Science fiction is easily one of the most popular and prolific genres in movies today. But while there are countless major hit sci-fi movies, there's many if not even more cult sci-fi classics still waiting to be discovered.
Sci-fi cinema began almost as soon as movies themselves began, with Georges Méliès' A Trip to the Moon – widely considered the first sci-fi movie – released in 1902. Méliès was only the first of more than a century of filmmakers using science fiction to contemplate humanity's future – the dreams, the nightmares, the endless possibilities. While there's a ton of undisputed classics in the genre, there're many more underrated and undiscovered gems that still deserve their proper due.
For those worn out on Terminator and Avatar, for those who've had their fill of Star Wars and Star Treks to last a lifetime yet still crave the speculative tech and outlandish tales of extraterrestrial existence – congratulations, you've come to the right place. This is your new favorite go-to list of under-the-radar science fiction flicks. Here are 32 underrated sci-fi movies.
32. I'm Your Man (2021)
Can love be created? Even programmed? That's the question powering Emma Braslavsky's acclaimed science fiction romance I'm Your Man, released in 2021. Dan Stevens (The Guest, FX's Legion) stars as Tom, an android who is designed to be the perfect partner exclusively for lonely scientist Alma (Maren Eggert). As part of a research project, Alma is forced to live with Tom and document their relationship. While Alma is resistant at first, emotions slowly become real. Sparks really fly in this alluring German-language production, a movie that supposes love can be found when you least expect it.
31. The Super Inframan (1975)
The genre of transforming superheroes like Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and Power Rangers began in Japan. But in 1975, prolific Hong Kong studio Shaw Brothers took a stab at their own metamorphing hero with The Super Inframan, from director Hua Shan. Danny Lee stars as the red-clad lightning avenger, Inframan, who saves the Earth from alien invaders using his new superpowers and mastery of kung fu. While Chinese action movies are typically either lavish Wuxia historical epics or bombastic "heroic bloodshed" dramas, The Super Inframan stands out as a cross-cultural hybrid of many influences. It's a movie still deserving of the franchise treatment, even now. Fun fact: Ant-Man director Peyton Reed confirmed in a 2018 Q&A on Twitter/X that the MCU's Ant-Man was visually inspired by The Super Inframan.
30. I.S.S. (2023)
In this overlooked pressure cooker thriller, Russian and American astronauts aboard the International Space Station grow suspicious of one another when a ground war between the superpowers begins back on Earth. Thanks to a small but capable cast, including Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, and John Gallagher Jr., I.S.S. powers through its shortcomings to be a suspenseful story about trust, and if hatred really is as simple as picking sides. Also, for a tiny budget of less than $14 million, I.S.S. has some pretty spectacular production value with gorgeous overviews of Earth.
29. The Pod Generation (2023)
Writer/director Sophie Barthes satirizes our very possible future in her sci-fi rom-com The Pod Generation. Emilia Clarke (of Game of Thrones fame) and Chiwitel Ejiofor co-star as a married couple living in a near future New York City. In trying to start a family, Clarke's character Rachel is eager to give birth via mobile artificial wombs, while Alvy (Ejiofor) is hoping for more traditional methods. The Pod Generation is terrifically funny, with quietly dark underpinnings of our imminent submission to artificial intelligence and technology. Because when we even depend on the machines to give birth, at what point are we still human? The Pod Generation lightly ponders this question with delightful humor.
28. Radius (2017)
This low budget Canadian sci-fi thriller features abundant touches of apocalyptic and disease horror, resulting in a compelling but understated gem. In Radius, Diego Klattenhoff and Charlotte Sullivan play amnesiac survivors of a car accident who slowly realize they each have a strange physical effect. Klattenhoff's Liam seems capable of passively killing everyone around him, while the woman, Jane Doe (Sullivan) can cancel out that effect. Complete with a striking twist ending, Radius is not one to keep away from.
