The sci-fi genre has consistently delivered some of the most interesting and revolutionary movies of the past decade, with big franchises and original ideas both making a splash. Sci-fi in the 21st century has benefited from the boundless potential of CGI, and filmmakers now have more freedom than ever to tell the stories they want to tell without worrying too much about practicality. However, it takes a special kind of director to harness these magical visual effects in a way that feels both grounded and necessary.
Over the last ten years, directors such as Denis Villeneuve, Alex Garland and Yorgos Lanthimos have delivered inventive sci-fi movies which have redefined the expectations of the genre. The best sci-fi movies can introduce mind-bending concepts without losing sight of the humanity which makes stories compelling. The last decade has seen movies which combine cinematic spectacle with relatable, character-driven narratives.
Related 10 Underrated Sci-Fi Movies With A Cult Following
Sci-fi movies are brilliant, but some niche and off-beat sci-fi films have managed to secure a cult following thanks to their incredible creativity.
10 Annihilation (2018)
Alex Garland’s Sci-Fi Horror Plays With The Boundaries Of Reality
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Director Alex Garland Release Date February 23, 2018 Cast Sonoya Mizuno , Kola Bokinni , Jennifer Jason Leigh , Gina Rodriguez , Cosmo Jarvis , Oscar Isaac , Tessa Thompson , Tuva Novotny , Natalie Portman , David Gyasi
Alex Garland’s Annihilation is a brilliant adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s novel, with just as much mystery and wonder. Natalie Portman delivers a superb performance as the leader of a team of scientists who venture into a strange scientific anomaly known only as The Shimmer. As the story progresses and the researchers journey further and further from reality, Annihilation delves into increasingly supernatural horror.
Annihilation
‘s many layers of meaning make a brilliant mystery to unpick, but there are some questions that aren’t meant to be answered.
Annihilation‘s many layers of meaning make a brilliant mystery to unpick, but there are some questions that aren’t meant to be answered. The lack of any real resolution leaves some of Annihilation‘s biggest conundrums hanging over the characters, and the audience. After a confronting nightmare, Annihilation pulls back in its finale, returning some characters to a fragile and disquieting peace.
9 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Rogue One Combines The Best Of Star Wars With An Original Adventure
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Director Gareth Edwards Release Date December 13, 2016 Cast Felicity Jones , Diego Luna , Ben Mendelsohn , Donnie Yen , Mads Mikkelsen , Alan Tudyk , Jiang Wen , Forest Whitaker
The Star Wars franchise has had a tumultuous decade on the big screen, with the sequel trilogy splitting opinions and Solo being deemed a flop. One thing that Star Wars fans seem to largely agree upon is the quality of Rogue One, the franchise’s first spinoff movie. The story follows a band of rebels who come together and attempt to steal the schematics for the Death Star.
Rogue One
follows the structure of a heist movie, rather than a typical
Star Wars
movie.
Rogue One brings some of the franchise’s best elements into the 21st century. It provides some interesting backstory for the original trilogy, but it still has the scope to tell a completely original story. Rogue One follows the structure of a heist movie, rather than a typical Star Wars movie. There are still some jaw-dropping sci-fi action sequences, including a highlight for Darth Vader, but Rogue One is enjoyable for both Star Wars diehards and more casual fans.
8 Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Legacy Sequels Have No Right To Be This Good
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Director Denis Villeneuve Release Date October 6, 2017 Cast Ryan Gosling , Harrison Ford , Jared Leto , Ana De Armas , Robin Wright , Lennie James , Dave Bautista , Carla Juri , Hiam Abbass , Barkhad Abdi , David Dastmalchian , Mackenzie Davis , Sylvia Hoeks
Denis Villeneuve has made a career for himself by doing things that don’t work on paper. He released two critically-acclaimed thrillers in one year in 2013, he adapted Frank Herbert’s Dune, and he succeeded in creating a legacy sequel to one of the most influential sci-fi movies of all time. Taking over from Ridley Scott, Villenueve honors the legacy of Blade Runner, although he adds plenty of his own ideas.
Blade Runner 2049
retains the neo-noir atmosphere and the subtly perplexing mystery which work so well in the original movie, but it adds even grander visual set pieces.
