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133 films

Sci-Fi

Science fiction uses invented futures, machines and aliens to ask questions about the present. Méliès and Lang's Metropolis established its spectacle; the 1950s cycle channelled Cold War fear; Kubrick's 2001 and Tarkovsky's Solaris made it contemplative; Star Wars and Blade Runner reshaped it for the blockbuster era. Its effects work has driven technical change across all of cinema.

Where
The United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, Japan, France
When
From 1902; major waves in the 1950s, 1970s and after 2000
Key figures
Georges Méliès, Fritz Lang, Stanley Kubrick, Andrei Tarkovsky, Ridley Scott, Denis Villeneuve
Landmark films
A Trip to the Moon (1902), Metropolis (1927), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Blade Runner (1982)
Legacy
Drove special-effects innovation and gave cinema its main vehicle for speculating about the future

What to look for

  • Technology as threat or promise
  • Strange worlds built with design and effects
  • Human questions inside big ideas
  • Dystopian cities and sealed environments
  • Time, memory and identity as puzzles

Directors with the most films in this genre

David Cronenberg7 filmsChristopher Nolan4 filmsGeorge A. Romero4 filmsJohn Carpenter4 filmsLLuc Besson4 filmsSteven Spielberg4 filmsJames Cameron3 filmsJames Whale3 filmsAlfonso Cuarón2 filmsBong Joon-ho2 filmsChristos Nikou2 filmsFranklin J. Schaffner2 filmsJean-Pierre Jeunet2 filmsNeill Blomkamp2 filmsRobert Wise2 filmsRobert Zemeckis2 filmsStanley Kubrick2 filmsAlberto Lattuada1 filmAAlejandro Amenábar1 filmAleksei German1 filmAlex Proyas1 filmAlexander Mackendrick1 filmAlexander Sokurov1 filmAAlexey Fedorchenko1 film
See all 100 directors
Alice Winocour1 filmAndrei Tarkovsky1 filmApichatpong Weerasethakul1 filmAri Folman1 filmBertrand Tavernier1 filmBrandon Cronenberg1 filmChris Marker1 filmChristian Petzold1 filmClaire Denis1 filmDanny Boyle1 filmDavid Lynch1 filmDenis Villeneuve1 filmDon Siegel1 filmElio Petri1 filmFernando Birri1 filmFrancis Ford Coppola1 filmFrançois Truffaut1 filmFritz Lang1 filmGabriele Salvatores1 filmGeorge Lucas1 filmGeorge Roy Hill1 filmGeorgiy Daneliya1 filmGuillermo del Toro1 filmHayao Miyazaki1 filmHiroshi Teshigahara1 filmIlya Khrzhanovsky1 filmIrvin Kershner1 filmIshiro Honda1 filmJean-Luc Godard1 filmJean-Pierre Bekolo1 filmJohn Frankenheimer1 filmJohn Woo1 filmJordan Peele1 filmJosé Padilha1 filmJulia Ducournau1 filmKathryn Bigelow1 filmKevin Brownlow1 filmKiyoshi Kurosawa1 filmKleber Mendonça Filho1 filmLars von Trier1 filmLev Kuleshov1 filmLindsay Anderson1 filmMarc Caro1 filmMel Brooks1 filmMichael Radford1 filmMichel Gondry1 filmNgozi Onwurah1 filmNicolas Roeg1 filmNikos Nikolaidis1 filmPPella Kågerman & Hugo Lilja1 filmPeter Jackson1 filmRené Clair1 filmRichard Donner1 filmRichard Kelly1 filmRichard Lester1 filmRichard Loncraine1 filmRidley Scott1 filmRouben Mamoulian1 filmRyan Coogler1 filmSemih Kaplanoğlu1 filmShinya Tsukamoto1 filmStanley Kramer1 filmSteven Soderbergh1 filmTerence Fisher1 filmTerry Gilliam1 filmThomas Vinterberg1 filmTobe Hooper1 filmTod Browning1 filmVictor Fleming1 filmVolker Schlöndorff1 filmWanuri Kahiu1 filmWes Craven1 filmWim Wenders1 filmWong Kar-wai1 filmWoody Allen1 filmYorgos Lanthimos1 film

