Sci-fi is the ultimate movie genre where directors, scriptwriters, and actors can expand their skills to explore the unknown without wandering too far into the realm of impossibility. Simultaneously, viewers are pleased to get spoiled with the brave new world of imagination while still confined in the paradigm of drama, action, horror, thriller, and comedy. At the moment, Netflix is undoubtedly the largest repository of the genre with hundreds of selections at your fingertips. We’ve ranked some of the top-rated Netflix movies, from mildly entertaining to vastly entertaining. Check out our list of sci-fi movies below.
31. The Core (2003)
The eminent destruction of planet Earth is familiar territory of sci-fi, and here we go again. In “The Core,” the destruction comes from within rather than from alien-related attacks. A team of scientists and a super-brilliant hacker are on their way to keep the planet rotating without creating Internet-induced panic. It is ridiculous, but glorious. Main cast includes Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, and Stanley Tucci.
30. Freaks (2018)
Chloe has never left home since she was a just a baby. Now a growing teenage girl, she begins to wonder why her eyes cry blood, and who the weeping woman in her closet is. When she finally escapes the confines of home and her over-protective father, an old mysterious ice-cream man says he knows where her dead mother now lives. Main cast include: Emile Hirsch, Lexy Kolker, Bruce Dern, and Grace Park.
29. I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
It’s difficult to categorize “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” into any single category because it’s part thriller, part sci-fi, part drama, and part horror. It’s something that’s creepy and beautiful at the same time; uncomfortable and enticing in one package. Main cast include: Jessie Buckley, Jesse Plemons, David Thewlis, and Toni Collette.
28. Replicas (2018)
Keanu Reeves is a neuroscientist attempting to clone his now dead wife and two children. It actually works, but when his boss figures out the whole thing, the family must be once again eliminated, for the cloning might ruin the company’s otherwise secret military program funded by the U.S. government. The film is an easy watch that doesn’t require you to think too hard to guess how it ends. Main cast includes Keanu Reeves and Thomas Middleditch.
27. Cloud Atlas (2012)
In “Cloud Atlas,” it is as if everything is connected through something, whether a diary, a piece of music, an image, a dream, a letter, and even a film. The jumps between multiple eras often make the movie nonsensical, but it is worth at least one revisit just to remember how good it was the first time. Main cast includes Tom Hanks and Halle Berry.
26. Mars Attacks! (1996)
According to screenwriter of Jonathan Gems, the executives at Warner Bros. were furious about the failure of “Mars Attacks!” They resorted to cancelling Tim Burton’s “Superman Lives” project, which would have starred Nicholas Cage. More than two decades later and on a second look, the movie is not actually half bad. It’s about flying saucers and aliens from Mars trying to assassinate the President of the United States, presented in the bizarrely curious way of Tim Burton. Main cast includes Jack Nicholson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan, Natalie Portman, Michael J. Fox, and Jack Black.
25. The Silence (2019)
The most appropriate way to describe “The Silence” is a remake of “A Quiet Place.” The similarity between the two is uncanny, in which the world faces grave danger from monsters that hunt their victims by sound. The fate of humanity lies on the heightened sense of a deaf kid. Main cast includes Stanley Tucci and Kiernan Shipka.
24. Snowpiercer (2013)
Following a failed attempt to save the world from global warming, the Earth once again is in an Ice Age period. Humans must now live inside a constantly running train called Snowpiercer. Segregation by wealth triggers a revolt by the poor. Each carriage presents its own difficult challenges, building suspense until the very end. Main cast includes Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton.
23. 9 (2009)
A sci-fi movie that explores the fear of artificial intelligence in an entertaining way, “9” presents a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by robots. A group of small robotic ragdolls will set out on an adventurous campaign to summon the collective strength of others and restore peace by defeating a mean machine that is the mastermind of the planet’s destruction. Main cast includes Elijah Wood and Jennifer Connelly.
22. I Am Mother (2019)
During a time after another mass extinction, an intelligent robot with access to preserved human embryos decides to grant life to one of them. The newborn is simply known as Daughter is raised by an Android called Mother. The mass extinction didn’t really kill everyone. A woman – who in the movie is known simply as Woman – finds her way into the bunker where Mother and Daughter live. And then things get really complicated between them. Main cast includes Hillary Swank and Rose Byrne.
21. Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019)
The widely popular Nick, Jr. character is now in her high school age, and eager to set out on an adventure in the brand new old-world of the Peruvian Jungle. As the title says, she was looking for a way to find and enter the Lost City of Gold while searching for her missing parents. Despite not being as action-packed as Disney’s Jungle Cruise, the live-action Dora is a perfect match in terms of lightheartedness and humorous tone. Main cast includes Eva Longoria, Michael Pena, and Isabela Moner.
20. The Wandering Earth (2019)
Based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Liu Cixin, “The Wandering Earth” is the first big-budget sci-fi movie to come out of China. While the plot is all too familiar with an unstable sun that threatens the very existence of Earth, the spectacle is refreshingly mesmerizing. Main cast includes Wu Jing and Ng Man-tat.
19. The Final Destination (2000)
The original “Final Destination” film, released in 2000, honors the long-celebrated tradition of a dead-teenagers movie. It all begins with a bunch of young boys and girls having fun with their time, and then one by one they die under strange circumstances. Of course, one of them can somehow foresee their fate in a supernatural sci-fi way. Main cast includes Devon Sawa, A.J. Cook, and Tony Todd.
18. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Taking place five years following the conclusion of the Spanish Civil War, Pan’s Labyrinth is the dark fantasy creation of director Guillermo del Toro. It’s a challenging movie that delivers colliding visions of real people and the perceived inhumanity from them, all from the perspective of a young girl. Main cast includes Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, and Maribel Verdu.
17. Okja (2017)
It’s a friendly, heartwarming, and sometimes heartbreaking story of a girl with her massive mutant pig named Okja. Like all good sci-fi movies, “Okja” is a blend of sadness, happiness, and a thought-provoking performance. Main cast includes Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ahn Seo-hyun, and Lily Collins.
16. Bird Box (2018)
The premise is simple and unique, and the promise is terrifying. Malorie Hayes is trying to protect her two kids as they venture in a rowboat towards a safe community in a forest. They have to get there because in the post-apocalyptic world, dangerous creatures are lurking everywhere. Malorie and her two kids must make the entire trip blindfolded, otherwise they will die. Main cast includes Sandra Bullock, John Malkovich, and Sarah Paulson.
15. Looper (2012)
Confusing and exciting at the same time, Looper is a proper mixture of all the right ingredients taken from “Memento” and “The Terminator.” It’s a time-travel story where a man must kill his future self. Main cast includes Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Emily Blunt.
14. Total Recall (1990)
There is a remake version of “Total Recall,” but the original 1990 film remains an ageless classic everybody should watch at least once in their lifetime. Back in the day, the now old-fashioned film won Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects, and it was nominated for Best Sound. It’s violent, often scary, and an all-around epic blast. Main cast includes Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone.
13. Starship Troopers (1997)
It’s everything you want in a space-themed sci-fi movie from blazing guns to giant alien insects, from cheesy dialogue to violent scenes. There’s nothing else you could expect on an extraterrestrial planet that turned into a battleground for the fate of humankind. Main cast includes Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Neil Patrick Harris, and Jake Busey.
12. Minority Report (2002)
The year is 2054, and in Washington D.C. as well as Northern Virginia the Pre-Crime Police Department is trying to do everything they can to stop any crime before it happens. All prophecies of future crimes come from computer-connected beings known as Pre-Cogs. One day, the Pre-Cogs file a report showing that the chief of the department is about to commit a crime. Main cast includes Tom Cruise and Collin Farrell.
11. Tremors (1990)
The small-budget horror comedy film reminds you how a sci-fi thriller should be. The villains in “Tremors” are fan-favorite giant worms that are quickly drawn underground to vibrations, such as footsteps. In a small, isolated town, everyone is involved in an eye-catching battle against the subterranean monsters. Main cast includes Kevin Bacon and Michael Gross.
10. Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017)
Believe it or not, “Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters” is the 32nd film, and yet the 1st animated version of the Godzilla franchise. Much like any of the other previous films, it tells the story of humanity against monsters. What makes this movie different is the animation. The graphics alone should compel any sci-fi fan to watch. Main cast includes Mamoru Miyano and Kana Hanazawa.
9. Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982)
There have been several versions of “Blade Runner” over the decades. They’re all similar to the original released in 1982, albeit with minor differences. The Final Cut eventually saw the light of day in 2007; it is the only version in which director Ridley Scott had complete control over the artistic edit. Main cast includes Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer.
8. Stargate (1994)
Somewhere in Egypt, researchers discovered a teleportation device with the ability to transport present-day, real-world humans to a distant world inhabited by a human civilization that looks eerily similar to the ancient Egyptians. Main cast includes Kurt Russell and James Spader.
7. Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
In a distant future, the human brain can be utilized as storage device to store massive amount of data. Johnny is a courier who ditches his childhood memories so he can keep the data safe in his brain. He soon becomes a person of interest because his brain apparently contains some priceless files. Main cast includes Keanu Reeves, Dolph Lundgren, and Dina Meyer.
6. Extinction (2018)
Visions of alien invasion make Peter sleepless. Images of violence and victimized innocence keep him awake at night and drive him away from a normal family life. It gets more bewildering when Peter realizes that he’s not actually a human being. Main cast includes Michael Pena, Lizzy Caplan, and Mike Colter.
5. Anon (2018)
This movie is very much like Minority Report but at much wider scale. Everyone in Anon can be a crime solver as they have been implanted with a device to see and record everything as if they are robots. Just like every device, however, watch out for glitches. Main cast includes Clive Owen, Amanda Seyfried, and Colm Feore.
4. Mobile Suit Gundam I (1981)
As you may have guessed, it is the first part of the well-known trilogy. The first in the series tells the origin of “Gundam,” about who builds it, and what it is for. On the day it was released, 15,000 people attended the premiere prompting the police to increase security over concern of a riot. The movie was simply that good.
3. Holiday on Mars (2020)
About a decade from now, everyone will be able to go to another planet, more specifically Mars. A father is planning to take the trip to the red planet, leave his family, and marry a rich woman there. Of course, everything doesn’t go according to plan. The Italian sci-fi film is full of hilarious mishaps and amusing events throughout the trip. The film stars Denise Tantucci and Massimo Boldi.
2. Rim of the World (2019)
At a strange summer camp called “Rim of the World,” four kids find themselves trying to save the world from alien invasion. If you don’t take the film seriously and keep your expectations where they should be, it’s quite enjoyable. Main cast includes Jack Gore, Annabeth Gish, Miya Cech, and Andrew Bachelor.
1. Eight-Legged Freaks (2002)
A drum of toxic waste accidentally gets spilled in an area inhabited by crickets. A spider farmer unknowingly collects and feeds the contaminated insects to his pets. Long story short, the spiders grow exceedingly large and now they hunt people. Main cast includes David Arquette and Scarlett Johansson.