Blade Runner 2049 retains the neo-noir atmosphere and the subtly perplexing mystery which work so well in the original movie, but it adds even grander visual set pieces. Part of what’s so impressive about Blade Runner 2049 is the way it doesn’t over-explain anything from the first movie, so it never takes the shine off of Ridley Scott’s work. In a way, Blade Runner 2049 is a minor miracle in modern Hollywood. It’s a slow-paced, cerebral drama that never had any hope of breaking even, but it is spectacular cinema for sci-fi fans.
7 Poor Things (2023)
Yorgos Lanthimos’ Steampunk Fable Reimagines The Frankenstein Myth
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Director Yorgos Lanthimos Release Date September 8, 2023 Cast Emma Stone , Willem Dafoe , Mark Ruffalo , Ramy Youssef , Jerrod Carmichael , Christopher Abbott
Sexually explicit and shockingly violent, Poor Things is one of the most confronting movies of recent years. Director Yorgos Lanthimos has always delighted in surprising his audience, and his adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s novel is filled with strange imagery. The story concerns a young woman who is reanimated after a suicide attempt, although her brain is replaced by that of her unborn child.
Sexually explicit and shockingly violent,
Poor Things
is one of the most confronting movies of recent years.
Emma Stone won her second Oscar for her performance in Poor Things, as her character Bella rushes through the full gamut of human experience in her rapidly aging state. Lanthimos reflects the development of her mind in plenty of interesting ways. The music goes from discordant to harmonious, and Lanthimos slowly dials back his use of fish-eye lenses and Dutch angles as Bella grows. The result is a visually rich sci-fi fantasy that leaves itself open to myriad interpretations.
6 Godzilla Minus One (2023)
A Modern Classic For The Godzilla Franchise
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Director Takashi Yamazaki Release Date December 1, 2023 Cast Ryûnosuke Kamiki , Minami Hamabe , Yûki Yamada , Munetaka Aoki , Hidetaka Yoshioka , Sakura Andō , Kuranosuke Sasaki
Godzilla Minus One quickly garnered praise as one of the best Godzilla movies ever made, with critics and fans astounded by its minuscule budget. At a cost of just $10-15 million, Godzilla Minus One was around ten times cheaper to produce than 2024’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Godzilla Minus One isn’t just impressive in terms of its budget, however. It would be just as popular at any cost.
Godzilla Minus One
provides all the chaos and destruction that fans have come to expect from a Godzilla movie, but it also takes the time to develop the human side of its story.
Godzilla Minus One provides all the chaos and destruction that fans have come to expect from a Godzilla movie, but it also takes the time to develop the human side of its story. The plot uses kaiju as a means to examine the human effects of war and nuclear attacks. With the help of some vulnerable performances and some acutely observed dialogue, Godzilla Minus One feels just as vital without Godzilla on screen.
5 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)
The Spider-Verse Movies Have Put A Fresh Twist On Familiar Characters
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Director Bob Persichetti , Peter Ramsey Release Date December 14, 2018 Cast Jake Johnson , Kimiko Glenn , Hailee Steinfeld , Liev Schreiber , Luna Lauren Velez , Nicolas Cage , Lily Tomlin , Mahershala Ali , John Mulaney , Shameik Moore , Brian Tyree Henry
Two common gripes with the sci-fi genre in recent years have been the saturation of superhero movies and the abundance of multiverse stories. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse checks both boxes, but it has been a massive success, both critically and financially. The first movie to thrust Miles Morales into the spotlight shows a different side to the familiar story of Spider-Man, with a multiverse story that still feels urgent and contained.
The rich swirl of artistic influences spills into every frame of
Into the Spider-Verse.
One of the best recent superhero movies, Into the Spider-Verse is a true synthesis of two art forms; comic books and film. The groundbreaking animation also takes inspiration from street art and old-school cartoons. This rich swirl of influences spills into every frame of Into the Spider-Verse, making it a glorious artistic patchwork, and it has a compelling story to match. Across the Spider-Verse was just as irreverent and stylish, leading to excitement already for Beyond the Spider-Verse.
4 Dune: Part Two (2024)
The Sequel Builds On The Strong Work Of Part One
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Director Denis Villeneuve Release Date March 1, 2024 Cast Timothée Chalamet , Zendaya , Florence Pugh , Austin Butler , Rebecca Ferguson
Dune is one of the most influential sci-fi novels of all time, but Frank Herbert’s work was saddled with the reputation of being “unfilmable” for decades. David Lynch’s divisive 1984 adaptation was the only project that ever achieved liftoff before Denis Villeneuve took on the novel. 2021’s Dune was a huge success, but Part Two marks a noticeable improvement. Herbert’s work finally has a worthy adaptation that’s both approachable and detailed.
