Works of sci-fi are often inspired by a particular vision of the future that dwells in the mind of an author, a filmmaker, or even a comic book artist. These tales are thrilling escapes into realms of futuristic societies, technology akin to magic, and intergalactic adventures. Some of the most thrilling sci-fi concepts of the past are slowly turning into our current reality. These mind-bending ideas shape the present's escapism and the future of the next generation.
If you're a die-hard science-fiction fan or simply seeking an exhilarating movie that challenges your perception, Netflix has you covered with its diverse selection of sci-fi offerings. You can explore captivating worlds and take a look at the future as it's been envisioned by many filmmakers. The most popular online streaming service has its titles and licensed popular properties, so you can enjoy a great evening with futuristic films packed with thought-provoking ideas, suspense, and plenty of action. Let's take a look at the best sci-fi films on Netflix, in no particular order.
Updated on September 12th, 2023, by Neville Naidoo: This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.
25 Outside the Wire (2021)
The 2021 sci-fi-action film Outside the Wire saw the highly talented up-and-coming young actor, Damson Idris (Snowfall), play a drone pilot named Thomas Harp in the near future. The movie centers on a futuristic Peacekeeping machine led by a group of marines. During a skirmish, Thomas disobeys an order and launches a drone attack that saves many lives but winds up also killing two marines.
As punishment, he's assigned to the command of Capt. Leo (Anthony Mackie). Leo is an experimental android super soldier who poses as a human officer. While only Thomas and one other person know what he is, the pair are sent on a mission to prevent a terrorist attack, facing many threats along the way. A great film packed with plenty of action and a novel concept, the two young actors played well off each other, both underscoring why their respective careers have soared in the last few years.
24 Dredd (2012)
Based on the famous comic strip Judge Dredd, and serving as a reboot of the 1995 film of the same name that starred Sylvester Stallone, Dredd saw Karl Urban play the lead this time. Taking place during a dystopian future, the film revolves around Mega-City One, a sprawling wasteland of a city that's horrifically over-populated, and caught in the grip of massive amounts of crime.
The City's defense against this lies in the infamous Judges, an advanced police force who also act as Judge, jury, and executioner. Judge Dreddand his partner find themselves battling a sadistic drug dealer and a band of corrupt Judges when they're sent to investigate the murder of rival dealers. The film was a critical hit, taking a gritty approach as a sci-fi that subtly questions the morality of giving law enforcement too much power.
23 The One (2001)
Long before the MCU's multiverse burgeoned in popularity, legendary action star and real-life martial arts expert, Jet Li, starred in an entertaining film that explored the concept first. The One saw Li playing different versions of himself as an interdimensional traveler who seeks to find his alternative versions and kill them to absorb their life energy — making himself more powerful.
Given that the antagonist version, Gabriel Yulaw, has already done this many times, he's become pretty powerful and shows this off with his lightning-quick reflexes, amazing fighting skills, and almost superhuman strength. When he sets his sights on the last known version of himself, a police officer named Gabe Law, he encounters someone who has been growing just as strong, though he has no idea why. Featuring some epic fight scenes, and the kind of unbelievable skills that Jet Li is known for, the film makes for a thoroughly entertaining sci-fi with a twist.
22 65 (2023)
Adam Driver has become one of the most respected actors working today and is renowned for his collaborations with auteur filmmakers. He's given some outstanding performances in the past that have seen him nominated for a slew of honors, such as two Academy Awards (including one for Best Actor). His esteem in the sci-fi world is well known, so it was great to see him in another film from the genre this year. 65 is a film with an intriguing concept. It follows the journey of a pilot named Mills from the distant planet of Somaris.
With his young daughter, Nevine, suffering from an illness, Mills convinces her and her mother that he needs to embark on a two-year space expedition to earn enough money for Nevine's treatment. Unfortunately, along the way, his ship is hit with asteroids, and he crash lands on an unknown planet. That planet turns out to be Earth, but the catch is, that it 65 million years ago, so he's landed on our planet during a period when dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures still roamed it freely. Meeting a young human child there named Koa, Mills helps keep her safe as the pair find themselves battling through the harsh environment and deadly creatures.
21 Bird Box Barcelona (2023)
Another great new film released this year, Bird Box Barcelona, was a spin-off from Netflix's popular first film, Bird Box. While the first one was a Sandra Bullock-led post-apocalyptic sci-fi-horror based on a book, this one is a Spanish film that builds on the original story, while giving it a fresh new setting. The world is still being plagued by mysterious alien-like creatures that use people's negative thoughts against them.
