The 25 Best Sci-Fi Movies Streaming on Netflix (2015)
https://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2015/02/the-best-sci-fi-movies-streaming-on-netflix-2015.html?a=1
List activity
19K views
• 6 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
25 titles
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerLinda HamiltonEdward FurlongA cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.That rare sequel that trumps its predecessor, James Cameron and co-writer William Wisher Jr. crafted a near-perfect action-movie script that flipped the original on its head and let Ahnold be a good guy. But it’s Linda Hamilton’s transformation from damsel-in-distress to bad-ass hero that makes the film so notable. Why should the guys get all the good action scenes? It hits the target it’s aiming for squarely in the bullseye.—Josh Jackson
- DirectorNicholas MeyerStarsWilliam ShatnerLeonard NimoyDeForest KelleyWith the assistance of the Enterprise crew, Admiral Kirk must stop an old nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, from using the life-generating Genesis Device as the ultimate weapon.Evoking the most memorable anguished cry in cinema, Khan is Nietzschean nightmare. Ricardo Montalbán’s Khan is a science-grown Übermensch bent on causing interstellar calamity, and arguably captain Kirk’s most memorable adversary (Gorn included). What’s more scary than a villain designed to be better than you…at everything? Eleven movies in, including an admirable remake from J.J. Abrams, and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is still the greatest of them all.—Darren Orf
- DirectorFritz LangStarsBrigitte HelmAlfred AbelGustav FröhlichIn a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.Though in hindsight the actual story proves pretty wacky, Fritz Lang’s last silent film—before his second masterpiece M—could be called the blueprint for all sci-fi films that followed it. Whether the groundbreaking special effects, the visual scope or the intricate set design, greats such as Ridley Scott, George Lucas and Stanley Kubrick have borrowed from it (Lucas modeled C-3PO directly after the Maria robot). Metropolis, heavily influenced by the books of H.G. Wells, also stands as the first dystopian film in history.—David
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerSharon StoneMichael IronsideWhen a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or is he?The best “bad” movie ever or a sly, subversive treatise on cinematic escapism? You decide. Considering that Total Recall was directed by none other than Robocop and Starship Troopers director Paul Verhoeven, a man who thrives on irony and hidden satire, my money is definitely on the latter. Here, Arnold plays Quaid, a construction worker dissatisfied with his mundane life and wishing for more excitement in his structured existence (how any man could look like Arnold, be married to Sharon Stone and still be unhappy is probably the most baffling part of the movie). Seeking a break from routine, he impulsively decides to visit a company that offers memory implants designed to provide clients with an exciting, dream-fufilling experience. No sooner has the procedure begun, then Quaid begins remembering that he’s actually a sleeper agent. Or is he? People debate the true nature of the movie to this day. Yet, one thing’s for sure, between some striking practical effects, a high body count and the infamous three-breasted bar patron, this is one Arnold venture that deserves to be called essential. And let’s not mention that dull, unnecessary remake, okay?—Mark Rozeman
- DirectorLuc BessonStarsBruce WillisMilla JovovichGary OldmanIn the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr. Zorg at bay.The Fifth Element is the ultimate display of what would happen if someone with the sci-fi enthusiasm of a teenage boy wrote a big-budget Hollywood script, which is exactly the case here. Set in 23rd century New York City, taxi driver Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) gets wrapped up in saving the world with his passenger Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), the fifth and final piece that is needed to protect earth. Entertaining, thrilling, and visually fantastical, The Fifth Element is worth every minute of your time.—Caitlin Colford
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsChris EvansJamie BellTilda SwintonIn a future where a failed climate change experiment has killed all life except for the survivors who boarded the Snowpiercer (a train that travels around the globe), a new class system emerges.There is a sequence midway through Snowpiercer that perfectly articulates what makes Korean writer/director Bong Joon-ho among the most dynamic filmmakers currently working. Two armies engage in a no-holds-barred, slow motion-heavy action set piece. Metal clashes against metal, and characters slash through their opponents as if their bodies were made of butter. It’s gory, imaginative, horrifying, beautiful, visceral and utterly glorious. Adapted from a French graphic novel by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette, Snowpiercer is a sci-fi thriller set in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world. Nearly two decades prior, in an ill-advised attempt to halt global warning, the government inundated the atmosphere with an experimental chemical that left our planet a barren, ice-covered wasteland. Now, the last of humanity resides on “Snowpiercer,” a vast train powered via a perpetual-motion engine. Needless to say, this scenario hasn’t exactly brought out the best of humanity. Bong’s bleak and brutal film may very well be playing a song that we’ve all heard before, but he does it with such gusto and dexterous skill you can’t help but be caught up the flurry.—Mark Rozeman
