The Absolute Best Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix

Starship Troopers

Tristar

I love this movie. 

A frequently misunderstood parody of jingoism, Starship Troopers has aged tremendously. On a surface level it’s also a really fun, easy watch. Get stuck in.

Don’t Look Up

Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET

Is this sci-fi? I think it’s sci-fi. 

It’s sci-fi. End of discussion.

Don’t Look Up is far from a perfect movie. It reeks of Hollywood faux-activism and it’s too long and way too on the nose. But it still feels important and also… quite funny? 

I think regardless of its flaws, Don’t Look Up is a movie that has had a net positive on the world and it’s worth watching.

Gattaca

Sony Pictures

Gattaca is a true science fiction movie, in that it wrestles with real scientific ideas and their potential impact on the human race. It’s a film about eugenics, essentially, but also poses big questions about predestination, and how we can push back on determinism. Very cool, very interesting. A must watch.

Terminator 2

Tristar

Terminator 2 isn’t just a great sci-fi movie, it’s arguably the greatest action movie ever made. 

If you haven’t seen this already, I don’t know what to tell you. If you have seen it? Time to watch it again. Nothing beats T2. Nothing.

Stargate

MGM

It inspired a sprawling set of endless TV shows, but the original Stargate movie, released back in 1994, is still worth watching. It’s campy and the effects have aged, but the nostalgia factor is unmatched.

Looper

Looper is the movie that helped Rian Johnson get the Star Wars gig, which led to my personal favorite Star Wars movie ever, The Last Jedi.

But beyond that, Looper is just fantastic science fiction. It’s bold with its time travel choices and is just an incredibly stylish movie. Watch it.

Blade Runner

Is there a more critically revered science fiction movie than Blade Runner? If there is, I can’t think of it. Maybe the original Alien or The Thing?

Either way, neither of them is currently on Netflix, so Blade Runner is probably the must watch sci-fi movie on the service.

I Am Mother

Netflix

An Australian-made sci-fi thriller starring Hilary Swank and Rose Byrne, I Am Mother tells the post-apocalyptic tale of Daughter, a character raised by Mother, a robot tasked with helping repopulate the Earth. Very tense, very strange, very good.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Netflix

The Mitchells vs. The Machines is one of the smartest, most accessible kids movies of the last few years. It’s the sort of movie kids and parents can watch together and both have a blast.

I should know, my kids have made me watch this… eight times so far? Sweet.

The Colony

Netflix

I just watched The Colony recently. It’s surprisingly good!

It follows a very familiar trope: Rich people returning to Earth years after abandoning it, to find it overrun by new, unknown threats. The Colony subverts some of these cliches, however, and has some surprisingly powerful things to say about the ways in which we dehumanize one another. Well worth giving a chance. 

Okja

Netflix

Is Okja science fiction? Look it’s a stretch, but it’s a good movie. Just watch it anyway. 

The Platform

Netflix

The Platform is a Spanish sci-fi horror flick with a gruesome high concept. Prisoners in a correctional facility are fed in a very unique way: Folks at the top floor get fed a ludicrous amount of food, folks below get their leftovers. Chaos ensues. 

It’s not perfect, but still well worth watching.