Now that 2024 has arrived, we can safely say that adding lots of new sci-fi movies was not one of Netflix‘s New Year’s resolutions. Since Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire sank like a stone in Netflix’s top 10 movie rankings, sci-fi likely won’t get much attention in the near future. Instead, Netflix is focusing on romantic comedies, action films, and thrillers instead of giving sci-fi and fantasy movie fans their fix.
For January, the only two sci-fi additions of note are Gravity and Jurassic Park. There are still notable films on our list of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix, however, some films like Real Steel and Prometheus are leaving in the middle of February, so adjust your viewing plans accordingly.
In need of a few more suggestions? We’ve curated guides to the best sci-fi movies on Amazon Prime Video and the best sci-fi movies on Hulu, too.
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Gravity (2013) new
Director Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity is about as low-key as sci-fi gets, and for the most part, the film is very convincingly rooted in reality. It’s also one of the best thrillers of this century that just happens to take place in space, where Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is on her first NASA mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope.
After an accident during a spacewalk, Lieutenant Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) attempts to save Stone’s life, only to realize their shuttle has been disabled and their fellow crewmembers killed by space debris. Now, Stone and Kowalski have only a slim chance of survival, but it’s a chance that they have to take.
Jurassic Park (1993) new
The titular theme park of Jurassic Park was a dream given form by Dr. John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), a man who not only wanted to bring the dinosaurs back to life, but wanted to make a profit by essentially putting them in an island zoo so the world could see them firsthand.
What Hammond couldn’t foresee is that his competitors had even less scruples than he did. During an attempt to smuggle out dinosaur DNA samples, the park’s security system goes down, leaving Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), and the remaining survivors trapped between a voracious T. rex and some absolutely vicious velociraptors.
Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)
Zack Snyder’s space opera, Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire, should be familiar to fans of Star Wars and other sci-fi epics. It takes place in a universe that is ruled by Motherworld and its intergalactic army, the Imperium. Kora (Sofia Boutella), an ex-member of the Imperium, sought to redeem herself by starting a new life out of Motherworld’s reach on a moon called Veldt.
When the Imperium finally arrives on Veldt, Kora can’t run anymore. To defend her adopted homeworld, Kora recruits a former Imperium general, Titus (Djimon Hounsou), as well as Kai (Charlie Hunnam), Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), Tarak (Staz Nair), Nemesis (Doona Bae), and more. But even this assortment of warriors may not be enough to withstand a full assault by the Imperium.
Love and Monsters (2020)
Ex-Teen Wolf star Dylan O’Brien really comes into his own as a leading man in Love and Monsters. And while plenty of creatures inhabit this world, the only thing that Joel (O’Brien) is really afraid of is being alone. Before the apocalypse, Joel and Aimee (Jessica Henwick) were a committed couple. Yet seven years later, they are living separate lives in different colonies, and Joel can’t move on from the love they once shared.
Joel also believes that he’s a liability for his colony because he freezes up in combat. But to reunite with Aimee, Joel sets out on his own to find her colony. Although Joel does find a few allies along the way, including a very loyal dog, his journey is about more than mere survival. He has to fundamentally change who he is and embrace the idea that not all of the monsters are hostile.
Lucy (2014)
Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow didn’t get to have any superpowers while she was in the MCU, but that’s not a problem for her character in Lucy. Prior to the events of the film. Lucy Miller (Johansson) was just an ordinary American student in Taiwan. When her boyfriend, Richard (Pilou Asbæk), tricks Lucy into being a drug mule, she is kidnapped by Mr. Jang (Choi Min-sik) and forced to carry an experimental drug in her stomach.
After the drug is accidentally unleashed in her body, Lucy gains god-like abilities beyond anything ever seen before. But these powers come with a price, as Lucy’s body can’t hold together for much longer. Now, Lucy has to get to Professor Samuel Norman (Morgan Freeman) and pass on her newfound knowledge before it’s too late.
Prometheus (2012)
The Alien universe begins in the prequel film, Prometheus. But you’ll be waiting a long time before the Xenomorphs show up. Instead, this film is about the search for the Engineers, the enigmatic creators of humanity. In the future, Weyland Corp sends the Prometheus on a trip into deep space after a star map is discovered on Earth.
Captain Janek (Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty‘s Idris Elba), Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace), Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), and the rest of Prometheus’ crew are accompanied by David (The Killer‘s Michael Fassbender), an android who isn’t particularly fond of humanity. And David’s machinations unleash something that even he can’t control.
Real Steel (2011)
Real Steel is the story of a father, Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman), his son, Max (Dakota Goyo), and their boxing robot, Atom. In a future where boxers have been replaced by robots, Charlie finds that he has no purpose except to keep running fights with robot boxers. When Charlie’s ex-girlfriend dies, he temporarily assumes custody of Max.
Father and son bond when they find Atom in a junkyard, and the robot turns out to be a resilient fighter in the ring. But when the unexpected trio faces a major setback, Charlie will need to figure out what he really wants out of life.
Dune (2021)
The spice must flow in Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune. Spice makes interstellar travel possible, and it can only be found on the planet Arrakis, which is also called Dune. Even before he steps foot on the planet, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) experiences visions of his future on Arrakis alongside a Fremen woman called Chani (Zendaya).
