Choose your own double feature: The 18 best sci-fi movies on Netflix

Life is all about perspective, and nothing snaps you out of a funk quite like escaping to a world where things are much, much worse. Whether you're dropping into a government-controlled dystopia or somewhere free from privacy, rest easy in the knowledge that however your life looks right now, it might be better than these potential realities.

From films satirizing government inaction in reaction to climate change, to journeys into the worlds of party drugs and pills that provide superpowers, these are the must-watch sci-fi movies on Netflix.

01 of 18

The Adam Project (2022)

The rules of time travel be damned! In  The Adam Project , a fighter pilot ( Ryan Reynolds ) living in the year 2050 attempts to travel back to 2018 to save his wife (Zoe Saldaña), but accidentally crash lands in 2022 where he comes face-to-face with his teenage self (Walker Scobell). As the two Adams work together to return Old Adam to the future, they find ways to grow and grieve through traumas new and old. Think  Back to the Future –meets– Free Guy . EW's critic writes  that " Adam  barrels along on movie stars and charm, from futures past and back again."  —Randall Colburn

Where to watch  The Adam Project : Netflix

Director: Shawn Levy

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Zoe Saldaña,  Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo, Walker Scobell

02 of 18

Anon (2018)

Privacy and anonymity are luxuries afforded to no one in the 2018 British-American sci-fi thriller Anon . Clive Owen stars as Det. Sal Frieland, a troubled cop operating in a dystopia where the entire populace is implanted with an ocular device intended to record and track the movements of the people around them. The government's transparency methods ensure that all criminal activity is caught on tape — but when a mysterious woman with no digital footprint (Amanda Seyfried) crosses paths with Sal, he realizes she might have a connection with a series of unsolved murders he's investigating.

Director Andrew Niccol tells EW , "I always wanted to do a movie about privacy and the fact that there was never a war for privacy because we already lost — we gave away our privacy without a fight, all for convenience." — Ilana Gordon

Where to watch Anon : Netflix

Director:Andrew Niccol

Cast:Clive Owen, Amanda Seyfried, Colm Feore, Mark O'Brien

03 of 18

Battleship (2012)

Battleship proves board games aren't just for basements. With an eclectic cast that includes both Liam Neeson and Rihanna, Battleship is a military science fiction action film that combines a love story, aliens, and good old-fashioned naval warfare. Propelled by the best special effects available at the time, while still nodding to the game's original low-tech roots, Battleship won't sink under the weight of your expectations. EW's critic writes the film is the "rousing, engaging, and emotionally complex action war picture the silly 2001 action war picture Pearl Harbor only wished it could be."  —I.G.

Where to watch Battleship : Netflix

EW grade:B+

Director:Peter Berg

Cast:Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgård, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker, Tadanobu Asano, Liam Neeson

04 of 18

Bird Box (2018)

Sight becomes a barrier in Bird Box , a postapocalyptic thriller where the enemy must go unseen, or else. Sandra Bullock stars as Malorie Hayes, a woman responsible for transporting her two young children down a river while wearing blindfolds: a strategy intended to help the survivors avoid seeing the entities that attacked Earth five years earlier, and who cause those who look upon them to commit suicide.

Jumping between their present journey and the past events that led Malorie and the children to this point, director Susanne Bier leans into the tension of the unknown and relies on her talented but eclectic cast to do the rest. Released the same year as A Quiet Place , and possessing a somewhat similar premise, Bird Box received less attention when it first premiered, but this sci-fi horror film is a great option for fans of both genres. —I.G.

Where to watch Bird Box : Netflix

EW grade:B

Director:Susanne Bier

Cast:Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Danielle Macdonald, Sarah Paulson, Machine Gun Kelly

05 of 18

Cities of Last Things (2018)

A Chinese film constructed in reverse chronological order, Cities of Last Things tells one man's life story from end to beginning. Set in 2056 and littered with sci-fi goodies like rejuvenation fluids that make women look younger, and citizen ID tags, the film is set in the same city, and told over three separate nights, in three different phases of the man's life.

The movie is a revenge film, and as such the violence is overt — an early suicide scene deserves a trigger warning — but the acting is excellent, and the story is devastating and engaging, making Cities of Last Things worthy of your time and consideration. —I.G.