While some wind up becoming "seers" when exposed to the creatures, however, the majority of exposures lead to victims committing suicide. As we saw in the first film, a common method of escaping the entities is to use blindfolds that prevent you from seeing them. This film charts the harrowing journey of a survivor named Sebastian as he tries to try and lead survivors through the now desolate streets of Barcelona. This time, the story delves a lot deeper into what or who these mysterious entities might be.
20 The Titan (2018)
Following the massive success of Sam Worthington's part in the first Avatar film, he became one of the most recognizable stars around. The Australian actor of course went on to reprise his role as Jack Sully in Avatar: The Way of Water and has signed on for three upcoming sequels too. Between his two Avatar roles to date, he also starred in another great sci-fi film back in 2018. The Titan told the story of an overpopulated Earth in 2048 that forced scientists to search for an alternative home for humanity.
Saturn's largest moon, Titan, becomes a viable option but requires experimental testing to determine if human being's bodies may be adapted to survive its harsh environment. US Air Force Pilot Rick Janssen volunteers as one of the test subjects. Joined by his family at the research base, tests initially prove successful as they enhance Rick's strength, speed, and ability to breathe underwater. However, the tests soon begin to evolve him into something else entirely, and a desperate battle begins as his government tries to exterminate him before he grows too powerful.
19 In the Shadow of the Moon (2019)
Netflix has grown a stellar reputation over the years for producing some brilliant original films. The streaming giant has a string of hit films behind it from practically every genre and is now capable of attracting the biggest names in Hollywood for its films. In 2019, one of the best from its catalog of original sci-fi films was In the Shadow of the Moon. The film was nothing if not original as it featured some great performances from Boyd Holbrook and Cleopatra Coleman, and a very creative plot driving it.
It follows the tragic journey of a Philadelphia police officer named Thomas Lockhart as he tries to unravel the mind-bending case of why many people have appeared to simultaneously die from massive, and seemingly spontaneous hemorrhages. This sends him on a mission that grows to destroy and define his entire life as he becomes obsessed with the case since he's the only one who believes that the perpetrator is a person traveling through time to kill the victims. The truth, however, is far more disturbing and poignant, given the many divisions society faces in reality today.
18 Annihilation (2018)
In 2018, Natalie Portman quietly starred in a sci-fi film called Annihilation that never got the attention it deserved. Whether because of inadequate marketing or other reasons, it wasn't a commercial success. However, as anyone who watches it will tell you, it was a great film. It centered on Portman's character, Lena, a cellular biologist with an army background, as she investigates a paranormal event that has created a kind of alternate landscape known as the Shimmer.
Lena's husband and others entered the Shimmer and never came back, causing her to join an all-female team who risk their lives by entering it to figure out what happened to them. The film featured some beautiful, creative, and haunting elements as the Shimmer turns out to have some terrifying and mind-bending qualities that give the film many exciting and unique angles.
17 Anon (2018)
A British-American sci-fi film that exceeds expectations, Anon brought Clive Owen and Amanda Seyfried together in a dystopian future where people are fitted with an ocular implant that records their every action. The implant provides a heads-up display with an augmented reality interface that provides information about everyone and everything you encounter in the world.
Owen plays a detective who encounters Seyfried's character, "Anon", who's able to glitch the system since no information about her shows up on his display. She somehow also erases any recordings of herself in his implant when he tries to retrieve his recordings for the day. This sets up some great intrigue as the film builds into a mystery with some great tension, passionate encounters between the characters, and a twisty plot prevailing throughout.
16 The Call (2020)
A fantastic Korean film, The Call won a swathe of awards in Asia and boasts a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It revolves around a mysterious phone call that connects two women across time. As they use it to uncover the shared events of their pasts in an attempt to change how it affected them, the film grows into an atmospheric treat.
A clever film that draws you in with some brilliant tension-building, The Call creeps under your skin. With its blend of science-fiction and horror, it fully immerses viewers in its creepy atmosphere as it draws out the mysteries behind its premise. An amazing genre film not to be missed, this one makes for a great movie night and proves once again why K-films are so popular around the world.
15 The Adam Project (2022)
Ryan Reynolds has a great deal going strong with Netflix, and The Adam Project is one of his latest offerings. Directed by Shawn Levy, with a script by Jonathan Tropper, Reynolds takes the lead alongside Zoe Saldana and Mark Ruffalo.
This visually stunning sci-fi adventure follows Adam as he travels back in time, seeking the help of his younger self to save his father in the past. It's a great time travel story that doesn't get muddied with the usual antics about alternate realities, with tons of humor and excellent family dynamics.
14 The Platform (2019)
Spanish cinema has brought audiences some of the most thought-provoking sci-fi films of all time. The Platform is an intriguing offering directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, with a script by David Desola, and featuring the talent of popular Spanish actors such as Ivan Massagué, Zorion Eguileor, and Antonia San Juan. The story is set in a dystopian era, in a strange prison.
