The Best Sci-Fi Movies Of 2023

In a world where the nature of truth is up for debate and everyone carries a portable computer with the capability of instantly connecting to millions of other users in the blink of an eye, technology is moving at a faster pace than ever before in human existence. And as far as we've progressed, science fiction serves as a reminder of the possibilities to come. From dark, dystopian predictions to bright visions of humanity's potential, science fiction sparks the imagination while creating a space to safely explore issues that aren't always easy to confront. In the span of a couple of hours, audiences can travel across galaxies, consider the implications of the multiverse, or delve into the nature of human identity.

In the wake of the peak pandemic years, 2023 produced some of the most contemplative, visionary, and downright entertaining sci-fi movies to come out in a while. Whether you're into evil robots or interstellar dinosaurs, there's something for everyone. Slide into your moon boots as we launch into the best sci-fi movies of 2023.

Updated on January 3, 2024: Just like Alex in "A Clockwork Orange," we don't want you to miss a thing, so be sure to read on for the very best science fiction movies that 2023 had to offer.

"65" is one of those campy sci-fi films that critics hate and audiences love. But if you're the kind of science fiction fan who loves the cheesier episodes of "Stargate" and couldn't get enough of Netflix's "Another Life," this popcorn flick will be a worthwhile watch. 

The tale revolves around intergalactic transport pilot Mills, who loses his ailing child while on a years-long voyage to pay for her medical care — a late-stage capitalist premise that viewers may find distressingly familiar. When his transport crash-lands on an unknown planet, Mills finds himself stranded with a surviving child in tow on a planet covered in dinosaurs. Compounding their problems, they have to reach their escape vehicle before the planet is bombarded with an extinction-level meteor shower because — spoiler — it's 65 million years ago on Earth. Seeing Adam Driver give Picardian level acting to such a ridiculous premise alone is worth the price of admission.

• Starring: Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe Coleman
• Director: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
• Runtime: 93 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 35%

While it's by most accounts the weakest in the "Ant-Man" series thus far, "Quantumania" is worth watching for a few reasons, not the least of which is Paul Rudd. The MCU debut of villain and multiverse war originator Kang the Conqueror, brilliantly portrayed by Jonathan Majors of "Lovecraft Country," the film finds Scott and the rest of the Lang family, including his teenage daughter, split up in the Quantum Realm. Although some fans lament the more serious tone after the last two "Ant-Man" films, "Quantumania" serves as a pivotal point in the MCU canon and is a must-watch thanks to its introduction of the Kang lore. As is generally the case with MCU entries, the film features mid-credits and post-credits scenes that serve up some hints about future Marvel films, so be sure to stick around for the whole thing.

• Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors
• Director: Peyton Reed
• Runtime: 124 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 47%

The third and final movie in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" brings the gang back together — minus Gamora, who tragically sacrificed herself in "Avengers: Infinity War." Fortunately, her alternate universe incarnation makes a decent stand-in after Knowhere HQ get attacked by Adam Warlock, seriously wounding Rocket. Easily the darkest of the trilogy, "Vol.3" delves into Rocket's backstory as a victim of experimentation as his friends race against time to save him. Despite such heavy content, this film has all the mayhem, hijinks, swashbuckling, and laughs we've come to expect from a Marvel film, and the totally awesome soundtrack that characterizes this trilogy. If you love a fast-paced, visually spectacular sci-fi adventure, "Vol. 3" won't disappoint. 

• Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Karen Gillan
• Director: James Gunn
  
• Runtime: 150 minutes
  
• Rating: PG-13
  
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

When the 2018 animated sci-fi superhero film "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" hit the screens, critics and audiences went wild for its experimental animation style, powerful storytelling, and strong performances. Then in 2023, the animators at Sony outdid themselves with "Across the Spider-Verse," which finds Miles dealing with multiverse-sized problems — fighting a war on two fronts as he finds himself targeted by other Spider-People while facing off with The Spot, a supervillain covered in interdimensional portals. 

Set across several beautifully realized universes, the film also introduces us to beloved new characters such as Pavitr Prabhakar and Hobie Brown while also focusing on Gwen Stacy's struggles with being a superhero. Like "Into the Spider-Verse," critics have loved the movie's imaginative animation and storytelling, with The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday praising the sequel as "an extravagant, very cool love letter to graphic design."

• Starring: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry
• Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
• Runtime: 140 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

"Crater" is a family-friendly sci-fi tale that follows a group of teenagers living in a lunar mining colony. As the story unfolds, our young heroes set out on a quest across the moon's unforgiving terrain after one of their fathers dies in a mining accident. Crackling with Amblin energy, the coming-of-age sci-fi in many ways feels like "The Goonies" in space as it follows a bunch of young friends racing against the clock to find a hidden treasure before the world finally tears them apart. 

Prioritizing heart over hard science and accuracy, "Crater" has been praised for its young cast's performance and sensitive exploration of friendship and loss. Critics also praised the film's atmospheric appearance through its portrayal of the lunar landscape and visually imaginative depiction of life on the moon, including eerie abandoned lunar real estate that Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com found emblematic of pro-union, anti-capitalist themes giving "depth to the lives of the kids who can't imagine a future beyond the confines of the colony."

• Starring: Isaiah Russell-Bailey, Mckenna Grace, Billy Barratt
• Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez
• Runtime: 105 minutes 
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 64%

Based on a YA novel of the same name, "Landscape With Invisible Hand" is a quirky sci-fi with a whole lot of layers. Specifically, this film explores the complex relationships between performance, employment, and personal identity in a world where voyeurism has been normalized and privacy is often sacrificed for a paycheck.

