Modern sci-fi films suffer from the same failings that plague all genres of movies these days: attempting to replace imaginative, rich story telling with special FX, violent shock scenes and sex.
Almost every big budget Hollywood film I've seen in the last ten years is just a collage of car chases and the obligatory shot of the protagonist running down a tunnel to escape an explosive fireball. All other plot elements are strictly incidental.
Tiresome.
"One thing's sure: Inspector Clay's dead, murdered, and somebody's responsible!"