Prime Video is the place for thought-provoking sci-fi. Time travel and artificial intelligence, dystopian futures and shapeshifting aliens — whatever your interest is, the streamer’s library has got the goods.
Look, we know how packed the streaming landscape is. Finding a worthwhile movie to watch in this content crowd can be a challenge. Well, friend, you’ve come to the right place. You’ve landed on this article because you’re searching for worthwhile sci-fi movie suggestions. Below is our guide to the best of what Prime Video has to offer.
These science fiction movies crack the surface of what you can find on the streamer, but they’re a great place to start. From a time-traveling killer cyborg and a curious cybernetic being to the iconic Man of Steel and an isolated alien horror classic, the choices are pretty epic. Basically, you’ve beamed down to the proper planet. Keep reading to find out for yourself.
Read more: These Epic Sci_Fi TV Shows Will Keep You on the Edge of Your Seat
Based on the Philip K. Dick novella, We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, Total Recall follows an average construction worker who is bored with his life and turns to a company called Rekall for help. The aim is to have false memories planted in his brain to simulate a trip to Mars, but what he ends up discovering is that his whole life has been an implanted lie and now he’s wanted dead. It sounds heavy, but doggonit, this movie is a ton of fun.
Thematically reminiscent to the classic silent film Metropolis, Dark City follows a fugitive wanted for murder who doesn’t at all remember committing the crimes. Is he guilty? Or is it possible he’s gone completely nuts? The underworld he happens upon, which is comprised of a bunch of otherworldly beings known simply as The Strangers, keeps him and the audience guessing through much of the movie. The visual aesthetic and effects of the movie are well worth the price of admission. This one was way ahead of its time.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country delves into intriguing political territory as Captain Kirk is framed for the murder of a high-ranking Klingon. Spock takes on a Sherlock Holmes role of sorts — he even recites a quote from the famed literary detective in the movie — as he strives to solve the crime and prove Kirk’s innocence. Bonus points go to the casting of Christopher Plummer as the villainous Chang.
James Cameron’s 1984 sci-fi masterpiece changed the genre and put Arnold Schwarzenegger on the map. The movie tells the story of a woman fighting to stay alive as a cybernetic being from the future is sent back in time to terminate her, thus stopping humanity’s hero, John Connor, from ever being born.
Sam Rockwell shines in this underrated sci-fi drama. Moon follows an astronaut on his final days working a three-year solo shift at a lunar mine. But as he gets ready to reunite with his wife, his health takes a bizarre turn, forcing Sam to face some dark truths.
In John Carpenter’s postapocalyptic cult classic, it’s 1997 in New York and the city has been ravaged by war. Manhattan has been turned into a giant walled-in prison. After the president is taken hostage, former Special Forces officer (and current prisoner) Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is recruited to save the day in return for his own freedom.
Alfonso Cuarón directed this dystopian tale that explores a future where infertility has become the world’s biggest threat. Theo (played by Clive Owen) is a jaded bureaucrat who’s revealed as an unexpected hero in the battle to save humanity. Hey, no pressure.
2012’s superb adaptation of the Judge Dredd comics is a delicious smorgasbord of ultraviolence. Karl Urban lifts the character from its Sylvester Stallone doldrums and, with the help of Alex Garland’s script and Pete Travis’ directing, Dredd has remained a worthy entry in the cluttered comic book adaptation game.
This mind-bending cult classic stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a misunderstood high schooler who, after seemingly surviving a crazy accident, begins traveling through time. In the process, he discovers the joy of being alive and in love. Themes of depression, repression and alternative universes fill this delightfully bizarre film. Also, let’s not forget that giant demon bunny named Frank.
10 Cloverfield Lane is a riveting psychological thriller that unfolds into something unexpectedly supernatural. Technically a sequel to Cloverfield — which means it’s absolutely a sci-fi movie — this entry explores the monstrous nature of reality and the metaphorical monsters it can create. The tight-knit cast delivers, but John Goodman’s Howard is a force to reckon with.
