Science fiction hasn’t always been a genre that’s accessible and popular with mainstream audiences. With the influx of streaming services such as Netflix and Max, sci-fi has become more incorporated into our movie-viewing habits outside of core franchises like Star Wars. Hardcore fans and newcomers alike will enjoy the plethora of options on the service formally known as HBO Max, and we wanted to help you sort through the list of titles available on the service. From newer releases to old classics, these are the best sci-fi movies you need to stream on Max right now.
Dune (2021)
155m
Genre
Science Fiction, Adventure
Stars
Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac
Directed by
Denis Villeneuve
Watch on max
Dune is one of the all-time classic novels in science fiction literature, therefore this adaptation starring Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, and Zendaya was one of the most anticipated films of 2021. The story examines classic sci-fi topics like family, politics, and human purpose by using the struggle for intergalactic resources as the backdrop. The sequel is also available on Max, and you’ll likely want to check it out the second you’re done with the first installment. Dune is the setup, and Part 2 is the payoff
Her (2013)
126m
Genre
Romance, Science Fiction, Drama
Stars
Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams
Directed by
Spike Jonze
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In an era when Her is about to stop being science fiction, this 2013 movie about a tender romance between a lonely man and an AI companion feels more prescient than ever. Thanks to brilliant performances from both Scarlett Johansson and Joaquin Phoenix, Her is a sensitive movie about the very real ways that AI can help us feel less lonely and how imperfect that solution is when what most people really yearn for is a connection to another human being. Her is set in a slightly more utopian world than the one that AI is now entering, but it nonetheless feels like a hugely important movie about the values and limitation of using AI to replace connection with other people.
Ex Machina (2015)
108m
Genre
Drama, Science Fiction
Stars
Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac
Directed by
Alex Garland
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Another AI movie, Ex Machina is much more explicitly about what it means for mere mortals to play God. Because of its deliberately small scale, Ex Machina is also thrilling, thanks chiefly to the sharp writing on display from its writer and director, Alex Garland. The movie tells the story of a computer programmer who is called to his CEO’s secluded home to test out a new form of artificial intelligence he has been working on. The tests consist of just a series of conversations between them, but the movie’s brilliance comes from Alicia Vikander’s performance as Ava the AI, whose motives are never as straightforward as they might seem.
Aliens (1986)
137m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
Stars
Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn
Directed by
James Cameron
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One of the greatest sequels ever made, James Cameron realized that the best way to continue the story of Alien was to completely change the genre of the franchise. Whereas Ridley Scott’s original film is a horror movie in which a single, unstoppable alien picks off an entire crew, Aliens is a movie about an attempt to fight back against those aliens. Sigourney Weaver is so incredible in this movie that, in spite of the trappings of the genre, she was nominated for an Oscar for her work as a version of Ripley, who has now lived through the trauma of one alien invasion. There’s still plenty of tension on display here, but Aliens ends on a more optimistic note than the first installment.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
192m
Genre
Science Fiction, Adventure, Action
Stars
Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver
Directed by
James Cameron
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Another Cameron sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water was a reminder that we all liked Avatar for pretty solid reasons. Set roughly a decade after the first film, this installment sees Jake Sully living among the N’avi with children of his own when he discovers that humanity has returned to Pandora and decides to go into hiding. While there’s certainly plenty to admire in the plotting of The Way of Water, the most amazing thing about the movie is the sheer visual splendor on display. Nobody is using motion capture technology or 3D the way Cameron does here, so much so that he’ll make you care about fake whales more than you ever thought possible.
RoboCop (1987)
102m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
Stars
Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy
Directed by
Paul Verhoeven
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A brilliant condemnation of the police industrial complex that also serves as a rock-solid action movie, RoboCop tells the story of a regular beat cop who’s lured into a devastating accident that allows a corporation to test new technology on him. You might expect a movie called RoboCop to be all about crime, and in a way it is, but the criminal masterminds are those who want to sell their technology to the police. Thanks to its practical effects and the continued relevance of its message, RoboCop holds up well almost 40 years after its release. It’s a movie about systems of corruption, and one that reminds its audience that capitalism is at the root of so much of the world’s evil.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
147m
Genre
Science Fiction, Action, Adventure
Stars
Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Directed by
Lana Wachowski
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A long-delayed fourth installment in The Matrix franchise, The Matrix Resurrections picks up the story of Neo decades later as he finds himself trapped in a new reality. When he is once again faced with the choice of whether he wants to wake up or not, he sets off on a journey to discover how he fell asleep in the first place. Resurrections is much weirder and more existential than some of the other installments in the universe of the Matrix, but it’s also one of the most thoughtful and original blockbusters of the past 20 years. It may be the end of the Matrix universe, and if that’s the case, it would be a hugely fitting conclusion to one of sci-fi’s wildest franchises.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
149m
Genre
Science Fiction, Mystery, Adventure
Stars
Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester
Directed by
Stanley Kubrick
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One of the most important sci-fi movies ever made, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a story in four parts. After starting in prehistoric times, the movie follows a space mission gone awry after mysterious black monoliths emerge all over the solar system. The most well-remembered chunk of the movie follows two astronauts who battle against the artificial intelligence on their ship when it begins behaving strangely and contradicting their orders. The entire miasma of the movie is hugely influential, though, on what sci-fi would become, and it’s also one of the most thought-provoking science fiction movies ever made, even if you don’t totally understand what’s even happening in it.
Under the Skin (2014)
108m
Genre
Thriller, Science Fiction, Drama
Stars
Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, Lynsey Taylor Mackay
Directed by
Jonathan Glazer
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A dreamy, slow-moving movie that follows an alien who assumes the form of an attractive woman and lures unsuspecting men into her grasp, Under the Skin is unconventional but undeniably compelling. The movie’s brilliance comes from the feeling that the central alien figure wants to become more human, but also becomes repulsed by the misogyny of human men. Under the Skin is not an easy movie to understand, but it’s well worth it to consider the movie’s many potential meanings. Scarlett Johansson is the brilliant performance at the movie’s center, and the movie would not work without her.
Mad Max 2 (1981)
96m
Genre
Adventure, Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
Stars
Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Michael Preston
Directed by
George Miller
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It seems almost impossible to consider the fact that there are still new Mad Max movies hitting theaters more than 40 years after The Road Warrior. What’s undeniable, though, is that The Road Warrior remains a great sequel in its own right. The film follows Max as he defends a group of relatively peaceful settlers against a horde of raiders who want to steal their oil. Although Fury Road raised the bar for what action could look like in this universe. The Road Warrior is also a pretty perfectly paced and written sequel, one that would ultimately set the template for what the Mad Max franchise would become.
