10 Underrated Sci Fi Movies You Should Watch Now
I watch a lot of movies, but every now and then, I come across a group of films that reminds me why I enjoy going to the theater so much.
That happened to me again recently.
I watched all of the movies on this list, and honestly, I enjoyed every one of them. Some surprised me with their stories, some impressed me with their performances, and a few gave me exactly the kind of big-screen science-fiction experience I was hoping for.
What surprised me most, though, was how many people seemed to know very little about these movies.
That’s what inspired me to create this list of underrated sci fi movies you should watch now.
I’m not saying that every movie here will become everyone’s favorite. We all have different tastes. Instead, these are movies that have strong stories, talented directors, memorable performances, solid audience ratings, and enough box-office success to show that they connected with moviegoers.
Some are action-heavy. Some are slow and thoughtful. A few are emotional in ways you might not expect from science fiction.
If you enjoy discovering movies through honest movie reviews and recommendations , this list should give you a few new titles to explore.
01 Arrival
Arrival
A linguist is recruited by the military after mysterious alien spacecraft appear around the world. Her attempt to communicate with the visitors slowly becomes something much bigger than a simple first-contact story.
Louise Banks encounters the mysterious visitors in Arrival.
There are plenty of alien-invasion movies, but very few are actually interested in communication.
That is one of the reasons Arrival works so well.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the movie takes a familiar science-fiction idea and approaches it from a completely different direction. Instead of making the aliens the main attraction, the film focuses on language, fear, grief, time and the difficulty of understanding something genuinely unfamiliar.
Amy Adams is excellent as Louise Banks, and the movie gives her a character who feels intelligent without turning her into a typical action hero.
The audience response has remained strong too. IMDb currently lists the film at 7.9/10, while its worldwide theatrical gross reached about $213.6 million against a reported $47 million budget.
If you want science fiction that makes you think while still delivering a genuine cinematic experience, Arrival is one of the easiest recommendations on this list.
02 Edge of Tomorrow
Edge of Tomorrow
A military officer becomes trapped in a time loop, forced to relive the same battle every time he dies. With the help of an elite soldier, he must learn from every repetition and find a way to defeat an alien enemy.
A soldier faces an intense futuristic battlefield in Edge of Tomorrow.
Edge of Tomorrow is probably one of the best examples of a movie that became more appreciated after its theatrical run.
The basic concept sounds simple: a soldier keeps dying and waking up on the same day. But Doug Liman turns that idea into a surprisingly clever combination of science fiction, military action and dark comedy.
Tom Cruise brings his usual energy to the lead role, but Emily Blunt is arguably the biggest surprise. Her character, Rita Vrataski, gives the movie a tough and memorable second lead.
The film earned about $381.1 million worldwide from a reported $178 million budget, while IMDb currently gives it a strong 7.9/10 from more than 800,000 ratings.
It may not have become the enormous blockbuster some expected, but its reputation has only improved.
If you like smart action movies with a science-fiction hook, this one deserves another look.
03 District 9
District 9
After an alien population becomes stranded on Earth, they are forced into a restricted settlement in South Africa. A government employee becomes involved with the aliens and eventually finds himself transformed by the situation.
A tense scene from District 9 featuring the alien mothership above Johannesburg.
District 9 is one of those science-fiction movies that manages to be entertaining and uncomfortable at the same time.
Neill Blomkamp’s direction gives the movie a documentary-like feeling during its opening sections, making the alien situation feel strangely believable.
But underneath the aliens, weapons and futuristic technology is a story about segregation, prejudice and the way people treat those they consider different.
Sharlto Copley carries much of the movie, and his performance becomes increasingly important as Wikus’s situation changes.
The film was also a strong financial success considering its relatively modest $30 million budget. It eventually earned about $210.9 million worldwide, while IMDb currently lists a 7.9/10 rating.
Peter Jackson’s involvement as a producer also helped give the project credibility, but Blomkamp’s direction is what ultimately makes it stand out.
If you’ve somehow never watched it, move this one near the top of your list.
04 Looper
Looper
In a future where criminals use illegal time travel to send victims into the past, a hired assassin discovers that his next target is his older self.
A tense scene from Looper (2012).
Time-travel movies can become confusing very quickly.
Looper somehow manages to make its complicated idea accessible without removing the mystery.
Rian Johnson directs the film with a clear visual style and gives the story enough emotional weight to keep it from becoming just another time-travel puzzle.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis play younger and older versions of the same character, while Emily Blunt adds another emotional dimension to the story.