Frank Herbert’s work finally has a worthy adaptation that’s both approachable and detailed.
Early on in the development of Dune, Villenueve made the wise decision to split the novel into two movies. This means that Dune: Part Two finally introduces some important characters who were missing from the first act, including the Emperor and Princess Irulan. It’s Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha who steals the show, however. Hopes are already high for Dune: Part Three.
3 Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
George Miller Delivers Breathless Petrolhead Thrills
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Director George Miller Release Date May 14, 2015 Cast Tom Hardy , Charlize Theron , Nicholas Hoult , Zoe Kravitz , Hugh Keays-Byrne , Riley Keough , Courtney Eaton , Abbey Lee , Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
After 30 years away from his Mad Max franchise, during which time he directed two Happy Feet movies, George Miller made his triumphant return with Fury Road, proving that he hadn’t lost his flair for explosive action. Tom Hardy takes on the role of Max Rockatansky for Fury Road, and he is joined by Charlize Theron in sparkling form as Furiosa. Their tense dynamic propels the drama throughout Fury Road, as they form a reluctant truce to escape from a vicious warlord.
With an admirable commitment to practical effects,
Mad Max: Fury Road
is one of the best action movies of the 21st century.
With an admirable commitment to practical effects, Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the best action movies of the 21st century. It presents a hopeless vision of a desert wasteland, populated by strange characters at every turn. Fury Road‘s subdued approach to sci-fi worldbuilding is extremely effective, as it eschews all clunky exposition in favor of tantalizing mystery. There are stilted figures stalking the land and various military factions with obscure motives. The lack of certainty makes Fury Road‘s post-apocalyptic world feel even more dangerous.
2 Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
Michelle Yeoh Stars In A Wildly Inventive Multiverse Romp
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Director Daniel Kwan , Daniel Scheinert Release Date March 25, 2022 Cast Jenny Slate , Ke Huy Quan , Stephanie Hsu , Harry Shum Jr. , Jamie Lee Curtis , James Hong , Michelle Yeoh
The directing duo of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert already set a marker as creators of weird comedy-dramas with 2016’s Swiss Army Man, but Everything Everywhere All At Once was still a blindingly inventive treat. Michelle Yeoh leads a stellar cast on a bizarre multiverse adventure that focuses just as much on laundry and tax returns as it does on the fate of all life in existence.
Everything Everywhere All At Once
uses a barrage of surreal nonsense to deliver an uplifting message about taking joy in the little things.
It can be easy to miss the meaning of Everything Everywhere All At Once beneath the layers of absurd humor and the rapid conveyer belt of new universes being introduced. Ultimately, the jokes about sausage fingers, racacoonie and two sentient rocks reveal the optimistic nihilism of the Daniels. Everything Everywhere All At Once uses a barrage of surreal nonsense to deliver an uplifting message about taking joy in the little things.
1 Arrival (2016)
Arrival Is Bold, Intriguing And Immensely Satisfying
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Director Denis Villeneuve Release Date November 10, 2016 Cast Michael Stuhlbarg , Forest Whitaker , Tzi Ma , Amy Adams , Mark O’Brien , Jeremy Renner , Nathaly Thibault
Arrival features a career-best performance from Amy Adams, who plays a linguist tasked with deciphering an alien language after strange spacecraft touch down all over Earth. Arrival is based on “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang, a brilliant sci-fi short story that examines the ways that language shapes our perception of the world around us. Arrival translates the story for the big screen with intelligence and respect, adding a few ingenious flourishes.
Few movies use their sci-fi premise as such a key facet of their structure, but
Arrival
pulls it off.
Arrival‘s non-linear timeline is beautifully constructed. It acts like a riddle begging to be solved, just like the alien language that Louise’s research focuses on. In a brilliant twist, one holds the key to the other, and Arrival urges its audience to go back and watch it all over again. Doing so will reveal the subtle clues and the intricate machinations which make Arrival tick. Few movies use their sci-fi premise as such a key facet of their structure, but Arrival pulls it off.