27. After Yang (2021)
After drawing acclaim for his deeply human drama Columbus in 2017, writer/director Koganda lent his sensibilities to the realm of sci-fi with his equally adored movie After Yang. Colin Farrell and Jodie-Turner Smith play members of a family living in the future as they attempt to repair Yang, their "adopted" android son who was purchased on the second-hand market. In doing so, they discover Yang's secret desires to be human. Replete with themes of grief, loss, memory, and impermanence, Koganda's affecting After Yang brings remarkable warmth to a genre too often concerned with the steely exteriors of a cynical future.
26. Oblivion (2013)
In 2022, Tom Cruise and Joseph Kosinski teamed up for the billion-dollar smash Top Gun: Maverick, a legacy sequel that tore up the skies. But their collaboration started almost a decade earlier with the nearly forgotten sci-fi actioner Oblivion. Set in the future, after Earth is devastated following a nuclear war between humans and aliens, a repairman (Cruise) and his communications officer (Andrea Riseborough) find they are not the only ones left on the planet. This slowly begins a journey into realizing exactly what happened that destroyed the planet. Oblivion drew only mixed reviews from critics but did well enough at the box office. While it's far from Cruise's best movie, it might surprise anyone curious enough to see it for themselves.
25. Fingernails (2023)
If science fiction movies too often conjure images of stark white suits and impossible technologies, let Chirstos Nikou's emotionally charged Fingernails – released on Apple TV+ in 2023 – help you alter your assumptions. In this delicate drama, a young woman named Anna (Jessice Buckley) begins working at The Love Institute, a start-up company that practices a popular new test that unquestionably proves if your partner is your soulmate. Though Anna and her partner Ryan (Jeremy Allen White) already enjoy a positive result, Anna's work at The Love Institute puts her in close proximity with Amir (Riz Ahmed), which has Anna questioning everything. While Fingernails is indeed sci-fi, its grounded, even analog setting affords it relatable authenticity.
24. Sputnik (2020)
While its plot summary reads like a Russian-language remake of Ridley Scott's Alien, Sputnik succeeds through the strength of its solid direction by Egor Abramenko, its lead actress Oksana Akinshina, and an emotional last-minute twist ending. Set in the waning years of the Cold War, Sputnik follows a doctor (Akinshina) who is brought on to assess the only living cosmonaut to survive an accident in space who brings back an alien organism in his body. Besides Andrei Tarkovsky's 1972 Soviet classic Solaris, there are few worthwhile Russian sci-fi films of note. But Sputnik makes a case for itself, revealing there is still plenty of territory to explore in the worn-out sci-fi/horror genre.
23. Making Mr. Right (1987)
It's as scientifically sophisticated as an Atari video game, but Making Mr. Right has its gears in the right places. In this retro sci-fi rom-com from Susan Seidelman, lively bachelorette Frankie (Ann Magnuson) is hired by an eccentric scientist (John Malkovich) to interact with an advanced android replica of himself before it's shipped off for a deep space mission. The goal is to make the android come off as human – or at least, human enough – to appease sponsors and politicians. But of course, sparks unexpectedly start to fly. Feeling like a mixture of other '80s classics like Weird Science and The Mannequin, Making Mr. Right offers its own charms thanks to a very playful Malkovich.
22. No One Will Save You (2023)
A minimalist sci-fi horror about surviving challenges in isolation, No One Will Save You follows a lonely young woman (Kaitlyn Dever) – who is strangely shunned by her neighbors – whose home is invaded one night by aliens and mind-controlling parasites. Proving that actions speak louder than words, No One Will Save You balances out its few lines of dialogue with propulsive, breathless action. While it sounds like War of the Worlds meets The Strangers on paper, No One Will Save You is assuredly singular through its work by writer/director Brian Duffeld.
21. Dreamscape (1984)
An overlooked sci-fi action-horror from the 1980s, Dreamscape plunges into the world of dreams to eventually rescue the U.S. President. Far predating movies like Inception and Olympus Has Fallen, Dreamscape stars Dennis Quaid as a psychic recruited to participate in an experimental study by his former mentor (played by Max von Sydow). The study: Breaking the laws of physics to enter someone's dreams. While Dreamscape gets lost in its own sauce and struggles to figure out what movie it really wants to be, it's a good '80s romp that will satisfy genre aficionados and '80s obsessives who've already seen The Terminator and Back to the Future too many times to count.
