The science fiction genre is experiencing a golden age. From blockbusters like Denis Villeneuve's Dune to animated offerings like Lightyear, the genre is at a high point in its long and prolific existence, with writers and directors finding new and exciting ways to reinvent it.
However, not every good sci-fi movie can be a hit, and it's a shame. In the past five years alone, the genre has delivered compelling and thought-provoking entries that flew under the radar. Whether because of their limited release, thorny themes, or a combination of factors, these films were overlooked and deserved more love from audiences.
10 'High Life' (2018)
Claire Denis' horror sci-fi High Life stars Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, and Mia Goth. The plot follows a scientist performing experiments on a group of prisoners reluctantly participating in a dangerous space mission.
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A tough but rewarding watch, High Life boasts many of the familiar and acclaimed strengths found in other entries in Denis' filmography. The film is a dark, intentionally uncomfortable, and thought-provoking exploration of humanity, benefitting from its enclosed space. Pattinson and Binoche make for compelling and entrancing leads, while Goth cements her place as the best contemporary scream queen.
9 'Crimes of the Future' (2022)
David Cronenberg has been delivering thorny and challenging sci-fi movies for nearly fifty years. His most recent offering, Crimes of the Future, stars Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, and Kristen Stewart and follows a performing duo who performs surgery on themselves for the garish entertainment of worldwide audiences.
Cronenberg's movies are not for everyone, and Crimes of the Future is no exception. His blunt and extensive use of body horror is on full display, with the director deftly navigating the lines between art and exploitation. Although not quite as daring or provocative as previous projects in his filmography, Crimes of the Future remains a thrilling and captivating entry into one of cinema's most distinctive auteurs.
8 'Prospect' (2018)
Pedro Pascal has delivered several great performances in the last few years, including in the 2018 sci-fi Prospect. The film tells the story of a father-daughter duo who arrives on an alien moon to mine for precious gems. However, things go awry when the father's instincts betray him, just as they encounter dangerous foes.
What Prospect lacks in ambition, it makes up for in execution. The film is a tense and tightly-assembled thriller that benefits from its restrained approach. With a small but engaging cast and a firm hand behind the camera, Prospect is a small-scale but effective sci-fi that makes the best out of its circumstance.
7 'Possessor' (2020)
Brandon Cronenberg pulls no punches in his movies, and Possessor is the perfect example. Oscar-nominee Andrea Riseborough stars as Tasya, an assassin who inhabits other individuals' bodies to perform her crimes with impunity. However, things get complicated when she struggles to control her latest target.
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Possessor boasts many of Cronenberg's strengths as a filmmaker – striking and grotesque imagery, disturbing themes, over-the-top sequences – to deliver an ambitious and unsettling sci-fi horror. Like his other efforts, Possessor is a perfect blend of sci-fi and horror, and while it might be too much for mainstream audiences, it's well worth the watch and lives up to the Cronenberg last name.
6 'Oxygen' (2021)
Melanie Laurent and Mathieu Amalric star in the sci-fi thriller Oxygen. The story concerns a woman who awakens in a cryogenic chamber without any recollection of how she got there. Desperate to escape, she must find a way out before running out of oxygen.
Tense, anxious, and well-crafted, Oxygen is a female-led survival thriller that makes the most out of its premise. Laurent delivers a spectacular performance that blends desperation with willpower, resulting in one of the finest sci-fi turns of the 21st century. It's a shame the film didn't receive more attention because Laurent's work is awards-worthy, supporting the film on her capable back.
5 'Ad Astra' (2019)
Brad Pitt might've won the Oscar for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but his best performance in 2019 was in James Gray's quiet, deeply human sci-fi drama Ad Astra. Pitt plays Roy McBride, an astronaut whose father went into deep space searching for intelligent life and got lost thirty years prior. After an unexpected power surge threatens Earth, McBride must venture on a dangerous mission to uncover his father's disappearance.
Using its setting to explore a humanistic story about the bond between parent and child, Ad Astra is a unique sci-fi. The film avoids the spectacle commonly associated with the genre, favoring an intimate approach to present an emotional, arresting, and bleak depiction of humanity's place in the universe.
4 'After Yang' (2022)
2022 was a banner year for Colin Farrell. While The Batman and The Banshees of Inisherin got the most attention, his third effort, After Yang, deserves the same acclaim. The film concerns a father struggling to repair his daughter's robotic companion, Yang.
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Excelling as a familial drama in a sci-fi setting, After Yang is a rewarding experience and a showcase for Farrell's versatile talents. The film is overly ambitious and fails to live up to its self-imposed standards, which only makes it a more powerful entry into science fiction, a genre that constantly asks its subject to try even if they fail.
3 'I Am Mother' (2019)
Two-time Oscar-winner Hilary Swank stars opposite Clara Rugaard and Rose Byrne in the 2019 sci-fi thriller I Am Mother. The story centers on a girl, Daughter, raised by a robot, Mother, in a secluded bunker in a post-apocalyptic world. However, the unexpected arrival of a woman makes the girl question everything she knows.
I Am Mother favors suspense over other sci-fi themes, resulting in an eerie and fascinating piece that excels at almost every level. With incredible performances from Rugaard and Swank and a suffocating atmosphere that will keep audiences on edge, I Am Mother is a worthy entry into the sci-fi pantheon.
2 'Love and Monsters' (2020)
Michael Matthews' sci-fi love story Love and Monsters stars Dylan O'Brien as a young man who ventures into a post-apocalyptic, monster-infested world to reconnect with his high school sweetheart. Jessica Henwyck and Michael Rooker also star.
Released at the height of the pandemic, Love and Monsters mostly flew under the radar. However, it's a charming and visually striking film about love and endurance, elevated by O'Brien's ridiculously personable performance. With satisfying action and Oscar-worthy visual effects, Love and Monsters is a must-watch for sci-fi fans.
1 'I'm Your Man' (2021)
Dan Stevens delivers one of his finest turns in Maria Schrader's 2021 sci-fi romance I'm Your Man. The plot centers on Alma Felser, a scientist persuaded to live with a humanoid robot designed to be the perfect companion as part of an ambitious experiment.
Surprisingly sweet and deeply compelling, I'm Your Man brings the best out of its two genres thanks to a successful mix of charm and humor. However, the film doesn't shy away from asking sci-fi's perennial questions about the nature of technology and humanity's relation to it, arriving at bittersweet yet insightful conclusions.