In the near-future of "Landscape with Invisible Hand," humanity has been subjugated by an advanced race of strange-looking, retro TV-loving aliens called the Vuvv. When this threatens their families' livelihoods, a pair of teens decide to broadcast their budding romance for financial gain — a decision that proves toxic to their relationship. Although some have criticized "Landscape" for being ambitious to the point of messy, critics like Brianna Wellen of Chicago Reader praised it as a touching young adult dramedy with complex ideas. The film's unique and slightly whimsical aliens serve as a reminder not to take it too seriously.

• Starring: Asante Blackk, Kylie Rogers, Tiffany Haddish
• Director: Cory Finley
• Runtime: 105 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 72%

Wordless and nearly-wordless storytelling has become something of a trend in recent years. Consider the entire premise of "A Quiet Place," and the nearly wordless "The Boy in 6B" episode of "Only Murders in the Building." The latest film to get in on the trend is "No One Will Save You," a sci-fi horror with only one five-word line in its screenplay. This choice serves to enhance the film's intense themes of loneliness and grief.

"No One Will Save You" finds seamstress Brynn living an isolated life apart from her community in the wake of personal losses. One night, in a moment that will chill anyone who has ever experienced sleep paralysis, Brynn awakens to learn there's an alien attack underway in her community. A dark hybrid of "Home Alone" and "Alien," "No One Will Save You" is a tense and well-performed meditation on resilience and a solid psychological horror.

• Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Zack Duhame, Lauren Murray
• Director: Brian Duffield
• Runtime: 93 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

While it's not necessarily the most mind-blowing or flashy sci-fi to come out in 2023, "The Mill" is a strange, eerie flick with just enough "Black Mirror" and "Lost" energy to make it worth watching. Everyday businessman Joe (Lil Rel Howery) wakes up in a hellish prison run by Amazon-style mega-corporation Mallard. His cell is outdoors in full sun, devoid of a bed or any amenities, and features unscalable cement walls. There is also a dirt floor with discarded human remains just below the surface. In the center is a large, seemingly ancient grist mill. With no recollection of how he got there, Joe is forced to piece together the rules and constraints of his new circumstances from the voices of other inmates and his periodic interactions with the advert-heavy AI interface, which communicates in detached, faux-friendly corporate-speak. "The Mill" doesn't quite manage to make the statement it wants to, but if you go into it looking for a fun and decently mysterious sci-fi flick that feels like a long "Twilight Zone" episode, you won't be disappointed.

• Starring: Lil Rel Howery, Pat Healy, Karen Obilom
• Director: Sean King O'Grady
• Runtime: 106 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 50%

A quiet little sci-fi romance with Cate Blanchett on the production team, "Fingernails" uses a science fiction setting to explore complex questions about relationships and compatibility. The story is set in a world where a simple diagnostic test can be used to determine whether couples are in love. But the test proves detrimental to many couples who try it. When former teacher Anna lands a job at the company behind the tech, her own love life soon gets called into question. Fans of emotional romances with a sci-fi twist will enjoy the chemistry of its lead actors, including Oscar winner Riz Ahmed.

• Starring: Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, Jeremy Allen White
• Director: Christos Nikou
• Runtime: 113 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 61 %

"The Marvels" follows Captain Marvel, aka Carol Danvers, as she teams up with the teenage Ms. Marvel, aka Kamala Khan, and S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Monica Rambeau. They don't have much choice — a wormhole quantum entangles the trio's powers, which are all light-based. A female-driven entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this film tanked at the box office — but that doesn't mean you should skip it. Critics like The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw praised the chemistry between the film's three leads. It's also a lighter entry in the arguably oversaturated MCU that leans heavily into the sci-fi and physics side of things in a way geeks will appreciate.

• Starring: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani
• Director: Nia DaCosta
  
• Runtime: 105 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 61%

This universally acclaimed installment in the Godzilla universe is a prequel to the series, set in postwar Japan. The Japanese people, still awash in trauma, are plagued by their first encounters with the famed kaiju. Epic, exciting, and surprisingly emotional explorations of PTSD, American imperialism, and survival against insurmountable odds ensue. By balancing character-driven drama and powerful storytelling with the fantastical carnage of the sci-fi movie monster we all know and love, "Godzilla Minus One" will likely go down as one of the best films in the long-running franchise.

• Starring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada
• Director: Takashi Yamazaki
• Runtime: 125 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

"Aporia" is a quiet little indie sci-fi fans of time travel stories should take care not to miss. It's also a rare chance for veteran comedy actor Judy Greer to show off her chops. The story finds recent widow Sophie struggling to move on after the death of her husband Mal, the victim of a drunk driver. When she's given access to a time machine, Sophie finds herself mired in the moral and existential complications that come with changing fate and living with a subsequent Cassandra complex. Despite a shoestring budget and an utterly absurd premise, "Aporia" serves up intelligent storytelling with enough heart to make it worth the watch.

• Starring: Judy Greer, Edi Gathegi, Payman Maadi
• Director: Jared Moshe
• Runtime: 104 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

This comedy slasher film features a delightfully improbable take on a favorite sci-fi trope. Jamie is a high school student whose mom survived the Sweet 16 serial killer in her youth, only to become their victim as an adult. While being pursued by the killer herself, Jamie accidentally gets transported to 1987, where she faces off with the killer alongside the teenage version of her mom. Completely ridiculous in all the best ways, "Totally Killer" is a quality popcorn flick.

• Starring: Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt, Charlie Gillespie
• Director: Nahnatchka Khan
• Runtime: 106 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%