Universal
Last Updated: August 16th
There was a time when tales of aliens, space travel, and robots were believed to be the strict province of four-eyed basement dwellers, but the truth is that everybody can find something to enjoy in the weird world of science fiction. The best sci-fi works in both universal truths and hyperspecific detail, using fantastical yet fully-realized worlds to tell stories about our own.
Netflix‘s selection of good sci fi movies isn’t exhaustive, but there’s still plenty worth exploring nestled among the sequels and paycheck-generators. Keep on scrolling for 10 of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix streaming to watch right now, taking you from the moon, the farthest reaches of space, and to the outer fringes of reality itself.
Related: The 15 Best Sci-Fi Shows On Netflix Right Now
Columbia Pictures
1. Ghostbusters (1984)
Run Time: 105 min | IMDb: 7.8/10
Almost 25 years later and the love for the original Ghostbusters is still going strong. In the film, a team of parapsychologists forms a ghost removal-for-hire business, cleaning up the streets of New York as they go up against otherworldly creatures and sensible EPA regulations. Starring Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, and Rick Moranis, it’s got not only a hilariously inventive premise but enough talent to sell it and improve it, with much of the movie ad-libbed. Sequels, spin-offs, imitators, and toy lines followed its release, but at its core, Ghostbusters still stands up as a funny movie with a semi-frightening sci-fi story behind it.
Universal Pictures
2. Jurassic Park (1993)
Run Time: 127 min | IMDb: 8.1/10
Jurassic Park tells the story of one man’s dream of a theme park filled with genetically engineered dinosaurs run amok. When three experts are brought in to sign off on the park and its cloned creatures, things unsurprisingly don’t go as planned, and the humans are forced to survive amidst T-Rexes, raptors, and Wayne Knight. An effects breakthrough at the time, Steven Spielberg’s film still retains the beautiful terror that comes from seeing giant, millions-of-years-old killing machines for the first time. It’s an iconic film for a reason, and not just because of the trembling glass of water and the John Williams score. It deservedly won three Oscars, broke box office records, and remains a favorite of many today.
A24
3. Ex Machina (2014)
Run Time: 108 min | IMDb: 7.7/10
Alex Garland’s sci-fi thriller breathed new life into the tired A.I. trope when it landed in theaters a few years ago. The film focuses on a naïve young programmer (Domhnall Gleeson) who’s selected amongst a pool of applicants to evaluate a new A.I. lifeform. The poor kid is whisked away to a remote villa to spend time with the eerily-human-looking robot, Ava (Alicia Vikander) and her eccentric, often cruel creator Nathan (Oscar Isaac), a genius with an ego to match his talent. The film takes some twists you don’t expect, and Isaac gives cinema one of its greatest dance sequences, in case you needed more reason to watch.
Universal Pictures
4. Serenity (2005)
Run Time: 119 min | IMDb: 7.9/10
Fans of Joss Whedon’s sci-fi space cowboy adventure were pretty bummed when the series got cancelled after just one season but luckily the show’s cult following earned it a movie follow-up meant to tie up old ends. The film picks up where the series left off, trailing the crew of the Serenity as they evade a government-sent assassin looking to capture River (Summer Glau) a telepath who knows too much. There are adventures to be had in the meantime, and a few characters bite the bullet by the end of the film, but it’s a fitting send-off for a show that was just a few years ahead of its time.
LUCASFILM
5. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Run Time: 152 min | IMDb: 7.3/10
There’s always going to be backlash when a studio decides to revive a beloved franchise and take it in a new direction but The Last Jedi continues to anger space fanboys everywhere and honestly, we’re not sure what their gripe is. Rian Johnson gave us a masterclass in how to take something old and make it new again with his interpretation, injecting a bit of fun and fantasy into the age-old story. Mindblowing Jedi fights, Force connections, Porg, and Arctic Foxes, the movie has something for everyone and it challenges both old and new characters alike with interesting arcs and climactic moments. Plus, did we mention Porgs?
Warner Bros.
6. The Iron Giant (1999)
Run Time: 86 min | IMDb: 8.0/10
For his first film as a writer and director, Brad Bird loosely adapted The Iron Man, an illustrated novel by British poet Ted Hughes, turning it into a Cold War-era story of friendship and political paranoia. Though a box office disappointment at the time, the film’s rightly been embraced as one of the best animated films of the past few decades thanks to its wondrous animation and gentle tone. Bird would find more commercial success when he hooked up with Pixar and made The Incredibles, but if you’ve never seen this one, it’s well worth seeking out.
Universal
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Run Time: 108 min | IMDb: 8.3/10
This critically-acclaimed sci-fi romance centers on two ex-lovers who have their memories of one another erased after a bad breakup, only to meet again and question their decision to forget the past. Jim Carrey plays Joel, a shy, awkward-type hopelessly in love with Clementine (Kate Winslet), an eccentric, free-spirited woman whom he meets in Montauk. The pair strike up a two-year romance only for things to end rather terribly with Clementine choosing to wipe her memories of Joel using a procedure devised by a company called Lacuna, Inc. Joel follows suit and most of the film plays in reverse, chronicling their time together from end to beginning before Joel and Clementine meet again, this time strangers. It’s a poignant, heartbreaking love story that doesn’t end the way you’d expect.
