The Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time
The definitive sci-fi watchlist, ranked by the people who actually watched them — over 370K ratings sit behind this page. Project Hail Mary takes the top spot at 8.7, followed by Interstellar and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Start at number one and work down; there is no filler in the first twenty.
20 titles · average score 8.3 ·
The top 5 picks
- 1
Project Hail Mary (2026)
★ 8.7 · 7,126 ratingsScience teacher Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the…
- 2
Interstellar (2014)
★ 8.5 · 40,783 ratingsThe adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.
- 3
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
★ 8.4 · 17,647 ratingsStruggling to find his place in the world while juggling school and family, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales is unexpectedly bitten by a radioactive spider and develops unfathomable powers just like the one and only…
- 4
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
★ 8.4 · 18,696 ratingsThe epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker, in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda. But Darth Vader is more determined than ever to capture Luke. Meanwhile,…
- 5
Inception (2010)
★ 8.4 · 39,910 ratingsCobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the…
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How this list is ranked
Nothing on this page is hand-picked to hit a word count. We pull films matching this list's criteria from TMDB, require a real audience behind each score, and rank by that score — 20 titles averaging 8.3. The page rebuilds daily, so new releases appear here as soon as enough people have rated them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best sci-fi movie ever made?
By audience score, Project Hail Mary (2026) — 8.7 from 7K ratings. Interstellar, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The Empire Strikes Back round out the top of the list.
Where should I start with sci-fi movies?
Start at number one and work down. The first ten on this page are the genre's consensus picks; below that the list gets more varied and is a good place to find something you have not seen.
Is this list updated?
Yes — it rebuilds every day from TMDB, so newly released movies appear as soon as enough people have rated them. You do not need an account to browse it, and there is no paywall on anything at MovieAI.