The movie was made for around $30 million and brought in roughly $176.5 million worldwide. IMDb currently gives it a 7.4/10 rating from more than 600,000 users.
What I like most about Looper is that it doesn’t spend every minute explaining its own rules.
It gives you enough information to understand the world, then lets the characters and story carry the rest.
05 Ad Astra
Ad Astra
An astronaut travels deep into space while searching for his missing father, whose disappearance may be connected to a dangerous threat facing the solar system.
An astronaut faces the vast lunar landscape in Ad Astra.
Ad Astra is not the kind of science-fiction movie you watch for nonstop explosions.
It is slower, quieter and much more interested in isolation.
James Gray uses the enormous scale of space to tell a surprisingly personal story about a son trying to understand his father. Brad Pitt gives the film a restrained performance that fits the atmosphere perfectly.
The movie divided audiences more than some of the other films on this list, but it still deserves attention for its ambitious filmmaking.
It earned approximately $127.5 million worldwide against a reported $90 million budget. IMDb currently lists it at 6.5/10, with more than 280,000 ratings.
The production also had an impressive creative team, including James Gray, Dede Gardner, Anthony Katagas and Jeremy Kleiner among its producers.
If you prefer thoughtful space movies over conventional space battles, Ad Astra is worth trying.
06 Oblivion
Oblivion
A technician stationed on a devastated future Earth begins questioning his mission after encountering a mysterious survivor who changes everything he believes about the world around him.
A futuristic scene from Oblivion.
Oblivion sometimes gets overshadowed by bigger science-fiction movies from the same period, but it remains one of the more visually impressive entries in this group.
Joseph Kosinski builds a world that feels clean, futuristic and strangely lonely. The movie’s mystery also gives Tom Cruise’s character enough questions to keep the story moving.
The film earned approximately $286.2 million worldwide from a reported $120 million budget. IMDb currently gives it a 7.0/10 rating.
The cast is another reason to give it a chance. Cruise is joined by Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough and Olga Kurylenko, giving the movie a stronger dramatic foundation than its futuristic visuals might initially suggest.
If you enjoy post-apocalyptic science fiction with mystery and large-scale visuals, Oblivion is an easy recommendation.
07 Snowpiercer
Snowpiercer
After a climate experiment freezes the Earth, the last surviving humans live aboard a constantly moving train. Inside, an extreme class system divides the passengers, leading to a rebellion from the back of the train.
A tense scene aboard the Snowpiercer train.
Bong Joon Ho has a talent for taking a strange concept and turning it into something much bigger.
Snowpiercer is a perfect example.
The entire movie takes place largely inside a massive train, but every carriage introduces another part of the film’s world. The further Curtis and his companions travel toward the front, the more they discover about the society they are trying to overthrow.
Chris Evans gives one of his more serious performances, while Tilda Swinton is almost unrecognizable in her eccentric role.
The movie was made for an estimated $39.2 million and earned about $86.8 million worldwide. IMDb currently lists it at 7.1/10 with more than 400,000 ratings.
It isn’t conventional Hollywood science fiction, and that’s exactly why it works.
If you want something darker and more socially focused, give Snowpiercer a chance.
08 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
After a painful breakup, a couple decide to erase each other from their memories. But as the procedure begins, one of them starts realizing that some memories may be worth saving.
Joel and Clementine share a quiet moment.
Not every science-fiction movie needs spaceships, aliens or futuristic weapons.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind proves that.
The film uses a science-fiction concept — memory erasure — to tell a deeply human story about love, regret and the memories we wish we could forget.
Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are both excellent, and Michel Gondry’s direction gives the film a dreamlike quality that fits the story perfectly.
The movie earned around $72.9 million worldwide from a $20 million budget, and it has become one of the highest-rated films on this list, with an IMDb score of 8.3/10 from more than 1.2 million ratings.
The film was produced by Anthony Bregman and Steve Golin, with Charlie Kaufman also involved as an executive producer.
If you enjoy emotional science fiction, this isn’t just one of the underrated sci fi movies worth watching — it’s one of the best films on the entire list.
09 The Abyss
The Abyss
A civilian diving team searching for a lost nuclear submarine discovers something mysterious deep beneath the ocean, forcing the crew to confront both human conflict and an unknown form of life.
A tense moment beneath the ocean in The Abyss.