Often combined with

Drama Horror Adventure Action Thriller Mystery

Top 100 rated films

  1. Inception 2010 · Christopher Nolan · IMDb 8.8
  2. Interstellar 2014 · Christopher Nolan · IMDb 8.7
  3. The Empire Strikes Back 1980 · Irvin Kershner · IMDb 8.7
  4. Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991 · James Cameron · IMDb 8.6
  5. Back to the Future 1985 · Robert Zemeckis · IMDb 8.5
  6. The Prestige 2006 · Christopher Nolan · IMDb 8.5
  7. Alien 1979 · Ridley Scott · IMDb 8.4
  8. Aliens 1986 · James Cameron · IMDb 8.4
  9. 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968 · Stanley Kubrick · IMDb 8.3
  10. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004 · Michel Gondry · IMDb 8.3
  11. A Clockwork Orange 1971 · Stanley Kubrick · IMDb 8.2
  12. Jurassic Park 1993 · Steven Spielberg · IMDb 8.2
  13. La Jetée 1962 · Chris Marker · IMDb 8.2
  14. Metropolis 1927 · Fritz Lang · IMDb 8.2
  15. The Thing 1982 · John Carpenter · IMDb 8.2
  16. The Terminator 1984 · James Cameron · IMDb 8.1
  17. Donnie Darko 2001 · Richard Kelly · IMDb 8.0
  18. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 1984 · Hayao Miyazaki · IMDb 8.0
  19. Planet of the Apes 1968 · Franklin J. Schaffner · IMDb 8.0
  20. Stalker 1979 · Andrei Tarkovsky · IMDb 8.0
  21. Arrival 2016 · Denis Villeneuve · IMDb 7.9
  22. Children of Men 2006 · Alfonso Cuarón · IMDb 7.9
  23. District 9 2009 · Neill Blomkamp · IMDb 7.9
  24. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 1982 · Steven Spielberg · IMDb 7.9
  25. Brazil 1985 · Terry Gilliam · IMDb 7.8
  26. Bride of Frankenstein 1935 · James Whale · IMDb 7.8
  27. Kin-dza-dza! 1986 · Georgiy Daneliya · IMDb 7.8
  28. The Face of Another 1966 · Hiroshi Teshigahara · IMDb 7.8
  29. Frankenstein 1931 · James Whale · IMDb 7.7
  30. Gravity 2013 · Alfonso Cuarón · IMDb 7.7
  31. Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1956 · Don Siegel · IMDb 7.7
  32. Open Your Eyes 1997 · Alejandro Amenábar · IMDb 7.7
  33. The Day the Earth Stood Still 1951 · Robert Wise · IMDb 7.7
  34. Close Encounters of the Third Kind 1977 · Steven Spielberg · IMDb 7.6
  35. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) 1931 · Rouben Mamoulian · IMDb 7.6
  36. Godzilla 1954 · Ishiro Honda · IMDb 7.6
  37. Seconds 1966 · John Frankenheimer · IMDb 7.6
  38. The Fly 1986 · David Cronenberg · IMDb 7.6
  39. The Invisible Man 1933 · James Whale · IMDb 7.6
  40. 28 Days Later 2002 · Danny Boyle · IMDb 7.5
  41. Contact 1997 · Robert Zemeckis · IMDb 7.5
  42. Dark City 1998 · Alex Proyas · IMDb 7.5
  43. 2046 2004 · Wong Kar-wai · IMDb 7.4
  44. Superman 1978 · Richard Donner · IMDb 7.4
  45. Bacurau 2019 · Kleber Mendonça Filho · IMDb 7.3
  46. Black Panther 2018 · Ryan Coogler · IMDb 7.3
  47. Face/Off 1997 · John Woo · IMDb 7.3
