Even if it’s not immediately obvious, you can find a wide range of excellent sci-fi movies on Prime Video. Slide in the absolute classics, from Terminator to Invasion of the Body Thieves, as well as the hidden gems more people need to watch. One of them is Coherence, widely regarded as the best hidden sci-fi gem out there.
Scroll down to see our top picks for sci-fi movies on Prime Video that you can stream right now.
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For those who missed Black Mirror, this will help fill that gap. Black Box follows a father who tries to rebuild his life after a car accident. He agrees to an experimental procedure that takes him to the darkest recesses of his mind.
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For well-crafted and thoughtful science fiction that makes sure your meditations don’t exceed their entertainment value, Archive is a great shout out. Gavin Rothery’s British directorial debut stars Theo James as a scientist working to make an AI as human as possible. Their reasons are hidden, personal, and are sure to put a wrench in the works. Drawing comparisons to Ex Machina, Archive is a guaranteed narrative with an astute focus on character.
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Coherence doesn’t need an Avatar-sized budget to create a compelling story. The low-budget indie film follows friends at a dinner party who begin to notice bizarre occurrences after a comet passes by. All the more disturbing because of its grounded setting, Coherence preaches the epitome of true indie gem.
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Intriguing premise? Check. Low budget? Check. Twist at the end? Check. This indie sci-fi mystery by Travis Milloy solidifies its place in Google Search’s “best indie sci-fi gems”. The complex story of Infinity Chamber centers on a man held in an automated detention center. He must fight superior technology to escape, an immensely complicated feat.
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2020)
How cool and intriguing is this title? Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is a low-budget time-travel comedy from Japanese filmmaker Junta Yamaguchi. The crazy premise: a cafe employee discovers that his TV can show him what happens 2 minutes into the future. Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that, and the results are as creative and extravagant as you’d expect under the strictures of independent cinema. A jewel.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Remakes are rarely better than the original, but sometimes a notable exception arises. The 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is based on the already excellent sci-fi horror from 1956, telling the story of a health inspector and his colleague who realize that the people of San Francisco are slowly being replaced by replicas similar to drones. On the same subject : Director of the National Science Foundation visits San Diego to talk NSF mission, investments. Creating an atmosphere of dread and paranoia, with Donald Sutherland in the lead, Invasion of the Body Snatchers has been hailed as one of the best science fiction of all time.
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There’s not much to say about the first in the Terminator franchise. Seemingly born from a fever dream, James Cameron’s story gives us a cyborg assassin sent from the future to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn child is destined to save humanity from the robot apocalypse.
Before Dune, Denis Villeneuve directed another huge science fiction classic. Arrival stars Amy Adams as a linguist who suffers a personal tragedy in the past. When a mysterious extraterrestrial spacecraft hovers over Earth, it is recruited to make contact – with completely unexpected, life-changing results. Arrival is a complete package, with performances, cinematography and writing that are… out of this world.
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
The second Star Trek film in the rebooted franchise brings a fantastical adventure with a memorable villain in Benedict Cumberbatch’s Khan. The USS Enterprise gang travels into the forbidden zone in space to rescue an endangered species. On the same subject : Summer, Science and Drosophila: A New Program Creates Future Scientists. Though a little dated – a free underwear scene and ethnic change for Khan – Into Darkness is a fun ride.
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Oh look, it’s another Roland Emmerich movie! This one follows Earth resistance soldiers making one last stand against an alien attack, an event they register on the calendar for July 4th.
This sci-fi cult gem is littered with tire tracks from kids riding bikes around the neighborhood. A Stranger Things hunter, Explorers follows two teenagers – played by Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix – who build a spacecraft for the purposes of space exploration. An 80’s movie that elevates the spirit of family adventure.
It’s hard to leave The Tomorrow War off this list, because it’s the prime sci-fi action movie from Prime Video starring Chris Pratt. It follows a professor who is drafted into a war with aliens – in the future. An easily digestible movie that you can watch while looking at your phone.
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The nursery is interesting. It might frustrate many viewers with its surreal aspects, but it’s still a compelling film. A young couple is trapped in a labyrinthine suburban neighborhood of identical houses. As they try to escape, they find themselves caring for a mysterious baby.
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Emile Hirsch stars in this sci-fi horror about a father who keeps his 7-year-old daughter confined to his home for life. Chloe inevitably seeks the outdoors, which leads to unexplained occurrences and a run-in with a government department. An impressive job with a father-daughter relationship at its core.
The science fiction actor who put director Neill Blomkamp on the map. The found footage hybrid film takes you straight into the intense action of an alternate 1982, when an alien spaceship appears over Johannesburg, Africa. A unique, gripping and slightly political classic.
Yes, this is a prequel movie. Yes, this is the fifth in the Alien franchise. Yes, it’s grand and its plot doesn’t do justice to its stunning visuals. But Prometheus introduced us to the brilliantly creepy and unnerving android David, played by Michael Fassbender. Its plot might not make perfect sense, but there’s no taking the entertainment value out of this sci-fi horror.
This low-budget indie has surprisingly high production values, impressive performances and inventive camera work to help tell the story of two teenagers in 1950s New Mexico. The resourceful pair pursue the potentially extraterrestrial origins of a mysterious audio frequency.
The City of Lost Children (1995)
Before Amélie, Jean-Pierre Jeunet brought his talent and visual style to a science fiction fantasy (co-directed by Marc Caro). The City of Lost Children follows an evil scientist who kidnaps children, thinking their dreams are the key to preventing aging. This may interest you : Is public confidence in science — and scientists — restored?.
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