20. Vesper (2022)
A science fiction movie centered around ecology and biohacking, Vesper stars Raffiella Chapman as a young teenaged girl who lives in a ravaged future Earth where most of humanity struggles just to eat. Chapman, as the titular heroine Vesper, figures a way to access the bacteria in the seeds to make them fertile once more, which is key to mankind's survival. But she must first survive the ruthlessness of her uncle (Eddie Marsan) and the comfortable oligarchy who subjugate everyone else. Vesper is understated and often gorgeous, being about perseverance and brilliance meant for the good of all.
19. Save Yourselves! (2020)
Co-written and co-directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, Save Yourselves! stars John Reynolds and Sunita Mani as Brooklynites who commit to actually unplugging from their oblivion machines – their phones – and enjoy the outdoors. During a stay at a remote AirBnB with no cellular service, the outside world is suddenly overtaken by aliens. Alien invasions collide with millennial malaise in this affable comedy, with its modernized take on genre classics like The Day the Earth Stood Still and War of the Worlds, plus a nod to Star Trek's Tribbles for good measure. Save Yourselves! proves there's virtue in getting away from it all.
18. Altered States (1980)
A psychedelic sci-fi thriller that descends into mania, Altered States stars William Hurt as an academic psychopathologist conducting research in sensory deprivation and hallucinogenic substances. During the course of the long study, Hurt's character becomes a family man (with Blair Brown as his wife and later ex-wife), only to become dangerously obsessive about it when he unlocks a frightening breakthrough. Directed by Ken Russell and adapted from screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky's own 1978 novel, Altered States is mind-melting goodness and deserves to be better recognized alongside the greats of the genre.
17. Event Horizon (1997)
Set in the year 2047, Event Horizon follows a group of astronauts on a rescue mission to investigate a once-missing spaceship that has just returned near Neptune. A moody sci-fi horror in the spirit of Alien, the movie floats thanks in part to its strong ensemble cast, including Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neil, Jason Isaacs, Joely Richaradson, Kathleen Quinlan, and Sean Pertwee. While Event Horizon has cultivated its reputation as a cult classic over a long period of time, it's still got some ways to go before it officially enters orbit as a legitimate genre masterpiece instead of the overlooked gem it remains.
16. Archive (2020)
In this impressive sci-fi thriller by writer/director Gavin Rothery, Theo James plays Jules, a scientist on a time-sensitive mission to develop the most advanced artificial intelligence. Secretly, however, Jules is working to create a way to bring back his deceased wife (Stacy Martin). Its slated premiere at SXSW in 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which made its release on VOD and streaming a quiet affair, but Archive was sort of the perfect movie for quarantine given its focus on obsession in isolation. Without that unintended context, however, Archive is a strong sci-fi movie on its own with very handsome production design.
15. Prospect (2018)
Just before he donned the armored suit of The Mandalorian, Pedro Pascal co-starred in the sleeper hit indie sci-fi Prospect. The movie primarily follows Cee (played by Sophie Thatcher), a teenage girl who travels to space with her father (Jay Duplass) to mine a forest moon for precious stones only to encounter treachery along the way. Pascal appears as Ezra, a rival prospector whose role as the antagonist is aided by his snake-like vibe. While there's impressive effects and compelling worldbuilding in Prospect, the movie succeeds on the strengths of its characters and how it gets by on its modest limitations as a micro-budget sci-fi.
14. Redline (2009)
I don't care how much anime you might have seen: Redline is truly unlike anything you've experienced before. A cross between Mad Max and Speed Racer, this psychedelic sci-fi anime that runs purely on vibes takes place in the future, where the biggest spectacle is the ultra-deadly planetary racing tournament Redline. Pompadoured superstar JP (voiced by Takuya Kimura) is one of the most popular racers in Redline and grows determined to win it all after a huge setback from a mafia boss. Marking the directorial debut of animator Takeshi Koike, Redline is one of the gnarliest gems in the Madhouse library, sharing lineage with other anime classics like Wicked City, Ninja Scroll, Perfect Blue, and Tokyo Godfathers.
