Exploring multiple universes, robots, time travel, Sci-Fi movies is one of the most interesting genres in the film industry. For decades we have been watching all the amazing and imaginative Sci-Fi movies that have blown our minds. In this article, we will look at the top films making up to our list of 25 Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time.
25. Inception
Inception (2010)
source: imdb.com
Inception is an action sci-fi movie under the direction of Christopher Nolan. The film starring Leonardo DiCaprio follows a professional thief who steals information by invading the subconscious of his targets. He gets an offer to clear his criminal history by implanting an idea to a target’s subconscious. Inception proved to be an electrifying blockbuster inspiring others that Hollywood can still produce outstanding movies with dazzling visuals.
24. WALL-E
WALL-E (2008) source: imdb.com
WALL-E is a romantic sci-fi movie from Walt Disney Pictures. The film directed by Andrew Stanton follows a waste-collecting robot who accidentally begins a space journey that eventually decides the fate of humankind. The movie focuses on the results of excess and pollution with a mixture of love. WALL-E has a rating of 8.4 on IMDb and 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
23. Ex Machina
Ex Machina (2014) source: imdb.com
Ex Machina is a thriller Sci-Fi movie directed by Alex Garland. The film starring Oscar Isaac follows a young program invited to participate in an innovative experiment to examine the human qualities of an extremely advanced humanoid A.I. If you like gradually intensifying thrillers, this one’s got your back. Ex Machina has a rating of 7.7/10 on IMDb and 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
22. Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers (1997) source: imdb.com
Starship Troopers is a 1997 Sci-Fi action movie directed by Paul Verhoeven. The story revolves around high school kids who are encouraged to become citizens by entering the military. But they don’t know they will participate in a full-scale war against a planet of alien insects to save humankind. Starship Troopers has a rating of 7.2/10 on IMDb and 64% on Rotten Tomatoes.
21. Brazil
Brazil (1985) source: imdb.com
Brazil is a Sci-Fi movie with some drama from 1985 directed by Terry Gilliam. The film revolves around Sam Lowry, who is searching for a woman who appears in his dreams. He works in a mind-numbing job and lives in a small residence based in a dystopian world where there is an over-dependence upon poorly maintained machines. Brazil is one best films of Gilliam with impressive special effects. It has a rating of 7.9/10 on IMDb and 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
20. Back to the Future
Back to the Future Part III (1990) source: imdb.com
Back to the Future is a 1985 sci-fi film exploring time travel. During the 1985’s, time travel wasn’t a usual thing in movies. But Back to the Future stepped up and proved itself as a classic sci-fi movie with time travel. The film follows a 17-year-old student, Marty McFly, who incidentally gets sent thirty years back to the past in a time-traveling DeLorean created by his friend, scientist Doc Brown. The movie is full of entertainment compared to other sci-fi franchises. Back to the Future has a rating of 8.5/10 on IMDb and 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.
19. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind source: imdb.com
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is an Alien centric movie written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The story revolves around Roy Neary, an everyday worker living an ordinary life in Indiana whose life takes a turn after the close encounter with a UFO (Unidentified Flying Object). The film tries to convey the message that not all aliens are evil. Close Encounter of the Third Kind has a rating of 7.6/10 on IMDb and 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
18. Forbidden Planet
Forbidden Planet (1956)
source: imdb.com
Forbidden Planet is regarded as one of the great sci-fi movies of the 1950s. The film directed by Fred M. Wilcox follows a starship crew on a mission to investigate the silence of a planet’s colony. However, they end up finding two survivors and a deadly secret that one of them carries. Forbidden Planet has a 7.6/10 rating on IMDb and 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
17. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) source: imdb.com
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s starring film Terminator 2 is not the one to miss if you love sci-fi movies. It is a very good sequel to the original one, crushing it on every aspect. The story is a follow-up to the previous one, as Skynet again sends an advanced Terminator (liquid metal-based) to finish John Connor. His only hope is a reprogrammed cyborg who almost killed his mother. Terminator 2 includes jaw-dropping action and chase sequences, putting other films way behind. The movie also shines in its thoughtful message. The movie rates 8.5/10 on IMDb and 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
16. Metropolis
Metrop olis (1927) source: imdb.com
In the 1920s, while other film creators were still trying to understand the difficulty of cinema. With this movie, Fritz Lang set new heights of storytelling and inspired many. It’s surely one of the best films of the silent era. The movie is placed on the futuristic city distinctly divided between the working class and the city planners. Son of the mastermind behind the city falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts a hero will arrive to conciliate their differences. Metropolis has a rating of 8.3/10 on IMDb and 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.
15. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) source: imdb.com
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a horror sci-fi movie under the direction of Don Siegel. The film starring Kevin McCarthy revolves around the unusual pods from the space as they begin to grow and attack San Franciso, California. They copy the residents into emotionless humanoids one body at a time. The whole scene of the movie is terrifying and entertaining to watch. Invasion of the Body Snatchers has a rating of 7.7/10 on IMDb and 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
14. The Day the Earth Stood Still
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
You may have heard or watched the movie of the same name starring Keanu Reeves. But the original film from 1951 deserves a lot of merit in the greatness of sci-fi movies. The movie follows an Alien named Klaatu, who arrives on the Earth to convey the message that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a threat to other planets. The movie rates 5.5/10 on IMDb and 21% on Rotten Tomatoes.
13. Alphaville
Alphaville (1965) source: imdb.com
Alphaville is a noir sci-fi movie directed by Jean-Luc Godard. The film starring Eddie Constantine follows a secret U.S agent sent into the space city of Alphaville, where he must find a lost person and set the city free from its autocratic ruler. The movie holds a rating of 7.2/10 on IMDb and 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.
12. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) source: imdb.com
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 movie under the direction of Steven Spielberg. The movie was a blockbuster as it took the audience through an unrivaled emotional journey. The movie follows a lonely boy who steps up to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home. The alien was and is one of the unique and impressive. The young casts have put on an excellent performance with the exploration of mysteries of childhood. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial rate 7.8/10 on IMDb and 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
11. Aliens
Aliens (1986) source: imdb.com
Aliens is the sequel to of Alien directed by Ridley Scott. The movie is packed with action and exceptional with so much to recommend. The story follows Weaver’s character Ellen Ripley who returns to the moon where her crew faced the dangerous Alien creature, but this time, they are along with a unit of space marines. The movie has the perfect mixture of character developments, horror, and action, which shows the hard work put on by the film crew. The movie has a rating of 8.3/10 on IMDb and 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.
10. Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park (1993) source: imdb.com
Jurassic Park 1993 showed the power of CG to the audiences, making it popular among viewers. The movie was a blockbuster back at that time while
CG technology was recently introduced. The film revolves around a pragmatic paleontologist who visits a fully themed park and
gets assigned while protecting kids after a power failure causes the park’s cloned dinosaurs to run free. The film delivered the ground-breaking experience to audiences, which took the movie to new heights. Jurassic Park has a rating of 8.1/10 on IMDb and 68% on Rotten Tomatoes.
9. The Thing
The Thing (1982) source: imdb.com
The Thing is a 1982 sci-fi movie directed by John Carpenter. It can be taken a cross between Alien and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The movie follows a research team in Antarctica who get encountered by a shape-shifting alien that copies its victims’ appearances. The effects of the movie are pretty good, and you might be amazed when the head of a victim sheers itself from its burning corpse and spider-walks away. The Thing has a rating of 8.1/10 on IMDb and 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.
8. The Matrix
The Matrix (1999)
source: imdb.com
The Matrix set the bars of sci-fi movie providing the imagination in a film no one has ever seen. The story follows a computer hacker as he learns from mysterious rebels about the real nature of his existence and his part in the war against its controllers. The movie is so great that not even the sequel of the film stands on its way. This is a must-see movie for sci-fi lovers with lots of action and drama. The Matrix upholds the rating of 8.7/10 on IMDb and 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.
7. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) source: imdb.com
It is the best among the Trek movies, The Wrath of Khan includes some of the heaviest themes. The story revolves around Admiral Kirk, who must stop an old nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, from using the life-generating machine as ultimate weaponry. The movie includes a lot of subtextual and emotions compared to other sci-fi movies, making it a blockbuster as it goes beyond the required. The film has a rating of 7.7/10 on IMDb and 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.
6. Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes (1968) source: imdb.com
Planet of the Apes is one of the first movies in the sci-fi genre. The plot of the film revolves around an astronaut crew who crash-land on a world in a distant future where intelligent talking apes are the dominant species, and humans are enslaved. Even though many may feel the makeup of the apes a bit old school, but it was futuristic back at that time. The sequels of this movie have stood up to today’s standard, never leaving the monkeyshines laurels, but it all began from the original one. Planet of the Apes has a rating of 8/10 on IMDb and 86% on Rotten Tomatoes.
5. The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) source: imdb.com
The Empire Strikes Back is the sequel to the Star Wars film series released in 1980. After the Rebels are ruthlessly overpowered by the Empire on the ice planet Hoth, Luke starts Jedi training along with Yoda. His friends get chased by Darth Vader and a bounty hunter, Boba Fett. The film has a rating of 8.7/10 on IMDb and 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.
4. Alien
Alien (1979) source: imdb.com
Alien is a 1979 horror sci-fi directed by Ridley Scott based on the story written by O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett. It has less sci-fi compared to Star Trek and Star Wars but is more gritty, making the scares more realistic. The story follows a space crew who encounters a vicious and deadly alien set loose on the ship. The movie proved to be career-changing for both its director and leading lady. It was regarded as one of the best movie monsters of all time. Alien rates 8.4/10 on IMDb and 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
3. Star Wars
Star War: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) source: imdb.com
Star Wars: A New Hope is the first movie of the Star Wars series. The film directed by George Lucas follows Luke Skywalker, who collaborates with Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookies, and two droids to free the galaxy from the Empire’s world-destroying battle station. They also try to save Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader. George Lucas was able to take everything great about the classic adventure serials of the early 20s and upgraded with modern decoration. It’s a really fun movie to enjoy. Star War rates 8.6/10 on IMDb and 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
2. Blade Runner
Blade Runner (1982)
source: imdb.com
Blade Runner is a 1982 movie made under the direction of Ridley Scott. The film starring Harrison Ford follows a blade runner who must chase and destroy four replicants who stole a ship in space and have came back to Earth in search of their creator. Blade Runner is a classic movie of this genre as it delivers a different experience to the viewers. Its visual storytelling is very strong and effective. The film rates 8.1/10 on IMDb and 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) source: imdb.com
2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the greatest sci-fi movies. The plot of the story follows the journey to Jupiter with an intelligent supercomputer H.AL. 9000, as they find an alien monolith affecting human evolution. The movie includes the themes of human evolution, existentialism, technology, artificial intelligence, and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. The film is innovative, a technical masterpiece, captivating, and exceptional. 2001: A Space Odyssey is not the one to miss out when it comes to watching sci-fi movies even though you are a 21st-century sci-fi freak.
