12 Most Rewatchable Sci-Fi Movies Ever Made

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The science fiction genre has long included movies that are thought-provoking, exciting, and horrifying. Some of the best films ever made fall into the genre, and many appear on fans' top movie lists, but not every sci-fi film is as rewatchable as the next. While a classic like "2001: A Space Odyssey" is arguably one of the most important science fiction movies of the 20th century, it's not something you can sit through half a dozen times in a year.

For a sci-fi film to garner that much devoted attention from a fan, it needs a little less depth. All credit where it's due, director Stanley Kubrick's classic, as well as examples like Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," are excellent, but they're tough to watch on repeat. For a movie to be rewatchable, it usually has to be packed with equal elements of humor, action, and thrills. Getting bogged down in details may be great for films like "Metropolis" and "Gattaca," but they're not as rewatchable as some.

The most rewatchable science fiction movies ever made are often innovative in their use of special effects, and despite some being relatively old, they still stand up. Great characters that viewers want to see succeed are also essential aspects of rewatchability, and this is ultimately subjective. Still, these 12 sci-fi classics are highly rewatchable, and they're arranged in chronological order of release.

• Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher

• Director: Irvin Kershner

• Rating: PG

• Runtime: 124 minutes

• Where to watch: Disney+

While the "Star Wars" movie franchise consists of some excellent films, "The Empire Strikes Back" is often cited as its best. The movie's rewatchability stems from how brilliantly it's written, acted, and directed. As the sequel to the highest-grossing movie of its time, "Empire" had to pull out all the stops and offer a story with some serious weight to it.

It does so by unveiling one of the biggest twists in cinematic history at the height of the third act, when Darth Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones) reveals to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) that he's his father. Taking a step back, the film starts with the Rebel Alliance on the run. This comes after the Battle of Yavin, where they destroyed the Death Star. Instead of taking a victory lap, they're pursued across the galaxy by the Empire.

Meanwhile, Luke is trained by Yoda (Frank Oz) to become a Jedi Knight while his friends are taken captive. It all culminates with the aforementioned twist and an ending that is entirely antithetical to the first film. Luke loses his hand and lightsaber, he learns the truth about his father, and the Rebel Alliance is pushed to the brink. It's brilliant storytelling, and is easily the most rewatchable entry in the franchise.

• Cast: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine

• Director: John Carpenter

• Rating: R

• Runtime: 99 minutes

• Where to watch: Prime Video

Director John Carpenter's penchant for excellent action movies was on full display when "Escape from New York" hit theaters in 1981. The film introduces one of action's greatest heroes, Lieutenant S.D. Bob "Snake" Plissken (Kurt Russell), a highly decorated war hero and former Special Forces operator remanded to the island of Manhattan, which has been walled off from the mainland to serve as a prison.

Instead, he's given a mission to go inside and rescue the President of the United States. If he succeeds, he'll receive a full pardon. What follows is a series of dangerous interactions with all manner of people trapped inside Manhattan, and the film's cast makes it all as rewatchable as possible — especially with Ernest Borgnine's performance as "Cabbie."

Snake is a true rogue, and right up to the end, he sticks it to the man, one last time. "Escape from New York" is a classic sci-fi film that leans far closer to the action genre than the former, but still manages to innovate in many ways. Its use of practical effects to depict what appears to be 3D wireframe animation is legendary, making it one of the few '80s sci-fi movies that still look amazing today.

• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

• Director: Nicholas Meyer

• Rating: PG

• Runtime: 113 minutes

• Where to watch: Paramount+

Star Trek has been releasing movies for decades, and while many are great, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is often cited as the best. The film reshaped the franchise, taking it from the slower-paced, poorly received "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and elevating it to a fast-paced, space-based, submarine warfare movie with serious consequences.

One of the things that makes "Wrath of Khan" such a great movie is how well it stands on its own merit. You don't have to know anything about "Star Trek" to enjoy the film, which is unusual for a few reasons. First of all, it's a sequel, and secondly, it's part of a wider franchise. Despite this, you can walk into the movie completely fresh and be entertained from beginning to end.

This movie follows up on the "Star Trek" episode "Space Seed," while taking its narrative structure from "Balance of Terror." But you don't have to see them to enjoy "Wrath of Khan," and because it's a revenge film, that's impressive. The movie is full of stellar performances, action-packed battles, and real stakes. "The Wrath of Khan" may be Star Trek, but at its core, it's a fantastic sci-fi movie.

• Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum

• Director: Steven Spielberg

• Rating: PG-13

• Runtime: 127 minutes

• Where to watch: MGM+

Director Steven Spielberg's filmography includes numerous rewatchable movies, but the one that easily tops the list is "Jurassic Park." Spielberg took author Michael Crichton's hit book and transformed it into cinematic gold through innovative special effects and an unrelenting sense of suspense that builds from one scene to the next. This keeps the tension from dipping in the slightest as a small group of humans attempts to survive on an island overrun by dinosaurs.