13. Possessor (2020)
While it initially seemed Brandon Cronenberg was intent to follow his father's David Cronenberg's footsteps, it soon became apparent that the younger Cronenberg is his own singular artist in Possessor. In Brandon Cronenberg's striking sci-fi horror movie, an assassin (Andrea Riseborough) carries out her assignments by scientifically possessing the bodies of other people. But her latest job has her fighting from within when her new body's host fights back. Provocative, alluring, and thick with grime, Possessor paralyzes the senses to leave you in shock – and awe.
12. Underwater (2020)
Kristen Stewart fights for air in this maddeningly overlooked sci-fi monster flick that was unceremoniously dumped in theaters in early 2020. In Underwater, a group of scientists – played by Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Jessica Henwick, John Gallagher Jr., TJ Miller, and more – find their lives endangered when their deep sea research facility gets damaged due to unexpectedly violent underwater earthquakes. Minor spoilers: It's not a natural phenomenon that's causing the earthquakes. Fans of H.P. Lovecraft's mythos better dive in for Underwater, a better-than-you-expect piece of science fiction and horror from director William Eubank.
11. The Island (2005)
Just before taking on the mega-hit Transformers series, Michael Bay let loose this summer crowd-pleaser that offers up Bay's own excessive spin on dystopian science fiction. Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson co-star as residents of an underground community who believe Earth has fallen due to environmental apocalypse; they live highly organized and routine lives, with the promise of maybe winning the lottery to go to a lush tropical island forever. But not all is what it seems. While genre fans will find nods to everything from Logan's Run to THX 1138 to even Soylent Green, The Island is solid dumb fun that benefits from Bay's usual bombast.
10. Come True (2020)
Inspired by his own bouts of sleep paralysis, writer/director Anthony Scott Burns explores the darkness of sleep in his 2020 sci-fi horror Come True. The movie follows a teenage runaway, Sarah (Julia Sarah Stone) who joins a university's sleep study just to have some food and a safe place to crash. But Sarah's refuge suddenly becomes a literal nightmare as the tests leave Sarah vulnerable to recurring encounters with an evil presence. A 2020s feature that oozes 1980s horror vibes, Come True is powerful enough to leave you tossing and turning at night.
9. LFO (2013)
A sci-fi thriller that is at times outrageously funny, this Swedish-language indie hails from director Antonio Tublén and explores how the need for control can lead to losing it entirely. LFO follows an ordinary if pathetic man, Robert (Patrik Karlson) who suspects his wife is cheating on him. One day, Robert stumbles upon a radio frequency that allows him to hypnotize and control anyone who hears it. His experiments with the frequency dangerously escalate into Robert controlling everyone around him, which is fun at first but naturally includes horrific (but hilarious) consequences. Unusual but quirky, LFO goes up to 11 – and then breaks the dial.
8. Gatchaman (2013)
Before Power Rangers, there was Gatchaman. A live-action modern reboot of the classic anime Science Ninja Team Gatchaman – better known in the United States as Battle of the Planets, and later G-Force – Gatchaman essentially tells the origin story of the winged superheroes, formed by the International Science Organization. While the movie doesn't live up to the majesty of the classic anime, which was laced with themes of conversation and ethical use of technology, it's still a kick-butt science fiction superhero movie that is underrated and overlooked even by hardcore tokusatsu faithful. Step aside, Avengers – let these forerunner heroes take flight.
