10 Best Sci-Fi Movies of the 2020s So Far, Ranked

Science Fiction has proven itself to be one of the most effective and creative genres for dynamic and interesting stories throughout film history. Numerous legendary films are a part of the science fiction genre, ranging from massive commercial blockbuster franchises such as Star Wars and Star Trek to one-off auteurist works of art like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Interstellar. Sci-fi as a genre has continued to thrive throughout the modern era of the 2020s, with numerous amazing and standout films being released that will surely become icons of the genre in time.

The latest and greatest visual effects technology has allowed science fiction films to create mind-bending visuals simply never before seen on the big screen continuing to push the barrier for what’s possible. The decade has also seen an outstanding mixture of both iconic continuing and revived franchises bringing new light and vision to the genre, as well as new highly creative original works that delight and enchant audiences just as well. While the decade is surely to have even more legendary sci-fi films as it continues, the decade is already home to many amazing sci-fi films.

10 ‘After Yang’ (2021)

Director: Kogonada

After Yang sees a far-off future similar enough to our own, following the story of a family’s struggles and turmoil when a daughter’s beloved android companion, Yang, begins to malfunction. The father of the family, Jake, searches for a way to repair him, and in the process, comes to a realization about the fragility and sacred nature of life, and how he’s been wasting it all this time. As he now realizes the barriers that he has placed between himself and the rest of his family, his quest to repair Yang has him mending these connections with his family that he didn’t realize he’d destroyed.

After Yang accomplishes one of the simplest yet most effective ways that a Sci-fi story can be told, using technology and a sci-fi setting as a jumping-off point for a poignant and powerful drama. The film features an array of powerful performances from nearly everyone in the cast, especially Colin Farrell who provides one of his best dramatic performances in recent memory. It speaks volumes to the genre of Sci-fi as a whole that even though there have been hundreds of films that tackle artificial intelligence, original stories bursting with creativity and strength can still be created in the modern era.

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9 ‘Crimes of the Future’ (2022)

Director: David Cronenberg

From the master of body horror David Cronenberg, Crimes of the Future takes place in a strange dystopian future where humans have evolved to a synthetic environment, no longer feeling pain or requiring medicine. In this strange future, body modification, transformations, and mutations have become a part of everyday life, as it follows the story of a duo of celebrity performance artists (played by Viggo Mortensen and Léa Seydoux). In their act, they perform live removal of meticulously crafted tumorous organs, garnering massive attention from parties both friendly and deceptive.

Crimes of the Future is continuous proof that, even in the modern era, Cronenberg can evolve and translate his signature style into a powerful and relevant sci-fi story. What makes the film so spectacular to watch comes less from the thrills that come from Cronenberg’s signature body horror, but instead the incredible world-building on display and how it parallels our world. Despite the film’s highly divisive nature, it still features enough genuinely great moments, performances, and themes to make it well worth a watch for those who can stomach body horror.

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8 ‘They Cloned Tyrone’ (2023)

Director: Juel Taylor

They Cloned Tyrone follows the story of an unlikely trio, who after several mysterious and seemingly unexplainable events, find themselves going down a strange rabbit hole to discover answers. In their search, they find themselves uncovering a confusing and dangerous government conspiracy that seems to be impacting the lives of every single person living in their neighborhood. The trio now finds themselves at an impasse to figure out the motivation behind this scheme, as well as how to put a stop to it once and for all.

They Cloned Tyrone is brimming with nightmarish creativity from its brilliantly dark premise from beginning to end, with a great number of twists and turns to keep audiences engaged throughout. Nearly every character in the film brings something to the table to make the film a more enjoyable experience, but the primary trio of John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx especially elevate the material. The film takes direct inspiration from a lot of the great sci-fi stories of the past but stands out with the inclusion of its own socially relevant themes and messaging.

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7 ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.’ (2023)

Director: James Gunn

The long-awaited finale of the iconic Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 sees Peter Quill and the rest of the team still impacted by the loss of core team member Gamora. However, the team still has important work to do across the galaxy, as they soon find themselves coming face to face with the dangerous villain The High Evolutionary. The mission proves itself to be their most dangerous mission yet, as it has the potential to put an end to the Guardians team once and for all.

While the modern era of Marvel movies has been mostly hit or miss, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 successfully recaptures the magic and charm of the previous films to create a perfect sendoff for the characters. The film is filled with a wide array of beautiful setpieces and varied alien species and communities, further continuing to show the limitless potential of life beyond the stars. Especially when many sci-fi franchises are notorious for not being able to successfully stick the landing with a satisfying finale, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 gloriously breaks the mold.

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6 ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ (2022)

Director: James Cameron

A gargantuan sequel over 10 years in the making, Avatar: The Way of Water continues the story of Jake Sully and Neytiri, now with an entire family of Na’vi children that they take care of. However, when the dangerous Colonel Miles Quaritch seems to have returned in search of revenge against Jake, their entire family will have to leave their home to keep others safe. Now finding refuge with a tribe of aquatic Na’vi, Jake and his family find themselves having trouble adapting to their new environment as they attempt to hide away from the sky people.

