Last updated March 2024
Want to watch extraordinarily awesome, critic-approved Best Sci-Fi Movies ASAP? We assembled 30 marvelous, rave-worthy Best Sci-Fi Movies for your immediate viewing enjoyment. With through the roof ratings from IMDB and widespread acclaim from our knowledgeable user base, these elite titles are as jaw-droppingly great as it gets! Help other fans uncover buried treasures by voting for the titles you consider keepers. We value members who contribute phenomenal recommendations!
Inception (2010)
Plot Summary:
Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious
Duration: 148 min
IMDB Rating: 8.8/10
IMDB Votes: 25000000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Plot tags: dream, virtual reality, memory, alternate reality, twists and turns, imagination, subconscious, philosophy, existentialism, fictional reality, heist, architecture, mind control, lucid dream, puzzle, teamwork, parallel world, fantasy world, kidnapping, trippy, sleeping, time, psychological manipulation, manipulation, redemption
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Plot Summary:
Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Spider-Verse saga, an epic adventure that will transport Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man across the Multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-People to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered
Duration: 140 min
IMDB Rating: 8.7/10
IMDB Votes: 312000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: superhero, peter parker character, african american, villain, alternate universe, teen superhero, alternate dimension, fight, police, laboratory, father son relationship, superheroine, death of friend, teenager, superhero team, superpower, spider man, child, anthropomorphism, loss of son, parallel universe, secret identity, multiverse, revenge, escape
The Matrix (1999)
Plot Summary:
Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth
Duration: 136 min
IMDB Rating: 8.7/10
IMDB Votes: 20000000
Genere: Action, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Australia
Plot tags: artificial intelligence, philosophy, virtual reality, dystopia, distopia, martial arts, existentialism, cyberpunk, alternate reality, gunfight, fight, visceral, hacker, post apocalypse, simulated reality, robot, man versus machine, mentor, freedom, technology, post apocalyptic, destiny, trippy, save the world, consciousness
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Plot Summary:
The epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker, in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda. But Darth Vader is more determined than ever to capture Luke. Meanwhile, rebel leader Princess Leia, cocky Han Solo, Chewbacca, and droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are thrown into various stages of capture, betrayal and despair
Duration: 124 min
IMDB Rating: 8.7/10
IMDB Votes: 14000000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: star wars, space opera, outer space, alien, sword fight, space travel, space and aliens, creature, space battle, good versus evil, training, jedi, heroic mission, spacecraft, androids, space wars, spaceship, rebellion, swamp, snow, space, intergalactic, robot, rescue, duel
Interstellar (2014)
Plot Summary:
Interstellar chronicles the adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage
Duration: 169 min
IMDB Rating: 8.7/10
IMDB Votes: 20000000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, UK, Canada
Plot tags: space travel, time travel, outer space, father daughter relationship, nasa, astronaut, end of the world, space, survival, distopia, apocalypse, science, space exploration, time paradox, space station, time loop, robot, quantum physics, space and aliens, scientist, race against time, natural disaster, distant planet, black hole, time
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Plot Summary:
Nearly 10 years have passed since Sarah Connor was targeted for termination by a cyborg from the future. Now her son, John, the future leader of the resistance, is the target for a newer, more deadly terminator. Once again, the resistance has managed to send a protector back to attempt to save John and his mother Sarah
Duration: 137 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 12000000
Genere: Action, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: artificial intelligence, time travel, terminator, robot, cyborgs, man versus machine, apocalypse, androids and robots, end of the world, violence, alternate timeline, child in peril, time traveler, time, robot vs. robot, dystopia, strong female character, battlefield, violent, post apocalypse, cyberpunk, fictional war, weapons, motorcycle, villain
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
Plot Summary:
Princess Leia is captured and held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker and dashing captain Han Solo team together with the loveable robot duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess and restore peace and justice in the Empire
Duration: 121 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 14000000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: space opera, star wars, outer space, rebellion, robot, spaceship, intergalactic, space wars, wilhelm scream, sword fight, space, space travel, rebel, princess, heroic mission, planet, evil empire, space station, good versus evil, space and aliens, jedi, lightsaber, spacecraft, weapon of mass destruction, alien
The Prestige (2006)
Plot Summary:
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences
Duration: 130 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 14000000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: twists and turns, obsession, plot twist, magic, rivalry, uninhibited rivalry, magician, secret, magic trick, illusionist, illusion, deception, secrets, revenge, great ending, nikola tesla, stage magic, teleportation, magical, partner, peril, twins, murder, vengeance, suicide
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Plot Summary:
In postwar Japan, a new terror rises. Will the devastated people be able to survive... let alone fight back?