Where to watch Cities of Last Things : Netflix

Director:Ho Wi Ding

Cast:Jack Kao, Lee Hong-chi, Hsieh Chang-Ying, Louise Grinberg

06 of 18

Code 8 (2019)

A Canadian offering produced by and starring cousins Robbie Amell and Stephen Amell , Code 8 is a sci-fi action film that made Netflix's Top 10 list during the peak of lockdown in 2020. A superhero movie about a world in which 4 percent of the population is born with supernatural abilities — and monitored by the militarized police — the film centers around Connor (Robbie Amell) a 26-year-old with powers and an ailing mother who is desperate for money.

When Garrett (Stephen Amell), an aide for a local crime lord, approaches Connor about using his powers for a more lucrative purpose, Connor accepts and soon finds himself on the police's radar. A film financed through crowdfunding, Code 8 lacks the flash and production pizzaz of some of its contemporaries, but the movie's script, heart, and production backstory make it a fun watch anyway. —I.G.

Where to watch Code 8 : Netflix

Director:Jeff Chan

Cast:Robbie Amell, Stephen Amell, Sung Kang, Kari Matchett, Greg Bryk, Aaron Abrams, Kyla Kane, Laysla De Oliviera, Vlad Alexis

07 of 18

Donnie Darko (2001)

Sleep disorders, hallucinations, and rabbit costume-clad figures prophesying humanity's imminent destruction are just a few of the treats provided in  Donnie Darko , a trippy sci-fi thriller with a stacked cast.  Jake Gyllenhaal  stars as Donnie, a teenager struggling with his mental health, who begins sleepwalking and experiencing visions that take a toll on his everyday life. Also starring Jake's real-life sibling Maggie Gyllenhaal as Donnie's sister, the flick was quickly adopted by college kids and film students as the movie to watch in the early aughts.

Donnie Darko  struggled at the box office primarily due to bad timing: The theatrical release was scheduled for shortly after the 9/11 attacks, and the movie — which features a plane crash — suffered accordingly. Regardless, the film quickly achieved cult classic status, and, according to Jake Gyllenhaal, remains one of his proudest career moments.  —I.G.

Where to watch  Donnie Darko : Netflix

Director: Richard Kelly

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Seth Rogen, Jena Malone, Patrick Swayze, Ashley Tisdale

08 of 18

Don't Look Up (2021)

As a comet sets its sights on Earth and prepares to wipe out human civilization, two astronomers ( Leonardo DiCaprio  and  Jennifer Lawrence ) rush to warn the world of the impending collision — only to discover the world doesn't really care. "Based on events that haven't happened yet," as the film's trailer states,  Don't Look Up  is a sci-fi satire that skewers climate deniers and government inaction in the face of scientific evidence pointing to looming catastrophe.

Directed by Adam McKay ( Vice , The Big Short ), and featuring half of Hollywood, Don't Look Up offers great jokes and fun cameos, but be warned: it's not exactly light fare. Still, as far as sci-fi comedies go, this one is worth a watch — just don't think too deeply about the implications of the film's ending. —I.G.

Where to watch Don't Look Up : Netflix

EW grade:B

Director:Adam McKay

Cast:Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, Meryl Streep, Timothee Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Cate Blanchett, Mark Rylance, Melanie Lynskey, Chris Evans

09 of 18

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Godzilla Minus One won the 2024 Oscar for Best Visual Effects, but the film is so much more than a monster movie with incredible CGI. Set in Japan, a country ravaged by the after-effects of World War II, the film follows a failed kamikaze pilot as he is haunted both by his performance during the war and a gargantuan monster with a heat ray capable of razing Tokyo.

A love story disguised as a horror movie, Godzilla Minus One offers stunning performances, a fascinating historical perspective, and — of course — the kind of city-trampling mayhem one would expect when selecting a Godzilla movie. You know they did a good job when the filmmaker has you sympathizing with both the monster and the citizens rallying to defeat it. —I.G.

