The Best New Sci-Fi Movies Of The Last Few Years

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Science fiction has been on a serious roll recently, with big screen epics and smaller character pieces pushing ideas about AI, multiverses, and first contact into the spotlight. These movies mix ambitious worldbuilding with grounded human stories, and they come from all over the globe and across animation and live action.

From franchise milestones to surprising originals, the last few years have delivered a stack of films that explore technology, space, and alternate realities in smart and memorable ways. Here are twenty standouts, each with the essentials you need to know so you can pick what to watch next.

‘Dune: Part Two’ (2024)

Denis Villeneuve continues Frank Herbert’s saga with Paul Atreides rallying the Fremen on Arrakis against House Harkonnen. The film stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, and Florence Pugh, and was released worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Large-scale desert sequences were staged with extensive on-location work in Jordan and Abu Dhabi and practical effects blended with digital sandworm animation. The story adapts the latter half of the first novel, concluding Paul’s rise while expanding the political and ecological stakes of the spice trade.

‘The Creator’ (2023)

Gareth Edwards directs a near-future war story about a former special forces agent drawn into a mission involving an AI child. The cast includes John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, and Allison Janney, with distribution by 20th Century Studios.

The production is notable for a lean shooting approach that used compact cameras and location-heavy photography before extensive visual effects work. Its setting spans Southeast Asia and futuristic urban zones, presenting autonomous weapons, AI governance, and resistance movements as central plot elements.

‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022)

This multiverse adventure from Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert follows a laundromat owner who discovers she can access skills from alternate lives. Michelle Yeoh leads the cast with Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and Jamie Lee Curtis, and the film was released by A24.

Fight choreography, quick-change costumes, and maximal editing support rapid jumps between universes that include different jobs, relationships, and even species. The movie won multiple Academy Awards in 2023, including Best Picture and Best Actress, marking a major milestone for its creators and cast.

‘Godzilla Minus One’ (2023)

Toho’s period-set entry places Godzilla in postwar Japan as the country struggles to rebuild after World War II. Takashi Yamazaki directs and also leads the visual effects team, with a cast featuring Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe.

The story foregrounds ordinary citizens and demobilized servicemen facing the monster without superweapons, emphasizing improvised defense plans and maritime strategy. The film won the Academy Award for Visual Effects in 2024, a first for the long-running Japanese franchise.

‘Nope’ (2022)

Jordan Peele sets a UFO story in the outskirts of Los Angeles where two siblings run a horse-wrangling business for film productions. Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Brandon Perea, and Michael Wincott star, and Universal Pictures handled the release.

Daylight and day-for-night photography depict aerial phenomena as the characters attempt to record proof using analog and digital gear. The creature concept, nicknamed Jean Jacket, evolves across the narrative, with practical rigs and VFX combining to create large-scale sky set pieces.

‘After Yang’ (2022)

Kogonada adapts Alexander Weinstein’s short story about a family dealing with the malfunction of their companion android. Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, and Haley Lu Richardson star, and A24 released the film in North America.

The film uses quiet domestic spaces, memory modules, and repair-shop investigations to unpack questions of identity and cultural programming. Production design blends natural materials and soft lighting with minimalist tech, presenting a near-future that emphasizes everyday integration of robotics.

‘Prey’ (2022)

Set in the Northern Great Plains in the early 1700s, this entry in the ‘Predator’ series follows a young Comanche healer and tracker who faces an extraterrestrial hunter. Amber Midthunder stars, with Dan Trachtenberg directing and a release on Hulu and Disney platforms internationally.

The production worked with Comanche consultants and offered a full Comanche-language version alongside the English presentation. Practical location shooting and period-appropriate props are matched with creature effects and VFX to depict the Predator’s weapons and adaptive camouflage.

‘The Wandering Earth II’ (2023)

This prequel to the 2019 hit details the early phases of the planetary engine project created to move Earth away from a dying sun. Frant Gwo directs, with Wu Jing and Andy Lau among the leads, and the film opened widely in China during Lunar New Year.

Large control rooms, space elevator sequences, and lunar facilities are realized through a mix of set construction and digital environments. The story spans international planning and engineering crises, highlighting AI oversight conflicts and the political coordination required for survival-scale projects.

‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ (2023)

Miles Morales returns in an animated multiverse story co-directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson. Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld lead the voice cast, with release by Sony Pictures.

The movie expands visual styles by giving each universe a distinct art direction and frame treatment while integrating comic panel language and motion design. New characters such as Spider-Gwen’s allies and the Spider Society broaden the cast, setting up cross-universe stakes that continue in a planned follow-up.

‘Vesper’ (2022)

Set after an ecological collapse, this European co-production follows a teenage biohacker navigating corporate seed monopolies and toxic landscapes. Kristina Buožytė and Bruno Samper direct, with Raffiella Chapman, Rosy McEwen, and Eddie Marsan starring.