Avatar: The Way of Water had a lot to live up to, being a long-awaited sequel to the highest-grossing movie of all time, yet the film was able to build upon and deliver an experience just as mesmerizing as the original. The film features some of the greatest and most stunning computerized visuals in film, with breathtaking landscapes and unbelievable character animation on full display. The film’s success proves that there is still a great deal of interest in the story of Jake and Pandora as a whole, as audiences are patiently awaiting the next groundbreaking chapter.

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5 ‘Nope’ (2022)

Director: Jordan Peele

Nope follows the story of a group of residents who live their uneventful lives in a lonely Californian gulch, and suddenly have their lives completely upended by a mysterious creature. With the body count and danger continuing to rise day after day, brother and sister duo OJ and Emerald take it upon themselves to attempt to get footage of the creature for the world to see. The task proves itself to be much more dangerous than anticipated, as their lives become at stake as they come face to face with the terrifying creature.

Jordan Peele has always had the tremendous ability to create powerful and insightful horror films defined by both a signature twist and the rampant implications of its themes. Nope is the first film of his to make a distinct and clear turn into science fiction, basing the premise around an instantly iconic yet shrouded-in-mystery alien creature. More than any other film Peele has created, Nope is a highly sensationalized and sci-fi blockbuster-inspired thrill ride, taking after some of the most iconic sci-fi films of all time, most notably Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

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4 ‘Poor Things’ (2023)

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

An instantly iconic film that will continue to delight and enchant audiences year after year, Poor Things follows the story of Bella Baxter, a strange young woman brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist. However, Bella still has only a small understanding of the intricacies of the world and how everything works, so after running off with a lawyer, she decides to do everything that she can to learn about the world. In the process, Bella comes to a greater understanding and self-purpose for her role in the world, determined to make it a better place for all of its inhabitants.

Poor Things creates a vibrant and beautiful sci-fi world that is simply unlike any other modern-day sci-fi world, as it’s brimming with personality and creativity in nearly every frame. The film takes direct inspiration from the Sci-fi classic Frankenstein and tells its own modern-day and socially cognizant spin on the character and its core tenets and themes. The film makes for a perfect blending of the past, present, and future to create an instant sci-fi classic that will surely go down as one of the decade’s best sci-fi offerings.

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3 ‘Dune’ (2021)

Director: Denis Villeneuve

A modern-day adaptation of Frank Herbert‘s classic sci-fi novel, Dune follows the story of Paul Atredies, a gifted young man born into a massive destiny as a future ruler. He finds himself and his family traveling to the most dangerous planet in the universe, Arrakis, with hopes of being able to make use of the planet’s exclusive supply of one of the most precious resources in existence. However, the family finds themselves in a massive power struggle over said resources, as the family finds themselves under attack from the dangerous Harkonnen family.

While Dune had been adapted to film in the past, this modern reinterpretation combines Denis Villeneuve’s signature directing style with a deeper dive into the source material to create the definitive adaptation of the story. The darker world of Dune is a world so different from nearly every other massive blockbuster sci-fi universe, as its deeply engrossed in powerful themes and political strife. The film has easily become one of the most iconic sci-fi films of the decade, a legacy that it will continue to hold with the released of the highly anticipated Dune: Part Two.

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2 ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ (2023)

Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson, Kemp Powers

The sequel to one of the biggest and most beloved animated films of the previous decade, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse continues the story of Miles Morales, still adapting to his new life as Spider-Man. Miles soon finds himself facing off against a dangerous new villain as he is catapulted across the entire multiverse, teaming up with a wide variety of multiversal Spider-people. However, Miles’ goals and perspective on how to handle the villain go against the goals of the Spider Society, as he soon finds himself as their next target.

The original Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was already a catalyst for both beautifully stylized 3D animation and multiverse storytelling in mainstream media, and Across the Spider-Verse only amplified both of these aspects. The film’s implementation and exploration of the multiverse is easily one of the most enthralling and visually gratifying versions of the concept seen in animation. However, what helped make the film achieve such monumental status as a modern sci-fi classic is its visuals, which break new ground as to what is considered possible in 3D animation.

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1 ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022)

Directors: Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan

One of the most iconic and memorable original modern sci-fi movies to be released in the 21st century, Everything Everywhere All at Once takes the concept of the multiverse and weaves a beautiful tale of family and action from it. The film follows the story of Evelyn, an aging Chinese immigrant who finds herself at the center of a multiversal struggle, seemingly being the key to putting an end to a threat to destroy the multiverse. She soon finds herself learning how to tap into versions of herself from across the multiverse, borrowing their strengths to become a skilled combatant.

Everything Everywhere All at Once is the rare sci-fi masterpiece that comes around once in a blue moon and redefines for audiences what was possible in an original sci-fi action movie. The film combines so many aspects to create its once-in-a-generation experience, from impressive kung fu fight choreography and masterful fight sequences to wacky and zany alternate universes and a powerfully resonating story of familial divide. The film is so beloved that it is so far the first and only science fiction film to have won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

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NEXT: The 10 Best Action Movies of the 2020s So Far, Ranked