Where to watch Godzilla Minus One : Netflix

Director:Takashi Yamazaki

Cast:Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki

10 of 18

Jurassic Park (1993)

Included on EW's list of  30 best summer blockbusters of all time ,  Jurassic Park  was the sensation that launched a franchise when it was released in June of 1993. Set in a wildlife preserve occupied by cloned dinosaurs, the would-be theme park becomes a hunting ground for giant reptiles after the park's power is cut. Those left inside include a chaotician (Jeff Goldblum), paleontologist (Sam Neill), paleobotanist (Laura Dern), and two of the owner's grandchildren.  Jurassic Park  might not top the long list of  Steven Spielberg 's cinematic achievements, but the franchise is resilient and continues to spawn, with  Jurassic World Rebirth  (2025) being the latest installment.  —I.G.

Where to watch  Jurassic Park : Netflix

Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, B.D. Wong, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight

11 of 18

The Midnight Sky (2020)

George Clooney directs, co-produces, and stars in this moody and often wordless adaptation of Lily Brooks-Dalton's 2016 novel Good Morning, Midnight . Clooney — face wrapped in a giant gray beard — plays Augustine, a scientist at an Arctic research station that's still standing after an unnamed global catastrophe leaves the Earth irradiated. Health declining, he makes two big discoveries: 1) There's a mysterious little girl (Caoilinn Springall) on the station with him, and 2) her only hope for survival is the Aether, a distant spaceship that's returning to Earth unaware of the fate that's befallen it.

The Midnight Sky is familiar in its use of genre tropes, but Clooney's soulful performance brings a welcome warmth to this cold vision of Earth's future. As EW's critic notes in her review , the film also has some "arresting visual set pieces, including a blizzard white-out that feels like the actual end of the world and a memorable lesson on the physics of blood dispersion in zero gravity." —R.C.

Where to watch The Midnight Sky : Netflix

EW grade:B

Director:George Clooney

Cast:George Clooney, Felicity Jones, Tiffany Boone, Kyle Chandler, Sophie Rundle, Ethan Peck, Caoilinn Springall

12 of 18

Oxygen (2021)

A nightmare comes to life for claustrophobics everywhere, as Oxygen is a French-language sci-fi film that thinks outside the box in terms of action. At the genesis, an unidentified woman ( Mélanie Laurent ) awakens in an airtight medical unit, unsure of who or where she is. Interactions with the system's AI — dubbed M.I.L.O. (Medical Interface Liaison Officer) — provide some clarity as to her identity, but no matter what she tries, she cannot escape her prison.

As she seeks to understand who placed her in the box and why, truths about her personal life and the current state of the world come into focus — but her search for context is actually a race to outwit the slowly depleting oxygen levels. Laurent is excellent, and despite being forced to perform on her back, she manages to imbue the film with a strong sense of determination and humanity. —I.G.

Where to watch Oxygen : Netflix

EW grade:B

Director:Alexandre Aja

Cast:Mélanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric , Malik Zidi

13 of 18

Pacific Rim (2013)

Guillermo del Toro  entranced audiences when he released his fantasy movie  Pan's Labyrinth  in 2006.  Pacific Rim , which premiered seven years later, is an entirely different film. A monster flick that allows del Toro to unleash his inner geek and creature feature fan, this apocalyptic film tells the story of an alien species called Kaiju that enters our universe through an ocean portal and attempts to defeat humanity. To defend itself, Earth relies on Jaegers, giant robots that can only be operated by pairs of humans working synchronistically to intuit each other's next moves (also known as drifting).

"Del Toro has somehow persuaded Hollywood to bankroll his tribute to the giddy junk food he grew up on," EW's critic writes . "And that's exactly what the film feels like: a 48-year-old kid playing with gigantic action figures in the world's most expensive sandbox."  —I.G.

Where to watch  Pacific Rim : Netflix

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Rob Kazinsky, Max Martini, Ron Perlman

14 of 18

Project Power (2020)

What do a New Orleans police officer ( Joseph Gordon-Levitt ), a soldier in search of his daughter ( Jamie Foxx ), and a rapping drug dealer (Dominique Fishback) have in common? They're all working to rid the streets of Power, a new drug that gives users five minutes of superhero abilities, at the risk of killing them with one hit. A sci-fi action film produced by Netflix, Project Power invites audiences into a city still suffering the after-effects of Katrina, even decades after the hurricane hit.

