch when one is in need of something that is heartfelt without being cloying. Indeed, it is precisely the film’s emphasis on loyalty and on the strong bond between the main human character and the titular character that will appeal to the ENFJ.
Hate: Passengers (2016)
Bittersweet is the best way to describe this film, which focuses on two people who are reawakened from stasis and have to contend with the fact that in order for the rest of the ship to survive they must die. There is undeniable chemistry between the two leads (Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt), but there’s something profoundly saddening about the ending. Though ENFJs aren’t completely averse to sadness, the ending of this film might be just a bit too much for them.
