The 7 Best Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix in October

28 Days Later

The nature of a virus getting out of a lab and running rampant on humanity – turning those it kills into fast zombies – certainly qualifies “28 Days Later” for this list as light sci-fi horror. The Danny Boyle-directed, Cillian Murphy-led film is a tour de force in the zombie genre as a man wakes up to find London decimated.

The scares come as fast as the undead making them, but it’s the human element of the story that will pull you in.

The Martian

“The Martian” pulls off a somewhat Herculean feat of making a story about a man trapped alone on a planet tense, fun, and full of snappy dialogue despite Matt Damon’s Mark Watney being in solitude on Mars. The film boasts a star-studded cast that all come in for their brief scenes and knock it out of the park, while Damon carries the lion’s share in what is one of his best performances.

“The Martian” is an adaptation of a book by Andy Weir, and now might be a good time to check it out before the author’s next book adaptation – “Project Hail Mary” starring Ryan Gosling – drops in March 2026.

Godzilla Minus One

Every modern attempt at a new Godzilla film has consistently been weak in the same category: the human element. That is, until “Godzilla Minus One” rolled through town. The film is set in Japan right after WWII and follows a former soldier who rallies a group to face off against the titan as a way to redeem himself from an earlier encounter during the war.

The scenes of Godzilla causing mayhem by land and by sea are gorgeously rendered and often terrifying, but it’s those human moments in between that set “Godzilla Minus One” a cut above the rest.

E.T.

Great sci-fi does not have to be all doom and gloom. If you want a more light-hearted romp in the genre, you won’t do much better than Steven Spielberg’s “E.T.” If you’re hankering for that final season of “Stranger Things,” this classic about a boy who finds an alien abandoned in his backyard will scratch that itch. The film essentially pioneered the kids-on-bikes, sunsoaked cul-de-sac genre that the Netflix series has cribbed so much from.

It’s a delight and one of Spielberg’s very best works.

Limitless

Who would not want to take a pill and be instantly incredible at everything without any of the work? “Limitless” plays that dream out – with a few tiny repercussions. The hook is simple: humans only use 20% of their brain but a new pill unlocks the human mind’s full potential essentially making them superheroes.

Bradley Cooper is having a lot of fun with this one as a struggling writer who quickly rises to the top of the financial world. Of course, some of the message is the shortcut drug is bad and people should work a bit for their accomplishments, but at the same time…come on, it’s just fun.

They Cloned Tyrone

Netflix does occasionally strike gold with their original movies, and “They Cloned Tyrone” is a testament to that. The film stars Jamie Foxx, John Boyega and Teyonah Parris as an unlikely trio who uncover a shocking conspiracy (hint: reread the film title) in their neighborhood. The film boasts heart and humor alike, and if it had had a theatrical run rather than being thrown to the wolves on Netflix, more people would be talking about it.