Science fiction is a genre with a history as long as movies themselves. That means that, while plenty of great original ideas are still being produced in the genre every year, there are also plenty of sci-fi remakes that take old stories and update them.
While some sci-fi remakes are better left unmentioned (Total Recall, anyone?), plenty of sci-fi remakes justify their existence. We’ve pulled together a list of 10 of the best sci-fi remakes ever, some of which come from beloved franchises. These movies manage to take the core idea of the movie they’re based on and do something genuinely innovative with it. Without further ado, here they are.
10. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
The second Planet of the Apes trilogy proved that this is one of the most interesting sci-fi franchises in the history of Hollywood. Unfortunately, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the worst movie of this new trilogy, but its retelling of the story of Caesar, the ape who led an ape uprising, is moving nonetheless.
The movie’s failures have much more to do with its human cast and the machinations that lead to the apes gaining intelligence. Andy Serkis is, as ever, incredible as Caesar, and the biggest miracle of the movie is that you wind up caring for Caesar more than any of the people he hangs around with.
You can watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes on Max.
9. The Invisible Man (2020)
A smart reinterpretation of a core sci-fi text, The Invisible Man tells the story of a woman who is stalked by her wealthy scientist ex, who uses technology to make himself invisible.
The movie features a harrowing central performance from Elisabeth Moss, and it works in part because it spends much of its time showing us the way everyone in this woman’s life starts to believe that she’s losing it. The Invisible Man has a fairly off-the-wall premise, but you can’t knock the movie’s hugely impressive execution.
You can watch The Invisible Man on Amazon Prime Video.
8. War of the Worlds (2005)
Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds remake has a mixed legacy, but there are things about it that only he could have pulled off. The movie, which follows a father and his two children as they discover that the Earth is being attacked by aliens, has one of the most riveting opening acts of any movie ever made.
And, while there are pieces of the story that don’t work, the movie’s overall effect and the way it resonates with the 9/11 attacks make it the kind of movie you simply have to see once.
You can watch War of the Worlds on Paramount+.
7. Solaris (2002)
Steven Soderbergh’s ultimate blank check movie coming off of Ocean’s Eleven and an Oscar win, Solaris is a remake of Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1972 film of the same name. This movie tells the story of a psychologist sent to evaluate the strange behavior of a space crew orbiting a distant planet.
Once he arrives on the ship, he begins to experience the same phenomena as the rest of the crew and slowly spirals into madness as he works through unresolved traumas from his own past. It might be George Clooney’s finest performance.
You can rent Solaris on Amazon Prime Video.
6. King Kong (2005)
Peter Jackson’s decision to remake King Kong right after the success of Lord of the Rings might have seemed like a folly, but the final product speaks for itself. Jackson’s Kong is epic in scale and scope and uses modern CGI to make one of the most famous apes in all of cinema feel more approachable than ever.
While not every decision in this sweeping epic works, enough of them do to help the movie feel like the kind of old-fashioned blockbuster we weren’t getting enough of even 20 years ago.
You can watch King Kong on Netflix.
5. 12 Monkeys (1995)
Adapted from Chris Marker’s La Jetee, one of the definitive works of science fiction, 12 Monkeys adds a little more meat to the bones of that short story. The film follows a man imprisoned in the 2030s who is tasked with traveling back in time to the 1990s to learn more about a plague about to devastate all of humanity.
As he moves through the 1990s, he comes to appreciate his own role in the plague and how a defining memory from his own childhood may hold the key to everything.
You can rent 12 Monkeys on Amazon Prime Video.
4. Dune (2021)
David Lynch’s Dune adaptation was a famous debacle, and Denis Villeneuve’s is, by comparison, something of a miracle. Both parts of the adaptation are excellent, following Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides as he transforms from a young lord into the leader of an insurgent movement.
Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson are excellent throughout both parts, but what shines brightest here is Villeneuve’s attention to detail and his patience. The world of Dune is complicated, but Villeneuve and his team find a way to make it intelligible and genuinely interesting.
You can watch Dune on Tubi.
3. The Fly (1986)
Amazing both for its practical effects and for just how gross it’s willing to get, The Fly tells the story of a scientist who inadvertently merges his DNA with that of a fly and slowly transforms into something unrecognizable.
Combining sci-fi with a love story, the movie features a remarkable central performance from Jeff Goldblum and some of the most effective body horror of David Cronenberg’s long career with the genre. The Fly is terrifying, but part of its brilliance is that all of the terror comes from inside its central character.
You can rent The Fly on Amazon Prime Video.
2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Serving as an obvious metaphor for communism, Invasion of the Body Snatchers tells the story of a group of friends who discover that everyone is being replaced by pod people. As they race to escape their own replacement, they begin to realize that the alien race that’s invaded them only wants dull conformity.
The movie’s ending, in which we learn the fate of one of its central characters in a chilling fashion, remains one of the best and scariest final scenes in the history of science fiction.
You can watch Invasion of the Body Snatchers on Tubi.
1. The Thing (1982)
One of the greatest movies ever made, this remake of a 1951 Howard Hawks movie tells the story of a group of researchers at a secluded arctic base who encounter an alien life form that can kill and then take the shape of any of them.
As their paranoia ramps up, they slowly begin to suspect one another and have to figure out a way to root out the alien in their midst. The movie’s effects are legendary, but director John Carpenter’s total mastery of the tension is even more impressive.
You can rent The Thing on Amazon Prime Video.
