Here are Cinephile Corner’s picks for the 50 best science fiction movies of all time, ranked:
50. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
49. The Blob (1988)
48. The Fifth Element (1997)
47. Prey (2022)
46. 2046 (2004)
45. 12 Monkeys (1995)
44. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
43. The Vast of Night (2020)
Simple but precise, The Vast of Night proves that low budgets and COVID times aren’t real excuses for making lackluster movies. What is essentially three to four long sequences transforms into a story that continues to build and build the stakes until it’s explosive finale. It is an invigorating debut film from Andrew Patterson.
Read our full review of The Vast of Night
42. Her (2013)
41. RoboCop (1987)
40. Aliens (1986)
39. 28 Days Later (2002)
28 Days Later isn’t just another zombie movie—it’s a reinvention of the genre’s DNA, stripped down and reengineered for a new century of horror. Directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, this lo-fi British horror film arrived at a moment when zombie films were treading water, yet it managed to make the undead feel urgent and terrifying again. With its harsh digital video aesthetic, jagged editing, and pulsating soundtrack, 28 Days Later feels like a transmission from a ruined world—one that still resonates more than two decades later.
Read our full review of 28 Days Later
38. The Fly (1986)
37. Ex Machina (2015)
What separates Ex Machina from Alex Garland’s later work is the precision. There’s no narrative bloat, no sprawling ensemble, no overwrought metaphor. The film is lean, sharp, and exacting. It interrogates A.I., not as some future hypothetical, but as an inevitability already here—an intelligence quietly watching, learning, waiting for its moment. Garland doesn’t break new ground in what he says about artificial intelligence, but he repackages it with such clarity and visual elegance that the result feels new anyway.
Read our full review of Ex Machina
36. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
35. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
34. The Prestige (2006)
33. Face/Off (1997)
32. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
The Way of Water absolutely comes through and pulls off a better experience than the first Avatar film could ever dream of. It’s emotionally riveting and absolutely deserves to be seen on a big screen. The best films make you laugh, gasp, and cry. The Way of Water pulls off all three. Simply put, don’t bet against James Cameron.
Read our full review of Avatar: The Way of Water
31. Godzilla (1954)
30. Spider-Man (2002)
29. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
To put into words how exhilarating Everything Everywhere All at Once is isn’t easy to do. A film unlike any other, it pushes every filmmaking possibility to the brink in 2022. Many films come and go with the wind, but Everything Everywhere All at Once will be in our culture for years – even decades. The phrase “modern classic” doesn’t apply to films very frequently, but this is one of those instances where it feels justified.
Read our full review of Everything Everywhere All at Once
28. Blade Runner (1982)
27. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
26. Spaceballs (1987)
25. Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
24. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
23. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
22. Dune: Part Two (2024)
There’s nothing like Dune: Part Two, which feels like it could only be conceived by Denis Villeneuve and the best crew around him possible. Everyone is working at the top of their game to create one of the best theatergoing experiences of 2024. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya star in the science fiction movie that stands against the genre’s best.
Read our full review of Dune: Part Two
21. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
20. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
19. Inception (2010)
18. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
17. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
16. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
15. Back to the Future (1985)
14. They Live (1988)
13. WALL-E (2008)
More than fifteen years later, I’m not sure Disney Pixar Studios has made a movie nearly as insightful, colorful, and ambitious as Wall-E. As an allegory for corporate greed and environmental neglect, the film operates on such a concise and straightforward manner – one of Pixar’s strongest thematic statements in their history.
Read our full review of Wall-E
12. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
11. Nope (2022)
Nope delivers on its promise of spectacle. Its set-up helps deliver one of the most rewarding third acts of the year, and one I’ll surely return to in years to come. Those don’t come around very often, only a handful of films lend themselves to repeat viewings, and Nope is certainly one of them. A dazzling and hypnotic viewing, and one that doesn’t leave your mind once you leave your theater. The best films make you think, and Jordan Peele‘s Nope gives you plenty to sink your teeth into.
10. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
9. Star Wars (1977)
8. Alien (1979)
7. Signs (2002)
M. Night Shyamalan made many great genre movies to launch his career in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but none are as quirky, silly, and downright wholesome as Signs, which brings a family together under extraordinary circumstances. Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix lead a small cast of great performers reckoning with alien lifeforms reaching Earth.
6. The Matrix (1999)
5. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
4. Arrival (2016)
Arrival is a beautifully presented, excellently edited piece of work that stands as a testament to Denis Villeneuve’s directorial ability and taste. Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner costar in one of the 2010s best science fiction movies.
Read our full review of Arrival
3. Jurassic Park (1993)
2. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
1. The Thing (1980)
More ‘Best of All Time’ Rankings from Cinephile Corner
Cinephile Corner has recapped the best movies of all time with the following ‘Best of‘ rankings:
