Jennifer Lopez is one of Netflix‘s most reliable stars. After The Mother became one of Netflix’s most popular movies in 2023, Lopez returned to the service with the sci-fi action hit,Atlas. Lopez stars as Atlas Shepherd, a data scientist forced into the battle between humanity and AI. Despite her distrust of AI, Atlas teams up with an AI-powered program to hunt a renegade robot.
Despite poor reviews, Atlas immediately debuted at No. 1 on the service. Netflix does have other sci-fi options if you’re a fan of the genre. This June, check out these five sci-fi movies, including a brilliant monster epic, an underrated cyberpunk thriller, and a romantic drama from a horror genius.
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Enough time has passed since the theatrical release of Godzilla Minus One to state that it’s the best Godzilla film of the 21st century. Near the end of World War II, Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) abandons his post and returns to the Japanese base on Odo Island. That night, Godzilla attacks the base, killing everyone except Koichi and the base’s lead mechanic, Sōsaku Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki). Koichi had a chance to shoot Godzilla from his plane, but he hesitated and never fired the shot.
Ashamed, Kōichi believes he can redeem himself by stopping Godzilla from destroying the mainland. The visuals seperate Godzilla Minus One from other Godzilla movies, an impressive feat considering the Japanese production cost a fraction of the price of the American films. Additionally, the character development in Godzilla Minus One is superb, providing the film with serious emotion and heart.
Stream Godzilla Minus One on Netflix.
Upgrade (2018)
What if a human could become the Terminator? That’s the basis for Upgrade, Leigh Whannell’s underrated sci-fi revenge thriller. In 2046, auto mechanic Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green) and his wife Asha (Melanie Vallejo) get into a terrible accident after their self-driving car crashes. A group of four men attack the couple, killing Asha and forcing Grey into a wheelchair as a quadriplegic. With no will to live, Grey attempts suicide and fails. But Grey receives a new lease on life from billionaire Eron Keen (Harrison Gilbertson).
With STEM, Grey regains the ability to use his limbs, and then some. It essentially turns him into a super soldier with strength and agility. With his newfound abilities, Grey goes on a rampage to find the men who killed his wife. If you want a tight, 100-minute cyberpunk action film with a suspenseful story, Upgrade is the movie for you.
Stream Upgrade on Netflix.
Divergent (2014)
Let’s start with the obvious: Divergent is not as good as The Hunger Games. However, fans of the young adult genre can still enjoy the dystopian premise and leading performances from Shailene Woodley and The Gentlemen star Theo James. In postapocalyptic Chicago, society is divided into five factions: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite. Teenagers take aptitude tests to determine the faction that best suits their skills.
When Tris Prior (Woodley) takes the test, it concludes she is a Divergent, meaning she doesn’t fit into one group. However, Divergents are considered a danger to society, so Tris keeps this news a secret. Tris surprises her family when she chooses Dauntless, a faction known for brave warriors. When she discovers a plan to eradicate one of the factions, Tris and her mentor, Four (James), must fight to save the city from destruction.
Stream Divergent on Netflix.
Hulk (2003)
In 2003, Ang Lee attempted to make a dark, emotional Hulk movie that focused on themes of abuse and trauma. Eric Bana stars as Bruce Banner, an intelligent scientist studying gamma radiation. During his childhood, Bruce’s mother tragically died, and the trauma has stayed with him ever since. During a lab accident, Bruce is exposed to elevated game radiation levels.
When Bruce becomes angry, he becomes the Hulk, a green humanoid monster with superhuman size and strength. Bruce’s new powers lead to unwanted attention from Thaddeus Ross (Sam Elliot), who wants to stop the Hulk, and his father, David Banner (Nick Nolte), who wants Bruce’s power for himself. Not everything works in Hulk. However, watching an auteur like Lee take a risk in the superhero genre is refreshing.
Stream Hulk on Netflix.
Starman (1984)
Jeff Bridges is the only actor in a John Carpenter-directed film to receive an Oscar nomination for his performance. Bridges was nominated for Best Actor for playing the titular role in Starman. After humans invite extraterrestrials to Earth with an offering of peace, an alien spacecraft enters the atmosphere. However, the military shoots the ship down and it crashes in Wisconsin.
The alien (Bridges), or “Starman,” arrives in the home of widow Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen), and through a lock of her late husband’s hair, the alien takes his human form. The Starman has three days to reach a crater in Arizona if he wants to return home. If not, he will die. What starts out as a sci-fi adventure eventually turns into an effective romantic drama, a pleasant surprise considering the main relationship is between a human and an alien.
Stream Starman on Netflix.
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