Sea monsters,aliens, extraterrestrial adventures, paranormal events,and medical mysteriesall have one thing in common. They can be the center of asci-fimovie plot. They probably won’t all be the focus of one singular movie at the same time, as that would be way too much happening all at once. However, the best science fiction movies tend to portray something that could be true and might happen in real life.
There’s a different feel to a science fiction film. It gives that sense that it could possibly happen in our world, but not for a long time, or at least not right now. It’s vaguely based on science that an audience won’t fully understand, leading to a mysterious feeling. It’s truly a vibe. There are plenty of science fiction films that are too unbelievable to really hit home. But some nail it on the head.
Here are the 10 best science fiction films of the past decade, ranked by their Rotten Tomatoes critics' scores.
10’Birth/Rebirth' (2023)
96% RT score
Birth/Rebirth
Led by two actresses who are frequently seen but rarely fully appreciated,Birth/Rebirthstars Marin Ireland and Judy Reyes. The horror sci-fi features Ireland as a pathologist who is fascinated by the idea of bringing someone back to life. Reyes is a maternity nurse whose daughter suddenly dies. The two women are forced to work together to keep her daughter alive after she is reincarnated.
Drawing influence fromMary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the film actually has some dark comedy in it, as Reyes leans on her comedic chops earned from herScrubsdays. It’s a quirky film where director Laura Moss pulls the right gross-out strings at the right time to make the scenes land. Critics were pleased with the film, giving it a 96% Tomatometer score. Fans were less enthusiastic, as it netted a 74% audience score.
14 Best Godzilla Movies To Stream Right Now
Explore these iconic Godzilla films streaming now, from epic monster battles to poignant allegories showcasing the franchise’s evolution.
9’A Quiet Place' (2018)
A Quiet Place
A Quiet Placeprovides a unique cinematic experience for audiences, as the little to no dialogue in the entire film doesn’t dampen the tension. The 2018 film directed by John Krasinski featured him and his wife in real life, Emily Blunt, as a couple with their children trying to survive in a world ravaged by alien predators who have incredible hearing. The film follows the family as they attempt to communicate with sign language and try to stay alive with the Death Angels on the hunt.
Costarring Noah Jupe and Millicent Simmonds, the movie is taut and breathtaking, with grounded performances from the entire cast. Featuring one of thebest sci-fi creatures in recent memory, the movie spawned a sequel and a prequel after making $341M at the global box office. Critics adored the film, earning it a 96% Tomatometer score, and fans gave it an 83% popcorn score.
The Best Sci-Fi Movies of 2024, Ranked
While science-fiction reigned supreme on TV, there were less great cinematic options in 2024, but these 20 sci-fi movies are the best.
8’A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon' (2019)
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Stop-motion animation movies are rarely found in the sci-fi genre, butA Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddoncertainly qualifies. Arecent entry from Aardman Animations, it is a sequel to the 2015Shaun the Sheep Movie. Shaun and his flock meet an alien who crashes near Mossy Bottom Farm. The group must find a way to protect the alien from being captured by the government. The goal to return them home proves harder than anticipated.
A bit of a predictable plot kept the fan score a bit lower than the critics' score, earning it an 80% popcorn rating. But the Tomatometer is up at 96%, proving that stop-motion always has fans in the media. Shaun the Sheep will return to cinemas in 2026 for a Halloween-themed film,Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.
7’Neptune Frost' (2022)
‘Neptune Frost’ (2022)
Kino Lorber
Neptune Frostis different from any other film on the list and maybe more than any other film audiences have seen. It’s set in Burundi in an alternate universe and focuses on the relationship between Neptune, an intersex runaway, and Matalusa, a coltan miner. Neptune is portrayed by two actors in the film, as in the middle of it, the character realizes they are a different gender. The Afrofuturist story features a village made from computer parts and the film tackles themes like exploitation and colonialism.
Did we mention that it’s also a musical and the main characters can travel to different dimensions? It’sone of the strangest filmsyou’ll ever see, but it is visually stunning. As expected, it’s a divisive film among many. But critics loved it, earning it a 96% Tomatometer score. Fans were less welcoming, as the experimental cinema film holds a 72% audience score.
6’The Long Walk' (2019)
The Long Walk
Not to be confused withthe Stephen King storyor films by the name,The Long Walkdescribed here is a 2019 Laotian film directed by Mattie Do. It stars Yannawoutthi Chanthalungsy as The Old Man, a person who can communicate with the dead. He walks through a village each day, accompanied by the ghost of a person he saw die 50 years ago. Because of this and losing his mother to tuberculosis, The Old Man feels the need to help terminally sick people.
But when he learns that the ghost who is with him can transport him into the past, he uses the powers to try and change his own past to stop his mother from getting sick. It’s a slow film, but an engrossing one that makes audiences feel like they are walking the roads right alongside The Old Man. It has a 96% critics score and a 90% audience score, proving its wider appeal.
5’April and the Extraordinary World' (2015)
97% RT score
In 2015,Avril et le Monde truquépremiered in France, and in 2016, it was released in the United States. The French animated film starred Marion Cotillard in the main role as Avril, a young scientist who takes it upon herself to take up her great-grandfather’s research to create a serum that lets people live forever. The movie isset in an alternate universewhere the Franco-Prussian War didn’t occur, and scientists begin to disappear over the span of 70 years. The only positive to come from Avril’s research thus far is giving her cat, Darwin, the ability to talk. Set in 1941, Avril’s research is of importance to the government, and she must hide to keep it out of their hands while trying to find her parents, who have also gone missing.
The animated film featured an impressive American voice cast for the English dubbed version featuring Tony Hale, Susan Sarandon, J.K. Simmons, and Paul Giamatti.April and the Extraordinary Worldwas directed by Christian Desmares and Franck Ekinci and earned the César Award for Best Animated Feature Film. It has proven divisive with fans, earning a 77% audience score.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Continuing one of the most well-known sci-fi franchises,Mad Max: Fury Roadbreathed new life into George Miller’s characters. Tom Hardy took on the role of Max Rockatansky, famously played by Mel Gibson in the previous three films. The movie is one of themost well-known sci-fi epics in recent memoryand features some of the most incredible technical work done by a film crew ever. The movie follows road battles in the barren wasteland that is the Australian outback as Max is kidnapped by the cult leader Immortan Joe. Things go awry when one of Joe’s lieutenants, Imperator Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron, tries to sneak his multiple wives out from under his control.
What ensues is an all-out war with absurd chase scenes, vehicles that have to be seen to be believed, and special effects that wow everyone. The film cleaned up on the technical awards at the Oscars that year, winning six Academy Awards. The film made $380 million worldwide at the box office and earned a 97% critics score and an 86% audience score.
Every Sci-Fi Movie Ever Nominated For Best Picture, Ranked
While many may think of the Oscars as the territory of biopics and gritty dramas, sci-fi has been a constant presence among Best Picture nominees.
3’LOLA' (2022)
98% RT score
Is knowing the future ultimately a good thing or a bad thing? That’s the premise ofLOLA, the 2023 found footage film written and directed by Andrew Legge. Set in England shortly before World War II, it stars Emma Appleton and Stefani Martini as sisters Thom and Mars who create a machine called LOLA that can intercept radio and TV signals from the future. While the sisters mainly use it to enjoy music from the future, once the war begins, they use it for good, intercepting signals from the Germans to try and swing the war in Britain’s favor. Thom becomes obsessed with its potential and the power LOLA gives them while Mars begins to see the dark side of that power.
Not quite a story about AI but a story about a machine with knowledge and how it can affect people, the film is a taut 79 minutes. Critics were impressed with the movie as it garnered a 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes. But it has proven divisive among fans, with a 69% audience score, likely because of its unique style asa black-and-white time travel found footage film.
2’Godzilla Minus One' (2023)
99% RT Score
Godzilla Minus One
A mesmerizing take on the franchise,Godzilla Minus Onerestarted the production company Toho’s rights with the monster. It was their 37th Godzilla film and arguably the best one of the bunch. It is set in postwar Japan and follows Ryunosuke Kamiki, a former kamikaze pilot who encounters the famed creature while trying to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder from the war. He and the crew of a minesweeper boat must work with other ships to try and stop Godzilla.
It was released in Japan on the 50th anniversary of the firstGodzillafilm. The film was a massive hit globally, earning $116 million worldwide on a budget of about $15 million. Critics and fans alike raved about the film, earning it a 99% critics score and a 98% audience score. Its blend of emotional storytelling and kaiju-level special effects made it immensely successful.Godzilla Minus Onewon the Best Visual Effects Oscar and took home the Best Visual Effects and Best Sound at the Asian Film Awards. Asequel is in the worksby Toho.
1’Concrete Utopia' (2023)
100% RT score
Concrete Utopia
A South Korean disaster film,Concrete Utopiawas a huge hit with critics. In between seasons ofSquid Game, Lee Byung-hun shot this film and stars as Yeong-tak, the resident leader of Hwanggong Apartments. After a massive earthquake hits Seoul, only one building is left standing. The residents of that building are all of a sudden thrust into the country’s spotlight, as those who lost their homes flock there. Yeong-tak and the rest of the residents come up with a new society in their apartment buildings and have to deal with both external and internal threats to it.
The film currently holds a 100% Tomatometer score, as people highlighted the performances of the main stars, Lee, Park Seo-joon, and Park Bo-young. It was divisive with fans, as it has a 74% audience score.Directed by Um Tae-hwa, the movie was the fourth highest-grossing film of 2023 in Korea, and a sequel,Badland Hunters, was released on Netflix in 2024.