Before Paul can fulfill that destiny, his father Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) is betrayed by the Emperor to their greatest enemies, House Harkonnen. Overnight, Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), lose everything but the clothes on their backs. And Paul will have to make new alliances to reclaim what was theirs.
Elysium (2013)
Neill Blomkamp’s second film, Elysium, envisions a future where the Earth is dying and the rich and powerful live in luxury on the orbital space station Elysium. Matt Damon stars as Max Da Costa, an ex-criminal-turned-day laborer on Earth who is exposed to a fatal level of radiation. Since the cure for his condition can only be found on Elysium, Max accepts a risky job to attack Armadyne Corp CRO John Carlyle (William Fichtner).
What Max doesn’t know is that the info he stole from Carlyle’s head is proof that Defense Secretary Jessica Delacourt (Jodie Foster) is attempting to pull off a coup and assume control of Elysium. That’s why she sent a psychotic killer, Agent M. Kruger (Sharlto Copley), to retrieve the info at any cost.
Dredd (2012)
The British comic book, Judge Dredd, was previously adapted as a movie in 1995 with Sylvester Stallone, but it failed to launch a franchise. The popular 2012 sci-fi remake, Dredd, was also far from a commercial blockbuster, but it’s a much better movie. Karl Urban absolutely owns the title role as Dredd, one of the leading Judges in Mega-City One. Olivia Thirlby co-stars as Cassandra Anderson, a rookie Judge with psi powers who is out on her training evaluation with Dredd.
In this dystopian future, Judges are the equivalent of the police and the courts, and they have the authority to dispense justice as they see fit. Unfortunately for Anderson and Dredd, they soon find themselves locked in an apartment high rise run by a crime lord, Madeline “Ma-Ma” Madrigal (Lena Headey). And she’ll do anything to see both Judges dead.
Snowpiercer (2013)
Before director Bong Joon-ho won his Oscars for Parasite, he helmed Snowpiercer, a Korean film that adapts the comic book by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette. In the dark future established in this film, scientists have accidentally triggered a second ice age, and the last survivors of humanity are all joined together on a train that is constantly moving. However, class warfare is alive and well, and the poor people live in squalor in the rear of the train.
When Curtis Everett (Chris Evans) has enough of the abuse, he leads an uprising against the front cars alongside Namgoong Minsoo (Song Kang-ho). But they face fierce resistance from Minister Mason (Tilda Swinton), as the battle for the future of humanity begins.
They Cloned Tyrone (2023)
Very early on in They Cloned Tyrone, a drug dealer named Fontaine (John Boyega) is brutally murdered in front of one of his clients, Slick Charles (Foxx), and one of his Slick’s girls, Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris). But much to the surprise of Slick Charles and Yo-Yo, Fontaine shows up the next day without any memory of what happened to him.
While investigating the mystery of Fontaine’s apparent resurrection, the trio uncover a clone conspiracy that has very troubling implications for their lives and their future. And if they want to save themselves, Fontaine, Slick Charles, and Yo-Yo need to fight back.
65 (2023)
65 doesn’t try to hide its sci-fi premise. It’s about a pilot named Mills (Adam Driver), a man who accepts a long-term gig as a pilot to provide for his family. But when his starship crash lands on Earth 65 million years ago, Mills is left with no way to reunite with his wife, Nevine (Chloe Coleman), and their daughter, Alya (Nika King).
The only thing that gives Mills the will to live is Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), a young girl who is the only other survivor. When Mills discovers a potential escape from prehistoric Earth, he escorts Koa across a landscape that is filled with very ravenous and very dangerous dinosaurs.
Captain Nova (2021)
Captain Nova (Anniek Pheifer) has come from the future to save the past in the Dutch sci-fi movie that shares her name. Unfortunately, for Nova, the trip back in time has also changed her into a 12-year-old child. And young Nova (Kika van de Vijver) soon realizes that her mission is now nearly impossible because of this unforeseen side effect.
With few other viable options, Nova teams up with a kid named Nas (Marouane Meftah) as she attempts to rewrite the future by taking on a greedy corporation. And if Nova fails, her future is destined to unfold in the same way that it did before.
Rim of the World (2019)
McG’s Rim of the World takes its inspiration from the kid-centric sci-fi films that Steven Spielberg produced and directed in the 1980s. At the Rim of the World summer camp in California, Alex (Jack Gore) is a boy who is still grieving the loss of his father when he starts bonding with his fellow social rejects, ZhenZhen (Miya Cech), Dariush (Benjamin Flores Jr.), and Gabriel (Alessio Scalzotto).
Much to their collective surprise, Alex and his new friends discover that they are in the midst of an alien invasion. And they may be the only ones left who can deliver the key to victory to NASA … if they can live long enough to escape.
What Happened to Monday (2017)
Warriors of Future (2022)
Spiderhead (2022)
Morbius (2022)
The Adam Project (2022)
Stowaway (2021)
Synchronic (2020)
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)
The Swarm (2020)
Army of the Dead (2021)
Oxygen (2021)
Spectral (2016)
The Midnight Sky (2020)
Outside the Wire (2021)
The Discovery (2017)
The Wandering Earth (2019)
Mirage (2018)
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
Advantageous (2015)
Project Power (2020)
Bird Box (2018)
See You Yesterday (2019)
Beyond Skyline (2017)
Okja (2017)
I Am Mother (2019)
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