10 Best Sci-Fi Movies Of All Time, According To Letterboxd Users

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As proven by the recent success of "Project Hail Mary," audiences always have room in their hearts for an especially interesting science fiction film — and they'll flock to the theaters accordingly. Since the very beginning of cinema with Georges Melies' "A Trip to the Moon," genre pictures have been a popular choice. And over the decades they've propelled film to new heights, inventing technology to bring their creative vision to life.

Critics may have a list in their head of the all-time greatest sci-fi films, but users of Letterboxd have their own ideas — and their top picks may or may not line up with the critical consensus, as you'll soon see. Some of the films on this list that have been awarded top scores by Letterboxd align with conventional wisdom, while others might just surprise you. Recency bias is alive and well among Letterboxd users, but don't worry, you'll also see some old favorites present and accounted for here.

• Cast: Matt Johnson, Jay McCarrol
• Director: Matt Johnson
• Runtime: 99 min
• Rating: R
• Where to watch (rental or purchase): Prime Video, Apple TV 

Remember what we said about recency bias with user scores on Letterboxd? That's definitely at play here, with 2025's "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie" making the list. But that's not to say it isn't a good movie in its own right. Director Matt Johnson delivers a quirky science fiction comedy, based on a web series turned TV program, "Nirvana the Band the Show," that he co-created with Jay McCarrol. 

In it, the two star as the musical duo Nirvanna the Band, whose efforts to book a gig at the Rivoli in Toronto end up sending them back in time to 2008, with things only getting more chaotic from there. A love letter to its creators' native Canada, "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie" has a unique sense of humor that makes it a refreshingly original and light-hearted entry in a genre that can sometimes be accused of taking itself too seriously.

• Cast: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Huller, Milana Vayntrub
• Director: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
• Runtime: 156 min
• Rating: PG-13
• Where to watch (rental or purchase): Prime Video, Apple TV

"Project Hail Mary" may be the newest entry on this list as of this writing, but its combination of critical acclaim and box office numbers make it a worthy offering that will undoubtedly have appeal for years to come. This space adventure comes from the mind of Andy Weir, who also wrote "The Martian," which was adapted into an equally crowd-pleasing 2015 film starring Matt Damon. It features Ryan Gosling in the lead role as a teacher who wakes up aboard a ship hurtling through space with no memory of how he got there. It's only through a series of flashbacks that we discover the truth about his mission, and how he has any hope of survival.

Critics and audiences fell in love with "Project Hail Mary," propelling it to one of the best box office returns for a non-franchise film in recent memory. But it's not just a 2026 hit — it has all the makings of a bona fide sci-fi classic.

• Cast: Kurt Russell, Keith David, Wilford Brimley
• Director: John Carpenter
• Runtime: 109 min
• Rating: R
• Where to watch: Prime Video, YouTube

"The Thing" straddles the line between science fiction and horror, giving audiences an unforgettably chilling viewing experience. It takes place at a remote outpost in Antarctica, where a group of researchers are hard at work in spite of the extreme isolation of their living conditions. But things take a turn when they discover a strange alien creature that has the power to transform into any living thing it encounters — and all of its actions indicate its willingness to use this power for evil. 

Since the creature can, in theory, impersonate any one of the researchers, they're no longer able to trust one another, and their comradeship is infected with paranoia at lightning speed. The result is a bleak, devastating horror film that keeps audiences guessing from start to finish. In the years since its initial 1982 release, "The Thing" has maintained its reputation as a stone cold classic, as evinced by its position on Letterboxd's list.

• Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya
• Director: Denis Villeneuve
• Runtime: 155 min
• Rating: PG-13
• Where to watch: HBO Max

When it comes to the world of science fiction, "Dune" is pretty much lord and master over all it surveys. The Frank Herbert novel series is one of the most beloved pieces of science fiction literature ever, but for a long time, it was considered unadaptable for the big screen; David Lynch's 1984 version starring Kyle Maclachlan has its devoted followers, but it remains divisive, to say the least. 

In 2021, Denis Villeneuve took a crack at it, casting Timothee Chalamet in the lead role of Paul Atreides, a privileged young man who finds himself the prophesized savior of a desert planet, and hit a gold mine. With "Dune," Villeneuve created a visually interesting landscape to match the exhaustive world-building of the novel, while still making its narrative largely accessible to more casual audiences. Although "Dune: Part One" is the entry that Letterboxd users ranked highest, its sequel enchanted viewers as well, and the trilogy is set to conclude in December 2026.

• Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson
• Directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
• Runtime: 116 min
• Rating: PG
• Where to watch: Netflix

As popular a superhero as Spider-Man is, there was a point where he seemed to be oversaturating the market. Due to complicated licensing rights, Sony had to keep using the character or risk losing him, so we got Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man followed shortly by Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man followed shortly by Tom Holland's Spider-Man (the latter in conjunction with Marvel Studios).

Each showed Peter Parker in high school, rehashing most of the same plot points of the character's origin story. But then "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" came along in 2018, giving audiences a take on the hero that felt fresh and innovative.

