The 10 best sci-fi movies on Netflix to watch right now
Oct. 14, 2024From Godzilla Minus One to Arrival, here’s the best Netflix sci-fi movies that you can stream this month
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In this list of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix you will find everything we love about the genre, from mind-bending space odysseys to visually spectacular kaiju films. Science fiction allows us to expand our collective imagination and think beyond our reality, which can be both enlightening and incredibly entertaining.
That’s the beauty of the genre, and the reason why some of thebest sci-fi moviesare also considered some of the best movies of all time. Here, we dive into Netflix’s vast catalog to find those gems you need to add to your watchlist as soon as possible.
Whether it’s an action epic in space, an apocalyptic thriller that hits too close to home, or a dystopian cautionary tale that delivers important lessons about our reality, there is something for everyone. Our aim with this list of best Netflix sci-fi movies is to cover all the bases.
So, if you’re looking for your next sci-fi fix, one of thebest streaming servicesout there has plenty of exciting titles that you can summon a sandworm with. Let’s boldly go where no person has gone before to see what are thebest Netflix moviesavailable to all you intergalactic fans this month.
10. Spaceman
Jakub must grapple with loneliness and his relationship issues with his earthbound family, and we get to experience a relatively relatable story despite its otherworldly setting. While the plot isn’t as strong as some of the other entries on this list, Spaceman is touching, has a stellar performance by Adam Sandler, and fully deserves its place on our list of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix to watch right now.
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Check out ourSpaceman reviewfor more details on this gem.
This Spanish dystopian thriller is definitely one of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix, and one of the most inventive and unexpected too. The story is set inside of a mysterious industrial platform formed of 333 floors, with two inmates on each floor. Once a day, a moving platform packed with food descends through the middle of the vertical structure, allowing the residents to eat as much as they want for a few minutes. Those who are placed in the first floors know they will survive for at least one month until the distribution changes. Those below are forced to deal with starvation.
The Platform creates its own world of rules and mysteries as the protagonist insists in always doing the right thing, thinking collectively instead of selfishly. Soon, this fascinating plot leads us to explore real-life issues such as the unfair distribution of wealth and the dangers of overconsumption. If you’re looking for a challenging watch, this is one for you.
For more information, read ourreview of The Platform.
Having missed cinemas due to the pandemic and ended up straight to streaming, this gem is often overlooked. With an expressive style with its character designs and environment, the results are fun and incredibly inventive, especially when it’s poking fun at dysfunctional families (and how awesome they can be) and our screentime addictions. But whatever you do, just don’t upset the Furbies!
Need more animation in your sci-fi filled life? Check out ourThe Mitchells vs the Machines review.
There may be a nervous trepidation with sequels on whether they can live up to the goodness of their first film. Thankfully, Catching Fire – the second installment of Suzanne Collins’s YA dystopian books – not only blows away its predecessor but is the best film in the franchise. Following on from their joint (and traumatizing) victory in the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) settle back into life in District 12.
But nothing lasts forever as the pair are forced to compete in the Quarter Quell - President Snow’s diabolical plan to reap from an existing pool of winners for the next games and stop a potential rebellion within the districts. It’s a bigger, deadlier, and much more ambitious sequel where the stakes are inevitably raised and consequences aplenty. Backed by incredible performances by late greats Donald Sutherland and Philip Seymour Hoffman, you’re witnessing great actors in their scheming prime.
Read ourThe Hunger Games: Catching Fire reviewif you need moreinformationon this battle royalefranchise.
Is it an Alex Garland film if you haven’t experienced a mind-bending adventure? You know, the one that leaves you scared, confused, excited, and in awe while questioning your existence all at the same time? Well, Annihilation is no different. Based on the best-selling book by Jeff VanderMeer, the film adaptation stars Natalie Portman as Lena, a cellular biology professor and former U.S. Army soldier.
When her husband Kane (Oscar Issac) disappears and returns mysteriously after an expedition to ‘The Shimmer’ – the result of a crash-landed meteor that is affecting life organisms on Earth, Lena is called in to investigate. As most sci-fi epics go, expect to be weirded out with Portman on point as ever. Seriously, every movie fan should experience this one at least once, so add it to your streaming queue if you haven’t seen it yet. It’s also one of thebest action movies on Netflix, so what are you waiting for?
Before Parasite and Snowpiecer, the Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-Ho delighted audiences with Okja, a story about An Seo-hyun’s Mija and her genetically modified super-pig that was sent to her grandfather’s farm as part of a ten-year competition hosted by the Mirando Corporation in a bid to solve world hunger. The pair form an inseparable bond until the pig is declared the winner and is sent to New York for processing. Not letting Okja resign to her consumerism fate, Mija travels to the US and attempts a daring rescue.
