Best Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix You Shouldn’t Miss!

Best Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix: Science-Fiction, the holy grail of box-office, a genre which has the liberty to explore ambitious and inspiring concepts and ideas and a treasure box which has given many remarkable movies over the years. Now with Netflix starting their own NX on Netflix campaign, it opened up and allowed us to stream quite a few sci-fi classics and thought-provoking new movies. So, continuing our Best on Netflix tradition, here are the Best Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix available to stream right now.

Last Updated on August 03, 2023

[Ranked in no particular order]

17. Oxygen (2021)

Director – Alexandre Aja
Cast – Melanie Laurent, Anne Hathaway

Waking up trapped in a cryogenic unit, the main character had to figure out who she was before oxygen ran out. On to the positives, the first 2/3rd of this movie was pretty typical of a claustrophobic thriller. It built up certain things before the twist came. An entertaining last third act made up for the typical buildup. I wished the ending would be darker, like in Buried. – Nguyen Dang

16. Synchronic

Directors – Benson & Moorhead
Cast – Anthony Mackie & Jamie Dornan

From Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, the visionary directors behind one of the Best Movies of 2018, The Endless, the 2020 sci-fi thriller Synchronic was a slow burn like The Endless. The storyline was basically about the pineal gland, and there are quite a few aspects to like about this sci-fi film. First off, the background music elevated the atmosphere and emphasized the mystery. And I liked how Anthony Mackie’s character, Steve, discovered the mystery of synchronic, which was the primary sci-fi aspect. Overall, a good-looking sci-fi thriller you should not miss watching.

15. Star Trek

Director – JJ Abrams
Cast – Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana

Preview Only: James Kirk, a reckless youngster, and Spock, an outsider with human and Vulcan blood, join the group of the USS Enterprise to battle Nero, an individual from the Romulan race who aims to decimate numerous planets.

14. Edge of Tomorrow

Director – Doug Liman
Cast – Tom Cruise & Emily Blunt

Preview Only: Next on the list of the Best Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt in the lead roles, Edge of Tomorrow explores the story of Major William Cage, who, with the help of warrior Rita Vrataski attempts to stop aliens from destroying Earth and humans, after being caught in a time loop.

13. Advantageous

Director – Jennifer Phang
Cast – Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak

Preview Only: Jennifer Phang’s sci-fi drama, Advantageous takes place in a far-fetched future where plushness dominates monetary difficulty, Gwen and her little girl Jules attempt to clutch their happiness.

12. The Wandering Earth

Director – Frant Gwo
Cast – Wu Jing, Qu Chuxiao

[This excerpt comes from Surya’s ‘Wandering Earth’ Editorial]

China’s second highest-grossing movie of all time, The Wandering Earth, is the nation’s biggest spectacle to date and further proves the point that the Chinese Film Industry can hold it’s own when it comes to executing big-budget sci-fi films which are parallel to their Hollywood counterparts in terms of quality and scale. It is indeed is a spectacle to watch even on your 42-inch TV and will remain as a prime example that a movie can deliver when you’re able to blend an ambitious concept with superlative visuals immaculately. Wothout a doubt, one of Best Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix.

11. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

Director – David Slade
Cast – Fionn Whitehead, Will Poulter

[Comes from Anu’s ‘Black Mirror Episodes Worst to Best’ Editorial]

Bandersnatch, a standalone interactive movie was an experiment into the storytelling of the future. The audience gets to make the choices that lead to different stories and different outcomes. In essence, Bandersnatch is the story of a programmer, Stefan Butler (Whitehead) who wants to adopt a ‘Choose your own adventure’ book called Bandersnatch into a video game and approaches a video game company, Tuckersoft. The episode’s interactive nature is both a blessing and a curse because sometimes the effort comes across as too gimmicky. Still, you have to appreciate Brooker’s ambition and innovation in bringing Bandersnatch to life.

