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Sci-fi movies: 10 top-rated picks

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Last updated October 24, 2026

Space, time, and machines. The top picks are Project Hail Mary, Interstellar, Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The 10 films below rank highest on TMDB among titles with thousands of votes, so each one has a large audience behind its score. Streaming availability is for the US as of October 24, 2026.

Sci-fi movies
TitleGenresLengthTMDB ratingUS streaming (October 24, 2026)
Project Hail Mary (2026)Science Fiction, Adventure157 min8.6/10Prime Video, MGM Plus
Interstellar (2014)Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction169 min8.5/10Prime Video, Paramount+
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)Science Fiction, Action, Adventure145 min8.5/10Not on a US subscription service right now
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)Animation, Action, Adventure117 min8.4/10Netflix
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)Adventure, Action, Science Fiction124 min8.4/10Disney+
Inception (2010)Action, Science Fiction, Crime148 min8.4/10Not on a US subscription service right now
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)Animation, Action, Adventure140 min8.3/10Disney+, FXNow, HBO Max
Back to the Future (1985)Adventure, Comedy, Science Fiction116 min8.3/10Not on a US subscription service right now
The Wild Robot (2024)Family, Animation, Science Fiction102 min8.3/10Prime Video
The Matrix (1999)Action, Science Fiction136 min8.3/10Not on a US subscription service right now
Poster for Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary

2026 · Science Fiction, Adventure · 157 min · TMDB 8.6/10

Rated 8.6/10 by 8,466 TMDB voters.

TMDB synopsis: Science teacher Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there.

US streaming: Prime Video, MGM Plus

Poster for Interstellar

Interstellar

2014 · Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction · 169 min · TMDB 8.5/10

Rated 8.5/10 by 41,603 TMDB voters.

TMDB synopsis: The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.

US streaming: Prime Video, Paramount+

Poster for Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

2026 · Science Fiction, Action, Adventure · 145 min · TMDB 8.5/10

Rated 8.5/10 by 6,010 TMDB voters.

TMDB synopsis: Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn't remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter Parker he may not have the power to control.

US streaming: not on a US subscription service as of October 24, 2026

Poster for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

2018 · Animation, Action, Adventure · 117 min · TMDB 8.4/10

Rated 8.4/10 by 18,063 TMDB voters.

TMDB synopsis: Struggling to find his place in the world while juggling school and family, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales is unexpectedly bitten by a radioactive spider and develops unfathomable powers just like the one and only Spider-Man.

US streaming: Netflix

Poster for The Empire Strikes Back

The Empire Strikes Back

1980 · Adventure, Action, Science Fiction · 124 min · TMDB 8.4/10

Rated 8.4/10 by 19,022 TMDB voters.

TMDB synopsis: The epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker, in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda.

US streaming: Disney+

Poster for Inception

Inception

2010 · Action, Science Fiction, Crime · 148 min · TMDB 8.4/10

Rated 8.4/10 by 40,528 TMDB voters.

TMDB synopsis: Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.

US streaming: not on a US subscription service as of October 24, 2026

Poster for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

2023 · Animation, Action, Adventure · 140 min · TMDB 8.3/10

Rated 8.3/10 by 9,445 TMDB voters.

TMDB synopsis: After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters the Spider Society, a team of Spider-People charged with protecting the Multiverse's very existence.

US streaming: Disney+, FXNow, HBO Max

Poster for Back to the Future

Back to the Future

1985 · Adventure, Comedy, Science Fiction · 116 min · TMDB 8.3/10

Rated 8.3/10 by 22,633 TMDB voters.

TMDB synopsis: Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest.

US streaming: not on a US subscription service as of October 24, 2026

Poster for The Wild Robot

The Wild Robot

2024 · Family, Animation, Science Fiction · 102 min · TMDB 8.3/10

Rated 8.3/10 by 6,764 TMDB voters.

TMDB synopsis: After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island.

US streaming: Prime Video

Poster for The Matrix

The Matrix

1999 · Action, Science Fiction · 136 min · TMDB 8.3/10

Rated 8.3/10 by 29,034 TMDB voters.

TMDB synopsis: Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.

US streaming: not on a US subscription service as of October 24, 2026

Questions

What are the best sci-fi movies?

By TMDB rating among well-voted films, the top three are Project Hail Mary, Interstellar, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

How was this ranked?

By TMDB average rating, only counting films with a large number of votes, so a handful of fans cannot push a title up.

Where can I watch them?

Each film's US subscription services are in the table. Some are only for rent or purchase.

Is the list current?

Streaming data is from October 24, 2026. Catalogs change often.

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Sources: TMDB for titles, ratings, runtimes and synopses. JustWatch (via TMDB) supplies streaming availability. Streaming lists change often. Check the service before you plan your night.