Best Sci-Fi Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now (May 2024)

From the dawn of cinema, the science fiction genre has captured the imaginations of filmmakers and the audiences they’ve served. From Georges Méliès to Fritz Lang, Robert Wise to Ridley Scott, sci-fi movies have pondered humanity’s fear of the unknown and the beyond, casting sometimes bleak, sometimes exciting visions of the future. If you’re a Prime Video subscriber and a science-fiction nut, there are some worthy options to stream on the service. Whether it’s sci-fi horror, action, comedy, or post-apocalyptic/dystopian sci-fi, there’s something for everyone. Here’s our list of flicks every sci-fi geek ought to have on their watchlist, some great, some putrid, some stuck in the middle but conceptually deft.

Want to explore more? Check out our list of the best movies on Prime Video, the best sci-fi shows on the platform, or the best sci-fi movies and shows on Netflix.

'Asteroid City' (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes: 75% | IMDb: 6.5/10

From the mind and peculiar eye of Wes Anderson, Asteroid City tells a story within a story within a story, with a writer detailing the events from within his play about a Junior Stargazer convention where aliens make first contact, with these events also being the subject of an in-world documentary. Showcasing Anderson’s typically beautiful style with both the camera and setting, Asteroid City is a retro-futuristic look at the 1950s, with the film’s stellar cast clearly enjoying every quirky beat. Unlike anything you’ll ever see again, Asteroid City almost has to be seen to be believed. - Jake Hodges

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'Foe' (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes: 25% | IMDb: 5.4/10

Co-written and directed by Garth Davis, Foe stars Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal as young farmers Henrietta and Junior, with the two tasked with peacefully maintaining a plot of land that has lived in Junior’s family for generations. However, their serene life is turned upside down when the threat of a stranger arrives at their door. Both Ronan and Mescal are actors with fantastic pedigree, with Foe taking all of their best aspects and using them to the movie’s advantage. The movie is a pensive watch with a penchant for detailed character work, which luckily falls into the hands of two of the best actors working today. - Jake Hodges

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'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts'

Rotten Tomatoes: 52% | IMDb: 6.0/10

The most recent installment in the Transformers franchise and the seventh overall, Rise of the Beasts is a direct sequel to Bumblebee and a prequel to the first Transformers. Set in 1994, the movie details the rise of a new group of Transformers, the Maximals, as they join the Autobots on the hunt for Earth supremacy. Fans of the Transformers franchise will be used to the chaos and carnage that is always on offer, with Rise of the Beasts certainly not disappointing as it delivers magnificent action and wild CGI in abundance. The film crescendos to a final battle sequence that will rush blood to your head, leaving you breathless once the credits roll. - Jake Hodges

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'Last Sentinel' (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes: 33% | IMDb: 4.9/10

This blend of sci-fi and horror from director Tanel Toom is set in 2063 and tells the tale of a group of survivors following the flooding of the planet as they wait to either be killed or for safety. Tension rises higher than the sea level in this nail-biting flick, with a platter of edge-of-your-seat action ready and waiting. Starring the likes of Kate Bosworth and Lucien Laviscount, Last Sentinel is a great watch on an evening with friends and family — but only if you don’t mind being unable to chew your popcorn as your jaw consistently remains dropped. - Jake Hodges

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'Knock at the Cabin' (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes: 67% | IMDb: 6.1/10

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Knock at the Cabin follows a dreamy family unit that nothing can seemingly get between — that is, until the arrival of four strangers led by Dave Bautista’s Leonard. Faced with an impossible choice at the hands of the perpetrators, the family must decide between the safety of each other or the safety of humanity. For those who love Bautista’s comedy work in the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy, buckle in for the shock of a lifetime as he proves once and for all that he is one of the best actors to have graduated from the WWE. Tense and full of twists, Knock at the Cabin is Shyamalan back to his best. - Jake Hodges

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'The Tomorrow War' (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes: 52% | IMDb: 6.6/10

There’s nothing wrong with being a little cheesy. A throwback to Independence Day, Armageddon, and the other playful science-fiction spectacles of the ‘90s, The Tomorrow War is the perfect type of alien invasion epic that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The LEGO Batman Movie director Chris McKay creates some truly jaw-dropping action sequences, and surprisingly the 138 runtime doesn’t feel too bloated. Chris Pratt gives one of his most earnest, charismatic performances, and a subplot involving his father (J.K. Simmons) that is surprisingly heartfelt. If you’re looking for a Roland Emmerich impersonator that’s better than anything Emmerich has made in the last two decades, The Tomorrow War is for you. — Liam Gaughan

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'Interstellar' (2014)

Rotten Tomatoes: 73% | IMDb: 8.7/10

Interstellar is one of the most ambitious films in the collection of Christopher Nolan (Inception) films with a fantastic score, imaginative set pieces, and innovative uses of modern astronomical research that all come together to create a masterpiece of sci-fi. The film follows a crew of astronauts on a mission to find a new home for the human race after climate change has ravaged the Earth and resources begin to dwindle. The crew lead by Matthew McConaughey (True Detective) and Anne Hathaway (Ocean's Eight) as a pilot and researcher respectively are the last hope for humanity, but their journey proves to be more treacherous and traumatic than they could have ever imagined.

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'I Still See You' (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes: 8% | IMDb: 5.8/10

Based on Daniel Waters’ captivating novel Break My Heart 1000 Times, I Still See You explores the supernatural through a romantic thriller starring Bella Thorne (The DUFF) and Richard Harmon (The Night Agent) alongside Dermot Mulroney (Scream VI). Set in a unique reality, I Still See You takes place in a world where, following a devastating apocalyptic event that killed a large portion of the planet, ghosts known as Remnants have begun walking among the living. Thorne plays as a teenager years after the catastrophe being haunted by a maleficent spirit (Thomas Elms). With Jason Fuchs’ screenplay, director Scott Speer visually captures spellbinding snapshots, wondrously blending romance and horror. – Yael Tygiel

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'Samaritan' (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes: 38% | IMDb: 5.7/10

Sylvester Stallone stars in Samaritan, an unexpectedly moving action film directed by Julius Avery. Written by Bragi F. Schut (Escape Room), Samaritan feels reminiscent of Will Smith’s Hancock — thankfully skipping the bloated and unfocused eternal beings mythology — where a grizzled and antisocial man is actually a reluctant superhero. Delightfully favoring practical effects, Samaritan excels in action sequences and fight choreography. Stallone’s cantankerous energy allows him to perfectly embody the role of an aging vigilante who is persuaded by his young neighbor (Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton) to once again pick up the mantle of ‘Samaritan’ and protect their city. – Yael Tygiel

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'The Vast of Night' (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes: 92% | IMDb: 6.7/10

A compelling science fiction film, The Vast of Night comes from the mind of Andrew Patterson, who directed the movie and co-wrote the teleplay with Craig W. Sanger. Set in 1950s New Mexico, The Vast of Night is both mysterious and suspenseful. It follows Fay Crocker, played by Sierra McCormick (American Horror Stories), and Radio DJ Everett Sloan, played by Jake Horowitz, as they attempt to uncover what exactly is responsible for an unexplained sound. The Vast of Night cleverly utilizes conventional tropes, taking advantage of the historical time period and allowing the story to unravel and emphasize anticipation. – Yael Tygiel

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