There’s an overwhelming number of movies on Netflix to choose from these days, and even more TV shows. Narrowing your search down by genre can only get you so far, and it can be hard to find exactly what you’re looking for. Luckily, we spend our time picking out the best possible sci-fi movies to stream so you don’t have to waste your time looking for them. So if you’re looking for the best sci-fi and fantasy movies on Netflix for 2021, you’ve come to the right place.
Back to the Future (1985)
Some of the best sci-fi on Netflix right now is from the 80s. This classic time-travel movie follows 17-year-old high school student Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) as he accidentally embarks on a journey 30 years into the past. With the help of an eccentric doctor, he must find a way back to the future, his original present, without causing too much damage to his own life in the past.
If you’re hoping to also stream the rest of these movies, you’re in luck, the entire Back to the Future trilogy is available to stream on Netflix right now.
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Main Cast: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson
Runtime: 165 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.5
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
After a rough breakup, Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) is absolutely heartbroken to find out his ex-girlfriend Clementine had undergone a process to erase him from her memory. He decides to erase her memory from his mind as well but realizes he still loves her as he watches the memories fade away. This is one of the best Jim Carrey movies you’ll find.
Director: Michel Gondry
Main Cast: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood
Runtime: 108 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.3
The Old Guard (2020)
From the Netflix sci-fi collection of original movies, The Old Guard is an action movie worth watching. The story follows a warrior named Andy (Charlize Theron) and her covert group of immortal mercenaries who have been protecting the mortal world for centuries.
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Main Cast: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts
Runtime: 165 minutes
IMDb Rating: 6.7
Mad Max (1979)
In a dismal near-future, a small and broken police force in muscle cars is the only establishment of law, but they are challenged by a wandering biker gang of maniacs who think they own the world. With little semblance of society left at all, it’s up to these leather-clad stunt drivers to keep people in line, but evil runs amuck in a future with no system. This film is definitely one to catch if you like the apocalypse genre, beautifully encapsulating the battle between a desire for peace and the harsh reality of their world.
Director: George Miller
Main Cast: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne
Runtime: 88 minutes
IMDb Rating: 6.9
What Happened to Monday (2017)
Jumping forward to the future: What Happened to Monday is set in a society with a strict one-child policy, which is enforced by an armed and dangerous federation army. A group of identical septuplets (Noomi Rapace) attempt to live a single life as one, all assigned to and named after a day of the week. When Monday suddenly goes missing, it’s up to the rest of the family to find her and stay alive.
Director: Tommy Wirkola
Main Cast: Noomi Rapace, Glenn Close, Willem Dafoe
Runtime: 123 minutes
IMDb Rating: 6.9
Snowpiercer (2013)
Oscar-winning director Bong Joon Ho is mostly known for his most recent film, Parasite, but his body of work expands beyond just that thriller film. Snowpiercer boasts one of the most unique premises: the entire film taking place on a train that holds the last of the world’s survivors after a failed climate change experiment.
Director: Bong Joon Ho
Main cast: Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Tilda Swinton
Runtime: 126 minutes
IMDb Rating: 7.1
Cloud Atlas (2012)
Time and love; life and death. In the critically acclaimed Cloud Atlas, we get a unique look at the construct of time and how one person’s life in the past can influence another’s life in the distant future. Halle Berry and Tom Hanks each inhabit 5 different characters for this film, each storyline inevitably bringing them back into each other’s arms, supporting the notion that love transcends time itself.
Director: Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
Main cast: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant
Runtime: 172 minutes
IMDb Rating: 7.4
Jurassic Park (1993)
This Spielberg instant classic delivers thrilling (yet somewhat dated) scenes of wonder and excitement, as we explore the dinosaur experimental island, Jurassic Park. Created as a theme park, a pair of paleontologists and a mathematician are summoned to tour the grounds, but after there is a power outage, they are all separated and must navigate the park while staying wary of the numerous threats. If you end up liking this one, feel free to binge the next two (not quite as good) as they are all available on Netflix.
Director: Stephen Spielberg
Main Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum
Runtime: 127 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.1
Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
Stranger Than Fiction is one of Will Ferrell‘s more serious roles, but it still works as a comedy. The story follows I.R.S. auditor Harold Crick as he goes about his life, only to be suddenly afflicted by narration only he can hear. Life only gets worse for him as the narration begins to affect his work, love life, and potential death.
Director: Marc Foster
Main Cast: Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman
Runtime: 113 minutes
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Total Recall (1990)
If you’re looking to watch more of the classics, this early ’90s film is a great place to start. The story follows Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who has been having a recurring dream in which he journeys to Mars. To find out more about this dream, he purchases a holiday at a corporation that deals with memory implants. Naturally, Quaid remembers that he is actually a secret agent and must take down the evil Mars administration. You can also take a look at our list of the best Arnold Schwarzenegger movies for more like this.
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Main Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside
Runtime: 113 minutes
IMDb Rating: 7.5
No Game No Life: Zero (2017)
Based on the novel series of the same name, No Game, No Life: Zero tells the story of humanity’s struggle through the great war. Despite being the only race without magic, humans must use the true power of intellect to survive. This movie is actually the prequel to a popular anime series on Netflix.
Director: Atsuko Ishizuka
Main Cast: Alexandra Bedford, Jessica Boone, Ricardo Contreras
Runtime: 110 minutes
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Hardcore Henry (2015)
Hardcore Henry is one of the most intense and unique action movies you’ll ever experience. The plot is fairly straightforward, Henry is resurrected with no memory and he must save his wife from a telekinetic warlord. The movie is shot entirely in the first person, however. Meaning you get to see from the viewpoint of Henry throughout the film.
Director: Ilya Naishuller
Main Cast: Sharlto Copley, Tim Roth, Haley Bennett
Runtime: 96 minutes
IMDb Rating: 6.7
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
As far as animated Marvel movies go, Spider-Verse is one of the best so far. In a string of parallel universes, teenager Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) finds himself becoming Spider-Man. Aided by the Spider-Men — and woman — from other timelines, he must learn to be like Peter Parker.
Directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey
Main Cast: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld
Runtime: 116 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.4
Her (2013)
In this near-future story, everyone in the world has access to an operating system that is capable of developing its own personality. When a lonely and sensitive soul (Joaquin Phoenix) decides to take interest in this new product, he meets his new best friend Samantha the operating system, but he never expected how strong their bond would become.
Director: Spike Jonze
Main Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson
Runtime: 126 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.0
Stardust (2007)
If you find yourself in need of some fantasy action and romance, Stardust delivers all that and more. The plot follows Tristan Thorn (Charlie Cox), a young man living in a small countryside bordering a magical land. After professing his love for the village beauty, he sets out on a quest into the magical kingdom to retrieve a fallen star for her. But when he finds out the fallen star isn’t just some lump of rock, things get complicated.
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Main Cast: Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Mark Strong, Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer
Runtime: 132 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.2
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