Entertainment
The 10 Best Sci-Fi Films of the 2020s So Far, Ranked
So far, the 2020s have seen the release of several absolutely exceptional science fiction movies. This is a genre that, since the very birth of cinema as a storytelling medium, has been delivering banger after banger every single decade—and what a time to be alive as a sci-fi fan this is, because the last six years have given us several movies bound to be remembered as some of the genre’s biggest classics a few decades from now.
Whether it’s a superhero blockbuster like Superman or an award-winning independent extravaganza like Everything Everywhere All At Once, the best sci-fi films of the 2020s so far are all incredibly creative, incredibly entertaining, and perfectly-understanding of everything that has made fans of this genre tick for decades.
10
‘Superman’ (2025)
For years, DC had been lagging behind Marvel in their efforts to craft a cinematic universe as successful as the MCU. Now, it has become James Gunn and Peter Safran‘s responsibility to catch up. And Superman being the franchise’s first-ever feature film, the future is already looking bright for this incredibly exciting superhero blockbuster franchise.
Some genre purists are generally against considering comic book and superhero movies as true sci-fi films, but the elements are all there for Superman to be counted as one, from space travel to high-tech elements. Furthermore, it’s far and away one of the best superhero movies released since 2010, an immensely entertaining and technically admirable adventure that all fans of the titular character should find perfectly satisfying.
9
‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines’ (2021)
Kids and families deserve great sci-fi movies, too; and thankfully, the 2020s have thus far offered many great animated sci-fi spectacles for the little ones of the family to enjoy. Case in point: Netflix’s The Mitchells vs. the Machines, easily one of the best animated movies of the last six years. Full of vibrant energy and with some consistently jaw-dropping animation, it really is a must-see for all those who love modern animated films.
Mitchells is one of the most near-perfect sci-fi movies of the last six years, as well as one of this decade’s best family flicks. With an absurdist sense of humor that should be able to get anyone to cackle regardless of their age, a star-studded voice cast, a deeply emotional story about the beauty of the chaos of family and growing up, and some comments on AI that have aged all too well, it’s one of Netflix’s most memorable animated movies to date.
8
‘The Wild Robot’ (2024)
Further evidence that families and kids who love science fiction have had the material to have the time of their lives throughout the last six years, The Wild Robot is proof that when they put their minds to it, DreamWorks Animation are still perfectly capable of delivering future animated classics. Based on the 2016 children’s novel by Peter Brown, this is one of the studio’s best works to date.
Wild Robot is also one of the best family movies released since 2010, a beautiful love letter to motherhood, the beauties of connection, and the importance of loving and respecting nature. Colorful and perfectly paced for all the kiddos to enjoy, but also surprisingly mature and thoughtful so that adults can’t take their eyes off of the screen either, it’s a testament to how incredible animated cinema has been throughout the 2020s.
7
‘Palm Springs’ (2020)
While it definitely isn’t what it used to be, the romantic comedy genre is most definitely not dead in the 2020s, and there are plenty of great modern rom-coms to prove that. Case in point: Palm Springs, one of the best, sweetest, and funniest films to have come out during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Anchored by stars Andy Sambers and Cristin Millioti at their very best, it’s a Groundhog Day-style timeloop film unlike anything else the subgenre has ever delivered.
Indeed, Palm Springs wears its influences on its sleeve, but the variety of uniquely charming things it does with its premise feels like entirely its own. Its romantic elements are indeed quite beautiful, its comedy elements are indeed absolutely hilarious, and the way it employs sci-fi elements to tell its story about existential dread and the importance of human connection in breaking out of it is phenomenal.
6
‘Godzilla Minus One’ (2023)
The Godzilla franchise has come an undeniably long way since its 1950s days, but with Godzilla Minus One, the series has returned to its thematic roots of nuclear paranoia, critiques of government incompetence, and celebration of the importance of community. Add to that a riveting study of the nature of heroism, and you get one of the most thematically complex kaiju movies to date.
But on top of being intellectually strong, Godzilla Minus One is also arguably the most entertaining Godzilla film since the 1954 original. The writing is exceptional, the production values are surprisingly solid considering the movie’s relatively modest budget, and the titular cinematic icon is used in absolutely perfect ways. All in all, this is undoubtedly one of the best sci-fi movies of the last six years.
