Sci-fi movies have been around for decades, often serving as warnings for a highly technological future. But they aren’t all about the takeover of AI. Some of them skew to horror with viral pandemics or mysterious supernatural forces that wreak havoc on humanity.
The best sci-fi films have plenty of action, compelling storytelling, and wonderful casts. The three underrated sci-fi movies on Amazon Freevee you should watch in November each have something unique to offer, and date back to a classic from the 1980s. The two newer ones may have fallen under your radar, but considering you can check them out for free right now (with ads), you might want to give them a shot.
We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Only (2020)
Drawing comparisons to Y: The Last Man, Only flips the gender script as it follows the outbreak of a virus that is seemingly only killing women. With almost all the females obliterated, Will (Leslie Odom Jr.) fights to keep Eva (Freida Pinto) safe from the government and bounty hunters who are searching for any surviving women. They’re now tremendously valuable to keeping humanity going.
Only’s plot can get confusing at times since its non-chronological structure weaves back and forth through different timelines. But viewership has suggested that the lackluster reviews aren’t warranted: after premiering on Netflix, Only quickly climbed to the top 10 list, albeit the fact that this was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic could have something to do with it. Nonetheless, the film is worth consideration now that the terror and fear around the real-life pandemic has largely subsided and you can sink into the fictional story.
Stream Only on Amazon Freevee.
The Fog (1980)
This independent John Carpenter supernatural horror is about a glowing fog that is taking over a small town in Northern California. With the fog comes the ghost of a wealthy clipper ship owner named Blake (Rob Bottin), who was suffering from leprosy back in the 1800s and was killed before he could establish a leper colony. The group that wrecked his ship also stole gold to create their new town.
Starring “Scream Queen” Jamie Lee Curtis along with Adrienne Barbeau (Grease), Tom Atkins (The Rockford Files), Hal Holbrook (All the President’s Men), and Curtis’ real-life mother Janet Leigh (Psycho), The Fog’s themes touch on vengeance and karma. The film received decent reviews, but it took decades before it eventually began to develop a cult following. While The Fog falls more squarely within the horror genre, the supernatural elements make it a film worth watching for sci-fi fans, too.
Stream The Fog on Amazon Freevee.
Kill Command (2016)
Vanessa Kirby (The Crown) stars in this British sci-fi action horror movie about an AI that goes rogue during a training mission, leaving a group of U.S. Marines struggling to survive and defeat it. Set in a future where technology has taken over and cyborgs are common, Kill Command is a cautionary tale about AI turning on humans.
Yes, Kill Command covers a topic that has been explored time and time again, which is perhaps why the low-budget film wasn’t as well received as others of the same type. But it has many redeeming qualities that make it worth the hour and-a-half time investment. Victoria Luxford of Radio Times says the “low-budget robot war has a lot more going for it than many bloated Hollywood studio equivalents.”
Stream Kill Command on Amazon Freevee.