- DirectorJ.J. AbramsStarsChris PineZachary QuintoZoe SaldanaAfter the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction.J.J. Abrams’ second foray into the alternate timeline caused when Eric Bana stepped on James T. Kirk’s dad (and then, the planet Vulcan), starts at an in medias res sprinall is t typical of James Bond films (and Homer). Yet, for all its speeding from one action piece to the next, Star Trek Into Darkness itself manages to not feel all that rushed—it just moves quickly, which is appropriate for a world with transporter tech, warp drive and planet-bridging communications. For Trekkies, Abrams’ film is part two of an extended, mostly pleasurable exercise in alternate reality resonance—it’s like film fan fiction, minus the slash-fic component. For the casual acquaintance of the Star Trek universe, the rippling differences between the original time line and the new one don’t really matter as long as the stories are compelling and the action gripping. But Gene Roddenberry’s For all the photon torpedos, warp drives and matter transmitters, that optimism regarding human nature may be the most fantastical element of all.—Michael Burgin
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsPeter WellerNancy AllenDan O'HerlihyIn a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.That RoboCop is Paul Verhoeven’s greatest film (unless it’s Total Recall) is a statement of little debate. That it’s his “most Verhoeveny” is a statement of no debate: Like the best of his work, it’s highly kinetic, hard-hitting, deliriously entertaining but still has something to say at the same time. A film like RoboCop truly does work on multiple levels—some audience members will be perfectly pleased with its bone-crunching action, shocking gore and still-awesome practical effects, while others will derive additional enjoyment from its condemnation of greedy corporate culture and media, themes that have only become more apt over time. Additionally, Peter Weller’s performance as the title character has gone down in the history of the genre as one of sci-fi’s seminal heroes—why else would Detroit build a giant, bronze statue of the guy? RoboCop is, to this day, still the best “cyborg” movie ever made.—Jim Vorel
- DirectorShane CarruthStarsAmy SeimetzFrank MosleyShane CarruthA man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives.Shane Carruth’s Upstream Color builds a stunning mosaic of lives overwhelmed by decisions outside their control, of people who don’t understand the impulses that rule their lives. Told with stylistic bravado and minimal dialogue (none in the last 30 minutes), the film continually finds new ways to evoke unexpected feelings. The visuals—from underwater schist to microscopic photography—combine with extraordinary sound design and rhythmic cross-cutting to create a hypnotic portrait of the story’s intertwined lives. The means to the interconnectivity is a small worm whose parasitic endeavors link lives together. But Carruth doesn’t bother with expository sci-fi gibberish. The organism does what it does, and that’s all we need to know. This allows more time to explore the emotional impact the organism has on the characters. Ultimately, that’s where Upstream Color succeeds. An elaborate intellectual concept fuels the film, but a rich sense of humanity gives it power.—Jeremy Matthews
- DirectorDavid MackenzieStarsEwan McGregorEva GreenLauren TempanyA chef and a scientist fall in love as an epidemic begins to rob people of their sensory perceptions.Great romantic dramas with a sci-fi twist aren’t the kind of thing that come along on a regular basis, which is just one reason that 2011’s Perfect Sense should have received both more attention and acclaim. Starring Ewan McGregor and Eva Green, it’s got the star power and gravitas to pull off an ambitious, unique, highly emotional story about how mankind deals with loss. As a mysterious pandemic sweeps the globe, all of humankind begins to lose specific senses, one after another. First, the entire world loses its sense of smell, and life must adapt accordingly. Then, taste is lost, and once again life must find a way to go on. McGregor and Green play lovers just beginning a relationship as the world begins to collapse around them, and the film meanders its way through the way our priorities change when one sense or another is heightened or stolen from us. Uncompromising in its vision and consequences, Perfect Sense can be a bit dire, but it’s always beautiful.—Jim Vorel
