It’s a great time to be a sci-fi fan, but if you’re looking to branch out from the recent hits like Dune: Part Two and Alien: Romulus, you may have a hard time deciding where to go next. Movies in this genre don’t get the same big marketing pushes they used to unless they have a major franchise attached. Luckily, good sci-fi movies are still being made — and many of them are available to stream at home right now on Netflix. The streamer churns out Netflix original films so fast that you may not have heard of some of its most popular sci-fi titles. Read on for the 10 most popular science fiction movies on Netflix, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
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Netflix may not have the same stranglehold on streaming that it once had, but it’s still a great starting point if you’re looking for a new sci-fi movie. The streamer has had great success in with straight-to-streaming titles in this space, even during the time when it did not invest in marketing. Chances are that in the list below, you’ll find movies you haven’t heard of featuring talent you recognize, and hopefully delivering an unexpected story.
Oxygen
The 2021 sci-fi survival thriller Oxygen is in French, but it’s too good to pass up over that. It starts with its heroine waking up from a cryogenic pod with no memories, and little time to live. She needs to recover her memories quickly and act before she runs out of breathable air. The movie has a 90% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it is streaming on Netflix in the U.S. now.
They Cloned Tyrone
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If you missed the 2023 sci-fi comedy They Cloned Tyrone, now is the time to circle back. This movie will never give you quite what you’re expecting, but every surprise pays off. It’s rated 95% Fresh for a reason, and the A-list cast, featuring Jamie Foxx, Teyonah Parris, and John Boyega, speaks for itself.
The Platform
The Platform is another title that got some well-earned buzz outside of the usual Netflix bubble. It’s about a futurist prison where detainees are expected to manage one big portion of food sent down to all of them, in order of where their cells are located. It’s a psychological thriller, but there are plenty of real scares to keep you on your feet as well. Even years later with retrospective reviews and audience-submitted scores, the movie is certified fresh with 81% positive feedback from critics and 73% positive from fans.
Okja
One of Netflix’s most famous original films, Okja comes from acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho. It’s an adventure film with some extremely dark twists, and it has been known to leave a lasting impression on viewers’ diets. Still, with an 87% Fresh score and over 230 verified reviews, it’s definitely worth checking out.
Stowaway
With space travel looking like a bigger focus in our immediate future, it’s a great time to grapple with the risks in a movie like Stowaway. It follows a mission to Mars with an unintended passenger, and the brutal decisions the crew will be forced to make along the way. Released in 2021, the movie stars Anna Kendrick, Shamier Anderson, Daniel Dae Kim, and Toni Collette. Stowaway sits at 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, clinging to the cusp of a “Certified Fresh” distinction.
I Am Mother
I Am Mother is the perfect intersection of dystopian and hopeful sci-fi. The film with an 89% approval rating stars Clara Rugaard as a girl raised by an android named Mother (Rose Byrne) since birth, only to have her whole worldview questioned when she meets a survivor from the outside played by Hilary Swank. It’s hard to say how this movie fell off the radar so fast after its release in 2019, but it’s definitely worth watching — or re-watching.
The Kitchen
Another near-future dystopia, The Kitchen takes place in London in 2040. The city is gutted by the effects of persistent economic inequality, and the lower classes are forced to band together in high rises for safety. The story follows a burglar trying to straighten out his life, but forced to take part in a monumental heist. One of the highest rated movies on this list, The Kitchen has a 91% approval rating with critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
Ultraman: Rising
We all know who really controls movie night, but having a young child doesn’t mean missing out on the best of sci-fi necessarily. Last year, Netflix released an animated take on Ultraman that is a perfect compromise for a night in with the kiddos. Critics clearly like it, and I can personally confirm it’s played well in at last one childless home, too. The 2024 film has an 86% rating on RT.
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Another family-favorite, The Mitchells vs. The Machines is riding high with a 97% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a wacky romp centering around Katie Mitchell, as her family drives her off to her first year at film school. While they are on the road, the world’s electronics somehow gain sentience all at once and stage an uprising against humans. It’s up to their family bond to hold them together.
See You Yesterday
Finally, See You Yesterday proves that small-scale time travel adventures aren’t going anywhere, and it will remind you why this corner of the genre is so popular. The movie is about two teenage science projects who perfect time travel right at home, and are instantly presented with a reason to use it. It was a hit with critics, who rated it 93% Fresh, though for some reason the audience score is much lower at 38%.
