Netflix is a treasure trove of science fiction
films, but with that vastness comes the problem
of navigating it. Fear not, we're here to
help. From huge blockbusters to intimate thrillers,
these are some of the best Sci-Fi movies on
Netflix.
Director Bong Joon Ho earned a major victory
on the world stage in early 2020 when his
film Parasite took Best International Feature,
Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and
Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Since
then, film fans everywhere have been seeking
out his other work, but if you still happen
to be a beginner, Snowpiercer might be your
perfect Bong Joon Ho gateway.
Like Parasite, the film is a dark, satirical
look at class. However, Snowpiercer leans
heavily into science fiction. It takes place
on a train which carries the remnants of humanity
in an endless loop around the world after
it was left frozen in the wake of a cataclysmic
event. Featuring tremendous performances from
Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer
documents the rise of a resistance movement
to take back the train from the elite upper
class that controls it.
"This is going to be good."
In the years before making his directorial
debut with Ex Machina, Alex Garland established
himself as a talented sci-fi writer through
screenplays for 28 Days Later and 2012's Dredd.
For his first film as a director, Garland
poured those instincts into a science fiction
thriller exploring artificial intelligence,
the hubris that goes hand in hand with genius,
and what happens when it all collides in an
extremely remote mansion.
Ex Machina is the story of a programmer named
Caleb who wins a visit to the secluded home
of Nathan Bateman, an enigmatic tech genius
played with brilliant abandon by Oscar Isaac.
Nathan reveals to Caleb that he's built a
robot who might be able to pass the Turing
test.
"Do you have a name?"
"Yes, Ava."
Over the next several days, Caleb and Ava
grow closer and it becomes clear that she
is much more than just an intelligent robot.
Ava is forming a plan, and her human keepers
are part of it, whether they like it or not.
If you're looking for an intimate, tense sci-fi
thriller with big ideas and big performances,
Ex Machina is for you.
For some reason, Minority Report feels like
a somewhat minimized entry in the Steven Spielberg
filmography. Perhaps it's because pop culture's
memory for sci-fi blockbusters keeps getting
shorter, or maybe it's because the film falls
in Spielberg's career between beloved classics
like Jurassic Park and later films that didn't
always connect with long-time fans, like Indiana
Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Still, whether you haven't seen the film since
it was released or you're just eager for something
new to watch, Minority Report is well worth
remembering.
The sci-fi action film stars Tom Cruise as
a police captain working in a "Pre-Crime"
division that predicts and stops homicides
before they happen, until one day a prediction
reveals that he himself is set to be a killer
very soon. This intriguing setup allows Cruise
to do some of his best "man-on-the-run" work,
while also allowing Spielberg to simultaneously
deliver high-concept science fiction. The
result is a tremendously entertaining sci-fi
thriller.
Sometimes the best sci-fi films are the ones
that can take a very direct metaphor and present
it in a way that's both visually compelling
and intellectually surprising — and District
9 is one of those movies. Director Neill Blomkamp's
breakout film tells the story of an alien
species who came to Earth and was eventually
herded into internment camps by the South
African government. Beginning with that premise,
the film focuses on the story of a government
worker who goes inside the camp to serve eviction
notices and engage with the aliens.
"There you go. Eat your sweetie. Yeah, he's
going to eat his - he's going to eat his sweetie.
Works like a charm every time, you know."
The worker soon finds himself undergoing profound
physical and psychological changes after coming
into close contact with a piece of alien technology.
District 9 was one of the most acclaimed films
of 2009, earning an Academy Award nomination
for Best Picture and launching Blomkamp into
a career that has since produced major films
like Chappie and Elysium starring Matt Damon.
Years after its release, District 9 remains
one of the most respected and impactful sci-fi
films of the 2000s, and it helped spawn a
new wave of thoughtful movies about alien
interactions with humans.
Spike Jonze movies have always defied easy
classification. From the unexpected world
of Being John Malkovich to the meta zaniness
of Adaptation, Jonze's films retain a sense
of raw and honest humanity even when they're
expanding into outlandish territory. However,
of all his films, Her might actually be the
most human — which is saying something when
you consider the subject matter.
Written by Jonze himself, Her is the story
of a lonely man who finds himself striking
up a friendship, and later an intense romantic
relationship, with an advanced operating system
named Samantha. On the surface, this might
seem like a one-note bit of storytelling.
But with brilliant performances from Joaquin
Phoenix, Amy Adams, and Scarlett Johansson
as the voice of Samantha, Jonze expertly explores
the various implications of the relationship
— and the way the world responds to it.
Beautifully crafted, oddly funny, and full
of emotional surprises, Her is unlike any
other major sci-fi film of the last decade.
In 1999, the Wachowskis released The Matrix,
and science fiction cinema hasn't been the
same since. The film is about a young hacker
who learns the world he knows is really a
simulation and he's been drafted as a messiah
in a battle against humanity's machine overlords.
The Matrix offered moviegoers mind-blowing
wire work, groundbreaking visuals, and the
kind of philosophical underpinnings that have
come to define so many 21st century sci-fi
blockbusters. It's an essential film for action
fans, science fiction fans, and movie fans
in general. In fact, its influence can still
be seen in countless films and television
shows.
"The matrix is everywhere."
In the spring of 2020, The Matrix returned
to Netflix, but this classic didn't come alone.
You can also watch the two sequels — Matrix
Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions. Granted,
they can't quite live up to the trailblazing
impact and influence of the original movie,
but they still have plenty to offer. Reloaded
features some of the best action sequences
of the entire saga, and Revolutions is a classic
case of time being very kind to a film that
leans heavily into the philosophy of its story.
"Whoa"
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