5 More Great Recent Sci-Fi Movies Nobody Talks About

Science fiction has proven itself to be one of the biggest and most popular genres in modern entertainment. Since the genre was first conceived in the 19th century, it has only grown and evolved, keeping itself at the forefront of fiction with its speculative stories and thought-provoking themes. In cinematic terms, many consider the sci-fi movies of the 1980s and 1990s to be some of the best in the genre, as they have had a massive impact on pop culture. While decades past undoubtedly have a claim to boasting incredible sci-fi, that isn’t to say that the genre is struggling today. In fact, many sci-fi movies released recently are absolutely incredible.

Though nostalgic sci-fi movies certainly have their charm, there are also many more recent releases that deserve more attention. In a genre that often feels oversaturated, it’s all too easy for good movies to fly under the radar, leading them to become criminally overlooked. This is perhaps the main contributor to the simple fact that there are so many great recent sci-fi movies that nobody talks about, with there being a multitude of movies in the genre that don’t get enough attention.

5) Life (2017)

2017’s Life takes its cues from other great sci-fi horror movies, such as Alien, Event Horizon, and The Thing. Its story follows a six-person crew aboard the International Space Station who discover extra-terrestrial life on Mars, only to learn all too late of its deadly nature. Life‘s star-studded cast features Rebecca Ferguson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, and Hiroyuki Sanada, and it’s one of the most terrifying sci-fi movies of recent years.

What Life lacks in originality, it makes up for in quality. Visually, it’s a great film that brings its premise to life with extraordinary vision, making it a truly unsettling sci-fi horror. Its stellar cast helps execute its premise in a way that feels organically horrifying, and despite its reliance on genre tropes, it’s a great film. That’s why it’s a little mystifying exactly why Life doesn’t get much attention, as it’s one of the most frightening sci-fi movies of the last decade.

4) Colossal (2016)

When it comes to great recent sci-fi movies that nobody talks about, there are very few movies whose relative obscurity is as frustrating as Colossal‘s. It stars Anne Hathaway as Gloria, an unemployed writer grappling with alcoholism who discovers she is in control of a giant monster that has been attacking Seoul. Alongside Hathway, Colossal stars Jason Sudeikis, Dan Stevens, Austin Stowell, and Tim Blake Nelson.

Described as Godzilla meets Lost in Translation, Colossal combines its sci-fi premise with personal drama and deep narrative themes. It’s a dark sci-fi comedy that explores the relationships of its characters with each other and themselves, framing it all with moments of kaiju action. Despite being one of the most awesome sci-fi movies of the 2010s, Colossal rarely gets mentioned and simply isn’t talked about enough.

3) James vs. His Future Self (2019)

A Canadian sci-fi comedy from 2019, James vs. His Future Self is one of those movies that is frustratingly overlooked. It stars Jonas Chernick as James, a theoretical physicist researching time travel, who is visited by a version of himself from the future, played by Daniel Stern, who insists he halt his research. Its cast also features Cleopatra Coleman, Frances Conroy, and Tara Spencer-Nairn in supporting roles.

James vs. His Future Self might not boast the most innovative sci-fi premise, but it’s an exceptional movie. It’s a great time-travel movie that features a tight-knit cast and a strong emphasis on its title character. More a character examination than a sci-fi adventure, James vs. His Future Self puts a more intimate and introspective spin on the time-travel subgenre, but despite critical acclaim, it rarely gets the attention it deserves.

2) Totally Killer (2023)

Totally Killer is as much a slasher-comedy as it is a sci-fi movie, but it’s science fiction that makes its plot work, so we’re counting it as an entry into the genre. A time-travel slasher, Totally Killer stars Kiernan Shipka as Jamie, a teen whose mother is murdered by a masked killer who originally rampaged through her town 30 years before, causing her to travel back to 1987 to catch him during his first killing spree.

A Blumhouse production, Totally Killer is similar in tone to Happy Death Day and Freaky, although its straight-to-streaming release perhaps led to it being overlooked. Despite its sci-fi elements being relatively limited, its time-travel premise, combined with slasher tropes, makes it a hugely entertaining experience. It’s a great and funny sci-fi movie packed with twists and turns that unfortunately doesn’t get talked about anywhere near enough.

1) The Endless (2017)

2017’s The Endless is a sci-fi horror that never quite got its flowers. Its story concerns two brothers who once belonged to a UFO death cult, who are forced to return years after escaping to investigate a chilling videotape message that sends them back to the site of their trauma. A deeply unsettling horror that leans heavily on its sci-fi ideas, The Endless is a great movie.

Sadly, it’s another great recent sci-fi that doesn’t get talked about enough. Its obscurity seems to be the result of a lack of major studio backing, but its quality alone should have been enough to earn it wider attention. However, as it stands, The Endless is simply one of the most criminally overlooked sci-fi movies of recent years, and it’s frustrating how little it’s talked about.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

7 Great Sci-Fi Movies That Nobody Saw, Ranked