Sci-fi is rally taking off on Netflix. Several noteworthy sci-fi titles are among the more popular films on Netflix. The Back to the Future trilogy is fun for the entire family, while the four Matrix films are the gold standard for the cyberpunk subgenre. Other popular sci-fi films on Netflix include Glass, Rebel Moon, Godzilla Minus One, and Atlas.
What’s great about Netflix is the sheer volume of films. There are a lot of choices within each genre, especially sci-fi. But the high number of choices can be overwhelming. To ease your decision, here are five sci-fi movies you need to watch in July. Our choices include a DC superhero adventure, a sequel in a young adult franchise, and an underrated space horror movie.
The Flash (2023)
Was The Flash the greatest superhero movie ever? Unfortunately for Barry Allen fans, the answer is no. There are better superhero films than Andy Muschietti’s troubled flick. The Flash could not overcome the insurmountable hype from Warner Bros. executives and Hollywood’s elite. But here’s the thing about The Flash: It’s solid! There’s nothing wrong with an entertaining superhero spectacle with some fun moments.
After using the Speed Force to travel back in time, Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) alters previous events by saving his mother from her death. By manipulating the past, Barry also changes the future and becomes stranded in an alternate past with no superheroes. When General Zod (Michael Shannon) invades Earth, Barry enlists the help of 2013-Barry, an older Batman (Michael Keaton), and Superman’s cousin, Supergirl (Sasha Calle), to try to save the world from destruction.
Stream The Flash on Netflix.
Insurgent (2015)
After escaping the city at the end of Divergent, Tris Prior ((Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) are now fugitives on the run from Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet), the leader of the Erudite faction. Jeanine and her mind-controlled Dauntless soldiers set out to capture and kill every Divergent, including Tris and Four.
Desperate for help, Tris, Four, and their small crew head into Factionless territory, where they meet the leader, Evelyn (Naomi Watts), who happens to be Four’s mother. Evelyn suggests the surviving Dauntless partner with the Factionless to fight Jeanine, though Tris wants to prevent further escalation between the factions. Unfortunately, Tris may not have a choice, as war is inevitable in this young adult adventure.
Stream Insurgent on Netflix.
Life (2017)
Space has to be one of the best settings for a horror movie. Like the tagline in Alien states: “In space, no one can hear you scream.” The anxiety of being far from Earth combined with the threat of extraterrestrial creatures adds to the eeriness of outer space. One of the more underrated space horrors of the last decade is Life from director Daniel Espinosa.
Six astronauts (including Dr. David Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal), Dr. Miranda North (Rebecca Ferguson), and Rory Adams (Ryan Reynolds) aboard the International Space Station discover a multi-celled organism (“Calvin”) from Mars’ soil. It’s a groundbreaking discovery and proof of extraterrestrial life. What the astronauts didn’t prepare for was Calvin’s evolution into an intelligent being with a destructive nature. With nowhere to run, the surviving astronauts must prevent Calvin from reaching Earth or risk the end of humanity.
Stream Life on Netflix.
Dune (1984)
There’s a reason why Frank Herbert’s Dune was considered an unadaptable text. Just ask David Lynch, whose 1984 adaptation of Dune was so critically reviled that he disowned the film. But in the decades since Lynch’s Dune, the film has developed a cult-like following. Upon further examination, Dune is better than you remember, especially if you appreciate weird sci-fi.
Like Denis Villenuenve’s beloved movies, Lynch’s Dune follows Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan), the gifted heir to House Atreides. which is summoned to Arrakis to oversee the production of the most powerful resource in the galaxy, “the spice.” When the Harkonnens attack House Atreides, Paul flees the desert, where he forms a connection with the Fremen, the natives of Arrakis. With the Fremen on his side, Paul must lead his new allies to freedom and exact revenge on those who killed his friends and family.
Stream Dune on Netflix.
Oxygen (2021)
There are claustrophobic movies, and then there’s Oxygen. Directed by B-movie legend Alexandre Aja, Oxygen follows Elizabeth “Liz” Hansen (Mélanie Laurent), a woman who wakes up in a medical cryogenic unit the size of a coffin with no recollection of how she got there. Liz is trapped in this unit as her oxygen levels begin to deplete.
Liz must remember the administrator code to open the pod. Helping her along the way is an AI named M.I.L.O. (Mathieu Amalric), the Medical Interface Liaison Officer. Running out of time, Liz must figure out an escape before she runs out of oxygen. Oxygen is a fun, claustrophobic thriller that is one of the best sci-fi films on Netflix.
Stream Oxygen on Netflix.
