Looking to jump into another world? The Streamable cross-referenced Metacritic's Top 100 Sci-Fi movies of all time against the various streaming services to lay out where you can watch the best of the best reality-bending films. In this list, you’ll find superheroes, dystopian futures, aliens, crazy weapons, time travel, and endless special effects.
Almost every platform has a can’t-miss sci-fi classic. And some like HBO Max, Disney+, and even Tubi are jam-packed with otherworldly action. Now let’s kick back and jump into some of the greatest films in history.
Best Sci-Fi Movies on HBO Max
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Gravity
October 3, 2013Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer on her first Shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The Shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone-tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness of space. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.
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Mad Max: Fury Road
May 13, 2015An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order.
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Blade Runner
June 25, 1982In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.
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Blade Runner 2049
October 4, 2017Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
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Solaris
March 20, 1972A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out repressed memories and obsessions.
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2001: A Space Odyssey
April 2, 1968Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world’s most advanced super computer.
This brilliant Stanley Kubrick film takes us from the dawn of humanity to the possible future beyond the Earth. Its startling special effects still dazzle audiences. The British Film Institute polled 480 directors in 2022 and they chose “2001” as the greatest film ever made.
The immobile, calculating HAL 9000 was rated the 13th greatest villain in movie history by the American Film Institute.
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King Kong
March 15, 1933Adventurous filmmaker Carl Denham sets out to produce a motion picture unlike anything the world has seen before. Alongside his leading lady Ann Darrow and his first mate Jack Driscoll, they arrive on an island and discover a legendary creature said to be neither beast nor man. Denham captures the monster to be displayed on Broadway as King Kong, the eighth wonder of the world.
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Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
March 11, 1984After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth.
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Superman
December 14, 1978Mild-mannered Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) works as a reporter at the Daily Planet alongside his crush, Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). Clark must summon his superhero alter-ego when the nefarious Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) launches a plan to take over the world.
A phenomenal cast is buoyed by an iconic John Williams score in a superhero film that still ranks among the greatest ever.
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Superman II
December 9, 1980Three escaped criminals from the planet Krypton test the Man of Steel’s mettle. Led by General Zod (Terence Stamp), the Kryptonians take control of the White House and partner with Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) to destroy Superman and rule the world. But Superman (Christopher Reeve), who attempts to make himself human in order to get closer to Lois (Margot Kidder), realizes he has a responsibility to save the planet.
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Time Bandits
July 13, 1981Young history buff Kevin can scarcely believe it when six dwarfs emerge from his closet one night. Former employees of the Supreme Being, they’ve purloined a map charting all of the holes in the fabric of time and are using it to steal treasures from different historical eras. Taking Kevin with them, they variously drop in on Napoleon, Robin Hood and King Agamemnon before the Supreme Being catches up with them.
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Planet of the Apes
February 7, 1968Astronaut Taylor crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted, his life in the hands of a benevolent chimpanzee scientist.
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Godzilla
November 3, 1954Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. An expedition to the island led by Dr. Yemani soon discover something far more devastating than imagined in the form of a 50 meter tall monster whom the natives call Gojira. Now the monster begins a rampage that threatens to destroy not only Japan, but the rest of the world as well.
Never before released in the U.S., this is the original, uncut Japanese version of Godzilla directed by sci-fi master Ishiro Honda.
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Best Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix
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Looper
September 26, 2012In the year 2044, time travel has not yet been invented but in 30 years it will have been. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target into the past where a looper, a hired gun, like Joe is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good until the day the mob decides to close the loop, sending back Joe’s future self for assassination.
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The Mitchells vs. the Machines
April 22, 2021A quirky, dysfunctional family’s road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity’s unlikeliest last hope.
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Minority Report
June 20, 2002John Anderton is a top ‘Precrime’ cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they’re committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge.
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A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
September 26, 2019When an alien with amazing powers crash-lands near Mossy Bottom Farm, Shaun the Sheep goes on a mission to shepherd the intergalactic visitor home before a sinister organization can capture her.
