Movie lovers today are living in a true golden age of sci-fi cinema. The releases of such monumental blockbuster epics like Project Hail Mary, the Dune movies, and even animated gems like The Wild Robot and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse are just some of the bigger, more mainstream titles that exemplify the era of science-fiction perfection the 2020s have been so far. But the strength of the genre throughout the first half of the decade isn’t only presented in the most brilliant movie masterpieces it has seen.
Also bolstering the growing claim that the 2020s could be the greatest decade for sci-fi cinema in the medium’s history is an extensive list of great albeit slightly flawed films that capture the gravitas, spectacle, and cerebral might of the genre. Ranging from action epics to probing horror, underrated animated treats, and even experimental independent gems, these near-perfect sci-fi movies support the idea that the 2020s are the genre’s golden era on the big screen.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you'd actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
TEST YOUR SURVIVAL →
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
APull on every thread until I understand the system — then figure out how to break it. BStop asking questions and start stockpiling — food, fuel, weapons. Questions don't keep you alive. CKeep my head down, observe carefully, and trust no one until I know who's pulling the strings. DStudy the patterns. Every system has a rhythm — learn it, and you learn how to survive it. EFind the people fighting back and join them. You can't fix a broken galaxy alone.
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02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
AKnowledge. If you understand the system, you don't need resources — you can generate them. BFuel. Everything else — movement, power, escape — runs on it. CTrust. In a world of fakes and informants, a truly reliable ally is rarer than any commodity. DWater. And after water, information — the two things empires are truly built on. EShips and credits. The galaxy is big — you survive it by being able to move through it freely.
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03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you're honest about what you're actually afraid of.
AThat reality itself is a lie — that everything I experience has been constructed to keep me compliant. BA raid. No warning, no mercy — just the roar of engines and then nothing left. CBeing identified. Once someone with power decides you're a problem, you're already out of time. DBeing outmanoeuvred — losing a political game I didn't even know I was playing. EThe Empire tightening its grip until there's nowhere left to run.
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04
How do you deal with authority you don't trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
ASubvert it from the inside — learn its rules well enough to weaponise them against it. BIgnore it and stay out of its reach. The further from any power structure, the better. CAppear to comply while doing exactly what I need to do. Visibility is the enemy. DManoeuvre within it carefully. You can't beat a system you refuse to understand. EResist openly when I have to. Some things are worth the risk of being seen.
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05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn't just tactical — it's physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
AUnderground bunkers and server rooms — cramped, artificial, but with access to everything that matters. BOpen wasteland — brutal sun, no shelter, constant movement. At least the threat is honest. CA dense, rain-soaked city where you can disappear into the crowd and nobody asks questions. DMerciless desert — extreme heat, no water, and something enormous living beneath the sand. EThe fringe — backwater planets and busy spaceports where the Empire's attention rarely reaches.
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06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
AA tight crew of believers who've seen behind the curtain and have nothing left to lose. BOne or two people I'd trust with my life. Any more than that and someone talks. CNobody, ideally. Alliances are liabilities. I work alone unless I have no choice. DA community bound by shared hardship and mutual survival — people who need each other to last. EA ragtag team with wildly different skills and total commitment when it counts.
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07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they're actually made of.
AI won't harm the innocent — even the ones who'd report me without hesitation. BI do what I have to to protect the people I've chosen. Everything else is negotiable. CThe line shifts depending on who's asking and what's at stake. DI draw a long-term line — nothing that compromises my people's future, even if it'd help now. ESome lines, once crossed, can't be uncrossed. I know which ones they are.
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08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
AWaking others up — dismantling the illusion so no one else has to live inside it. BFinding somewhere — or someone — worth protecting. A reason to keep moving. CAnswers. Understanding what I am, what any of this means, before time runs out. DLegacy — shaping the future in a way that outlasts me by generations. EFreedom — for myself, for others, for every world still living under someone else's boot.
REVEAL MY WORLD →
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You'd Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You're a systems thinker who can't help but notice the seams in things.
- You're drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
- You'd find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines' worst nightmare.
- You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
- The Matrix built an airtight prison. You'd be the one probing the walls for the door.
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn't reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That's you.
- You don't need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
- You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you're good at all three.
- You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
- In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Blade Runner
You'd survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
- You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
- In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
- You're not a hero. But you're not lost, either.
- In Blade Runner's world, that distinction is everything.
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
- Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they're survival tools.
- You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
- Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You'd learn its logic and earn its respect.
- In time, you wouldn't just survive Arrakis — you'd begin to reshape it.
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn't have it any other way.
- You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
- You'd gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire's grip can be broken.
- You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn't something you're capable of.
