11 of the Best Sci Fi Movies of all Time

In today’s day and age, where nearly everything is accessible, finding great movies and series to watch can be quite difficult. There are hundreds of thousands of options available to stream or rent online. And considering that there are multiple genres and don’t forget sub-genres to choose from, most of us are left confused and easily hop onto the next global phenomenon like Squid Game or Don’t Look Up (both a great series and movie). Often, we also revert to our old favorites and rewatch films and series from our past that we simply cannot get over - that’s completely okay and sometimes needed. And in that breath, let’s look at some of the best sci-fi movies ever made!

Galaxy Quest - 1999
Hear us out; this movie takes parody to the next level, but it is so, so good! Galaxy Quest follows a group of TV stars called up by aliens (yes, in the film they are real aliens) to help them evade a menacing alien warlord. The film comes with a stellar cast, including Sigourney Weaver, Tim Allen, Sam Rockwell, the late Alan Rickman (Professor Snape, for those who don’t know), Tony Shalhoub, Daryl Mitchell, and Justin Long. The film is rated high overall and received a score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. And while this is not your conventional sci-fi film, it is highly entertaining and does feature aliens!

Alien franchise - 1979 to 2017
The second time Sigourney Weaver has made an appearance on our list. The Alien franchise might have started back in 1979, but in 2022 the franchise is still worshiped for the sheer quality content it’s given us. And while the franchise is celebrated, the very first Alien is the best film out of the series, which follows a crew onboard a spacecraft that intercepts a distress signal from a planet. The crew rushes over to the planet only to discover it’s been overrun by Xenomorphs (the aliens). While this film is slow-burning, Sigourney, who plays Ellen Ripley, gives us an action-packed movie we are still watching to this day. Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 98% score - impressive. There is a new Alien movie in the works.

The Matrix Saga - 1999 to 2021
We call this a saga because the franchise turned into a love story somewhere along the line, or maybe it was a love story all along? While we love all the Matrix movies (any chance to see Hollywood's boyfriend Keanu Reeves), the first Matrix is top-tier and was truly ahead of its time when it was released in March 1999. And if you don't know the story (not acceptable in this day and age), it follows Thomas Anderson, AKA Neo (Reeves). He is a programmer who discovers the real world is a dystopian wasteland controlled by computers. With an 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes, this highly-rated film features some big Hollywood names like Lawrence Fishbourne, who played the iconic Morpheus, and Carrie Ann Moss, who played Neo's love interest, Trinity. Now Trinity is more than Neo's love interest; she is one badass protector and action hero.

Star Wars Saga - 1977 - 2019
To say Star Wars is a success is an understatement; one of the biggest franchises on the planet, and with good reason. The Star Wars Franchise features nine feature films, countless animated and live-action series, as well as multiple video games across most gaming platforms. George Lucas is a genius, he created a sci-fi space where everyone feels welcome, and boy, it is interesting. And while some of the newer films have not received the same reception as the original trilogy, we must pick just one film that stands out, and it's The Empire Strikes Back. For once a sequel, (at the time, it was a sequel) is far superior to its predecessor. The film is heavily focused on Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) and his obsession with getting his son Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) over to the dark side. This is also the film where Darth Vader utters the famous line: “No, I am your father.” The Empire Strikes Back was the number one movie in the 1980s, and it stays etched into popular culture today.

Star Trek - 1979 - present
There have been movies and series since 1979, yet Star Trek is still a cult classic to this very day. A few actors have played the iconic roles of James T. Kirk and the Vulcan, Spock. In the original series, William Shatner starred as Kirk and the late Leonard Nimoy (we still picture him doing the Vulcan salute) as Spock. But the 2009 Star Trek film was a true gem. With a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, it starred Chris Pine as Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock. Directed by acclaimed sci-fi director JJ Abrahams, Star Trek follows Kirk and Spock as they join the USS Enterprise to take down a menacing Romulan alien named Nero. There are three movies in the current franchise, with the 4th one set to release in December 2023.

Inception - 2010
A star-studded cast, multiple time and space jumps? Sign us right up. Inception follows a group of dream jumpers who team up to intercept people’s dreams so that they change their decisions. The movie is intoxicating and requires you to watch it more than once to understand it fully; even then, you are left confused, especially by the ending. Christopher Nolan did a number on us because the storyline, cast, and score (by none other than Hans Zimmer) blended perfectly to give us one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy (before he was Thomas Shelby), Elliot Page, and Tom Hardy.

Blade Runner -1982
Starring Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard, an ex-police officer who’s been tasked with destroying a group of violent androids, the movie is critically acclaimed, and it is still referenced in popular culture today. Its sequel, Blade Runner 2049, starring Ryan Gosling, was equally impressive.

District 9 - 2009
Filmed in South Africa, District 9 is set on a Dystopian Earth where aliens are refugees (and called prawns) and are living under harsh conditions. But things soon change when these aliens find an ally within the government that promises them a brave new world.

Interstellar - 2014
This Oscar-winning film follows a former NASA pilot who also happens to be a farmer, trying to save the Earth after it becomes uninhabitable. The movie jumps through multiple time hops and features a unique look at space. It also stars two big Hollywood names, Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey.

Men in Black - 1997
It’s rare when sci-fi and comedy meet that it’s an absolute hit. But everyone in the 90s LOVED Men in Black, and so many adults did too. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones star as Agent J and Agent K, respectively, who form part of an elite alien-fighting agency tasked with protecting the world.

Starship Troopers - 1997
While its Rotten Tomatoes score is only 66%, the film is highly entertaining. Johnny Rico and his fellow Mobile Infantry recruits must protect Earth from giant alien bugs set on destroying the planet!