Science fiction movies are now more popular than ever, leading the way in books, films, and television but this wasn’t always the case. This genre was often seen as appealing to one particular audience but now appeals more to the general public. What was once thought boring is now widely accepted due partly to people’s changing attitudes, like how they view science and technology, and perhaps their desire to briefly escape into a world of adventure.
In the past, many sci-fi films weren’t very well developed. Instead of excellent storylines, they delved more toward decoration and fancy effects. Some of the most acclaimed movies in this genre relied heavily on scientific and alien concepts instead of addressing what may be lacking in the script. If the dialogue wasn’t up to par, it might be masked by sleek, edgy spaceships or highly advanced alien species.
While many films of yesteryear relied on these tactics and more, others thought outside the box, adhering to new techniques and methods perhaps never seen before. They may not have followed the sci-fi formula, resulting in them being overlooked, leading these movies to become the most underrated sci-fi films of all time. (For other overlooked films, check out the most underrated movies of the 90s.)
To compile a list of the most underrated sci-fi movies of all time, 24/7 Tempo consulted various entertainment and film sources including Den of Geek, Far Out Magazine, and Esquire Magazine. We then selected sci-fi films that either received little coverage upon release or transcended the genre in several impactful ways. Sites like IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes were also consulted to confirm aspects of the films’ plots and critical receptions.
With many sci-fi films, the audience goes in knowing what to expect. The genre has been sufficiently explored to the point that many of the most recognizable films pack very few punches. Other films, however, use a sci-fi base to explore transcendent themes, resulting in moviegoing experiences that disturb as much as quietly delight.
Primer (2004)
Cast: Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Casey Gooden
Directed by Shane Carruth, “Primer” follows Aaron and Abe, two engineers working on a side project for their tech day jobs. While researching the electromagnetic ability to reduce objects’ weights, they accidentally discover a way to time travel. By creating a time loop, the pair can travel backward in time. They keep this profound discovery to themselves, successfully betting on the stock market in the process, but their body doubles created by the experiment soon wreak havoc on their lives.
Time travel may be the film’s basic concept but the movie is more rooted in scientific theory and jargon than any other contemporary sci-fi film. Yet, it doesn’t confuse the viewer so much as to overwhelm them in the immersion of what it would feel like to discover time travel. Even more impressive was how it was made on a shoestring budget, primarily occurring in garages and car parks. “Primer” is original and cerebral and enchants the viewer through pure scientific enigma.
Monsters (2010)
Cast: Scoot McNairy, Whitney Able
A few years after a NASA probe crashes into Mexico, giant tentacle-clad monsters take over a region of the country. The film follows American photojournalist Andrew Kaulder as he attempts to escort his boss’s daughter through the “infected zone” and into the United States. They learn more about the strange creatures who have invaded Earth and almost lose their lives.
Strange Days (1995)
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore
Set in 1999 Los Angeles, which is now a hell zone, Strange Days tells the story of Lenny Nero, a former cop turned black marketeer of electronic devices called SQUIDS that can capture memories and physical sensations of other people. After Nero meets Lornette “Mace” Mason, a bodyguard and limo driver, the pair are drawn into a criminal conspiracy that revolves around the murder of a prostitute and the record of her memories on a SQUID device.
The Man from Earth (2007)
Cast: David Lee Smith, Tony Todd, John Billingsley, Ellen Crawford.
The film follows John Oldman, a soon-to-be-retired University professor who is moving away, which causes his fellow academic colleagues to throw him a going-away party. While celebrating, his fellow professors ask him why he is moving. Oldman reluctantly admits that he is 14,000 years old. Suspicious and bewildered by his answer, his colleagues question him through the frameworks of their academic expertise.
The Abyss (1989)
Cast: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn
When an American submarine sinks deep in the waters of the Caribbean, it causes a search and recovery team to collaborate with an oil platform crew, competing with Soviet vessels to reach the sunken craft first. When they submerge deep in the ocean, however, they discover an alien civilization hidden deep in the bottom of the ocean that seeks to communicate with them.
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr.
Taking place in a near-distant dystopian future where the United States has functionally lost the war on drugs, “A Scanner Darkly” focuses on combating a powerful drug called Substance D that causes bizarre hallucinations and has captured at least 20% of the population in its grasp.