On-location shooting in Lithuania and practical plant props support a grounded look, while visual effects depict engineered organisms and drone companions. The narrative focuses on laboratory tinkering, survival agriculture, and autonomy in a world where genetics companies tightly control viable food sources.

‘They Cloned Tyrone’ (2023)

A trio in a neighborhood uncovers a covert cloning program linked to behavioral experiments. Juel Taylor directs, with John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx starring, and Netflix handling global distribution.

Retro-futurist production design mixes analog labs with surveillance infrastructure to frame a conspiracy that reaches into everyday spaces. The film uses coded messages, hidden facilities, and repeated trials to reveal how memory and identity can be manipulated at scale.

‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ (2024)

George Miller explores the origin of Imperator Furiosa in a standalone entry set in the Wasteland. Anya Taylor-Joy and Alyla Browne portray Furiosa at different ages, with Chris Hemsworth as a warlord and Tom Burke in a key supporting role.

The production features large stunt ensembles, convoy chases, and desert warfare logistics filmed primarily in Australia. Weaponized vehicles, fortress economies, and barter systems map the Wasteland’s power structures while connecting events to ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’.

‘The Matrix Resurrections’ (2021)

Lana Wachowski returns with a meta-continuation that places Neo back in a simulated reality where his past has been reframed. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss lead the cast with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, and Jonathan Groff.

The movie was released by Warner Bros. Pictures with a day-and-date streaming window in some regions. Action set pieces combine wire work, practical explosions, and volumetric effects, while the narrative reintroduces core programs and questions about control and choice.

‘I.S.S.’ (2024)

A geopolitical crisis on Earth triggers a hostile standoff aboard the International Space Station. Gabriela Cowperthwaite directs, with Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, John Gallagher Jr., and Pilou Asbæk among the ensemble, and Bleecker Street handling distribution.

The production builds full-scale station modules to stage microgravity movement and tool handling, with visual effects extending Earth views and exterior EVA sequences. The plot examines command hierarchy, mission protocols, and the fragility of cooperation when orders conflict with crew safety.

‘No One Will Save You’ (2023)

This home-invasion alien story centers on a reclusive young woman facing an unexpected encounter. Brian Duffield writes and directs, with Kaitlyn Dever in the lead, and the film premiered on Hulu and Disney platforms internationally.

The movie is notable for minimal spoken dialogue, relying on sound design and creature choreography to convey tension and information. Practical sets and VFX depict telekinetic tools, abduction beams, and multiple extraterrestrial body types during extended night sequences.

‘The Adam Project’ (2022)

A time pilot crashes in the present and teams up with his younger self to find their missing father. Shawn Levy directs, with Ryan Reynolds, Walker Scobell, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, and Zoe Saldaña, and Netflix releasing worldwide.

Aerial dogfights, future-tech weapons, and temporal signatures are visualized through a blend of digital effects and practical lighting. The story uses fixed points, access codes, and algorithmic modeling to explain how jumps and paradoxes are managed inside its timeline.

‘Finch’ (2021)

A robotics engineer builds a companion android and a rover to protect his dog while crossing a post-apocalyptic United States. Miguel Sapochnik directs, with Tom Hanks and Caleb Landry Jones, and Apple TV+ serving as the distributor.

Production employed southwestern U.S. locations for dust storms, solar flare effects, and derelict infrastructure. The robot’s performance combines motion capture and voice work to show incremental learning, ethics rules, and caregiving protocols as the journey unfolds.

‘Dune’ (2021)

Denis Villeneuve’s first installment adapts the opening half of Frank Herbert’s novel, covering House Atreides’ arrival on Arrakis and the betrayal that follows. The cast includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, and Stellan Skarsgård.

Extensive desert photography and large practical sets depict stillsuits, ornithopters, and spice harvesting operations. The film received multiple Academy Awards in craft categories in 2022, including cinematography, sound, and visual effects, establishing the aesthetic carried into the sequel.

‘Dual’ (2022)

After receiving a terminal diagnosis, a woman commissions a clone to replace her, only to recover and face a legally mandated duel. Riley Stearns writes and directs, with Karen Gillan and Aaron Paul starring.

Filmed in Finland, the production uses cool color palettes and minimalist architecture to emphasize bureaucratic procedures around cloning. The plot details arbitration hearings, training regimens, and media rules governing replacement individuals in a society that normalizes duplication.

‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines’ (2021)

An animated family road trip turns into a robot uprising when a smart assistant launches an attack on humanity. Mike Rianda directs with Jeff Rowe as co-director, voice performances include Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, and Olivia Colman, and Netflix handled streaming after a rights acquisition from Sony Pictures.

The film blends CG animation with hand-drawn embellishments to mimic stickers, doodles, and mixed-media textures. Its tech plotline introduces kill codes, network propagation, and device wrangling while showcasing improvised defense tactics using household tools and offline strategies.

Share your favorite recent sci-fi picks in the comments and tell everyone which one you plan to watch next.

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