The movie begins with a sense of awe and wonder before transitioning into one of sheer terror, brought about through nascent CGI techniques and brilliant puppeteering from legendary Academy Award-winning VFX artist Stan Winston. Usually, a science fiction film's CGI effects appear dated over time, but that's not the case with "Jurassic Park." The combination of practical and digital dinos creates a visceral effect that works perfectly.

"Jurassic Park" never hides what it is, despite all of the grace and wonder of its first act. It's an action-packed sci-fi film that explores the hubris of man in one of the most exciting cinematic achievements in history, and that alone earns it high rewatchability by its many fans. While it launched an expansive franchise, to many, the first entry is arguably the best.

• Cast: Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman

• Director: Luc Besson

• Rating: PG-13

• Runtime: 126 minutes

• Where to watch: YouTube

A common problem with many science fiction movies is pacing, as they tend to drag on for some time. This can often work well, but not always. "The Fifth Element" is the opposite, as it never stops moving from one moment to the next, often through excessive, over-the-top action and humor.

The film follows a small group of heroes thrust into greatness when the manifestation of evil appears, threatening anything and everything, beginning with Earth. Only Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) maintains his cool throughout the film, while everyone else is swept up in the intense action, and it's a blast to watch. It's one of those movies that's chock-full of detail, so most people notice more in "The Fifth Element" the second time they watch it.

Of course, rewatching it only once hardly does the movie justice, as many people enjoy it year after year. Every aspect, from the special effects and music to the character design and witty humor, comes together into a movie that's entertaining to both fans of the genre and those who rarely give it a second look. It all just works, and it's also a rare example of a brilliant sci-fi movie that doesn't need a sequel.

• Cast: Eli Marienthal, Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Aniston

• Director: Brad Bird

• Rating: PG

• Runtime: 86 minutes

• Where to watch: YouTube

Animation has long been a format that's home to exceptional science-fiction films, thanks to its ability to depict whatever artists can imagine. "WALL-E" certainly fits this description, as does the criminally underrated '90s classic "The Iron Giant." The film is set during the Cold War, when a young boy finds a gigantic alien robot whom he befriends and works to hide from the military, which perceives him as a threat.

The story is much like "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," as it shows how a young boy finds an alien and secretly makes a strong bond as government officials seek to intervene. Despite the similarities, "The Iron Giant" is unique in its presentation, and it seamlessly blends traditional 2D cel animation with CGI for the titular alien's depiction on the silver screen.

As sometimes happens with excellent science fiction movies, "The Iron Giant" performed horribly at the box office. It lost millions, but this didn't have any impact on its status as an award-winning classic. The film developed a cult following in home video releases and rentals in the years after it hit theaters. It remains a highly rewatchable animated classic wedged between 2D and CGI, alongside other underrated cult classics like "Titan A.E."

• Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss

• Directors: The Wachowskis

• Rating: R

• Runtime: 136 minutes

• Where to watch: YouTube

Every so often, a new science fiction film comes along and completely transforms the genre, which is exactly what "The Matrix" did when it came out in 1999. The film innovated in several technical areas of special effects, while pushing a highly influential narrative that impacted movies for years to come. It took the oft-used trope of killer AI and enhanced it, showing the aftermath of humanity's loss of a great war between biology and technology.

To continue the fight while most of humanity is unknowingly enslaved to the machines, a small group of survivors has to embrace technology. It's a brilliant sci-fi story, and it's also an incredibly well-choreographed action film, employing numerous types of martial arts and other fighting styles alongside gun-fu, popularizing that method of filmmaking in the West, whereas it was previously only common in Hong Kong cinema.

Like "The Wrath of Khan," "The Matrix" all but demands multiple viewings, whether a viewer is enamored with the genre or not. The story is compelling, the action is intense, and the innovative use of an old camera technique the filmmakers dubbed "Bullet Time" ensured that "The Matrix" carved out a lasting niche in popular culture.

• Cast: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson

• Director: Michel Gondry

• Rating: R

• Runtime: 108 minutes

• Where to watch: Hulu

Some science fiction movies are highly rewatchable due to the intricacy of their plots and the details seen in every scene. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is such a film due to how it depicts a non-linear narrative of two people's chaotic, yet loving relationship. When Clementine (Kate Winslet) has her memories of Joel (Jim Carrey) removed from her brain through targeted, quasi-surgically inflicted brain damage, he follows suit.

As he's undergoing the procedure, asleep in his bed, their relationship plays out in a series of fantastical vignettes, bleeding over into additional memories as they're destroyed. Joel's desperate attempt to hold onto his memories of Clementine paints their relationship as something worth preserving, and it's sad, tremendously emotional, and easily one of Carrey's best performances.