- DirectorSebastián CorderoStarsSharlto CopleyMichael NyqvistChristian CamargoAn international crew of astronauts undertakes a privately funded mission to search for life on Jupiter's fourth largest moon.With echoes of 2001, Europa Report is riveting low-budget hard science fiction—i.e., emphasizing the science rather than the speculative. Director Sebastian Cordero’s innovatively structured thriller enthralls with not only its apparent accuracy but the passion it portrays among a class of people historically characterized by pocket protectors, taped eyewear and social awkwardness. Aboard the Europa One (Kubrick’s vessel was called the Discovery One), the six scientists bound for one of Jupiter’s moons (HAL and his crew were headed for the gas giant itself) are living, breathing human beings, with families and fears, ambition and emotions. They’re also just smarter than most of us and on a mission more significant than any of us will experience ever in our lives. The stakes are high in this mock doc/faux found-footage mystery, in which the privately funded space exploration company Europa Ventures issues a documentary on the fate of its first manned mission to investigate the possibility of alien life within our solar system. The sacrifices may be steep, but one can’t help but leave Europa Report thinking the answer is a resounding “Yes.”—Annlee Ellingson
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsStephen BoydRaquel WelchEdmond O'BrienWhen a blood clot renders a scientist comatose, a submarine and its crew are shrunk and injected into his bloodstream in order to save him.In the same vein of The Incredible Shrinking Man or Forbidden Planet, Fantastic Voyage is classic pulp of the highest order. Even if you’ve never seen the film, you’ve almost certainly seen a modern parody, such as the “journey within the body” episodes of The Simpsons, Futurama or Family Guy. They’ve all knocked off this Cold War-era story of a team of doctors who are shrunk down in order to pilot a submarine through the body of a patient who bears important military secrets. The effects are lavish and top-notch for their time, and today are even more appreciable from a camp standpoint. Its concept of micro-frontiers was incredibly influential toward almost every sci-fi adventure film that followed, and it remains a great family sci-fi story that you’ll likely recognize from the elements that have so thoroughly been disseminated into pop culture.—Jim Vorel
- DirectorPaul Michael GlaserStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerMaria Conchita AlonsoYaphet KottoIn a dystopian America, a falsely convicted policeman gets his shot at freedom when he must forcibly participate in a TV game show where convicts, runners, must battle killers for their freedom.While The Running Man lacks the sophistication and dynamic pacing of a certain other Schwarzenegger-starring/dystopian sci-fi/satire film, its entertainment value is nothing to sneer at. Adapted loosely from a Stephen King novel of the same name, The Running Man depicts a future where everyone dresses like they’re at an ’80s-themed Halloween party and citizens regularly tune into a show where convicted criminals must fight to survive against both their fellow contestants and professional killers. Insert Hunger Games reference here. Between the absurd production design and Paula Abdul-choreographed dance sequences, any attempted satire is all but buried in a thick layer of silly. Still, in terms of sheer fun value, this film is quite the gem.—Mark Rozeman
- DirectorJake SchreierStarsPeter SarsgaardFrank LangellaSusan SarandonIn the near future, an ex-jewel thief receives a gift from his son: a robot butler programmed to look after him. But soon the two companions try their luck as a heist team.This comedy-drama from first-time feature director Jake Schreier has a light touch but a serious center. An aging ex-con named Frank Weld (Frank Langella) is starting to suffer enough health problems that his son (James Marsden) decides to buy his old man a robotic sitter (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) who can keep an eye on him. Though plagued by dementia, Frank insists he doesn’t need a mechanical caretaker—until he realizes that this friendly service robot can help him return to his previous life of crime. Robot & Frank’s buddy-heist conventions are amusingly executed, but what stays with you are the movie’s themes of mortality and illness—how, even in the future, death’s looming finality will have a stranglehold on our living years.—Tim Grierson
- DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsRalph FiennesAngela BassettJuliette LewisA former cop turned street-hustler accidentally uncovers a conspiracy in Los Angeles in 1999.Before she reinvented herself as the director of award-winning docudramas centering on the War on Terror, Kathryn Bigelow made her name directing crazy genre movies like Near Dark and Point Break. With all respect to Point Break, however, Strange Days remains Bigelow’s most compelling pre-Hurt Locker/Zero Dark Thirty project. Written by Bigelow’s former husband James Cameron and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jay Cocks, Strange Days is a pulpy, noir-influenced sci-fi pic in the vein of Blade Runner but with more high-octane action and a lot more nudity. Developed during the Rodney King/L.A. Riots era, the film is set in a dystopian Los Angeles where people’s memories and experiences are recorded directly from their brains and sold on the black market. Anyone who has ever wanted to experience criminal activities or perverse sexual encounters can now do so without repercussions. The trouble begins when vice-detective-turned-black-marketer Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes) discovers a “snuff” disc depicting the brutal murder of an acquaintance. This disc leads him down a rabbit hole of the L.A underground. While at nearly two and a half hours, the film might be a touch too long, its visual pyrotechnics and beautifully stylized performances provide more than enough ammunition to justify such excess.—Mark Rozeman
