I love a good science fiction movie as much as anyone else. From space epics like Dune to domestic destabilizers like Everything Everywhere All at Once to philosophy-filled quandaries like Interstellar, the genre offers an outlet into the unknown through what is known. Sci-fi movies allow filmmakers to defamiliarize—to make the familiar feel unfamiliar—to present everyday anxieties and endless existential dilemmas through an intensified lens. I would challenge that even the seemingly simplest sci-fi movies, the ones that seem like they’re nothing more than big-budget entertainment or low-budget gimmickry, inherently speak on the human condition. Their oversized stories, their exaggerated depictions of society, their embracement of visuals beyond the ordinary are calling cards for what has become the most exhilarating and self-confrontational genre there is. A sci-fi movie doesn’t just examine the collective, but what role we play in that collective.
As a lover of sci-fi, I often see recommendations for movies like Dune and Everything Everywhere All at Once and Interstellar. But there’s such a deep treasure trove of movies awaiting to be discovered by a wider audience that are just as deep and philosophical and entertaining. So this list is comprised of movies I think deserve a wider audience. From little-seen gems to unfairly maligned flicks, I’ve compiled a list of ten sci-fi movies that deserve another shot. If you’re a fan of sci-fi, then put these films on your list. And best of all? These are movies are all available on major streaming platforms.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
If there’s anybody who gets me excited about a sci-fi excursion, it’s Luc Besson. He helmed one of the most revered sci-fi movies of the 1990s, The Fifth Element, as well as an adored cult outing, Lucy. But Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is probably the one I love the most—and perhaps the one that was most unfairly treated by critics. With a score of 47% on Rotten Tomatoes, this adventurous sci-fi flick didn’t receive the critical weight it deserves. This film follows two special operatives, Valerian and Laureline (Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne) who must retrieve a stolen converter from the planet Mül. This mission takes them through a crazy conspiracy as they travel on a mission to the city of Alpha, a sprawling metropolis where species from across the universe congregate. Fantastic performances abound, with great showings coming from the likes of Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, Herbie Hanco*ck, Kris Wu and Rutger Hauer. All in all, Besson produces a world that beats and pulsates with life, that paints vividly colorful scenes filled with memorable characters, that keeps you invested in the plight of those oppressed and abused—and the people who fight for those oppressed and abused.
MORE FOR YOU
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
The Abyss (1989)
It’s not necessarily anyone’s fault to have never seen The Abyss. Before its recent 4K upgrade, there were only DVD copies available for the movie. Clocking in at 140 minutes, and even with that 4K restoration, it remains James Cameron’s least popular movie on Letterboxd—which is a crying shame, if you ask me. Because The Abyss contains some of the absolute best scenes and imagery of any Cameron film—yes, a list that includes movies like Titanic, Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. This thrilling and secretively sci-fi expedition follows a deep-sea drilling team lead by Bud Brigman (Ed Harris), who are recruited by the government to assist in a search and rescue mission for a sunken nuclear submarine. But tensions arise between team members (the cast includes Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Michael Biehn) as the government’s true intentions reveal themselves—and as mysterious forces await to greet them in the ocean’s depths. This is the kind of movie where you truly have no idea what’s going to happen next, but the entire time you’re completely invested in the people and what they’re struggling with. It’s an awesome experience.
The Abyss is available to stream on Hulu.
Swan Song (2021)
Throughout my movie-watching life, I gravitate towards big, blown-up spectacles when it comes to sci-fi movies. But, to be honest, the best sci-fi experiences I’ve ever had have been with the smaller movies—the ones that concentrate on the intimacy of the moment, that extract the emotional resonance of life, that transcend the tropes of the genre. A grounded experience like Swan Song is entirely different but entirely welcome one, where an actor like Mahershala Ali can flex his dramatic muscles for a plot that’s otherworldly yet very much of-this-world. This movie from Benjamin Cleary follows a loving husband and father named Cameron (Ali) who is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Upon receiving the news, he is confronted with a decision: to replace himself with a clone and spare his family the heartbreak of losing him...or to die. Great supporting performances ensue from Naomie Harris, Awkwafina and Glenn Close. This exploration of identity and morality tackles what it means to truly live, forcing a confrontation with the boundaries of the self and the essence of our very being.