First of all, it followed the Miles Morales version of Spider-Man instead of the familiar Peter Parker. Its unique, energetic animation style added a touch of whimsy to the proceedings, making it feel more like a stylized comic book than any "Spider-Man" film that came before it. The results speak for themselves: "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" was a huge hit, taking home the Oscar for best animated feature at the Academy Awards.

• Cast: Alexander Kaidanovsky, Anatoly Solonitsyn, Nikolay Grinko
• Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
• Runtime: 163 min
• Rating: NR
• Where to watch: HBO Max, Apple TV

"Stalker" may not be the best-known science fiction film on this list, but its quality is unquestionable. Directed by Andrei Tartovsky, "Stalker" revolves around the titular character (played by Alexander Kaidanovsky), who has the unique ability to reach a mysterious wasteland called the Zone. Once there, visitors can enter what is known as the Room, where their deepest desires can be fulfilled. But this journey is far from an easy one — access to the Zone is strictly controlled, and those caught trespassing suffer severe consequences. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

Like the Zone itself, 1979's "Stalker" is not the most accessible film for casual audiences. But those who are willing to give it (and its 161-minute runtime) a chance will find themselves amply rewarded. "Stalker" is an incredibly smart film, using its science fiction backdrop as a venue to confront Cold War-era Soviet disillusionment. Although Western audiences gradually came to appreciate the film, it was immediately embraced by Eastern European viewers — after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, guides and researchers working in the Zone of Exclusion began referring to themselves as "stalkers."

• Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford
• Director: Irvin Kershner
• Runtime: 124 min
• Rating: PG
• Where to watch: Disney+

Breaking news: Letterboxd users rank "Star Wars" films highly within the science fiction genre. Really, the surprise here isn't that 1980's "Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back" turns up near the top of the list, but that it's the only "Star Wars" film to make an appearance. But if there's only going to be one of them among the top 10, it makes sense that it would be this. 

"The Empire Strikes Back" is widely considered to be the best film of the entire franchise, taking a downbeat turn as Luke, Leia, and Han fight the Empire, continue on their personal journeys, and learn secrets that will change everything. Some of the most iconic moments in all of "Star Wars" were born out of this film, whether it's Leia and Han's understated declaration of love before Han is frozen in carbonite, or the shocking revelation that Darth Vader is actually Luke's father.

• Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac
• Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
• Runtime: 140 min
• Rating: PG
• Where to watch: HBO Max, Disney+

It speaks to the quality of the animated Spider-Man films that among Letterboxd users, both "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and its 2023 sequel, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," made it into the top 10. Unlike many sequels, which often pale in comparison to the original, "Across the Spider-Verse" hits the ground running, wasting no time in delivering more of the pent-up, chaotic energy that has come to define this creative venture. 

Here, Miles Morales' world continues to expand, as he travels throughout the multiverse, encountering different versions of Spider-Man from a seemingly infinite number of alternate universes. But they each have one thing in common: A canon event that can't be undone without threatening the stability of the entire multiverse. Naturally, Miles plays fast and loose with this rule, with far-reaching consequences we've yet to fully explore. The journey's far from over: Sony will release the third film, "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse," in June 2027, and there are several spinoffs currently in various stages of production.

• Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway
• Director: Christopher Nolan
• Runtime: 169 min
• Rating: PG-13
• Where to watch: Paramount+

Science fiction films often rely on action or heady philosophical questions to make their mark on audiences. "Interstellar" is unique in how it has plenty of adrenaline-pumping set pieces and deep ideas, but also enough emotional resonance to leave viewers in tears for pretty much the entire runtime. Directed by Christopher Nolan, it stars Matthew McConaughey as a NASA pilot turned farmer who ends up as part of a hail mary mission to save humanity from extinction. 

Earth is quickly becoming ever more incompatible with life, and Cooper (McConaughey) joins a team that will travel across the stars in search of a new home. But this task comes with an incredible sacrifice: Due to time dilation in space travel (please don't ask us to explain it in any great detail), what feels like days passing for Cooper in space could amount to years on Earth, forcing him to miss out on the lives of his children. As exciting as it is absolutely devastating, "Interstellar" ticks all the boxes.

• Cast: Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara, Yūko Miyamura
• Director: Hideaki Anno, Kazuyo Tsurumaki
• Runtime: 87 min
• Rating: TV-MA
• Where to watch: Netflix

"Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion" is a 1997 science fiction anime that defies easy categorization. Although it's a feature-length film that was released in theaters, it also functions as an alternate take on the ending of the extremely popular anime television series "Neon Genesis Evangelion," which ran for one season beginning in 1996. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, it revolves around a teenage boy who is recruited to become a mecha pilot, facing off against the villainous Angels. 

When the series ended, fans were mixed on their reaction to its finale. Thus, "The End of Evangelion" was created to give the writers a second crack at an audience-pleasing conclusion. It's safe to say that it succeeded: Not only did it perform well at the Japanese box office, but many science fiction fans consider it among the best animated films in the genre. Its examination of heady philosophic subjects mixed with a more traditional action-oriented background have made it fodder for fan analysis in the decades since its initial release.