The best sci-fi movies on Prime Video

Twentieth Century Fox

Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise join forces in this sci-fi action film loosely based on a Philip K. Dick short story. Set in 2045, it follows a specialized police department that uses psychics, or “precogs,” to catch criminals. With themes of free will versus determinism, Minority Report is more than just an action vehicle for its star power.

Amazon Studios

This low-budget indie has surprisingly high production values, impressive performances, and inventive camerawork to help tell the story of two teenagers in 1950s New Mexico. The resourceful pair track down the potentially extraterrestrial origins of a mysterious audio frequency.

Screenshot Amazon Studios/YouTube/CNET

For those missing Black Mirror, this will go some way to filling that void. Black Box follows a father trying to rebuild his life after a car accident. He agrees to an experimental procedure that takes him into the darkest recesses of his mind.

Screenshot Vertical Entertainment/YouTube/CNET

For well-made, thoughtful sci-fi that makes sure it doesn’t let its musings overwhelm the entertainment value, Archive is a great shout. Gavin Rothery’s British directorial debut stars Theo James as a scientist working to create a human-like artificial intelligence. His motives are hidden, personal and sure to throw a wrench in the works. Drawing comparisons to Ex Machina, Archive offers assured storytelling with a smart focus on character.

Oscilloscope Laboratories/YouTube/CNET Screenshot

Coherence doesn’t need an avatar-sized budget to craft a compelling story. The low-budget indie film follows friends at a dinner party who begin to notice bizarre occurrences after a comet passes by. Even more unsettling because of its grounded setting, Coherence manages to shortchange the true indie gem.

Screenshot Alameda Entertainment/YouTube/CNET

Intriguing premise? Check it out. Low budget? Check it out. Twist at the end? Check it out. This indie sci-fi mystery from Travis Milloy cements its place in Google’s “best indie sci-fi gems.” The complex story of Infinity Chamber centers on a man held in an automated detention center. He must fight superior technology to escape, an extremely complicated feat.

Universal Pictures

The 80s adaptation of Stephen King’s sci-fi horror film didn’t attract rave reviews, so this 2022 reboot from horror factory Blumhouse took another hit. The results? It’s not good. Firestarter scored even worse than the original, but offers the intrigue of seeing Zac Efron take the lead in a horror film. He plays a father trying to keep his daughter — who can use pyrokinesis — out of the hands of a shadowy federal agency.

Tollywood

How cool and intriguing is this title? Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is a low-budget time travel comedy directed by Japanese director Junta Yamaguchi. Wild premise: A coffee shop worker discovers his TV can show him what’s happening 2 minutes into the future. There’s obviously a lot more to it and the results are as creative and trippy as you can expect under the constraints of indie film. Jewel.

Paramount

I just watched Prey and you’re looking for another sci-fi movie with a puppy hero? Love and Monsters lives up to its name, centering on Joel (Dylan O’Brien), a survivor in a post-apocalyptic world where mutant monsters roam the Earth. In search of his ex-girlfriend Aimee (Jessica Henwick), he meets a stray dog ​​named “Boy”. This is when true love begins. Catch this feel-good monsterpocalypse adventure that will jump in with a few surprises and hit all the right emotional beats.

Magnolia pictures

Immerse yourself in Japanese techno-horror with Pulse. Set in two parallel timelines, the story primarily follows a ghost who finds a surprising doorway to the world of the living through the Internet. The Pulse might be over 20 years old, but it remains a delightfully original pot of horror.

Paramount Pictures

The second Star Trek film in the rebooted franchise delivers a great adventure with a memorable villain in Benedict Cumberbatch’s Khan. The gang on the USS Enterprise travels to the forbidden zone of space to save an endangered species. While a bit dated — a gratuitous underwear scene and a shift in ethnicity for Khan — Into Darkness is a thrilling ride.

Amazon Prime Video

It’s hard to leave The Tomorrow War off this list because it’s Prime Video’s big sci-fi action movie starring Chris Pratt. It follows a school teacher who is recruited into a war with aliens — in the future. An easy to digest movie that you can watch while looking at your phone.

Universal Pictures

Matt Damon and Emily Blunt star in this fun sci-fi story based on a Philip K. Dick short story. An American congressman discovers that the events of his life are controlled by a mysterious organization. With a love interest by his side, he tries to outwit and escape their control.

Vertigo Releasing/YouTube/CNET Screenshot

Vivarium is an interesting one. It may frustrate many viewers with its surreal aspects, but it’s still a compelling film. A young couple gets trapped in a labyrinthine suburban neighborhood of identical houses. While trying to escape, they find themselves caring for a mysterious child.

Sunset Boulevard/Getty Images

Haven’t seen RoboCop yet? The ’80s classic has been referenced in everything from Ready Player One to Community to Sailor Moon. It centers on a police officer who was brutally murdered, only to return as a cyborg in a crime-stopping rage.

This British sci-fi comes from Gareth Edwards, who went on to direct Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and 2014’s Godzilla. His command of atmosphere, wonder and beauty is on display here, all on a shoestring budget. Monsters follows a couple trying to cross an “infected zone” full of giant tentacled monsters.

Mr. Nobody is the kind of movie that gets to the end, making the whole journey worthwhile. It’s helpful to know that this story explores the consequences of choices and why you shouldn’t worry about making the perfect one. By the end, it leaves you on a wonderfully thoughtful note to ponder.