These films—some of them already considered classics, others guaranteed to achieve that status not too far into the future—display why science fiction has remained one of cinema’s most popular genres since the very beginning of the 20th century, even before cinema was considered an art form or even a storytelling medium. They’re exceptional masterpieces, proof that this is a genre that will never get old.
10
‘Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie’ (2025)
Canadia’s national filmography is filled to the brim with excellent, often awfully underappreciated masterpieces. One of the country’s most recent international sensations is the brilliant Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, a legacy sequel of the web series Nirvana the Band the Show and the mockumentary sitcom Nirvanna the Band the Show.
Armed with only an RV, a bottle of Orbitz, and a flawless understanding of fair use laws, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol created a love letter to Toronto and late-2000s pop culture, a genius parody of Back to the Future, and one of the best sci-fi masterpieces of the last 15 years. Full of man-on-the-street-type moments bound to make anyone and everyone go “how the hell did they pull that off?”, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie has already joined the ranks of the greatest Canadian films ever made.
9
‘The Prestige’ (2006)
No list of the best sci-fi anything of the 21st century could possibly be complete without at least mentioning Christopher Nolan, a man who has re-defined the genre and constantly set a new standard for all Hollywood blockbusters. Between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, he made The Prestige, a sci-fi thriller that’s always been hugely acclaimed yet still somehow underrated.
It’s the perfect film for people who love thrillers packed with plot twists. A rousing tale of rivalry and revenge fueled by strong yet subtle steampunk elements, it’s undoubtedly one of Nolan’s greatest works. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman‘s fantastic performances are the perfect foundation for this character-driven story, made all the more fascinating by one of the strongest endings in its director’s filmography.
8
‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ (2023)
After Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse took the world by storm in 2018, expectations for its sequel rose sky-high. Somehow, Across the Spider-Verse managed to surpass those expectations and then some. It’s downright one of the most perfect movies of the last 5 years, simultaneously a love letter to the Spidey mythos and a nuanced study of the superhero genre as a whole.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the movie has the most impressive and jaw-dropping visuals of any animated film ever made. The excellent sound design and Daniel Pemberton‘s score definitely don’t hurt, either. In fact, almost everything about Across the Spider-Verse is pretty much perfect, making it a must-see for Marvel fans, Spidey fans, and virtually anyone who enjoys a well-made sci-fi film.
7
‘Interstellar’ (2014)
As if he still had anything to prove in regards to being one of the leading voices of Hollywood sci-fi going into 2014, Christopher Nolan decided to further enshrine himself in that title by making Interstellar. It’s one of the most perfectly-directed sci-fi epics ever made, but the main reason why it works as well as it does is that it is, first and foremost, a character-driven story about a girl and her father.
But though Interstellar is certainly most interested in its characters’ internal conflicts, it’s also a technically impressive epic that leaves nothing much to be desired. The visual effects, the performances, the sound design, the delectably long runtime, the best score of Hans Zimmer‘s career… What more could a diehard fan of sci-fi cinema possibly want from a movie?
6
‘Arrival’ (2016)
Image via Paramount Pictures
Denis Villeneuve was already a well-established filmmaker going into 2016, but the movie that established him as one of the most exciting voices in Hollywood sci-fi was Arrival. This is an alien invasion flick unlike any other, dealing with themes of language, communication, and memory with a deeply emotional story. By the time Arrival cuts to the credits, there won’t be a dry eye in the house.
Villeneuve’s direction is pretty much flawless, which makes it unsurprising that Arrival earned him his first Oscar nomination. It’s also one of the most perfectly-written sci-fi movies ever, with some enthralling character writing and a plot that keeps growing increasingly mind-bending as it goes on. It doesn’t feel like any other alien invasion film in history, and that uniqueness is enough to make it obligatory viewing for fans of the genre.
5
‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ (2022)
Image via A24
There are Oscar winners that feel like frontrunners in the awards race since months before they even come out; but then, there are others which feel like they come out of the blue and end up sweeping. There’s no contemporary example more perfect than Everything Everywhere All At Once, a quirky and ambitious indie sci-fi action dramedy that ended up winning a whopping seven Academy Awards.
A thrilling and beautifully touching tale about parenthood, love, aging, and everything bagels.
On paper, Everything Everywhere seems like it shouldn’t work. Its thematic breadth is enormous, its sense of humor is undeniably offbeat, and its elements of campy silliness are potent and abundant. But what soon proved to be one of the most chaotic movies of all time also proved to be one of the greatest sci-fi epics of the 21st century, a thrilling and beautifully touching tale about parenthood, love, aging, and everything bagels.
4
‘Children of Men’ (2006)
Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón is no stranger to genre cinema, but his strongest genre work happens to be in science fiction. Children of Men is a masterpiece, a dystopian action thriller that unfortunately underperformed at the box office, but has since become a cult classic so huge that it’s arguably more mainstream that it is cult by this point.
It’s one of the most thrilling movie masterpieces of all time, full of impressively shot sequences and permeated by a nail-biting atmosphere of suspense. Bleak though its tone may be, it’s also beautifully hopeful, celebrating faith and humanity’s resilience in the face of a crisis. Excellently performed and strikingly shot by frequent Cuarón collaborator Emmanuel Lubezki, it’s dystopian science fiction at its ver best.
3
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
After three decades away from the action genre and from the Mad Max franchise that he revolutionized low-budget Australian cinema with, George Miller made his triumphant return with Mad Max: Fury Road. This wasn’t just a return to form for the filmmaker, nor was it just the best installment in the franchise thus far: We’re talking about one of the most perfect sci-fi action movies of the 21st century.
The over-the-top world-building is a delight, the non-stop adrenaline shots that are all the action sequences (which comprise the vast majority of the film’s relentless runtime) are a blast, and the visuals prove that the sky’s the limit when Miller is given a proper budget. Exciting, emotionally compelling, and packed with some of the most memorable action scenes of the century, Fury Road is one for the cinematic history books.
2
‘Dune: Part Two’ (2024)
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
For the longest time, it seemed that it was simply impossible to turn Frank Herbert‘s world of Dune into a film franchise that lived up to the source material’s legacy. Along came Denis Villeneuve and proved that belief embarrassingly wrong. But while the Canadian director’s first Dune is already amazing enough, it’s Dune: Part Two that smashed every expectation any fan might have had going in.
It’s this generation’s The Empire Strikes Back, a stunning sci-fi franchise epic that expands the scope of its world tremendously and has the guts to conclude with an ending that’s nothing if not dark-toned. Just two years after its release, it can already be considered one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, one with virtually no flaws to talk about. Greig Fraser‘s stunning cinematography, Hans Zimmer’s haunting score, all the amazing performances, the flawless way in which Villeneuve and co-writer Jon Spaihts understand the essence of Herbert’s work, and—of course—Villeneuve’s hugely imaginative direction. There’s basically nothing not to love about this masterpiece.
1
‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ (2004)
By the time 2004 rolled in, Charlie Kaufman had already established himself as the greatest, most intelligent, and most talented screenwriter working in Hollywood. But as if any more proof were needed, he wrote what some may call the single greatest sci-fi screenplay ever written, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, directed by Michel Gondry. The result? The most perfect science fiction movie of the 21st century thus far.
Rather than focusing on its sci-fi elements, Eternal Sunshine leverages them as tools to elevate its story about a crumbling relationship and the power of memories. It’s a raw, emotionally powerful, thematically hard-hitting exploration of the very concept of romantic love, concluding with one of the best endings of any sci-fi film from the 2000s. Many great sci-fi movies have been released since, but none quite as exceptional as this 21st-century masterpiece.