Published May 30, 2026, 5:55 PM EDT
Dalton is a freelance writer, novelist, and filmmaker from Orlando Florida. He currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and pursues writing full-time. He is an avid reader, film buff, and amateur historian who also publishes novels on the side. Dalton graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BFA in Film and he often applies his industry-specific knowledge when writing about film and television. Along with his blog, Dalton's critical essays on film have been published in various places online.
These 10 science fiction movies on Prime Video might be cheesy, but they are some of the most entertaining films on the platform right now. With its seemingly endless catalog of movies and TV shows, it's safe to say that Amazon's Prime Video has something for everyone. The streamer hosts many of the best movies of all time, and conversely, it hosts some of the worst as well.
Prime is a great platform for science fiction movies, and there is no shortage of gems on streaming. However, it's also an excellent resource for the cheesier side of the genre. Whether they are low-budget giant monster flicks from the '50s, or modern-day action sci-fi schlock, Prime Video is a priceless resource for movie fans who like to walk on the wild side.
A good cheesy science fiction film can actually be more entertaining than better movies, largely because the unintentional laughs add another layer of amusement to the whole experience. Sincerity is the key to the perfect cheesy film, and the finished product must be the vision of a filmmaker trying and failing to make something great. If the movie is laughing with the audience, it isn't nearly as effective.
This list of 10 cheesy science fiction films spans decades and subgenres. Many of the movies on the list are actually pretty good, but have aged poorly and become a bit corny in retrospect. The only thing that truly unites the movies on this list is that they are all enjoyable in their own right, even though they serve up a heaping helping of big screen cheese.
10 Earth Vs. The Spider (1958)
Bert I. Gordon's Earth vs. the Spider is an iconic B-movie from sci-fi's golden age, and it's a cheesy masterpiece in all the best ways. A small town is overrun by a gigantic spider that crawls out of a nearby cave to feed on unsuspecting victims. Unlike the atomic monsters of the period, the titular arachnid's gargantuan size is never explained by science.
The stagey acting and goofy effects are worth the price of admission alone, and the movie's climax delivers classic giant monster flick action. Earth vs. the Spider is so cheesy that it ended up on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, but it's a humorous experience on Prime Video with or without the riffs.
9 Battle Beyond The Stars (1980)
Battle Beyond the Stars is one of the most overlooked sci-fi films of the '80s, but it's a goofy good time. Roger Corman's Star Wars clone follows a young man who must recruit mercenaries in order to protect his planet from an invading dictator. Made with Corman's distinct low-budget flare, Battle Beyond the Stars pulls out all the stops and isn't devoid of clever ideas.
Some of the alien effects are actually pretty good for 1980s, and the cast features accomplished stars like Robert Vaughn and Richard Thomas. However, the movie's budget often struggles to keep up with its concepts, and there are more than a few downright laughable moments. Battle Beyond the Stars is proof positive that an ambitious bad movie is always fun to watch.
8 Hell Comes To Frogtown (1988)
Starring professional wrestling legend Rowdy Roddy Piper in the lead role, Hell Comes to Frogtown is a sci-fi movie so weird that it has to be seen to be believed. In a post-apocalyptic future where most people are infertile, a man is tasked with infiltrating the stronghold of humanoid amphibians in order to rescue a group of fertile women. The cheesy flick intentionally leans on the absurdity of its premise.
Though the plot sounds like the setup for a comedy, Hell Comes to Frogtown mostly plays it straight. In fact, the tepid attempts at humor are pretty groan-inducing, and the real laughs come unintentionally. The acting is over-the-top, and the frog-faced villains are hilarious. Hell Comes to Frogtown isn't a good movie, but it's never boring.
7 Destroy All Monsters (1968)
By the late 1960s, the Godzilla franchise began to fully embrace its cheesier side. Destroy All Monsters assembles a massive roster of kaiju warriors, including Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and a host of other lesser-known Japanese creatures to do battle. The human storyline is almost nonexistent, so nothing gets in the way of the fun.