- In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
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10 'The Creator' (2023)
Image via 20th Century StudiosA compelling watch, not only in terms of its thematic insights and sheer spectacle, but in its ability to perfect some elements while mishandling others, The Creator is both incredibly close to achieving sci-fi perfection and quite a ways off it. Set in a future where humanity is at war with artificial intelligence, it follows former soldier Joshua (John David Washington) as he is recruited to uncover a new weapon that has the potential to wipe out mankind. However, when he discovers it is an A.I. in the form of a child, he struggles to go through with the mission.
Its original premise is supported by bold thematic ideas, stunning visual effects, and engrossing world-building. However, The Creator falters in its character development and its plotting, with an overly slow opening and a condensed and muddled ending, unable to support the weight of the central themes. It is undeniably a great sci-fi movie, a treat of blockbuster grandeur imbued with mindfulness and timely relevance, but it never quite achieves perfection despite its litany of admirable qualities. That said, it has become a streaming sensation of late despite its mixed critical reception and its box office failure.
9 'Crimes of the Future' (2022)
Image via NEONWhile it certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste, Crimes of the Future is a peculiarly beautiful marriage of extreme body horror and piercing social commentary that epitomizes veteran director David Cronenberg at his absolute best. In a future where humans have evolved to a synthetic environment, performance artist Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen) and his wife and colleague publicly display the metamorphosis of his organs. As they are tailed by an investigator for the National Organ Registry, they also learn Tenser’s notoriety is being used by a group trying to expose the next step in human evolution.
It walks a fine line between grotesque gratuity and graphic, thematically loaded arthouse exuberance, but Cronenberg is, as always, assured in his ideas. Crimes of the Future’s exploration of mankind’s integration with technology, the exploitative nature of the human body being presented as art, and issues of surveillance and government control ensure it elevates above simple shock value to be a provocative, thought-provoking sci-fi horror.
8 'The Invisible Man' (2020)
Image via Universal PicturesA number of films in recent years have served as remakes of classic horror titles that, rather than simply rehashing the original stories with more special effects, have molded the innate themes and ideas of the narratives to comment on trending social issues. The Invisible Man is one of the best examples, turning H. G. Wells’ renowned short story—and the iconic 1933 movie based on the tale—into a richly suspenseful meditation on the trauma that lingers in the wake of an abusive and toxic relationship.
Elizabeth Moss stars as Cecilia, the former partner of an optics engineer, who fled their house to get away from him, only to hear he had committed suicide two weeks later. As she struggles with feelings of sorrow and relief, she begins to feel disconcerted by an ominous, unseen presence around her, leading to a macabre suspicion that her ex’s death may not have been what it first seemed. Eerie, effective, and often excruciating, The Invisible Man is a snappy sci-fi thriller that loads a classic tale with modern sensitivities with impressive results.
7 'Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes' (2020)
Image via TollywoodA hidden gem from Japan, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is a sharp and snappy sci-fi comedy that puts every cent of its low-budget production to exceptional use to deliver a high-energy, low-key treat of time travel tension. It transpires as a café owner discovers that his TV can show images from two minutes into the future. Chaos ensues when he and his colleagues try to use it for self-gain.
With a runtime of just 70 minutes, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes develops an infectious sense of momentum, progressing at a delightfully rapid rate with its premise ensuring new disasters and twists come and go at a frenetic rate. While its frenzied pacing is enrapturing, the comedy sci-fi proves adept at juggling obscene, absurdist fun with well-defined characters and plenty of charm. Inspired, goofy, unique, and utterly magnetic, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is a masterclass in extracting profound entertainment from sheer lunacy.
6 'The Substance' (2024)
Grotesque, gruesome, and graphically grueling, The Substance continues science fiction’s longstanding relationship with horror cinema as a vessel for both squeamish visuals and cutting thematic prowess. A career-best, Oscar-nominated Demi Moore plays a fading actress who, desperate to return to her glory days, injects herself with a mysterious serum that promises a younger and more beautiful version of herself. Her dreams of rekindled stardom descend into a nightmarish hell, however, when she begins experiencing unexpected side effects.
Writer-director Coralie Fargeat brilliantly conjures a spectacle of striking shocks, defined by the visceral impact of Pierre-Oliver Persin’s extensive practical effects. The rich, meditative drama functions as both character-driven horror and a skewering satire of the superficiality of society and the entertainment industry. Mixing weird, absurdist fun with stomach-churning body horror, The Substance immediately established itself as a cult classic of sci-fi/horror cinema that is sure to be celebrated for years to come by enthusiasts of both genres.