10. The Adam Project

Director – Shawn Levy
Cast – Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo

The Adam Project is directed by Shawn Levy, and stars Ryan Reynolds as Big Adam, Walker Scobell as Young Adam, Jennifer Garner as Ellie Reed, Mark Ruffalo as Lousi Reed, Zoe Saldana as Laura, and Catherine Keener as Maya Sorian. The storyline revolves around a time-traveling pilot teams up with his younger self to save the future and reconcile with their late father.

9. Spectral

Director – Nic Mathieu
Cast – James Badge Dale, Max Martini

Preview Only: Netflix’s 2016 sci-fi/thriller, Spectral is a story that is centered around a special-ops team that is dispatched to fight supernatural beings. Directed by Nic Mathieu, the film stars James Badge Dale, Max Martini, Emily Mortimer, and Bruce Greenwood in the lead roles.

8. The End of Evangelion

Directors – Hideaki Anno, Kazuya Tsurumaki
Cast – Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara

Preview Only: NERV face off against the Eighteenth Angel, humanity itself, but in the end the fate of the world depends upon Shinji’s choices. One of the Best Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix.

7. Upgrade

Director – Leigh Whannell
Cast – Logan Marshall-Green

Preview Only: Grey, a technophobe, suffers paralysis and loses his wife during an attack. But when a billionaire hands him a chip in his body that restores his mobility, he sets out to get vengeance.

6. Stowaway

Directors – Joe Penna
Cast – Anna Kendrick, Toni Collette

Preview Only: Stowaway tells an unlikely story of launch engineer Michael who, after being knocked unconscious, accidentally stows away aboard an important two-year mission to Mars. Upon his discovery, the crew must navigate all the usual problems of having an unexpected extra crew member on board while Michael comes to terms with actually having to live in space with no training whatsoever.

5. Cargo

Director – Arati Kadav
Cast – Vikrant Massey & Shweta Tripathi

Director Arati Kadav’s Cargo, with Sci-Fi undertones, provides an emotional tale, told through the eyes of two rakshasas (demons), Prahastha (Vikrant Massey) and Yuvishka (Shweta Tripathi). With commendable performances from the two main leads, Cargo may not be a flawless attempt, as it certainly suffers from a few storytelling issues. However, it is a worthy step towards an intriguing and innovative concept in Hindi cinema, which we do not see too often. – Surya Komal

4. Ad Astra

Director – James Gray
Cast – Brad Pitt, Ruth Negga

Blast off with Ad Astra! Brad Pitt stars as an astronaut venturing to the far reaches of our solar system in search of his missing father and a mystery that could endanger humanity’s very existence. With captivating visuals and a gripping storyline, this movie is a decent watch space buffs.

3. Ex Machina

Director – Alex Garland
Cast – Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac

Alex Garland’s Ex Machina is probably one of the most intriguing and perplexing sci-fi dramas. The storyline is primarily about Ava (an AI humanoid doll), trying to pass the Turing test. To pass the Turing test, a human has to be convinced that he’s talking to another human rather than AI. Garland’s storytelling and filmmaking technique, the dystopian vibe, and the characters make Ex Machina a must-watch.

2. Annihilation

Director – Alex Garland
Cast – Natalie Portman, Oscar Issac

Best Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix: Directed by one of the best directors working right now, Annihilation was a beautifully shot film. Everything from the production design, cinematography, and CGI looked exquisite and is a true cinematic experience. The direction by Garland was exceptional, but, the film is a slow-burn, it’s filled with social commentary, creepy imagery, and exciting subplots which makes it special and also very confusing.

Overall, Annihilation is not your conventional science-fiction flick, it has quite a lot to unpack with no coherent ending and will pretty much baffle your brain with alternate theories and social commentary. On the contrary, it is a beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, masterfully directed and gorgeous looking film that you should not miss if you’re up for a discrete science-fiction drama. – Surya Komal

1. War of the Worlds

Director – Steven Spielberg
Cast – Tom Cruise & Dakota Fanning

Preview Only: Ray Ferrier, a dockworker, is ready to spend a weekend together with his children. However, an alien tripod descends on Earth threatening to wipe out humanity.

What are favorite Best Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix? Sound off in the comments below!

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