5
‘Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie’ (2025)
Few 21st-century sci-fi movies are truly perfect, and it’s ridiculously admirable that one of those films is a small-budget time travel comedy made by two guys with nothing but a dream, an RV, and a downright-perfect understanding of copyright laws and fair use practices. Matt Johnson‘s Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, starring him and Jay McCarrol, is a legacy sequel to a show that was itself a legacy sequel to Johnson and McCarrol’s 2007 web series, and the last 26 years have thus far seen very few movies that are funnier.
Part homage to time travel cinema as a whole and part hilarious parody of Back to the Future, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is Canadian filmmaking at its most audacious. Full of elaborate guerrilla-filmmaking-style gags and clever man-on-the-street moments that should be enough to have anyone questioning how the hell they got away with any of that, it’s a must-see underappreciated gem that’s bound to go down in history as a timeless comedy cult classic.
4
‘Project Hail Mary’ (2026)
Andy Weir is one of today’s bona fide masters of hard science fiction literature, and as such, it’s no surprise that his Project Hail Mary is one of the best sci-fi books of the 2020s so far. It was no surprise, either, that a movie adaptation didn’t take long to materialize; nor was it a surprise that it ended up being one of the best hard sci-fi films of the entire 21st century so far.
Indeed, Project Hail Mary is an absolute blast of a blockbuster, a love letter to old-school sci-fi filmmaking full of stunning visuals, exceptional performances, emotional story beats, and unforgettable set pieces. With a perfect balance between scientific rigor to keep hard sci-fi fans happy, and a focus on emotional character work to satisfy those who aren’t necessarily sci-fi veterans, it really is one of the genre’s biggest must-see films from the last six years.
3
‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ (2023)
Not only is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse arguably the best animated film from the 2020s so far: It’s one of the greatest films of the last six years, period. It is, after all, the highest-rated movie of the decade on both Letterboxd and IMDb, and it will take something truly special to overtake it. Expectations were sky-high after the incredible movie that was Into the Spider-Verse, and it’s truly commendable that Across the Spider-Verse somehow managed to exceed them all.
For one, this may very well be the single most visually stunning Hollywood blockbuster of the century, full of some of the most staggeringly detailed, colorful, and intricate animation the big screen has ever seen. Add to that an impeccably-written story that studies the Spider-Man mythos as a whole, an exceptional score by Daniel Pemberton, and relentlessly fun pacing that makes the movie’s 140-minute runtime fly right by in a flash, and you get a masterpiece for the ages.
2
‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ (2022)
Many great science fantasy movies have come out since 2020, none of them better than Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert‘s Everything Everywhere All At Once. Every year sees at least a few indie hits come out of nowhere and take the world by storm throughout awards season, but rarely had cinephiles seen a success story quite like that of the seven-Academy-Awards-winner Everything Everywhere.
Like all of history’s best science fantasy flicks, this one is a genre-blending delight that also throws in elements of absurdist comedy, existentialist drama, and middle-age romance. That chaos works wonderfully, the Daniels’ perfectly-calculated direction allowing the film to feel like one of the most exquisitely over-the-top sci-fi action films of the last few years rather than a pure genre mess.
1
‘Dune: Part Two’ (2024)
As exceptional as Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune from 2021 was, there is virtually no denying that Dune: Part Two is by far one of the best movie sequels of the 2020s so far. Already one of the most beloved sci-fi movies of the 21st century, this adaptation of the second half of Frank Herbert‘s eponymous literary juggernaut is somewhat akin to this generation’s The Empire Strikes Back.
Dark in tone yet incredibly entertaining, epic in scale but deeply intimate and character-driven in scope, and populated with some of the most striking sci-fi set pieces the big screen has seen in many years, this action-adventure epic is a must-see even for those unfamiliar with the source material. Exciting, visually stunning, bolstered by Hans Zimmer‘s amazing score, and elevated by Villeneuve’s downright-faultless direction, it really is the best sci-fi film of the 2020s so far. It will take something huge to top it.
Dune: Part Two
- Release Date
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February 27, 2024
- Runtime
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167 minutes
- Director
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Denis Villeneuve
- Writers
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Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts, Frank Herbert
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