NETFLIX
8. Okja (2017)
Run Time: 120 min | IMDb: 7.4/10
Bong Joon-Ho’s send-up of corporate farming and environmental abuses isn’t subtle. Tilda Swinton goes all-out as the CEO of an evil corporation only to be outdone by Jake Gyllenhaal’s broad turn as an unstable TV host. But its tale of an endearing, genetically modified “super pig” and the girl who loves him is effective and contains both some terrific action set pieces and the most affecting child/strange beast relationship this side of E.T.
Newmarket Films
9. Donnie Darko (2001)
Run Time: 113 min | IMDb: 8.1/10
A flop in 2001 that became a cult hit, Richard Kelly’s debut stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a kid in ‘80s Virginia haunted by… something. He sees visions of the end of the world and a man in a scary rabbit costume, but the deeper he plunges into the mystery, the closer he comes to realize that he might be at the heart of it. The mechanics of the sci-fi mechanics of the film have been picked to death by its fans partly explained by Kelly’s subsequently released, and not as effective, director’s cut. But its real strength comes from its unnerving atmosphere and doom-laden romantic tone.
Dimension
10. The Road (2009)
Run Time: 111 min | IMDb: 7.3/10
It’s hard not to watch The Road without feeling emotionally fatigued. The Cormac McCarthy adaptation takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but that’s only the backdrop for a gripping relationship between a man and his son. Once the world sorta ends — not much time is spent on the “why” — the man struggles to keep his son alive amidst murderers, cannibals, and despair. It’s rough. It’s bleak. It’s a terrifying, dying world that sucks you in as you can almost feel the cold and taste the hunger. But it’s the little moments of hope and love in the pair’s lives that makes it all worthwhile.
Sony
11. Moon (2009)
Run Time: 97 min | IMDb: 7.9/10
A beautiful, claustrophobic sci-fi film, Moon focuses on Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell), an employee on an extremely isolated solo mission harvesting resources on the moon. With the end of his contract in sight, his hope of returning to his family is put in jeopardy once he has an accident in a lunar module and makes a startling discovery. It’s best not to know more than that about the story as it would pooch the twist. With Rockwell being pretty much the only actor in the movie, Moon obviously relies heavily on him, both for levity and existentially dramatic turns, and he doesn’t disappoint.
Marvel
12. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Run Time: 136 min | IMDb: 7.7/10
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 1 surprised many with its stellar soundtrack and genuinely funny dialogue, and director James Gunn manages to live up to the original while still spinning a rather unique tale. The sequel finds the familiar rag-tag Guardians as they make enemies and wisecracks while exploring the origins of Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and his father, who happens to be a living planet (Kurt Russell). Focusing more on character development than overall MCU progression, the movie rounds out and humanizes some of its ridiculous characters, including Ravager Yondu. It’s a hilarious and emotional sci-fi adventure that doesn’t get too lost in its spectacular visual effects.
Fantastic Fest
13. April And The Extraordinary World (2015)
Run Time: 105 min | IMDb: 7.3/10
In an alternate version of 1941 where France has been led by a line of Napoleons and leading scientists mysteriously disappear, young April, her talking cat Darwin, and the shady Julius go searching for April’s missing parents. It’s an interesting take on a history where technological advancement isn’t a thing, where “steampunk” is reality and TVs and cars don’t exist. April’s journey starts in the dreary, stuck-out-of-time France but leads her to fantastical advancements that still make sense in the world we’re presented with. The heart of the film lies in the love that plucky, stubborn April has for those she cares about, and the film’s driven by charming animation and a genuinely interesting concept. It’s enjoyable action that’s just out-there enough for adults while being accessible for the young and young at heart.
A24
14. Under The Skin (2007)
Run Time: 108 min | IMDb: 6.3/10
Scarlett Johansson stars in this sci-fi thriller about an other-worldly woman with a dark agenda. The film sees Johansson using her sex appeal to lure unsuspecting men to their watery doom while beginning to contemplate her own existence with every new partner she seduces. It’s a subtle reverse of rape culture, with themes of race and immigration mixed in, but if all of that goes over your head, you’ll at least enjoy seeing Johansson off a bunch of frat bros and rapists.
STX Films
15. Hardcore Henry (2015)
Run Time: 96 min | IMDb: 6.7/10
Sure, the plot of Hardcore Henry sounds like a Nicolas Cage-endorsed B-list action flick, but it makes this list because it takes its stale premise and ramps things up a notch by giving the audience a front-row seat to the action. The film is shot entirely from a first-person perspective using some GoPro camera’s rigged to the main actor’s body which means, like Henry, you’re kicking ass and taking names for a majority of the film simply by watching. It’s a weird experience but a revolutionary one.
Recent Changes Through August 2018:
Added: Under The Skin, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Ex Machina, Serenity, Hardcore Henry
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