There's no doubt that Destroy All Monsters is one of the cheesiest Godzilla movies, but it is endlessly endearing. It serves up exactly what a lot of kaiju fans crave, and there are battles upon battles between the iconic rubber-suited monsters. Prime Video has quite a few kaiju classics available to stream, but Destroy All Monsters is a must-see.
6 Timecop (1994)
Though Timecop is often regarded as one of Jean-Claude Van Damme's greatest movies, there's no denying that it is a pretty corny action flick. A time agent is tasked with stopping illegal changes to the timeline, but a rogue politician puts his family in jeopardy. The movie is blunt, silly, and delightfully cheesy in the classic '90s fashion.
Van Damme gets to show off his martial arts skills, and there is more than enough fighting to keep action fans engaged. The science fiction plot is pretty clever for what it is, and Timecop is miles better than many of its contemporaries. For nostalgia's sake alone, Timecop is worth a revisit now that it's streaming on Prime Video.
5 At Earth's Core (1976)
While most science fiction was concerned with the stars in the 1970s, At Earth's Core looked elsewhere. In Victorian times, an inventor devises a massive drill which burrows below the earth's surface where he finds a race of people who are tormented by monsters. Though it came out in 1976, it looks like a movie from the 1950s.
The delightfully dated British-American co-production is a throwback to a throwback. It features the steampunk sensibility of authors like Burroughs and Verne, and is a window into a bygone era of sci-fi. Peter Cushing leads the show, but even he can't keep At Earth's Core from slipping into goofy territory.
4 Trancers (1984)
Most casual science fiction fans haven't even heard of 1984's Trancers, but they are missing out on the fun. An agent is sent from the future to modern day Los Angeles to stop a man who has the power to turn people into mindless zombies. Charles Band's cult classic is a prime example of the shotgun approach to science fiction storytelling.
Trancers has a little bit of everything, from a time travel plot to a gritty action tone, and throws it all at the wall to see what sticks. Though it's noticeably cheap, the storytelling is pretty strong. That's not to say it isn't cheesy, and the film certainly has more than a few corny moments. Those looking for an underrated science fiction film on Prime Video should see Trancers right away.
3 Hardcore Henry (2015)
The newest movie on this list, Hardcore Henry represents the next generation of cheesy science fiction. A man is brought back from the grave with cybernetic enhancements, and he must save his wife from a villain who plans to destroy the world. Hardcore Henry is essentially a gimmick film, and is shot entirely from the first-person perspective of the main character.
It's bloody, bombastic, and endlessly weird, and goes for the gusto while trying to completely reinvent the way movies are made. Though the gimmick never caught on, Hardcore Henry exists as a charming little relic from the 2010s. Don't go in expecting a coherent sci-fi story, and the experience isn't recommended for those prone to nausea.
2 Nemesis (1992)
1992 was a pretty stellar year for sci-fi, and Nemesis was one flick that made it so memorable. A futuristic cyborg cop must track down his former partner who has allied himself with information terrorists. Clearly inspired by Blade Runner, Nemesis is Albert Pyun's low-budget alternative to the Ridley Scott classic.
Nemesis is often too ambitious for its own limited means, so a lot of the effects are corny. However, it is deftly directed by Pyun, who knows how to get the most blood out of the stone he is given. It's an ideal tune-in and tune-out movie, and doesn't require much thought to enjoy. It's action-packed and laughably sincere, exactly what a cheesy sci-fi film should be.
1 Freejack (1992)
With Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger in the main cast, Freejack is one of the biggest cinematic novelties of the 1990s. In the future, rich people send mercenaries back in time to kidnap young people in order to steal their healthy bodies. One of those kidnapped people escapes, and must survive the future.
It's a bleak and interesting concept that is handled in the cheesiest way possible. Along with Jagger, the movie co-stars Anthony Hopkins and Emilio Estevez, and is a generally well-made piece of schlock. All the negative reviews are absolutely correct, but Freejack's weaknesses are actually its strengths. If you've seen all the good sci-fi movies on Prime Video, why not check out the cheesiest?
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