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Best Sci-Fi Movies on Hulu
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The Host
July 27, 2006Following the dumping of gallons of toxic waste in the river, a giant mutated squid-like appears and begins attacking the populace. Gang-du’s daughter Hyun-seo is snatched up by the creature; with his family to assist him, he sets off to find her.
This film is directed by Bong Joon-ho, who would later go on to international fame thanks to Best Picture Academy Award-winner “Parasite” (2019).
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Arrival
November 10, 2016Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.
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Melancholia
May 26, 2011Two sisters find their already strained relationship challenged as a mysterious new planet threatens to collide with Earth.
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The War of the Worlds
August 13, 1953The residents of a small town are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills, until they discover it is the first of many transport devices from Mars bringing an army of invaders invincible to any man-made weapon, even the atomic bomb.
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Spontaneous
October 2, 2020When students in their high school begin inexplicably exploding (literally), seniors Mara and Dylan struggle to survive in a world where each moment may be their last.
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Best Sci-Fi Movies on Paramount+
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A Quiet Place
April 3, 2018A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound. The family uses sign language to communicate, but can they stay quiet long enough to outlast the beasts waiting to devour them whole?
John Krasinski directs and stars in this modern horror classic alongside his wife, Emily Blunt.
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Annihilation
February 22, 2018A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don’t apply.
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Best Sci-Fi Movies on Disney+
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WALL·E
June 22, 2008In the distant future, Earth has become a desolate wasteland, abandoned by humanity and overrun by mountains of trash. Amidst the rubble, a small, lovable robot named WALL-E spends his days tirelessly cleaning up the mess. But when a sleek, high-tech robot named EVE arrives on a mission to search for signs of life, WALL-E is immediately smitten. Together, they embark on a journey across the cosmos.
This animated treat is Metacritic’s #4 sci-fi movie of all time.
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Star Wars
May 25, 1977Princess Leia is captured and held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker and dashing captain Han Solo team together with the loveable robot duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess and restore peace and justice in the Empire.
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The Empire Strikes Back
May 20, 1980The epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker, in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda. But Darth Vader is more determined than ever to capture Luke. Meanwhile, rebel leader Princess Leia, cocky Han Solo, Chewbacca, and droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are thrown into various stages of capture, betrayal and despair.
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Star Wars: The Last Jedi
December 13, 2017Rey develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker, who is unsettled by the strength of her powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance prepares to do battle with the First Order.
This controversial Star Wars adventure is actually Metacritic’s 35th best-reviewed sci-fi title.
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens
December 15, 2015Thirty years after defeating the Galactic Empire, Han Solo and his allies face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren and his army of Stormtroopers.
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Black Panther
February 13, 2018King T’Challa returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country’s new leader. However, T’Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne by factions within his own country as well as without. Using powers reserved to Wakandan kings, T’Challa assumes the Black Panther mantle to join with ex-girlfriend Nakia, the queen-mother, his princess-kid sister, members of the Dora Milaje (the Wakandan ‘special forces’) and an American secret agent, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war.
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Avatar
December 15, 2009In the 22nd century, a paraplegic Marine is dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission, but becomes torn between following orders and protecting an alien civilization.
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Soul
December 25, 2020Joe Gardner is a middle school teacher with a love for jazz music. After a successful audition at the Half Note Club, he suddenly gets into an accident that separates his soul from his body and is transported to the You Seminar, a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child. Joe must enlist help from the other souls-in-training, like 22, a soul who has spent eons in the You Seminar, in order to get back to Earth.
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
December 23, 1954A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.
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Isle of Dogs
March 23, 2018In the future, an outbreak of canine flu leads the mayor of a Japanese city to banish all dogs to an island used as a garbage dump. The outcasts must soon embark on an epic journey when a 12-year-old boy arrives on the island to find his beloved pet.
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Incredibles 2
June 14, 2018Elastigirl springs into action to save the day, while Mr. Incredible faces his greatest challenge yet – taking care of the problems of his three children.
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Iron Man
April 30, 2008After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.
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Avengers: Endgame
April 24, 2019After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos’ actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.