To combat this, the government uses informants like Bob Arctor to immerse themselves in this drug world and get information but Arctor then becomes hopelessly addicted to the drug. This takes him through the lives of addicts and the rehabs that help them recover, where he learns that the rehabs very well might be the thing responsible for the drug’s proliferation.
Coherence (2013)
Cast: Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling
A group of eight friends gather for a dinner party on the night a comet is due to pass Earth. Strange things begin to happen around the home following the comet’s passing, things that no one remembers how it occurred. The group soon realizes that the comet may have caused impossible effects on their perception, almost as if they have been separated into different time loops.
Predestination (2014)
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook
The barkeep is the temporal agent played by Ethan Hawke. He has been tasked with going back in time to stop criminals from carrying out nefarious deeds. He meets his match when he’s sent back to stop an elusive terrorist from committing a bombing that if successful will kill tens of thousands of people.
Annihilation (2018)
Cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez
Former soldier and current biologist Lena travels to an area of the Pacific Northwest called Area X. This area earned its name due to the strange and disturbing alien phenomenon slowly but steadily conquering vast swaths of land. Once there, Lena joins a mission into the infected area, seeking answers about what happened to her husband. She discovers a beautiful yet mutilated landscape filled with shape-shifting creatures and hallucinatory experiences. (For other movies with stunning visuals, discover jaw-dropping movie stunts you need to see.)
Snowpiercer (2013)
Cast: Chris Evans, Ed Harris, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Allison Pill
“Snowpiercer” is set in a distant future, years after the world transformed into a giant frozen waste. What remains of the human population now resides on a giant train, spanning the globe and forced to keep moving lest the precious few people left perish. The train functions through an almost feudal hierarchy. This results in one man risking everything to stage a revolt against the train’s leaders and take control of the engine for the sake of the world.
Under the Skin (2013)
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, Lynsey Taylor Mackay
An extraterrestrial entity known as The Female lands on Earth and then adopts the skin of a beautiful female human. She soon begins traveling the streets and countryside of Scotland looking for victims. Upon finding suitable male victims, she seduces them into following her through a hallucinatory dream state of darkness and black goo to their ultimate death and subsumption into her alien world.
Sunshine (2007)
Cast: Cliff Curtis, Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh, Chris Evans
In a relatively distant future, the dying sun spells disaster for humanity. In an attempt to save Earth and its people, a team ventures into space with a device that just might revive the fading sun. Soon, however, a mistake and a distress call from a long-lost spaceship throw the rescue mission into a tailspin.
Colossal (2016)
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis
Gloria is an unemployed party girl who leaves New York City to move back to her hometown. She soon hears news reports describing a giant creature attacking and destroying Seoul, South Korea. The more she hears about this tragedy, the more Gloria realizes her life is somehow connected to the event. As it spirals out of control, she must discover why her unremarkable existence is causing very real effects on the world.
Silent Running (1972)
Cast: Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin
In a future world, all flora and fauna have almost ceased to exist. All that remains is contained in a greenhouse ecologist Freeman Lowell manages on a space station, with the hope of preserving living things for future generations. After he is ordered to destroy the greenhouse in favor of carrying more cargo, Lowell and his robot companions rebel and do everything they can to preserve the little greenery left living.
Galaxy Quest (1999)
Cast: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Sam Rockwell
Influenced by “Star-Trek” and the various misadventures of its cast members since the show ended, “Galaxy Quest” is the tale of the former stars of a hit sci-fi show from the 1970s. They barely scrape by with monotonous appearances at movie and gaming conventions when suddenly, the cast is beamed up to a real alien ship.
Once aboard they learn that said aliens are incapable of lying, so they believe transmissions of the TV show were real events. Seeking what they believe to be the actors’ real-life skills, the aliens enlist the actors in a quest to defeat an evil, disturbing alien adversary.
Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Dina Meyer, Ice-T
It’s the cyberpunk future, and Johnny is a data courier who has a secret trove of information planted into his mind. The only problem is, that the trove of info will kill him if it’s not taken out within 48 hours. Along with his bodyguard, Johnny sets out to find the passwords that will release the data and save his life. In the process, he finds himself hunted by various gangsters and sinister businessmen hoping to retrieve the precious data Johnny so desperately seeks to get out of his brain. (For more sci-fi films, discover the 20 best sci-fi films of all time.)