Swan Song is available to stream on Apple TV+.
Dune (1984)
Dune...underrated? Yeah, I’ll say it. While everyone else was freaking out about Denis Villeneuve’s update of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi epic, I just wanted to revisit David Lynch’s unflinchingly bizarre, visually ambitious, grandiosely bold depiction of a combative galaxy that strikingly resembles our own fragmented world. Where Villeneuve opted for a grand visual scale with a more traditional Hollywood atmosphere that fits his minimalist and elegant aesthetic, Lynch went for the abstract and experimental, for ambitious and elaborate set designs, for oversized performances that weren’t afraid to have fun with the genre. All in all, I flat-out prefer Lynch’s version of the story. The movie follows a young man named Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan), whose family is entrusted with governing the planet Arrakis. But little do they know betrayal is afoot, forcing Paul to realize his destiny and become a leader to those ruled by a totalitarian force. I’d be here all day listing out the notable performances, which includes Kenneth McMillan, Francesca Annis, José Ferrer, Linda Hunt, Patrick Stewart, Max von Sydow—seriously, I could keep going. If you haven’t watched Dune yet because of what you’ve heard, just...go into the experience with an open mind. It’s wild, strange, and like nothing else you’ve ever seen.
Dune is available to stream on Netflix.
I’m Your Man (2021)
Romance isn’t the front-and-center component of your average science fiction movie. But films like I’m Your Man bring a much-appreciated twist to the genre, with its blend of humor and melancholy, its strong emphasis on character and love, its subtle yet very impactful atmosphere bursting through the screen despite such a small and simple story. This penetrating film from Maria Schrader follows a scientist named Alma (Maren Eggert) who participates in an experiment to test a humanoid robot designed to be her “ideal partner” named Tom (Dan Stevens). Over the course of three weeks, Alma studies Tom's ability to fulfill her emotional needs and desires as she grows closer with his manufactured being. Alma’s journey feels even more relevant now given the unstoppable rise of artificial intelligence technology, thanks to strong, intimately drawn performances from the movie’s two leads, and doubly thanks to empathetic, nuanced direction from Schrader as she explores our deep desire for human connection in an increasingly disconnected, technologically driven landscape.
I’m Your Man is available to stream on Hulu, Hoopla and Kanopy.
Dark Star (1974)
To witness a director in their nascent form is, in my opinion, always a thrilling experience. Even when I don’t love the movie, I feel more connected to a filmmaker that has gone on to have a storied, legendary career when I see their ideas play out in unadulterated form. That was certainly the case for me when I first watched John Carpenter’s Dark Star, an independent, subversive sci-fi flick filmed on a shoestring budget that owned the sort of humanistic commentary we’d see from later Carpenter movies, like The Thing, Escape from New York and They Live. This debut film follows the titular spaceship, whose crew—which grapples with boredom, malfunctioning equipment and existential questions—is tasked with destroying unstable planets in the far reaches of the galaxy. But when their AI bomb develops a mind of its own, it threatens the crew’s mission—and their lives. This early effort clearly captures Carpenter’s auteur tendencies: his adoration of synthesizer music, his minimalistic, no-nonsense production design, his dark and absurd sense of humor. For fans of Carpenter, this is an awesome experience.
Dark Star is available to stream on Peaco*ck, Hoopla, Kanopy and Pluto TV.
