Science fiction movies & series fans say not to miss

Illustration of explorer at workstation on mars.
Mars Exploration as Art courtesy Ron Frazier/Flickr. Some rights reserved.

Every list starts somewhere, this one begins with an initial set of offerings collected from recommendations shared by sci-fi fans across the net. According to the experts, these are the science fiction movies and series that are counted amongst the best and most favorite.

The most recommended sci-fi movies

  1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – G – 2h 29m – Sci-Fi/Adventure
  2. Alita: Battle Angel (2019) – PG-13 – 2h 2m – Sci-Fi/Thriller
  3. Aliens (1986) – R – 2h 17m – Sci-Fi/Thriller
  4. Aniara (2018) – R – 1h 46m – Sci-Fi/Drama
  5. Annihilation (2018) – R – 1h 55m – Sci-Fi/Mystery
  6. Arrival (2016) – PG-13 – 1h 56m – Sci-Fi/Drama
  7. Buckaroo Bonzai (1984) – PG – 1h 43m – Sci-Fi/Romance
  8. Capsule (2015) – TV-14 – 1h 31m – Sci-Fi/Thriller
  9. Cargo (2017) – TV-MA – 1h 45m – Sci-Fi/Horror
  10. Cloverfield Paradox (2018) – PG-13 – 1h 42m – Sci-Fi/Mystery
  11. Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) – M – 1h 40m – Sci-Fi/Thriller
  12. Dark City (1998) – R – 1h 40m – Sci-Fi/Mystery
  13. Dark Star (1974) – G – 1h 23m – Sci-Fi/Comedy
  14. Ender’s Game (2013) – PG-13 – 1h 54m Sci-Fi/Fantasy – a disappointment for those who are fans of the Orson Scott Card novel, but still an enjoyable romp for those who haven’t had the experience of reading the book
  15. Europa Report (2013) – PG-13 – 1h 37m – Sci-Fi/Mystery
  16. Event Horizon (1997) – R – 1h 36m – Sci-Fi/Horror – this one may leave you with creepy day-nightmares
  17. Ex Machina (2014) – R – 1h 48m – Sci-Fi/Thriller
  18. Forbidden Planet (1956) – G – 1h 38m – Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure
  19. Gravity (PG-13) – 2013 – 1h 31m – Sci-Fi/Thriller
  20. Guardians of the Galaxy (PG-13) – 2h 1m – Sci-Fi/Adventure
  21. I Am Mother (2019) – TV-14 – 1h 53m – Sci-Fi/Mystery
  22. Ice Pirates (1984) – 1h 31m – Sci-Fi/Romance
  23. Interstellar (2014) – 2h 49m – Sci-Fi/Adventure
  24. Lifeforce (1984) – 1h 41m – Sci-Fi/Mystery
  25. Lockout (2012) – PG-13 – 1h 35m – Sci-Fi/Thriller
  26. Midnight Special (2016) – PG-13 – 1h 52m – Sci-Fi/Mystery
  27. Moon (2009) – R – 1h 37m – Sci-Fi/Mystery
  28. Oblivion (2013) – PG-13 – 2h 4m – Sci-Fi/Adventure
  29. Outland (1981) – 1h 49m – Sci-Fi/Crime
  30. Outlander (2008) – R – 1h 55m – Sci-FI/Adventure
  31. Pandorum (2009) – R – 1h 48m – Sci-Fi/Mystery
  32. Phenomenon (1996) – PG – 2h 3m – Sci-Fi/Fantasy
  33. Pitch Black (2000) – R – 1h 49m – Sci-Fi/Action
  34. Predators/Predator 3 (2010) – R – 1h 47m – Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure
  35. Predestination (2014) – R – 1h 37m – Sci-Fi/Action
  36. Primer (2004) – PG-13 – 1h 17m – Sci-Fi/Thriller
  37. Prospect (2014) – R – 14m – Sci-Fi/Short/Action
  38. Prospect (2018) – R – 1h 40m – Sci-Fi/Western
  39. Serenity (2005) – PG-13 – 1h 59m – Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure
  40. Silent Running (1972) – G – 1h 29m – Sci-Fi/Drama
  41. Solaris (1972) – PG – 2h 47m – Sci-Fi/Drama/Mystery
  42. Space Station 76 (2014) – R – 1h 33m – Sci-Fi/Comedy
  43. Space Sweepers (2021) – TV-MA – 2h 16m – Sci-Fi/Fantasy – an explosion filled experience that doesn’t take itself too seriously
  44. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) – PG – 2h 1m – Sci-Fi/Adventure
  45. Starship Troopers (1997) – R – 2h 9m – Sci-Fi/Thriller
  46. Sunshine (2007) – R – 1h 47m – Sci-FI/Thriller
  47. Synchronic (2019) – R – 1h 42m – Sci-FI/Horror
  48. The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) – R – 1h 59m – Sci-Fi/Thriller
  49. The Colony (2013) – Not Rated – 1h 35m – Sci-Fi/Thriller
  50. The Fifth Element (1997) – PG-13 – 2h 6m – Sci-Fi/Adventure
  51. The Martian (2015) – PG-13 – 2h 24m – Sci-Fi/Adventure
  52. The Midnight Sky (2020) – PG-13 – 1h 58m – Sci-Fi/Fantasy
  53. The Terminator (1984) – R – 1h 47m – Sci-Fi/Action
  54. Titan AE (2000) – PG – 1h 34m – Sci-Fi/Animation
  55. Total Recall (1990) – R – 1h 53m – Sci-Fi/Action
  56. Treasure Planet (2002) – PG – 1h 35m – Sci-Fi/Animation
  57. Underwater (2020) – PG-13 – 1h 35m – Sci-Fi/Horror
  58. Upside Down (2012) – PG-13 – 1h 49m – Sci-Fi/Romance – a sci-fi meets romance story about am man trying to reunite with his love who is on the twin planet above his
  59. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) – PG-13 – 2h 16m – Sci-Fi/Fantasy – considered a hot mess by some, but still a beautiful movie with an incredible beginning
  60. Wandering Earth (2019) – TV-MA – 2h 5m – Sci-Fi/Action – a gem from the asian sci-fi market
Illustration of astronauts exploring the surface of mars.
Mars Exploration as Art courtesy Ron Frazier/Flickr. Some rights reserved.

Science fiction series to enjoy

  1. Babylon 5 (1993-1998) – TV-PG – 111 episodes – Sci-Fi/Drama
  2. Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009) – TV-14 – 74 episodes – Sci-Fi/Drama
  3. Black Mirror (2011 – ongoing) – TV-MA – 22+ episodes – Sci-Fi/Thriller
  4. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-1981) – TV-G – 32 episodes – Sci-Fi/Adventure
  5. Doctor Who (1963-1989) – TV-PG – 696 episodes – Sci-Fi/Adventure
  6. Farscape (1999-2003) – TV-14 – 88 episodes – Sci-Fi/Adventure
  7. Firefly (2002-2003) – TV-14 – 14 episodes – Sci-Fi/Adventure
  8. Fringe (2008-2013) – TV-14 – 100 episodes – Sci-Fi/Mystery
  9. Futurama (1999-2013) – TV-14 – 140 episodes – Sci-Fi/Animated/Comedy
  10. The Expanse (2015 – ongoing) – TV-14 – 57+ episodes – Sci-Fi/Mystery – this series is considered one of the best episodic series recently made.
  11. The X-Files (1993-2018) – TV-14 – 217 episodes – Sci-Fi/Mystery
  12. Raised by Wolves (2020 – ongoing) – TV-MA – 11+ episodes – Sci-Fi/Fantasy
  13. Red Dwarf (1988 – 1999) – TV-14 – 74 episodes – Sci-Fi/Comedy
  14. Rick and Morty (2013 – ongoing) – TV-MA – 42+ episodes – Sci-Fi/Animation/Comedy
  15. Stranger Things (2015 – ongoing) – TV-14 34+ episodes – Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror
  16. Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007) – TV-14 – 213 episodes – Sci-Fi/Adventure
  17. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994) – TV-PG – 176 episodes – Sci-Fi/Adventure
  18. Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969) – TV-PG – 80 episodes – Sci-Fi/Adventure
  19. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020) – TV-PG – 133 episodes – Sci-Fi/Animation/Adventure
  20. The Mandalorian (2019 – ongoing) – TV-14 – 24+ episodes – Sci-Fi/Adventure
  21. The Outer Limits (1963-1965) – TV-PG – 49 episodes – Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror
  22. The Outer Limits (1995-2002) – TV-PG – 152 episodes – Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror
  23. The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) – TV-PG – 156 episodes – Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror
  24. Westworld (2016 – ongoing) – TV-MA – 29+ episodes – Sci-Fi/Mystery