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Best Sci-Fi Movies on Prime Video
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Alien
May 25, 1979The commercial spaceship Nostromo is heading back to Earth when they’re tasked with intercepting a distress signal from a distant planet. The crew discovers a chamber full of seemingly benign eggs. When one hatches unexpectedly, the crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them. Directed by Ridley Scott, this film is the first in the series to feature its most-known protagonist, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver).
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The Vast of Night
June 1, 2019At the dawn of the space-race, two radio-obsessed teens discover a strange frequency over the airwaves in what becomes the most important night of their lives and in the history of their small town.
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Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time
March 8, 2021In the aftermath of the Fourth Impact, stranded without their Evangelions, Shinji, Asuka and Rei find refuge in one of the rare pockets of humanity that still exist on the ruined planet Earth. There, each lives a life far different from their days as an Evangelion pilot. However, the danger to the world is far from over. A new impact is looming on the horizon—one that will prove to be the true end of Evangelion.
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The Terminator
October 26, 1984In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the “Terminator” back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?
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The Endless
November 5, 2017Two brothers return to the cult they fled from years ago to discover that the group’s beliefs may be more sane than they once thought.
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WarGames
June 3, 1983High School student David Lightman has a talent for hacking. But while trying to hack into a computer system to play unreleased video games, he unwittingly taps into the Defense Department’s war computer and initiates a confrontation of global proportions. Together with his girlfriend and a wizardly computer genius, David must race against time to outwit his opponent and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.
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Best Sci-Fi Movies on Showtime
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Close Encounters of the Third Kind
December 14, 1977After an encounter with UFOs, an electricity linesman feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.
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The Lobster
October 15, 2015In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into animals and sent off into The Woods.
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Bacurau
August 29, 2019Bacurau, a small town in the Brazilian sertão, mourns the loss of its matriarch, Carmelita, who lived to be 94. Days later, its inhabitants notice that their community has vanished from most maps.
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Under the Skin
March 14, 2014A seductive stranger prowls the streets of Glasgow in search of prey: unsuspecting men who fall under her spell.
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Ex Machina
January 21, 2015Caleb, a coder at the world’s largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world’s first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl.
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High Life
September 26, 2018A father and his daughter struggle to survive in deep space where they live in isolation.
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Best Sci-Fi Movies on Peacock
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Children of Men
September 22, 2006In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child’s birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.
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Snowpiercer
August 1, 2013In a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet, a class system evolves aboard the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine.
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Best Sci-Fi Movies on Tubi (Free)
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Threads
September 23, 1984Documentary style account of a nuclear holocaust and its effect on the working class city of Sheffield, England; and the eventual long run effects of nuclear war on civilization.
This realistic portrayal of the fallout of nuclear war gave nightmares to an entire generation.
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Aliens
July 18, 1986When Ripley’s life pod is found by a salvage crew over 50 years later, she finds that terraformers are on the very planet where they found the alien species. The company has also sent a family of colonists out to investigate her story… and have since lost all contact. Directed by James Cameron, Aliens takes a small sidestep from the horror genre and goes for a more sci-fi action approach as Ripley and the colonial marines return to the feared planet and search for answers. This endlessly quotable flick is enjoyable every time you see it.
According to legend, Cameron landed the directing job by writing “Alien” on a dry erase board. Then adding an “s” so it said “Aliens.” And then he drew two lines through the “s” - “Alien$.”
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Donnie Darko
January 19, 2001After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
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Holy Motors
July 2, 2012We follow 24 hours in the life of a being moving from life to life like a cold and solitary assassin moving from hit to hit. In each of these interwoven lives, the being possesses an entirely distinct identity: sometimes a man, sometimes a woman, sometimes youthful, sometimes old. By turns murderer, beggar, company chairman, monstrous creature, worker, family man.
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Battle Royale
December 16, 2000In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary “Battle Royale” act.
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The Fly
August 15, 1986When Seth Brundle makes a huge scientific and technological breakthrough in teleportation, he decides to test it on himself. Unbeknownst to him, a common housefly manages to get inside the device and the two become one.
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