Populated by morally murky characters — like Gordon-Levitt's Detective Frank Shaver, a cop who uses the drug to level the playing field against the city's criminals, or Fishback's teenage Robin Reilly, who knows she needs to deal to get ahead in this world, but is too smart to partake of her own product — the film finds room for cultural context amidst the action sequences. —I.G.

Where to watch Project Power : Netflix

EW grade:B+

Director:Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost

Cast:Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jamie Foxx, Dominique Fishback, Machine Gun Kelly, Rodrigo Santoro, Courtney B. Vance, Amy Landecker

15 of 18

See You Yesterday (2019)

The best way to live life with no regrets is to build a time machine — which is exactly what happens in Netflix's Spike Lee -produced sci-fi adventure film, See You Yesterday. After best friends and high school science prodigies, C.J. (Eden Duncan-Smith) and Sebastian (Danté Crichlow), unlock the secrets to time travel, they're forced to use their newfound invention in an attempt to save C.J.'s brother Calvin (Brian "Stro" Bradley) from a fatal encounter with the police.

A modern take on Back to the Future — also featuring an appearance by the original time traveler, Michael J. Fox  — the film grapples with highly relevant cultural issues like police brutality while still having fun with high school tropes and time loops. See You Yesterday might not have gotten the attention it deserved when it first premiered on the platform back in 2019, but the film remains a regret-free sci-fi adventure worth embarking upon. —I.G.

Where to watch See You Yesterday : Netflix

Director:Stefon Bristol

Cast:Eden Duncan-Smith, Danté Crichlow, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Brian "Stro" Bradley

16 of 18

Starship Troopers (1997)

Fascist imagery and thudding allusions to World War II-era propaganda films permeate  Paul Verhoeven 's  Starship Troopers , but because the provocative Dutch filmmaker didn't explicitly spell out his satire it went over the heads of many upon its release. But time has been good to the action-comedy, perhaps because its gleefully cynical portrait of nationalism and a war-hungry populace would resonate that much more in the years following 9/11 and the Iraq War. That said, those interested in the simpler pleasures of watching bugs go splat will also find plenty to like, from its gnarly, goo-slinging action set pieces to CGI effects that stand up to today's technology. —R.C.

Where to watch Starship Troopers : Netflix

EW grade:B+

Director:Paul Verhoeven

Cast:Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Muldoon, Michael Ironside

17 of 18

They Cloned Tyrone (2023)

A single genre isn't enough to contain one of Netflix's 2023 releases,  They Cloned Tyrone .  A sci-fi comedy that combines '70s Blaxploitation with mystery and social satire, the film has similar vibes to movies like  Get Out  (2017) or  Sorry to Bother You  (2018) while employing a far more absurd premise. Fontaine ( John Boyega ) is a drug dealer living in an impoverished area called the Glen. While trying to collect funds owed to him by a local pimp named Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx), Fontaine is shot and killed — but that doesn't stop him from showing up on Slick's doorstep the next day to collect his money.

Joined by a sex worker named YoYo ( Teyonah Parris ), the trio attempts to get to the bottom of what appears to be a massive government conspiracy aimed at exploiting their disenfranchised community as medical subjects. A satirical romp that has as much to say about class and racial injustices as it does about mystery movie tropes,  They Cloned Tyrone  is smart, silly, and uniformly well-acted.  —I.G.

Where to watch They Cloned Tyrone : Netflix

Director:Juel Taylor

Cast:John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, Jamie Foxx

18 of 18

What Happened to Monday (2017)

Orphan Black lovers will want to check out What Happened to Monday , a 2017 sci-fi action thriller directed by Tommy Wirkola. The film stars Noomi Rapace ( The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) , giving seven unique performances as septuplet sisters, each named after a different day of the week. The siblings live in a fascist America where overpopulation has necessitated the creation of a Child Allocation Bureau (run by Glenn Close), which imposes a single-child policy on all families.

The septuplets live secretly with their grandfather (Willem Dafoe), share the name Karen Settman (a relic from their dead mother), and are only allowed to leave the house on the day of the week that corresponds with their name. But after Monday goes out and never comes home, it's up to her sisters to save her — at the risk of exposing themselves. —I.G.

Where to watch What Happened to Monday : Netflix

Director:Tommy Wirkola

Cast:Noomi Rapace, Glenn Close, Willem Dafoe

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly