Needing some suggestions for sci-fi fare to catapult you out of the late winter doldrums and spark your imagination as we slingshot into spring (for those in the Norther Hemisphere at least)? Tired of rewatching Galaxy Quest or Jurassic Park for the umpteenth time? Well, let’s strip away the repetitiveness and open our minds to discover seven transportive candidates you might have missed or been hesitant about.
We’ve got you covered with a tempting selection of unloved and often overlooked science fiction films sure to refresh your interest in the genre. Our goal is to keep you fortified with engaging visual material as you navigate today’s vast constellation of available streaming movies.
Open your hearts and minds and let’s venture into these seven worthy cinematic explorations on the best streaming services.
Aniara (2019)
Here’s a truly haunting meditation on the dangers of space travel that will linger with you long after the final credits roll. After a colony spaceship carrying travelers bound for Mars is knocked off course and its engines fail when it’s hit by space debris, passengers must cope with the shocking reality that they’ll never reach their destination. Adapted from the epic science fiction poem by Swedish Nobel laureate Harry Martinson, it’s low budget, hard sci-fi at its very best.
Aniara is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney Plus in the US, and on the BFI Player in the UK.
Terminator: Salvation – Director’s Cut (2009)
Yes, we are well aware of fans’ extreme dislike over this prequel tale of an experimental cyborg named Marcus Wright, played by Sam Worthington and his role in the fate of Christian Bale’s John Connor, but it has aged nicely after the well-publicized disasters of Terminator: Genisys and Terminator: Dark Fate. You might miss Arnie’s Terminator in this installment directed by McG but Skynet has never been more scary, especially that human-snatching Harvester robot!
Terminator: Salvation – Director’s Cut is currently streaming on Max in the US and Sky in the UK.
The Creator (2023)
Director Gareth Edwards follows up his involvement with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story with this action-centric offering about a former special forces agent named Joshua (played by Denzel Washington’s son, John David Washington) hunting down a mysterious AI leader in the war against humanity. The film’s cinematography, sound design, and visually striking sets are outstanding, and if you can forgive some of its narrative stumbles and plot conveniences (not to mention the terrible title), The Creator will reward sci-fi lovers looking for an immersive ride.
The Creator is currently streaming on Prime Video in the US, UK and Australia.
Fantastic Planet (1973)
True animation fanatics know this French cult sci-fi classic well as it was a pioneering achievement in the art and still holds up today as an intriguing reflection of modern society. Directed by René Laloux, the bizarre plot follows the relationship between the tiny human-like Oms and their much larger blue-skinned oppressors, the Draags, who rule over the planet of Ygam. Plenty of relevant topics to digest here like racism, animal rights, slavery, and ecology.
Fantastic Planet is currently streaming on Max, The Roku Channel and Plex in the US, and Pluto TV in the UK.
Communion (1989)
Adapted from horror author and ufologist Whitley Streiber’s 1987 novel, this unsettling sci-fi gem stars Christopher Walken as the eccentric writer who suffers a series of close encounter abductions by freaky extraterrestrials while at his rural cabin in upstate New York. Walken is fantastic here in a tour de force of confusion, fear, and slight madness while trying to reconcile the nightmares and trauma he suffered without alienating his loving wife (Lindsay Krause).
Communion is currently streaming on Prime Video, Peacock, Fubo TV, Peacock, The Roku Channel and Plex in the US.
Melancholia (2011)
Not for the timid, yet yielding a kind of transcendent essence, Melancholia is Danish director Lars von Trier’s haunting allegory of mental illness and depression as two sisters’ relationship crumbles during a country estate wedding as a rogue planet is on a collision course with Earth. Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg work wonders on screen and the classical score, notably Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, adds emotional punctuation marks on an absorbing jewel.
Melancholia is currently streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Fubo TV, Pluto TV and Plex in the US and Disney+ in the UK.
Greenland (2020)
![Greenland | Official Trailer [HD] | On Demand Everywhere December 18th - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vz-gdEL_ae8/maxresdefault.jpg)
This instant sci-fi classic blazed far under the radar when it broke through our atmosphere in the summer of 2020 as theaters were forced to close due to the pandemic. Starring Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin, Greenland boasts spectacular special effects and a harrowing survival storyline as a family races to reach sanctuary before a planet-killing comet crashes to Earth.
Greenland is currently streaming on Max in the US, Prime Video in the UK, and Netflix and Prime Video in Australia.
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