Indeed, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is one of Carrey's best movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes, as it boasts a rating of 93%. Since its release, the movie has become something of a cult classic, garnering a great deal of attention for its brilliant storytelling mechanics, which turn its replayability up to 11. There's plenty to miss, whether you've seen it only once or many times, highlighting the film's surreal, dreamlike nature.

• Cast: Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper

• Director: James Gunn

• Rating: PG-13

• Runtime: 121 minutes

• Where to watch: Disney+

Marvel Studios' movies are often up there on fans' rewatchability lists, and one that's usually especially high is "Guardians of the Galaxy." Nothing about this movie should have worked as well as it did, proving that writer/director James Gunn knows what he's doing in adapting comics for mainstream audiences. He took a relatively unknown cosmic comic and transformed it into one of the best franchises within the MCU.

The movie takes a young boy from Earth and thrusts him into a life of space piracy. Still, he retains his love of everything '80s, featured on the film's chart-topping soundtrack. There's plenty of humor and overall irreverence mixed into the story that ensures it's funny to just about anyone and everyone. This makes it another sci-fi film that's rewatchable even for fans not entirely sold on the genre.

"Guardians of the Galaxy" is important within the wider framework of the MCU's Infinity Saga, but putting that aside, it's a fun sci-fi flick that is pure entertainment from the Marvel Studios logo to the final post-credits scene. This alone makes it a great movie to watch more than once, and it doesn't hurt that it spawned two excellent sequels and a holiday special.

• Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller

• Director: Tim Miller

• Rating: R

• Runtime: 108 minutes

• Where to watch: Disney+

"Deadpool" is one of those movies that was a long time coming, as it took years for Ryan Reynolds to get the green light. He played a horrific version of the Merc with a Mouth in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," and fans wanted nothing more than to see a proper adaptation. That finally came in all of its R-rated glory in 2016, making for a highly successful, funny, gory, and rewatchable superhero sci-fi movie.

The film has a lot to offer in terms of action, but at its core, it's a movie about a fourth-wall-breaking sometimes superhero who doesn't follow the rules. "Deadpool" doesn't adapt a specific story from the comics so much as it seamlessly adapts the character off the page and onto the silver screen. When you're watching "Deadpool," you might as well be reading a comic, because it unapologetically nails the source in ways few comic book movies could.

Like "Guardians of the Galaxy," "Deadpool" launched a trilogy, taking the character from 20th Century Fox and landing him in Disney's MCU. But it all started with the 2016 film, which is a fun, cleverly written, and rewatchable piece of entertainment that landed it on a solid foundation in popular culture.

• Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo

• Directors: The Russos

• Rating: PG-13

• Runtime: 181 minutes

• Where to watch: Disney+

The "Avengers" movies are pretty much made for rewatchability, as they're absolutely crammed with amazing characters and comic book lore. As of writing, there have been four "Avengers" films, but the one that stands out as the best is easily "Avengers: Endgame." This is the movie that brought a penultimate end to The Infinity Saga, seeing the heroes go up against Thanos (Josh Brolin) one last time in a desperate bid to not only stop the Mad Titan, but undo the damage he's done.

Much of "Endgame" is fan service, offering tidbits of information and moments of quiet humor that align with the film's many characters as they fight against all odds to save the universe. Marvel Studios spent 11 years and 21 movies building up to "Endgame," and the filmmakers' flawless execution ensures it stands as one of the franchise's greatest achievements.

Like so many other long-running science fiction films, there's so much happening on screen at any given moment that it's all but guaranteed that viewers will miss details. That's one aspect of "Endgame's" replayability, but so too are the acting, direction, special effects, characters, and high-stakes story. These coalesce into a movie that's well worth watching numerous times, whether while binging the franchise or as a standalone.

• Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis

• Directors: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

• Rating: R

• Runtime: 139 minutes

• Where to watch: YouTube

Few film titles are as apt and descriptive as "Everything Everywhere All at Once," as that's precisely what's thrown on screen throughout the movie. When it begins, you think that you're watching a story about a woman running a struggling business, but it becomes so much more than that the moment the action kicks in. The film's narrative shifts into a multiversal tale with a truly immense scale.

Dominic Griffin described the movie as "Multiversal Majesty" in his review of "Everything Everywhere All At Once" for Looper. That pretty much sums it up, as every divergence into another multiverse increases the plot's complexity to some seriously over-the-top depictions of reality. This includes one where everyone has hot dog fingers and another where the main characters are rocks with googly eyes.

This is the type of experimental cinema that doesn't usually land with wider audiences, but "Everything Everywhere All at Once" had no problem doing that. It was an amazing success, nabbing seven Academy Awards. Thanks to its chaotic plot, there's plenty to see each time you watch it, which makes "Everything Everywhere All at Once" highly rewatchable.