Before modern CGI made almost anything possible, James Cameron was already trying to create believable worlds that audiences had never seen before.
The Abyss is one of those movies.
Set almost entirely around a dangerous underwater operation, the film combines survival thriller elements with mysterious science fiction. Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Michael Biehn give the movie a strong human center.
The production was famously ambitious, especially considering how difficult the underwater filming was.
The movie was made for an estimated $70 million and earned about $90.5 million worldwide. IMDb currently rates it 7.5/10.
Gale Anne Hurd produced the film, with Cameron serving as director and writer.
If you’re interested in older science fiction that still feels ambitious today, The Abyss deserves your attention.
10 Serenity
Serenity
The crew of the spaceship Serenity attempts to protect River Tam while being pursued by a dangerous assassin and uncovering secrets about a powerful government.
A dramatic scene from Serenity.
Serenity is probably the clearest example here of a movie that deserved a much bigger theatrical audience.
Directed by Joss Whedon, the film continues the story of the Firefly universe and brings its characters to the big screen.
Nathan Fillion leads an excellent ensemble, while Summer Glau, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres and Chiwetel Ejiofor all make the movie more memorable.
The theatrical numbers were modest: the film earned approximately $40.45 million worldwide from a reported $39 million budget. But audience response has remained remarkably strong, with IMDb currently listing a 7.8/10 rating from more than 300,000 users.
Barry Mendel served as producer, while Whedon directed and wrote the film.
If you haven’t watched Firefly, some of the character relationships may have less impact. But even newcomers can appreciate the film’s humor, action and space-adventure atmosphere.
For fans of character-driven science fiction, Serenity is still worth discovering.
✦ Why These Underrated Sci Fi Movies Are Worth Watching
What I like about this list is that these movies don’t all try to do the same thing.
That’s also why I don’t think being “underrated” necessarily means a movie was a failure.
Some of these films made hundreds of millions of dollars. Others had smaller theatrical runs but developed extremely loyal audiences afterward.
What matters is that they still give you something worth watching.
Why These Underrated Sci Fi Movies Deserve Your Time
I watch a lot of science-fiction movies, but the thing I enjoy most is finding the ones that don’t always dominate the conversation.
That’s exactly what happened with these movies.
Some became successful at the box office. Some became more appreciated years after release. A few built loyal audiences that refused to let them disappear. And all of them have something that makes them worth returning to.
I wouldn’t expect everyone to love every movie on this list.
That’s not really the point.
If you enjoy big ideas, unusual worlds, strong characters and stories that stay in your head after the credits, there is a good chance you’ll find at least a few favorites here.
For more movie reviews, recommendations and genre guides, you can explore MP4Movie and its growing collection of Hollywood, Bollywood, South Indian and sci-fi content.
And if you’re looking for your next movie night pick, don’t automatically choose the biggest new release.
Sometimes the better experience is hiding in one of these underrated sci fi movies.
? FAQs
Here are some common questions about the underrated science-fiction movies featured in this guide.
What are the best underrated sci fi movies to watch?
Arrival, Edge of Tomorrow, District 9, Looper and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind are among the strongest choices. They combine memorable stories with strong audience ratings and distinctive filmmaking.
Is Arrival an underrated sci-fi movie?
Arrival is now widely respected, so it may be less “underrated” than some other titles here. However, compared with many major science-fiction blockbusters, it remains a relatively thoughtful and underappreciated choice for viewers who prefer intelligent storytelling.
What is the most underrated sci-fi action movie?
Edge of Tomorrow is one of the best choices. It combines a clever time-loop concept with large-scale action, strong performances from Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, and a surprisingly emotional story.
Is District 9 worth watching?
Yes. District 9 is particularly worth watching if you want science fiction with social and political ideas underneath its action and alien story. It also remains one of the strongest directorial debuts in modern science fiction.
Which underrated sci-fi movie has the highest IMDb rating on this list?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind currently has the highest IMDb rating among these ten films, at 8.3/10.
Are these movies successful at the box office?
Yes, although their levels of success varied considerably. Arrival, Edge of Tomorrow, District 9, Looper and Oblivion all generated substantial worldwide theatrical grosses, while films such as Serenity performed more modestly in theaters but developed strong audiences afterward.
What should I watch first?
If you want an emotional science-fiction story, start with Arrival. For action, choose Edge of Tomorrow. For something darker, try District 9 or Snowpiercer. And if you want something completely different, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an excellent choice.