Influential sci-fi directors, writers, and producers

This cadre of film professionals are experts of visual storytelling, creation and utilization of new filming techniques and technologies, and have set the bar quite high for their peers and future generations seeking to bring science fiction to life.

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  1. Alex Garland – novelist, screenwriter, film producer and director. Garland is known for Ex Machina (2015), Annihilation (2018), Sunshine (2007), Dredd (2012), 28 Days Later (2002).
  2. Christopher Nolan – writer and director known for nonlinear storytelling. Nolan is famous for writing Interstellar (2014), Inception (2010), Tenet (2020).
  3. David Cronenberg – a Canadian film director, screenwriter and actor who helped to build the Sci-Fi/Horror genre. Cronenberg is known for Videodrome (1983), The Dead Zone (1983), Scanners (1981), eXistenZ (1999), The Brood (1979), and for appearing in The Fly (1986).
  4. Denis Villeneuve – French Canadian film director and writer. Villeneuve is known for Arrival (2015), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Dune (2021) .
  5. Duncan Jones – British director and writer. Jones is known for Moon (2009), Source Code (2011), and Mute (2018).
  6. Fritz Lang – Lang is known for creating Metropolis (1927) which inspired the visual style and expressionism of many future sci-fi movies.
  7. George Lucas – American writer. Lucas is known for the Star Wars (1977) and the related films and THX 1138 (1971). Lucas is loved for creating one of the most icon sci-fi series. He is also hated by fans of sci-fi for modifying visuals, edits, and details from the theatrical release of his films.
  8. J.J. Abrams – American writer and producer. Abrams is known for Lost (2004), Star Trek (2009), Star Wars (2015), Westworld (2016), and Fringe (2008).
  9. James Cameron – Canadian writer and producer. Cameron is known for Avatar (2009), Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989), and The Terminator (1984).
  10. Leslie Stevens – American writer and producer. Stevens was the creator The Outer Limits (1963-1965), Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-1981), and Gemini Man (1976).
  11. Luc Besson – French writer, producer. Besson is known for The Fifth Element (1997) and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017).
  12. Ridley Scott – British producer, director. Scott is known for Raised by Wolves (2020), The Martian (2015), Blade Runner (1982) and Alien (1979).
  13. Rod Serling – American writer, actor, and producer. Serling is known for his work on The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) and Planet of the Apes (1968).
  14. Stanley Kubrick – American writer, director, and producer. Kubrick is known for making some of the most iconic films in history, his sci-fi contributions include 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and A Clockwork Orange (1971).
  15. Steven Spielberg – American writer, producer, director. Spielberg is a multi-genre powerhouse, his notable sci-fi films include E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Minority Report (2002), A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001), Ready Player One (2018), War of the Worlds (2005), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), and Jurassic Park (1993).
  16. The Spierig Brothers – German-born twins Michael and Peter Spierig are writers and directors. The Spierigs are known for the sci-fi film Predestination (2014) and multiple horror-genre films.
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