Duration: 124 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Plot tags: godzilla, kaiju, monster, giant monster, airplane, post war japan, world war two, ocean, giant, island, escape, water, death, running, hospital, orphan, mine, post war, boat, baby, photograph, city, kamikaze, disappearance, little girl
Alien (1979)
Plot Summary:
During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed
Duration: 117 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 931000
Genere: Horror, Sci-Fi
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: alien, monster, space travel, outer space, space and aliens, evil alien, heroine, female protagonist, spaceship, alien monster, survival horror, creature, deadly creature, alien encounter, fear, alien invasion, strong female lead, spacecraft, survival, space, sole survivor, gory, trapped, creature feature, human versus alien
Back to the Future (1985)
Plot Summary:
Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985
Duration: 116 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 13000000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: time travel, time machine, mad scientist, destiny, time loop, inventor, teenager, changing the past or future, scientist, time, high school, race against time, fish out of water, time paradox, alternate reality, paradox, small town, suprisingly clever, alternate history, car, love and romance, teenage life, chases and races, escapades, skateboard
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Plot Summary:
As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment - the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain
Duration: 149 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 12000000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Norway
Plot tags: superhero, super powers, fight scenes, team, invasion, supernatural power, alien, power, universe, tragedy, good versus evil, end of the world, battlefield, superhero team, comic book, super villain, raccoon, heroes, save the world, hand to hand combat, final battle, murder, outer space, battles, flying superhero
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Plot Summary:
After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store
Duration: 181 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 12000000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: superhero, time travel, heroes, alternate timeline, invasion, superhero team, alien, outer space, tony stark character, revenge, fight scenes, epic battle, humanity in peril, final battle, army, battlefield, time machine, good versus evil, supernatural power, superheroine, spacecraft, super villain, father daughter relationship, super powers, mission
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Plot Summary:
In the "classic Spider-Man mold", Miles Morales must juggle his high school life with his status as a superhero. Until he learns by Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man, that there is a multiverse, called the "Spider-Verse", in each reality has their own Spider theme hero
Duration: 117 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 645000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: Canada, USA
Plot tags: superhero, multiverse, teenager, alternate universe, peter parker character, school, superheroine, teenage life, teenage superhero, super powers, father son relationship, love, physics, secret identity, comic book, superpower, african american, spider man, martial arts, giant monster, robot, giant, good versus evil, teacher, police
WALL·E (2008)
Plot Summary:
WALL·E is the last robot left on an Earth that has been overrun with garbage and all humans have fled to outer space. For 700 years he has continued to try and clean up the mess, but has developed some rather interesting human-like qualities. When a ship arrives with a sleek new type of robot, WALL·E thinks he's finally found a friend and stows away on the ship when it leaves
Duration: 98 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 12000000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Japan
Plot tags: loneliness, robot, space travel, ecology, outer space, post apocalypse, love, technology, artificial intelligence, society, happy ending, ecological disaster, androids and robots, imaginary, distopia, environmental, earth, determination, space station, space, post apocalyptic, environment, abandoned, end of the world, dystopia
Aliens (1986)
Plot Summary:
When Ripley's lifepod is found by a salvage crew over 50 years later, she finds that terra-formers are on the very planet they found the alien species. When the company sends a family of colonists out to investigate her story, all contact is lost with the planet and colonists. They enlist Ripley and the colonial marines to return and search for answers
Duration: 137 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 750000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: alien, space travel, strong female character, survival, outer space, female warrior, space, space and aliens, creature, human versus alien, monster, deadly creature, alien invasion, evil alien, spacecraft, spaceship, female hero, female protagonist, space colony, soldier, trapped, heroine, mysterious planet, strong female lead, alien monster
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Plot Summary:
Joel Barish, heartbroken that his girlfriend underwent a procedure to erase him from her memory, decides to do the same. However, as he watches his memories of her fade away, he realises that he still loves her, and may be too late to correct his mistake
Duration: 108 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 11000000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: memory, surrealism, dream, love, love story, memory loss, existentialism, loneliness, melancholy, couples, amnesia, relationships, introspection, borderline personality disorder, brainwashing, love and romance, couple relations, alternate reality, disorder, life changing, power of love, destiny, deja vu, boyfriend girlfriend relationship, ex boyfriend ex girlfriend relationship
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Plot Summary:
Demonic gang-leader Alex goes on the spree of rape, mugging and murder with his pack of "droogs". But he's a boy who also likes Beethoven's Ninth and a bit of "the old in-out, in-out". He later finds himself at the mercy of the state and its brainwashing experiment designed to take violence off the streets
Duration: 136 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 867000
Genere: Crime, Sci-Fi
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: insanity, psychology, surrealism, gang, rape, dystopia, violent, controversy, violence, psychopath, brutality, violence spree, murder, sociopath, nihilism, sex crime, distopia, home invasion, lust, nudity, female nudity, freedom, brainwashing, torture, drug
Return of the Jedi (1983)
Plot Summary:
As Rebel leaders map their strategy for an all-out attack on the Emperor's newer, bigger Death Star. Han Solo remains frozen in the cavernous desert fortress of Jabba the Hutt, the most loathsome outlaw in the universe, who is also keeping Princess Leia as a slave girl. Now a master of the Force, Luke Skywalker rescues his friends, but he cannot become a true Jedi Knight until he wages his own crucial battle against Darth Vader, who has sworn to win Luke over to the dark side of the Force
Duration: 131 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 11000000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: star wars, space opera, alien, space and aliens, heroic mission, jedi, space wars, creature, outer space, space, space battle, sword fight, intergalactic, space station, good versus evil, planet, rebel, redemption, happy ending, brother sister relationship, father son relationship, robot, mentor, spaceship, space travel
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013)
Plot Summary:
Batman has stopped the reign of terror that The Mutants had cast upon his city. Now an old foe wants a reunion and the government wants The Man of Steel to put a stop to Batman
Duration: 76 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 56000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: superhero, batman, comic book, villain, distopia, heroes, imaginary, fighting crime, good versus evil, protector, rivalry, master villain, society, comeback, mogul, heroic mission, superman, violent, vigilantism, fight, disguise, police officer, police, hostage, police raid
Cat City (1986)
Plot Summary:
In the year 80 AMM (After Mickey Mouse) on planet X the crime-syndicated Cats try to erase the Mouse-population once and for all. A scientist of the mice, prof. Fushimishi seems to have found the weapon against the threat - so Intermouse calls it's best, but now retired agent - Nick Grabowsky - to get the plans. As a distraction for the Cats, they also send a second agent - Seargent Lazy Dick - for the mission
Duration: 96 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: Hungary, Canada, West Germany
Plot tags: cat, cartoon cat, heroic mission, secret agent, undercover, intrigue, rivalry, good versus evil, partner, uninhibited rivalry, odd couple, espionage, furry, spy, anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic animal, heroes, escapades, animal life, silly humor, goofy hero, unlikely partners, talking animal, mouse, court
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Plot Summary:
Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer
Duration: 149 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 706000
Genere: Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: space travel, astronaut, outer space, artificial intelligence, space, moon, scientist, computer, trippy, space opera, human versus computer, space station, self discovery, spacecraft, existentialism, spaceship, future shock, philosophy, space and aliens, spacewalk, space exploration, great ending, evolution, man versus machine, dystopian future
Lucia (2013)
Plot Summary:
A man suffering from insomnia is tricked into buying a drug, Lucia, that makes his desires come true in his dreams, blurring the line between fantasy and reality
Duration: 135 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: insomnia, hallucination, drug, surrealism, drug abuse, fantasy becomes reality, whodunit, superhero, cyberpunk, myth, occult, mind, urban, hidden treasure, innovation, cognitive science, great ending, knowledge, bollywood, unreliable narrator, drugs
The Thing (1982)
Plot Summary:
Scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the people it kills
Duration: 109 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 456000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Canada
Plot tags: monster, alien, isolation, survival, fear, creature, paranoia, snow, supernatural, suspicion, ufo, body horror, scientist, alien life-form, mutation, trapped, space and aliens, alien encounter, survival horror, characters in danger, transformation, evil, gory, danger, research
Jurassic Park (1993)
Plot Summary:
A wealthy entrepreneur secretly creates a theme park featuring living dinosaurs drawn from prehistoric DNA. Before opening day, he invites a team of experts and his two eager grandchildren to experience the park and help calm anxious investors. However, the park is anything but amusing as the security systems go off-line and the dinosaurs escape
Duration: 127 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 10000000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: dinosaur, island, survival, creature feature, animal attack, scientist, disaster, research, children, experiment, dangerous animal, child in peril, science, amusement park, violence, laboratory, paleontology, jurassic park, jungle, tyrannosaurus rex, rescue, fantasy world, teenage girl, eaten alive, biology
Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future (1973)
Plot Summary:
Shurik Timofeev builds a working model of a time machine. By accident, Ivan Bunsha, an apartment complex manager, and George Miloslavsky, a petty burglar, are transferred to 16th century Moscow, while Tsar Ivan the Terrible goes into the year 1973
Duration: 88 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Country: Soviet Union
Plot tags: time travel, time machine, fish out of water, inventor, race against time, mistaken identity, comedy of errors, changing the past or future, goofy hero, misfit, misfit partners, disorder, comedy of manners, escapades, impostor, husband wife relationship, master of disguise, medieval, lookalikes, ancient, cinema, alternate timeline, modernism, time traveler, royal palace
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Plot Summary:
Sony Pictures Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company jointly announced that Marvel Studios and its President Kevin Feige will produce the third film in the "Spider-Man: Homecoming" series, starring Tom Holland. The film is scheduled to release on July 16, 2021. The third film will see Peter Parker deal with the aftermath of Quentin Beck outing him as Spider-man, but also to deal with a familiar old foe who has joined a group of "Sinister Six" villains
Duration: 148 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 849000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: superhero, multiverse, peter parker character, double life, teenager, heroes, teenage boy, supernatural power, villain, villain turns good, teenage superhero, costumed hero, superhuman powers, comic book, rescue, high school, moral dilemma, magical power, loss of loved one, microchip, spider man, high school student, grief, good versus evil, martial arts
V for Vendetta (2005)
Plot Summary:
In a world in which Great Britain has become a fascist state, a masked vigilante known only as 'V' conducts guerrilla warfare against the oppressive British government. When 'V' rescues a young woman from the secret police, he finds in her an ally with whom he can continue his fight to free the people of Britain
Duration: 132 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 12000000
Genere: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, UK, Germany
Plot tags: revolution, distopia, revenge, vengeance, dystopia, fighting the system, freedom, vigilante, anti hero, society, protest, rebellion, vigilantism, mysterious character, masked vigilante, superhero, dark hero, moral ambiguity, fascist, conspiracy, mentor, disguise, totalitarianism, masked man, oppression
It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)
Plot Summary:
Bill struggles to put together his shattered psyche, in this new feature film version of Don Hertzfeldt's animated short film trilogy
Duration: 62 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: surrealism, illness, mental health, mental illness, dark humor, nightmare, hospital, divorced parents, narration, death, loneliness, depression, destiny, life & death, existentialism, introspection, obsession, art, imagination, self discovery, direction and purpose, hopes, trippy, conversation, love
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Plot Summary:
An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order. There's Max, a man of action and a man of few words, who seeks peace of mind following the loss of his wife and child in the aftermath of the chaos. And Furiosa, a woman of action and a woman who believes her path to survival may be achieved if she can make it across the desert back to her childhood homeland
Duration: 120 min
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
IMDB Votes: 11000000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Australia
Plot tags: post apocalypse, survival, apocalypse, desert, post apocalyptic, chase, car chase, distopia, car, dystopian future, dystopia, on the run, dark hero, rescue, female warrior, tough girl, lone hero, tough guy, danger, carsploitation, good versus evil, female protagonist, escape, slavery, feminism