Predators (2010)
I don’t think any film in the Predator franchise will ever top John McTiernan’s original, which so eloquently and entertainingly devitalizes and demystifies masculinity, with the Predator creature tearing down men who exist in their primal form, who share a sort of camaraderie born from humanity that can feel impenetrable in the moment yet can easily and quickly be broken down. But Predators is a different beast, with its gritty realism, its outlandish performances, its cultish nature going for a very different look, feel, commentary. The action sequences are much more modern in their intensity, yet never once does director Nimród Antal sacrifice the oppressive, claustrophobic atmosphere that was so present in the original. Predators centers on a troupe of elite warriors who are mysteriously transported to an alien game reserve planet. Before long, they realize they are being hunted by a race of advanced alien predators, and as they struggle to survive, they uncover the true nature of their situation and the reasons behind their selection. Expect top-notch entertainment from the stacked cast, which includes Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins and Laurence Fishburne.
Predators is available to stream on Hulu and Max.
Tammy and the T-Rex (1994)
There are serious sci-fi films that tackle the nature of the everyday, that offer profound social commentary on our political systems, that explore the very being of identity and morality and humanity. And then...there are sci-fi films like Tammy and the T-Rex. And look, I’m not knocking the movie—I absolutely love Tammy and the T-Rex. I do believe it offers a profound commentary on finding connection and fulfillment in this world. But the route director Steward Raffill takes to such a profound point isn’t self-serious or plodding, but instead campy, absurd, exaggerated—and, most importantly, completely unpretentious. This fun, lighthearted romance follows two teenagers, Tammy and Michael (Denise Richards and Paul Walker), who get pulled into a wild experiment when Michael’s brain is transplanted into an animatronic Tyrannosaurus rex. As Tammy realizes what’s happened, she tries to help Michael realize a second chance at living. This cult film owns a do-it-yourself attitude that’s infectiously watchable and root-for-able, with its bright and visual color palette and its fast-paced and energetic storytelling creating for a super fun movie night.
Tammy and the T-Rex is available to stream on Peaco*ck, Tubi and Pluto TV.
Fingernails (2023)
There are the actors that dominate Hollywood and appear in every major blockbuster. And then there are the actors who don’t do the flashiest movies, yet deliver the most profound, moving performances that own a smaller audience, that undoubtedly prove timeless in the end. I believe that to be the case with the two leads of Fingernails, Jessie Buckley and Riz Ahmed, whose shared chemistry in this dramatic sci-fi romance creates for a naturalistic force that feels strikingly genuine even in a futuristic setting, that enhances the film’s realism and drives its humanistic point home. The world of this near-future film uses scientific tests to help determine whether two people can share true love. Anna and Ryan (Buckley and Ahmed) are in a seemingly perfect relationship, but Anna has doubts about the accuracy of their test results. She secretly begins working at the Love Institute, where the test is conducted, to understand more about the process, all while contemplating her future with Ryan. The understated direction from Christos Nikou allows for the film’s philosophical questions to take center stage, resulting in an intelligent, eloquent discussion of love and connection in a technologically driven realm.
Fingernails is available to stream on Apple TV+.
Forbidden World (1982)
Akin to my Dark Star recommendation, there’s something so intoxicating and uncanny about a low-budget sci-fi experiment from yesteryear, about an aesthetic about an aesthetic that isn’t afraid to mix in campy elements, to blend sci-fi with exploitation, that prides itself on practical effects as a cornerstone of its visual appeal. Those are all traits of the sensory experience known as Forbidden Planet, which has enjoyed a cult audience (which includes me) over the years. This sci-fi horror film is set on the remote research station Xarbia, where Scientist Dr. Hauser (Linden Chiles) has created a genetically engineered organism called Subject 20 that is designed to solve the galaxy's food crisis. However, the creature mutates into a deadly predator that begins to hunt the station's crew members, who fight to contain the creature and survive. From the entrancing nature of the movie’s electronic musical score to the immersive ambient sounds and terrifying creature noises to director Allan Holzman's exploration of genre tropes, this vibrant take on science fiction stories offers something new and unexpected for anyone who thinks they know the genre inside and out.
Forbidden World is available to stream on Amazon Prime and Pluto TV.
