Over the last 26 years, audiences around the world have been treated to several films that show why science fiction has remained one of cinema’s most prolific, beloved, and successful genres throughout the art form’s history. However, only a handful of sci-fi masterpieces released throughout the 21st century are truly worthy of being considered perfect.
It’ll take someone admirably nitpicky to find any kind of significant flaw in these masterclasses of sci-fi filmmaking. It doesn’t matter whether they’re huge blockbusters or slow-burning arthouse gems, thought-provoking dramas or irresistibly funny comedies, family-friendly future classics or purely adult-oriented sci-fi. The fact of the matter is that these films are the closest that 21st-century science fiction has come to true perfection thus far.
10
‘Last and First Men’ (2020)
The late Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson remains best-known for his unforgettable music for movies like The Theory of Everything and Mandy. But right before his death, Jóhannsson stepped into the director’s chair to adapt Olaf Stapledon‘s 1930 sci-fi novel Last and First Men. Coming out two years after its director’s passing, it is an experimental effort of true passion and ambition.
Last and First Men is not a traditional sci-fi film. It’s composed entirely of Tilda Swinton narrating a story about humanity’s evolution across two billion years, while the camera shows otherworldly-looking monuments (which are actually WWII memorials in former Yugoslavia) in gorgeous black and white. Thematically complex and formally fascinating, it’s a surreal masterpiece that all fans of arthouse sci-fi should check out at least once in their lives.
9
‘Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie’ (2025)
Back in 2007, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarroll became instant cult figures thanks to the Canadian web series Nirvana the Band the Show. Ten years later, the world was treated to a full-on mockumentary series remake. And finally, last year, Matt and Jay returned in Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, a pop culture phenomenon that instantly joined the ranks of the best Canadian movies ever made.
With a low budget, a guerrilla-style approach filled with man-on-the-street moments, and a faultless understanding of fair use laws, Johnson and McCarroll made a spoof of Back to the Future that still feels like one of the most creative and original sci-fi movies of the 21st century. Packed with moments bound to make anyone ask, “How the hell did they get away with that?” Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is a love letter to Toronto, comedy, science fiction, and the art of punk rock filmmaking.
8
‘The Prestige’ (2006)
Some might point to Christopher Nolan‘s other 21st-century sci-fi efforts first, which only goes to show that, despite being massively acclaimed, The Prestige is somehow still one of its director’s most underappreciated works. For people who love thrillers packed with plot twists, this Victorian gem about the bitter rivalry between two illusionists is a must-see.
With its incredible cast, exceptional production values, and many brilliantly constructed twists, The Prestige is arguably Nolan’s most perfect sci-fi film of the century. It’s a riveting tale about the destructive power of obsession that many people read as a metaphor for the filmmaking process itself. No matter what it represents, The Prestige is undoubtedly an irresistibly fun and surprising film.
7
‘WALL·E’ (2008)
Pixar has produced its fair share of duds in the last few years, but once upon a time, the studio was behind an astonishing number of the best kids’ movies of the last 100 years. That most certainly includes WALL·E, a family-friendly masterpiece which proves that animation can be the perfect home for some of the most imaginative sci-fi stories imaginable in cinema.
Aside from being visually stunning, WALL·E is a beautiful tribute to old-school science fiction and to the romantic comedies of Hollywood’s silent age. Who could have predicted that a love story about two robots could possibly be so delightful? Thematically, it’s a poignant and thought-provoking gem that’s never unsubtle with its message. Funny, creative, with some beautiful music, and full of unforgettable moments of pure emotion, WALL·E has a heart of gold.
6
‘Children of Men’ (2006)
Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón has made most of his genre work in Hollywood, and as far as sci-fi Cuarón goes, it doesn’t get any better than Children of Men. This dystopian masterpiece about a futuristic world where humanity has been ravaged by two decades of infertility is as gloomy as it is beautifully humanistic, and it’s one of the best character-driven sci-fi movies of all time.
Emmanuel Lubezki‘s jaw-dropping camerawork, the cast’s exceptional performances — Clive Owen is genuinely doing career-best work here — and the breathtaking third act, where Cuarón gets to show off his directing chops in their full splendor, are just some of the standouts in the film. There’s practically nothing not to love about Children of Men. Though it’s definitely light on the science fiction elements, fans of the genre should nevertheless consider it essential viewing.