Without spoiling too much of the plot, we can firmly say this sci-fi drama explores the dark side of human nature with many metaphors, as inmates in prison must fight for their survival while contending with limited resources provided in the mysterious platform that falls daily, offering food for those on the top.
13 Level 16 (2018)
Several sci-fi films deal with the treatment of so-called 'social undesirables,' and none paint a great picture of how the elites and powerful treat the marginalized among us. Level 16 is one of these offerings, written and directed by Danishka Esterhazy, with a young all-female cast including such as Katie Douglas, Celina Martin, and Sara Canning.
This dystopian thriller takes place in an all-girls boarding school where the students are educated to be clean and obedient while disregarding negative vices such as anger or curiosity. Two friends get curious and embark on a journey to discover the real secret behind their existence in this thrilling movie exploring control, conformity, and rebellion themes.
12 Bird Box (2018)
Sandra Bullock made a remarkable comeback with this sci-fi horror story. The actress would publicly thank Netflix for giving her a second chance after Hollywood studios began favoring younger faces. Bird Box is an atmospheric and tense movie directed by Susanne Bier, based on a screenplay by Eric Heisserer.
Trevante Rhodes and John Malkovich star alongside Bullock in a post-apocalyptic world where unseen entities cause anyone who sees them to commit suicide. A woman and her two children must embark on a dangerous journey while blindfolded to save themselves.
11 The Giver (2014)
Imagine a world where emotions are repressed for the sake of an orderly society. This is the question posed by Lois Lowry in the novel The Giver. The film of the same name was written by Michael Mitnick and directed by Phillip Noyce. The stellar casting includes veterans such as Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep, alongside newcomers Brenton Thwaites and Odeya Rush.
The story follows a supposedly utopian society where emotions and memories are suppressed after the fall of mankind until a young man named is chosen to be the Receiver of Memory. He would discover the dark truths that created this new, seemingly perfect facade.
10 Oxygen (2021)
Suppose you enter a cryogenic chamber to take a long nap in the future, and you suddenly wake up with no memory, running out of oxygen, only to find out from the manufacturer your chamber was damaged years ago. This claustrophobic sci-fi thriller Oxygen is written by Christie LeBlanc and directed with style by Alexandre Aja, featuring Mélanie Laurent as Liz.
With no memory of who she is, how she got there, and her oxygen supply running out, Liz faces the ticking countdown to her survival. She must do whatever she can to unravel the mystery of her identity and try to escape before it's too late.
9 Mute (2018)
Many critics gave this film an undeserved bad rap, but we'd like audiences to make up their minds. Set in a futuristic neo-noir society and written and directed by Duncan Jones (who made waves with his excellent sci-fi film Moon), Mute features the talents of Alexander Skarsgård, Paul Rudd, and Justin Theroux.
A mute bartender named Leo is searching for his missing girlfriend, and has to navigate the city's underworld; he soon finds himself entangled in a web of crime and corruption. It's a great story with all the tones of a detective pulp novel with a futuristic set-up, half Blade Runner, half Brick. The solid cast and enchanting visuals make it one solid offering in the ranking.
8 Dune (1984)
The first time we got Dune on the big screen was at the hands of David Lynch. The story is based on the novel by Frank Herbert, deemed unfilmable by multiple studios. Lynch co-wrote the script with Eric Bergren and assumed direction duties. The diverse cast includes Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, Patrick Stewart, and Sting.
Set in a distant future where interstellar travel and political intrigue are the norm, the story follows the adventures of young nobleman Paul Atreides as he witnesses the downfall of his family while surviving power struggles and becoming the ruler of a new race. The original Dune has been regarded as a failure for a long time, but in recent years received a bit of a critical reevaluation, if only because it's so bonkers. It's a film with a lot of charm but doesn't hold a candle to the current remake. Still, it can be appreciated for what it is and the novelty of it.
7 Project Power (2020)
Some of the most brilliant superhero films are not from Marvel or DC. Project Power presents an exciting premise: What would you do with a pill that grants you superhuman abilities for five minutes each time you take it?
The story is written by Mattson Tomlin and directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. The cast has an all-star lineup including Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Dominique Fishback. We follow a former soldier, a cop, and a drug dealer who must join forces to take down the people behind the drug distribution.
6 Stowaway (2021)
What would you do as a crew member in an interstellar mission if you suddenly find out you have a stowaway passenger in your ship? That's the question posed by Stowaway, written and directed by Joe Penna with the assistance of Ryan Morrison.
The outstanding cast includes Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, and Toni Collette. The story explores the consequences of an uninvited guest whose sole presence threatens the stability of the mission as all supplies in the ship are measured to cover the basic needs of the crew. It's a film that explores pragmatism, humanity, and moral dilemmas.