7. Upgrade (2018)
Leigh Whannell's sci-fi thriller Upgrade is about a man who yields to a dangerous alter ego – with very, very deadly results. Upgrade stars Logan Marshall-Green as Grey, a mechanic who becomes paralyzed after a group of men shoot him and kill his wife (Melanie Vallejo). Implanted with a cutting-edge computer chip, Grey is able to walk again. But the chip's scary A.I. has its own motivations, and offers Grey the opportunity to get his sweet revenge in exchange for letting the A.I. use his body. Deliriously and deliciously violent, Upgrade is like a cross between John Wick, Venom, and Ex Machina, but Whannell's sharp direction makes it its own thing.
6. Synchronic (2019)
Synchronic, which has a totally unique take on time travel, also has Anthony Mackie in maybe his single-best performance of his career. Mackie co-stars with Jamie Dornan, playing two best friends and paramedics in New Orleans who encounter a new designer drug on the streets, called Synchronic. While Synchronic has funky effects for adults, for kids, it has a different result entirely: briefly time traveling to the past. When Dornan's character Dennis finds his daughter is missing after taking Synchronic, Mackie's Steve races against time – and his own illness – to use the drug and locate her before she's gone forever. While most critics were disappointed by Synchronic as an underwhelming entry by genre masters Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, the movie still gets props for its original premise and uniquely dark atmosphere that makes time travel scarier than you could imagine.
5. Midnight Special (2016)
In 2016, you could find Michael Shannon in two movies: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, where his corpse as Zod is desecrated to create the monstrosity Doomsday, and Jeff Nichols' incredible Midnight Special. In Nichols' film, Shannon plays a father on the lam with his precious son (Jaeden Lieberher), who exhibits unbelievable superpowers and is thus hunted by religious fanatics and the federal government. Also starring Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, and Adam Driver, Midnight Special is a very human look at impossible miracles, making it a highly original sci-fi that feels like an Amblin adventure movie that's all grown up.
4. Alive (2002)
Genre enthusiasts should know Ryuhei Kitamura. After the underground success of his zombie action thriller Versus, Kitamura spent the 2000s directing similarly dark action thrillers before finding more mainstream success. In 2002, Kitamura helmed Alive, based on the manga by Tsutomu Takahashi. After a death row inmate (Hideo Sakaki) survives his first punishment, he is forced to take part in a science experiment that pits him in an isolated cell with another prisoner and a violent alien organism. While Kitamura has better movies in his body of work, Alive is an excellent demonstration of a transgressive director going buckwild in confined spaces.
3. Aniara (2018)
After climate change ravages Earth, humanity whisks away to Mars in luxury spaceships. But one ship full of colonists veers off course, leaving the colonists to deal with the absolute uncertainty of their future. One character, a nameless employee (Emelie Garbers) becomes overwhelmed when her simulation machine of Earth's verdant past becomes overused by the desperate passengers. Directed by Pella Kågerman and based on Harry Martinson's 1956 poem, Aniara is a movie about collective regret, a film that reveals our eagerness to do anything but actually fix what's wrong.
2. The Vast of Night (2019)
The Vast of Night's flavor of vintage sci-fi is so good yet so fresh, you might listen to some Elvis right afterward. Fittingly released into drive-in theaters in May 2020, Andrew Patterson's The Vast of Night takes audiences back to New Mexico, circa 1950s, following a radio deejay (Jake Horowitz) and a switchboard operator (Sierra McCormick) who receive a mysterious signal coming from some-thing in space. A beautiful mixture of War of the Worlds and American Graffiti, The Vast of Night overcomes its low-budget limits to deliver a truly suspenseful experience.
1. Ad Astra (2019)
You would think a sci-fi movie starring Brad Pitt would be a bigger deal. But for some reason, audiences are still discovering Ad Astra. From James Gray, the movie stars Pitt as an astronaut who ventures to space to locate his once-presumed dead father (Tommy Lee Jones), himself a heroic astronaut, after his space station near Neptune is deemed to be the source of dangerous power surges which threaten life on Earth. While Ad Astra is a gorgeous story about identity, unfinished business, and the fallacy of hero worship, it also has some truly dazzling set-pieces, including a shoot-out rover chase on the Moon. Ad Astra is an emotionally driven sci-fi classic still waiting to be discovered.