- DirectorJohn SaylesStarsJoe MortonDaryl EdwardsRosanna CarterA mute alien with the appearance of a black human is chased by outer-space bounty hunters through the streets of Harlem.During the ’80s, John Sayles established himself as a smart indie writer/director with a knack for social commentary. But only one of his films embedded said commentary into a zany sci-fi plot. The result is the story of a mute alien who looks like a black man with weird feet, who crash-lands in Harlem and meets the people of New York City. Joe Morton gives a stellar silent performance that, like the film itself, seamlessly moves from comic to empathetic.—Jeremy Mathews
- DirectorPhilip KaufmanStarsDonald SutherlandBrooke AdamsJeff GoldblumWhen strange seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade San Francisco, replicating the city's residents one body at a time.The 1978, Philip Kaufman-directed version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers should appear on any shortlist of cinema’s best remakes, and it’s as chillingly effective today as it was then. A bleak, uncompromising film with a definite Cronenberg-like feel, it projects a sense of palpable desperation and hopelessness, as its human characters struggle against the impossibility of resisting a world-devouring organism that attacks from within. Donald Sutherland is as unsettling as ever (he may have played “crazy” more often than anyone else ever has), playing a health inspector who attempts to get to the bottom of what is causing average folks to be replaced by emotionless pod people. The film closes with one of the great, shocking scenes in sci-fi/horror history, and a final shot that probably traumatized more than a few kids for life.—Jim Vorel
- DirectorLeonard NimoyStarsWilliam ShatnerLeonard NimoyDeForest KelleyTo save Earth from an alien probe, Admiral James T. Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to San Francisco in 1986 to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it: humpback whales.Following the classic Wrath of Khan, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home helped establish the model of even numbered Star Trek movies being the best in the series. Taking place after the events of The Search for Spock, this installment finds the Enterprise attempting to save the Earth from a dangerous probe that is seeking communication with humpback whales. Being that these creatures have long been extinct, Kirk and crew must travel back in time to 1986 in order to locate one. Despite the franchise frequently bearing the reputation as a stodgy, cerebral space opera (though, I guess, not in the wake of the sexy reboot), Voyage Home does a lot to emphasize the franchise’s looser, more jokey aspects. The story is essential a fish out of water plot, with our favorite group of space explorers bumping up against the peculiarities of ‘80s culture. Though, to their credit, the ‘80s culture probably would prove just as alien to today’s audiences. Voyage Home might not touch Wrath of Khan in terms of sheer action and pathos, but it certainly remains one of the Enterprise’s most joyful adventures.—Mark Rozeman
- DirectorGareth EdwardsStarsScoot McNairyWhitney AbleMario Zuniga BenavidesSix years after Earth has suffered an alien invasion, a cynical journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the U.S. border.Gareth Edwards’ 2010 feature directorial debut takes place six years after a returning space probe deposits some alien life on Earth, alien life that, if not purposefully hostile, sure kills a lot of humans. Photojournalist Andrew (Scoot McNairy) is tasked with finding his boss’s daughter, Samantha (Whitney Able) and getting her out of the now-quarantined Mexico. (Complications arise.) An immensely enjoyable little film set mid-apocalypse, Monsters eschews budget-sinking bombast and melodramatic spectacle for an intimate, “And then what happened…?” approach that fascinates by sticking so close to its protagonists that the viewer has as little idea about what’s coming next as the characters do. As a result, Monsters is quietly fascinating (even when the action heats up, shots are fired and tentacles flail). One doubts Edwards’ next monster film, a little something called Godzilla, will be quite so intimate. Nonetheless, the havoc wreaked by the King of Monsters come May will owe at least a small debt to the work this little sci-fi gem did in putting its director on the radar of Warner Bros.—Michael Burgin
