With our own world veering dangerously close to a science fiction novel, now feels like an optimal time to go watch a bunch of sci-fi movies to see what we might be getting into somewhere down the line.
The 2020s have seen the release of several brilliant sci-fi movies, from Gareth Edwards's The Creator to the long-awaited Avatar sequel from James Cameron. Below, we're highlighting the 10 best science fiction movies released in the 2020s so far.
1. Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024)
Denis Villeneuve's Dune movies were immediately hailed as classics and will surely go down in history as important touchstones in the history of cinema.
The films are adapted from Frank Herbert's iconic novel Dune, which thrusts Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) into a war on the desert planet of Arrakis. They mark the third live-action adaptation of the book, with many people feeling that Villeneuve's movies should be considered the definitive versions. A third film based on Herbert's sequel Dune Messiah is in development, and the TV series Dune: Prophecy premiered on HBO last fall and has since been renewed for a second season.
2. Nope (2022)
Jordan Peele's ambitious horror/sci-fi/Western film Nope has proven to be one of his more divisive movies, and yet I think it is also his most brilliant.
The movie begins simple enough, with a pair of siblings played by Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya seeking to capture an unidentified flying object on camera and get rich from the footage. But Nope is so much more than that, a smart and satisfying film about viewer exploitation and the lengths people will go to court fame.
3. Crimes of the Future (2022)
Director David Cronenberg is considered the master of body horror because of films like Scanners, Videodrome, and The Fly, and Crimes of the Future was an epic return to the sub-genre for him.
Set in a dystopian future where people have begun to mutate in response to the ever-shifting world around them, a performance artist (Viggo Mortensen) develops multiple strange organs and later has them surgically removed as part of a bold artistic performance. The film really spends time delving into the philosophical ramifications of body alteration along with asking what it truly means to be a human.
4. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
It's a touching and beautifully acted film about inter-dimensional travel with absurdly funny moments, what more could you want? Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the few science fiction movies to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, which is quite a feat when you consider how bold and over-the-top the movie is in some scenes.
5. The Invisible Man (2020)
Universal's Dark Universe got off to a bumpy start, encouraging the studio to pivot and try something new with its classic characters like the Invisible Man. Leigh Whannell's movie is not only brilliant sci-fi that expertly blends in horror, but the film beautifully uses the concept of an invisible person to tell a story about gaslighting and abuse.
Elisabeth Moss is incredible as always in the leading role, working in tandem with Whannell and a smart script to create a great modern update on H.G. Wells' story.
6. Mickey 17 (2025)
Robert Pattinson has come such a long way since his Twilight days, transforming into one of the best and most surprising actors of his generation. He continues to prove his talent in this newer sci-fi film from Academy Award-winning director Bong Joon Ho.
Here, Pattinson is tasked with playing several versions of the same character, an "expendable," whose entire purpose is to be used for dangerous missions on a space journey. When he inevitably dies, a new version of him is produced to replace the old one. Mickey 17 has the same kind of layered social commentary fans are accustomed to from Bong Joon Ho's movies, plus some fascinating worldbuilding and a bigger budget than usual.
7. The Creator (2023)
Gareth Edwards's beautifully crafted original story The Creator feels particularly timely given the rising important of artificial intelligence (AI) in virtually every industry. In the world of The Creator, AI causes a nuclear detonation in Los Angeles that results in a massive war between humans and machines.
It's a very ambitious film, especially when you consider that Edwards conceived of the idea himself. It might not be perfect, and proved to be somewhat polarizing among critics, but The Creator is the kind of thought-provoking blockbuster epic we need more of in the future.
8. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Avatar: The Way of Water is the kind of exhilarating big screen experience that only comes around once in a while. James Cameron made us wait more than 10 years for this highly-anticipated follow-up to Avatar, and it turned out to be worth it. In this epic sci-fi story, we return to Pandora to yet again inhabit the riveting world inhabited by the Na'vi.
9. Poor Things (2023)
A Frankenstein story with a fearless young woman at its center, Poor Things proved to be one of 2023's wildest and most endearing films, and that is largely thanks to Emma Stone's performance as Bella Baxter, a grown woman with the brain of an infant.
Stone has gone on to work with director Yorgos Lanthimos several more times after this movie and it's easy to see that they work very well together. Poor Things has a unique and somewhat controversial storyline at its heart, but it all comes together to make for a provocative and enjoyable film.
10. They Cloned Tyrone (2023)
It's a shame that They Cloned Tyrone was a straight-to-Netflix release, especially one that released on the same weekend as the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon. It deserved better marketing and a full theatrical release, then maybe people would have gotten to appreciate this witty, retro-futuristic satirical film about a shadowy government conspiracy revolving around cloning people.
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