5 'Tenet' (2020)
Image via Warner Bros. PicturesThe audience response to Tenet has been fascinating. While few would herald it as being Sir Christopher Nolan’s best movie, there was initially a striking divide between those who appreciated its ambition and those who rejected it for its dense exposition and confounding high-concept premise of inverted entropy. Just six years after its release, its reception seems to be far more favorable, recognized by many as a bold big swing from the modern maestro of blockbuster cinema that overcomes its flaws with a sense of sheer spectacle and audacity.
John David Washington stars as a nameless protagonist who is recruited by “Tenet,” a secret organization specializing in objects that run backwards through time. The operative is tasked with thwarting the apocalyptic plans of Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh), a Russian oligarch gathering weaponry from the future to use in the present. Tenet’s detailed plotting and time-shifting antics remain confusing, but the broad strokes present an absorbing treat of big production excitement defined by an arresting intensity, monumental action sequences, and a propulsive sense of momentum.
4 'Mars Express' (2023)
Image via GKIDSAs an action-packed adult animation released by the relatively small French distribution company Gebeka Films, Mars Express feels like a massive genre cult classic in the making. Covering everything from spy thrillers to noir mysteries, the 2023 release is a compelling concoction of ideas realized with a beautiful homage to the style of '90s anime executed with 2D hand-drawn animation blended with digitally constructed, 3D backgrounds that fill out the infectious futuristic story world.
Set in 2200, it follows a private investigator and her android partner as they travel to Mars to track down a notorious hacker in the city of Noctis at the behest of a wealthy businessman. In their investigation, the duo finds a missing girl who holds a secret that could reshape the nature of humanity’s relationship with androids. A ravishing marriage of cyberpunk aesthetic and elaborate mystery sci-fi, Mars Express is sure to be revered as a near-perfect cult hit of the genre in years to come.
3 'Bugonia' (2025)
Image via Focus FeaturesWhile Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things does stand firmly among the defining masterpieces of sci-fi cinema in the decades so far, it is harder to say with complete conviction that 2025’s Bugonia does. It is certainly an interesting movie, a typically eccentric convergence of genre ideas and thematic observations from Lanthimos that juggles elements of brutal black comedy, skewering satire, sci-fi paranoia, and brilliantly contained suspense to be a relentlessly absorbing watch.
Its narrative is defined by intricacies and twists, but the general outline of the plot revolves around two conspiracy theorists who abduct the CEO of a pharmaceutical company when they become convinced that she is a member of a malevolent alien species. Strengthened by outstanding performances from Jesse Plemons and an Oscar-nominated Emma Stone, Bugonia excels as an appropriately absurd and disturbing response to the maddening and often ridiculous suspicion prevalent in modern society. Its heavy-handed nature addresses its thematic point with unmissable weight, but its lack of nuance makes it less remarkable than the director’s more esteemed masterpieces.
2 'The Mitchells vs. the Machines' (2021)
Image via NetflixRiotous, relatable, and splendidly ridiculous, The Mitchells vs. the Machines was something of an immediate hit of animated adventure when it released on Netflix in 2021. With its eye-catching effervescence and exuberant energy, it engrosses viewers of all ages as it follows the gleefully dysfunctional Mitchell family, who, in the midst of a road trip vacation, discover that they are the last hope for humanity as a robot apocalypse erupts.
A true charmer, The Mitchells vs. the Machines thrives through its use of silliness, sight gags, and stupendous set pieces to propel the narrative rather than distract audiences from it. Yes, it isn’t quite on par with some of the decade’s other sci-fi animated sensations—few films of any genre or medium are the equal of movies like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Still, the 2021 cartoon comedy presents a stunning balance of fun-loving lunacy and heartfelt warmth, resulting in one of the more enjoyable gems of science-fiction cinema and family-friendly animation in recent years.
1 'Nope' (2022)
Image via Universal PicturesHot off the back of his Oscar-winning debut with Get Out and his stirring sophomore outing with Us, Jordan Peele presented yet another daring high-concept concoction of social commentary, black comedy, harrowing horror, and sci-fi splendor. Adding elements of Western spectacle and family drama into the fold, Nope follows a Californian horse wrangler and rancher as he begins to suspect a lingering cloud in the sky is actually an alien ship and, with help from a small crew, embarks on an endeavor to capture footage of it to profit from his discovery.
While many critiqued its slow pacing and the muddled goals of its characters, Nope still thrives as an engrossing treat of sci-fi storytelling underlined with a timely thematic interest in the exploitation of the phenomenal for self-gain in the modern world of technology and social media. It's also imbued with several unforgettable sequences of visceral tension, ranging from the terrifying “Gordy” flashbacks to the haunting scene of the alien digesting its prey. Nope is a brilliant exploration of the pitfalls of sensationalism wrapped up in a compelling story of alien discovery.
Nope
Release Date July 22, 2022
English (US) ·