5
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)
After exactly three decades away from the franchise and from the action movie genre as a whole, George Miller returned to Max Rockatansky’s wasteland with Mad Max: Fury Road. Not only did this movie instantly prove to be the best installment in the series thus far, but it also became one of the best action movies of the last ’80 years, high-budget action filmmaking at its very best.
It’s technically impressive, it has great music and sound design, and Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron’s performances are top-notch.
Fury Road is a relentless two hours of non-stop adrenaline and brutal action, with some of the most imaginative and delightfully over-the-top world-building of any sci-fi action film in recent memory. It’s technically impressive, it has great music and sound design, Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron‘s performances are top-notch, and the number of badass action sequences is too large to count. For people who love their science fiction with a side of white-knuckle action, Fury Road should be right up their alley.
4
‘Arrival’ (2016)
By the time 2016 rolled in, Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve had already established himself as one of the strongest new voices in Hollywood. It was Arrival that furthered that reputation by also showing just how immensely talented he was at sci-fi filmmaking. Based on the 1998 novella Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang, Arrival is one of the most unconventional—and one of the greatest—alien invasion movies in history.
It’s also one of the most perfect sci-fi movies of the 21st century, a beautifully artistic and meditatively-paced study of memories, language, and communication. Amy Adams‘ lead performance is perfect (and one of the biggest Oscar snubs of the 2010s), Villeneuve’s direction is perfect, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s score is perfect, and all the technical qualities of this modern sci-fi masterpiece are also without flaw.
3
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022)
The Daniels‘ Everything Everywhere All at Once, winner of a whopping seven Academy Awards (including Best Picture), kind of came out of nowhere. After all, who could have expected a martial arts sci-fi dramedy about family and aging, easily one of the most chaotic movies of all time, to be one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces of the 2020s? That unpredictability only makes Everything Everywhere All at Once even more admirable.
The film is hilarious, but it’s also beautifully tender and emotional. It’s full of action-packed sequences of endless sci-fi creativity, but also full of quiet moments of character-building and emotional catharsis. It was made on a shockingly low budget, but it’s also one of the most visually stunning sci-fi action flicks of the decade. Basically, it’s one of the most exquisitely surprising genre movies of the last couple of decades, a truly special gem unlike any other.
2
‘Dune: Part Two’ (2024)
Who, if not Denis Villeneuve, could possibly deserve to be mentioned in a list of this nature not just once, but twice? After all, Dune: Part Two is a generational masterpiece that will surely still be remembered as one of the greatest sci-fi films of the 21st century, many decades from now. 2021’s Dune was solid enough, but it was Part Two that showed beyond a shadow of a doubt that Denis Villeneuve was such a talented sci-fi director that he could parallel the imagination of Frank Herbert, author of the genre-defining book series that gave origin to this modern masterpiece.
Dune: Part Two is one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, the kind of film that has something in it for everyone. Romance, excitement, suspense, action, and a hauntingly gorgeous Hans Zimmer score all populate Villeneuve’s Arrakis. Technically perfect, narratively perfect, thematically perfect, and perfect as a faithful yet creative adaptation of Herbert’s masterpiece, Dune: Part Two is one of the best sci-fi sequels of all time.
1
‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ (2004)
Charlie Kaufman, perhaps the greatest screenwriter working in Hollywood today, wrote several of the best screenplays of the 2000s. The best, however, allowed Michel Gondry to direct the best sci-fi film of the 21st century thus far: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It isn’t a space opera or an overly intricate depiction of a hyper-technological future. In Eternal Sunshine, science fiction is a tool that allows Kaufman and Gondry to explore questions of what romance and human connection mean in the modern world.
It may sound corny, but Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is every bit as realistic and raw as it is tender and beautifully romantic. People who prefer their sci-fi films to lean much heavier on both the science and the fiction will probably prefer to look elsewhere, but those who love to see a story that’s a deeply human, character-driven drama first and a sci-fi film second will undoubtedly be delighted (and heartbroken) by this gem. Poignant though it may be, however, the film is also one of the most movingly genuine romance dramas of the century, genre storytelling at its best.
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