- DirectorKurt NeumannStarsDavid HedisonPatricia OwensVincent PriceA scientist has a horrific accident when he tries to use his newly invented teleportation device.David Cronenberg’s Fly remake with Jeff Goldblum is great, but it’s much more visceral in tone from the camp of the 1958 original. In fact, the original probably isn’t quite the film you might expect it to be—the camp and 50’s sci-fi charm is indeed there, but there are also some solid performances and an intriguing structure. In many ways, the film is more of a mystery than the science or horror it purports to be, revolving around the police investigation of why a woman killed her husband with a hydraulic press. Eventually it’s revealed that it’s the only thing there was left to do after he developed a bad case of fruit fly-head, but the build to that reveal is both effective and suspenseful. It’s one of the finest and most rewatchable films in the 1950’s sci-fi canon more than half a century later. Also: Vincent Price is there, so we rest our case.—Jim Vorel
- DirectorCameron CroweStarsTom CruisePenélope CruzCameron DiazA self-indulgent and vain publishing magnate finds his privileged life upended after a vehicular accident with a resentful lover.Cameron Crowe’s follow-up to Almost Famous was confusing, aching and beautiful, and the music and that played throughout its disorienting scenes—eerie selections from Radiohead, Sigur Rós and Jeff Buckley, plus oddly jaunty moments thanks to Peter Gabriel Todd Rundgren—perfectly augmented that off-kilter mood. As a bonus, Crowe tossed Sigur Rós in the mix three years before Steve Zissou and his crew confronted the jaguar shark to the tune of “Staralfur.”—Rachael Maddux
- DirectorStuart GordonStarsJeffrey CombsBruce AbbottBarbara CramptonAfter an odd new medical student arrives on campus, a dedicated local and his girlfriend become involved in bizarre experiments centering around the re-animation of dead tissue.Ironically, the most entertaining take on H.P. Lovecraft is the least “Lovecrafty.” Stuart Gordon established himself as cinema’s leading Lovecraft adaptor with a juicy take on the story “Herbert West, Re-Animator,” about a student who concocts a disturbingly flawed means of reviving the dead. Re-animator more closely resembles a zombie film than Lovecraft’s signature brand of occult sci-fi, but it boasts masterful suspense scenes, great jokes and Barbara Crampton as a smart, totally hot love interest. Jeffrey Combs established himself as the Anthony Perkins of his generation as West, a hilariously insolent and reckless genius whom he played in two Re-Animator sequels. The actor even played Lovecraft in the anthology film Necronomicon.—Curt Holman
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsNick AdamsAkira TakaradaJun TazakiAstronauts encounter the Xiliens, who ask Earth to help save their planet from "Monster Zero", but when one astronaut romances a mysterious woman, he uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.The direct follow-up to Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster broke some serious new ground for the series by fully fusing it with science fiction and space travel for the first time. The plot has a pretty cool concept, as a new planet is discovered, and its resident aliens request the help of Godzilla and Rodan in fighting their tormentor, Ghidorah. The aliens, however, turn out to be evil (aren’t they always?), and mind-control Godzilla, Rodan and Ghidorah before unleashing them on Earth. It’s great Showa series fun with a better-than-average plot, and it remains the only time Godzilla has been to another planet. Also: The most out-of-character Godzilla moment ever. Really, what were they thinking?—Jim Vorel
- DirectorFrancis LawrenceStarsJennifer LawrenceJosh HutchersonLiam HemsworthKatniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.The Hunger Games: Catching Fire picks up six months after the original, on the morning of the Victory Tour, on which Katniss and Peeta will travel to the 12 districts to honor the fallen Tributes and celebrate their survival, ending up once again in the opulent capital. Working from a smartly adapted script by Simon Beaufoy and Michael DeBruyn, Francis Lawrence emphasizes the story’s cynical critique of celebrity culture, of living one’s lives and loves for the camera, and condemnation of a one percent who drink potions to puke during parties so they can eat more while the rest of the country is starving. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a stellar sequel and a crackerjack middle chapter (the third book in the trilogy, Mockingjay, will be released as two separate films): revisiting what’s to love about the original, upping the ante and promising even more to come.—Annlee Ellingson
- DirectorJon WrightStarsKillian CoyleStuart GrahamMichael HoughWhen an island off the coast of Ireland is invaded by bloodsucking aliens, the heroes discover that getting drunk is the only way to survive.A surprisingly well-acted Irish/British indie sci-fi horror flick, Grabbers is unabashedly goofy but wholly professional and charming in spades. The story follows an alcoholic police officer who has to face a new threat to a sleepy seaside community when octopus-like aliens begin emerging from the sea and killing townspeople. These “Grabbers,” as they’re quickly dubbed, have only one weakness: Human blood is fatal to them if it’s over a certain percentage alcohol. Therefore, to combat the monsters and make themselves unpalatable, the police and townspeople have an obvious choice to make: Get totally hammered and grab a bunch of weapons. That may sound rather close to the summary of a direct-to-video movie by The Asylum, but Grabbers is surprisingly intelligent, witty and well-written in such a way that it easily escapes a fate in DVD bargain bin hell.—Jim Vorel