As with all his films, Bong is a master of humor and social commentary, blending animal welfare and capitalism greed taking center stage. There’s plenty of absurdist performances by Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal, in particular as zoologist and TV personality Johnny Wilcox, which adds levity to the film’s complex ideas. But the film never loses sight of the heart, largely driven by Mija and the super-cute Okja. Even more impressive is its $50 million budget, showcasing not every sci-fi film needs a massive budget, thus putting most Hollywood productions to shame.
Jordan Peele never misses, and in NOPE, he ups the horror ante with his spin on alien abductions. Starring Daniel Kaluuya (OJ) and Keke Palmer (Emerald), when the brother-and-sister team notices some strange happenings on their family farm, they devise a plan to capture the impossible – a proof-positive sighting of a UFO. In true Peele fashion, the social commentary always proves to be the key selling point, where Black culture is given space to be the focus and heart where it hasn’t been traditionally awarded in the past.
Here, the filmmaker pulls back the curtain to tackle the lack of recognition for Black creatives in the systemic industry guilty of erasing their legacy. But NOPE also offers plenty of scares and spectacle that has rightly placed the director on the map as one of the bold voices in cinema today. Also, it’s worth noting that NOPE isn’t just one of the best sci-fis on the streaming service, it’s also one of thebest Netflix horror movies, so definitely check it out.
For more information on this spooky sci-fi, read ourNOPE review.
What happens when a gangster (John Boyega), a pimp (Jamie Fox), and a sex worker-turned-Nancy Drew-inspired detective (Teyonah Parris) discover an underground laboratory underneath their neighborhood, leading to the unearthing of a secret experimentation on Black people? Well, you get the hilarious They Cloned Tyrone. Juel Taylor’s directorial debut swings for the fences with its genre-bending mystery caper that would makeScooby-Doo and The X-Files proud!
Boyega, Fox, and Parris are on top form as they’re led down a conspiracy rabbit hole of strange occurrences and the ultimate revelation that Tyrone is a clone. But that’s just half of the story, and to describe what happens next would be considered a spoiler. However, laced with a poignant social commentary on Black culture and its subsequent appropriation by “The Man,” this one-of-a-kind adventure should not be missed under any circumstances. It’s also one of thebest Netflix comedy movies, so give it a chance.
Read more in ourThey Cloned Tyrone review!
What brilliantly sets it apart is Adams' tour-de-force performance, battling the pressures of deciphering a circular language while decoding tragic dreams about her daughter. There’s a clever twist to this element that breathes new life into the genre. By the end, you’ll be in agreement: for one of the rare examples where the art of communication is placed front and center, it sits in good company with Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Want to explore thebest Netflix thrillers? Check out ourArrival reviewfor more close encounters.
No amount of atomic breath can dislodge Godzilla Minus One as one of the best Godzilla films ever made. Following in the footsteps of Ishirō Honda’s 1954 film, Godzilla again serves as a metaphor for the dangers of atomic war and a heart and soul-battle for Japan’s future. It follows kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (RyunosukeKamiki) fleeing from duty. After surviving Godzilla’s wrath on a Japanese air base, he returns home to discover his parents had died in the bombs in Tokyo. Filled with survivors' guilt, he tries to reacclimatise to a new life while the threat of Godzilla still looms.
The King Titan himself has never felt so intimidating. While there are many entertaining entries in the Godzilla franchise, Yamazaki’s grounded film easily bucks the trend providing plenty of sincerity and emotions throughout. Like its 1954 predecessor, it sides with its human characters as they wrestle through the moral complexities of how to respond to something seemingly unstoppable. Its presentation is stunning in color, fully deserving of its Academy Award for ‘Best Visual Effects.’
For more information on our top pick for the best sci-fi movie on Netflix right now, read ourGodzilla Minus One review.
After more streaming picks? Check out our lists of thebest fantasy movies on Netflix, and thebest shows on Netflix.
Kelechi Ehenulo is a London-based freelance film critic and writer. She is the founder of Confessions From A Geek Mind and her work has been featured in publications such as Empire Magazine, Digital Spy, Movie Marker, Film Stories, The Daily Mirror, Music Movies & Hoops, FilmHounds, Zavvi, Set the Tape, and many more.
She has covered various festivals, including the London, Glasgow, Manchester, and Sundance London Film Festivals. Kelechi has also served as an awards juror for the BUFF Film Festival and the Grierson Awards. Additionally, she is a proud member of the London Critics’ Circle, The Online Association of Female Film Critics, and the UK Film Critics Association, and is accredited by Rotten Tomatoes.
Kelechi is a self-proclaimed geek at heart, with a love for everything sci-fi and comic books, including Star Wars, Batman, Black Panther, and Spider-Man.
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