Prime Video has long been a premier destination for genre streaming. Whether you’re a horror fan or lean more towards science fiction, there’s something for fans of everything. Sci-fi fans have a plethora of choices, including the likes of the 1980s hit War Games and even the seminal anime classic, 1996’s Ghost in the Shell. The high-highs give way to major low-lows, however, as Prime Video’s sci-fi options are flooded with the latter. There are a shocking number of “mockbusters” on Prime Video, like Planet Dune, Alien Rubicon, and Triassic World. These make it hard to find the really great movies on the streamer.
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There’s some good news for sci-fi fans who subscribe to Prime Video, though, and it’s that excellent movies in the genre can be found; the only problem is that you have to dig around to actually find them. Clever clipart and previews may sell one kind of movie, only for you to find a different one playing when the movie starts. With these seven sci-fi movies at your fingertips, though, you’ll find Prime Video has some great diamonds hiding in that rough.
7) Beyond Skyline
Though it arrived seven years after Skyline, a sci-fi film that has been consigned to the dustbins of film history, Beyond Skyline manages to outdo its predecessor entirely and set the franchise up to actually take the form that made it successful. Original screenwriter Liam O’Donnell returned with the sequel, which pivoted the series from a regular sci-fi disaster movie into a full sci-fi action film with some of the best actors in the genre at its core.
Frank Grillo (Superman) and Iko Uwais (The Raid) put their action chops on full display in the movie, which eschews the large-scale and impersonal scope of the first movie for one with a more intimate plot and actually coherent set pieces. Beyond Skyline not only ups the action and emotional impact of the story but also makes its alien invaders even more interesting. This is popcorn sci-fi at its best, and it’s hiding on Prime Video.
6) Coherence
If Beyond Skyline is a large-scale science fiction epic, Coherence is on the opposite end of the spectrum entirely. Set on the night a comet passes overhead, a dinner party becomes ground zero for alternate universes in a way that is not flashy but which relies entirely on logical, succinct visual storytelling from writer/director James Ward Byrkit. Viewers will have to sit with Coherence, allow it to unlock in front of them, and wade into it with patience. Don’t expect this one to deliver its narrative to you with explosions, but its plot will blow you away when it comes to an end.
5) Dark Star
Though John Carpenter’s sci-fi side may be better known for The Thing, They Live, and Escape From New York, he got his start with his student film that became an independent feature, 1974’s Dark Star. Set aboard the titular ship as it travels the galaxy on an extended mission, the film takes a satirical look at working life in the era and how intergalactic travel may not lead to a better understanding of humanity, a la 2001; in fact, the opposite may be true. For sci-fi fans who love an analog creation and an old-school sentiment, Dark Star is a can’t-miss classic, even if its building blocks are amateur. Granted, you won’t find any other movies on this list with a talking bomb.
4) From Beyond
Stuart Gordon’s 1986 adaptation of the HP Lovecraft short story may be the grossest movie on the list, so weak stomachs beware. In the film, a scientist is researching ways to stimulate the pineal gland in the brain, which has the effect of not expanding consciousness, but allows the user to see disgusting creatures from another dimension that have ideas of their own.
Starring genre legends Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, and Ken Foree, From Beyond is a goopy, horny, and sometimes uncomfortable watch. It may straddle the line between science fiction and horror, but its place in both camps is unmistakable as it confronts bizarre questions about man and his place in the universe, while also just satisfying audiences with some messed-up make-up effects.
3) Lifeforce
The most expensive movie ever made by The Texas Chain Saw Massacre director Tobe Hooper, Lifeforce can be summarized in four words that should raise every audience member’s eyebrows: “Space vampires invade Earth.” Though they do at first take the form of regular humanoid aliens, there are, in fact, giant space bat creatures by Academy Award winner John Dykstra, best known for winning an Oscar for the visual effects on Star Wars.
Hooper’s larger vision remains unparalleled as he explores unique visuals and wild concepts on the biggest canvas he was ever afforded as a filmmaker. Plus, for longtime sci-fi fans, this one does feature genre legend Patrick Stewart. If the effects and the bananas story weren’t worth watching, his inclusion should make it worth considering.
2) Strawberry Mansion
Written and directed by Albert Birney and Kentucker Audley, Strawberry Mansion is another low-fi movie that checks major sci-fi boxes and is unlike anything else you’ll find on streaming, let alone Prime Video. In the film, the government monitors and taxes people for their dreams, which allows it to explore not only surreal imagery with a low-cost aesthetic but also digs into satire in impressive fashion. Though audiences expecting Hollywood production design may not be able to vibe on its specific wavelength, viewers who can go with its specific kind of flow are in for a treat.
1) The Vast of Night
Set in 1950s New Mexico, The Vast of Night is a science fiction movie that explores the genre with an intergalactic story but manages to tell it on an intimate canvas. The film tells the story of a DJ and switchboard operator who discover a mysterious radio signal broadcasting around town that comes with cosmic implications.
The Vast of Night‘s mystery is one that will have UFO heads thrilled, but the movie is especially engaging because of the impressive filmmaking prowess of director Andrew Patterson. Not only does Patterson make the film visually captivating thanks to extensive unbroken sequences, but it has the DNA of an Aaron Sorkin walk-and-talk script and sound design that pops and sings. All together, these make for a science fiction movie with quite literally never a dull moment.
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Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
