7 Funniest Sci-Fi Movies You Need to Watch Right Now

When people think of sci-fi movies, they tend to think serious. It’s not exactly inaccurate to think that way, either. Many sci-fi movies are serious in nature, with stories that put their characters in life-or-death scenarios that frequently feature complex science, intense themes, intrigue, and serious action. There’s no doubt that sci-fi movies make the viewer think. But sci-fi isn’t always somber and cerebral. There are plenty of sci-fi movies that are actually pretty funny, drawing laughter from audiences even as they ask big questions.

Encompassing everything from parody to satire to simply just straightforward comedy, these are seven sci-fi movies that are among the funniest out there — and you should treat yourself to a good laugh and watch them right now.

7) Sorry to Bother You

Released in 2018, Sorry to Bother You is easily one of the wildest satires in years and, yes, it’s sci-fi. The film follows Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield), a Black telemarketer who adopts a “white” voice and finds great success. However, as he rises professionally, he begins to be alienated from those closest to him and simultaneously starts to discover some truly terrifying things as he rises the corporate ranks. The film was both a critical and box office hit.

While there are definitely some dark elements in Sorry to Bother you, the film is genuinely hilarious at times and succeeds both as something of an allegory to real-world issues and an absolutely bonkers sci-fi adventure. The film is deeply creative and does a great job of blending its sci-fi elements (which don’t hit until much later in the film than you might expect) while also sending a message. It’s a unique film and one that you should sit down to watch knowing as little about as possible; it makes the wild twist so much more worth it.

6) Galaxy Quest

1999’s Galaxy Quest is a Star Trek parody that actually ends up taking on larger nerd and fandom culture and does it in a way that is absolutely hilarious and ahead of its time. The film follows the stars of a past-its-prime sci-fi television series who are taken onto a real alien spacecraft where they’re forced to be their characters in a situation where the life-or-death stakes are very, very real in a battle with an actual alien species.

Even being a 26-year-old film, Galaxy Quest remains remarkably timely in its observations about fandom culture, but more than that, the movie is just flat-out funny with some of the predicaments it puts the characters in. The film has some great sci-fi world building and the aliens are pretty great (even if they’re evil). The film wasn’t exactly a hit when it was first released, but it’s starting to finally get the appreciation it deserves.

5) Mars Attacks!

While most people think of movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Beetlejuice when they think of Tim Burton, he’s also responsible for one of the funniest sci-fi movies ever. 1996’s Mars Attacks! is an animated film in which Earth suddenly finds itself surrounded by Martian spaceships claiming to come in peace. That turns out to not exactly be the case and what ensues is a darkly hilarious adventure with the humans trying to keep the Martians from taking over the Earth.

Mars Attacks! is full of dark commentary and even a little bit of satire in how it portrays the various failures of government in the situation. The movie also has some vintage vibes that lend it a classic sci-fi look and feel that makes the darkly hilarious aspects — which tend to center on the Martians just obliterating anything they can — somehow even more entertaining and disturbing. It’s a little silly in the classic Burton style, but it’s a great film that seems to only get better as it ages.

4) The World’s End

The third film in Edgar Wright’s Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, The World’s End is arguably the best. The film follows Gary King, a 40-something man who, in an attempt to recapture his youth, invites his childhood friends to go on a pub crawl in their hometown together in an attempt to complete something they started as teens. However, things don’t exactly go as planned when the group discovers an alien invasion.

Compared to the other two films in the trilogy — Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz — The World’s End is a bit more complicated, particularly in its ending, but maintains the same humor as the previous two films. It’s also incredibly human, prompting big questions about aging and the idea of free will. The film was a bit divisive when it was released in 2013, but in the years since it’s proven to be heartfelt and funny in equal turns.

3) Everything Everywhere All at Once

Everything Everywhere All at Once may not be the funniest movie on this list, but it will make you laugh and it will also punch you in the gut at the same time. In the film Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) has what might be the most stressful day ever dealing with an IRS audit only to find out that she’s also the key to an ongoing battle to save the multiverse. This revelation leads to her fighting off foes as she taps into alternative versions of herself across different dimensions. Yes, that sounds bonkers, but we promise you, it’s incredible.

What makes this Academy Award winning 2022 film so special (yes, Everything Everywhere All at Once won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture, making it the first sci-film to do so) is that it blends drama, comedy, and more to create a film that is full of action and emotion. There is really nothing else quite like Everything Everywhere All at Once, making it a truly unique viewing experience that you shouldn’t miss.

2) Spaceballs

You genuinely can’t have a list of the funniest sci-fi movies and have that list not include Spaceballs. The 1987 parody of Star Wars has become more than just a hilarious sci-fi film but has become its own pop culture icon as well. With characters riffed off of Star Wars, the film is full of crazy fourth wall breaks. It’s a goofy, silly film that is just great.

Watching Spaceballs now is a must if you’re a sci-fi fan looking to laugh, but the film’s long-awaited sequel also just entered production, so it’s a timely watch as well. More than that, however, while Spaceballs is primarily a Star Wars parody, the film also pokes a bit at the larger sci-fi genre which makes the film far more complex than the jokes might lead a viewer to believe. It’s a move that is funny every time you watch it and one that you just cannot skip.

1) Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

If we’re being honest here, the entire Bill & Ted’s trilogy deserves to be on this list, but if you can only choose one, it has to be the first one. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure follows the titular best friends who are failing history class and find themselves travelling through time in order to gather historical figures so they can ace a history presentation which will, in turn, assure their musical success in the future. It’s absolutely hilarious.

What makes Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure our number one is that not only is the film funny, but it’s also a great depiction of friendship and it never takes itself too seriously. There’s just a lot of joy and magic in this movie that takes the silliest of concepts and lets viewers have an incredible time from start to finish. It’s also one of Keanu Reeves’ earliest film roles and helped propel him to stardom.

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