  48. Richard III 1995 · Richard Loncraine · IMDb 7.3
  49. Tenet 2020 · Christopher Nolan · IMDb 7.3
  50. A.I. Artificial Intelligence 2001 · Steven Spielberg · IMDb 7.2
  51. Fahrenheit 451 1966 · François Truffaut · IMDb 7.2
  52. Strange Days 1995 · Kathryn Bigelow · IMDb 7.2
  53. The Andromeda Strain 1971 · Robert Wise · IMDb 7.2
  54. The Man in the White Suit 1951 · Alexander Mackendrick · IMDb 7.2
  55. They Live 1988 · John Carpenter · IMDb 7.2
  56. Escape from New York 1981 · John Carpenter · IMDb 7.1
  57. Melancholia 2011 · Lars von Trier · IMDb 7.1
  58. On the Beach 1959 · Stanley Kramer · IMDb 7.1
  59. Paris Qui Dort 1924 · René Clair · IMDb 7.1
  60. Pumzi 2009 · Wanuri Kahiu · IMDb 7.1
  61. Sleeper 1973 · Woody Allen · IMDb 7.1
  62. Snowpiercer 2013 · Bong Joon-ho · IMDb 7.1
  63. Spaceballs 1987 · Mel Brooks · IMDb 7.1
  64. The Host 2006 · Bong Joon-ho · IMDb 7.1
  65. The Lobster 2015 · Yorgos Lanthimos · IMDb 7.1
  66. Videodrome 1983 · David Cronenberg · IMDb 7.1
  67. 1984 1984 · Michael Radford · IMDb 7.0
  68. Morning Patrol 1987 · Nikos Nikolaidis · IMDb 7.0
  69. The Boys from Brazil 1978 · Franklin J. Schaffner · IMDb 7.0
  70. The Curse of Frankenstein 1957 · Terence Fisher · IMDb 7.0
  71. The Devil-Doll 1936 · Tod Browning · IMDb 7.0
  72. Alphaville 1965 · Jean-Luc Godard · IMDb 6.9
  73. Tetsuo: The Iron Man 1989 · Shinya Tsukamoto · IMDb 6.9
  74. Transit 2018 · Christian Petzold · IMDb 6.9
  75. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1941 · Victor Fleming · IMDb 6.8
  76. Kafka 1991 · Steven Soderbergh · IMDb 6.8
  77. Nope 2022 · Jordan Peele · IMDb 6.8
  78. Slaughterhouse-Five 1972 · George Roy Hill · IMDb 6.8
  79. Superman II 1980 · Richard Lester · IMDb 6.8
  80. The Brood 1979 · David Cronenberg · IMDb 6.8
  81. Until the End of the World 1991 · Wim Wenders · IMDb 6.8
  82. Apples 2020 · Christos Nikou · IMDb 6.7
  83. First on the Moon 2005 · Alexey Fedorchenko · IMDb 6.7
  84. It Happened Here 1964 · Kevin Brownlow · IMDb 6.7
  85. Scanners 1981 · David Cronenberg · IMDb 6.7
  86. Elysium 2013 · Neill Blomkamp · IMDb 6.6
  87. Pulse 2001 · Kiyoshi Kurosawa · IMDb 6.6
  88. THX 1138 1971 · George Lucas · IMDb 6.6
  89. 4 2004 · Ilya Khrzhanovsky · IMDb 6.5
  90. Death Watch 1980 · Bertrand Tavernier · IMDb 6.5
  91. Hard to Be a God 2013 · Aleksei German · IMDb 6.5
  92. Possessor 2020 · Brandon Cronenberg · IMDb 6.5
  93. The Man Who Fell to Earth 1976 · Nicolas Roeg · IMDb 6.5
  94. Bad Taste 1987 · Peter Jackson · IMDb 6.4
  95. Memoria 2021 · Apichatpong Weerasethakul · IMDb 6.4
  96. The Congress 2013 · Ari Folman · IMDb 6.4
  97. Titane 2021 · Julia Ducournau · IMDb 6.4
  98. Aniara 2018 · Pella Kågerman & Hugo Lilja · IMDb 6.3
  99. Proxima 2019 · Alice Winocour · IMDb 6.3
  100. Rabid 1977 · David Cronenberg · IMDb 6.3