Science fiction continues to be a popular and profitable film genre in the 2020s. The decade is only half over, and the cinema industry has delivered several successful and groundbreaking sci-fi blockbusters in theaters and streaming. Fans of the sci-fi genre have seen many new and inventive stories like Everything Everywhere All At Once presented on film.
Audiences have also seen prequels and sequels from franchises like Marvel, DC, and more, creating an enjoyable balance of familiar and original stories. While the world has just begun its run through 2025, these seven sci-fi movies have staked their claim as the best of the 2020s so far.
7. Dune (2021)
Director Denis Villeneuve introduced a new generation to author Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic war between House Atreides, the Fremen, and the Harkonnens on the planet Arrakis. Dune introduced the franchise’s layered universe, characters, and story to audiences as the first part of an overarching saga.
The movie spends more time on world-building than on developing its characters, depriving it of the emotion it could’ve had. Despite this, Dune is a beautifully made sci-fi adventure that’s exciting to watch, making for a noteworthy preview of the story that follows it.
6. Prey (2022)
It’s not often that a prequel surpasses the original story, especially when the latter is a revered film like Predator. However, Prey defied expectations and raised the Predator franchise to greater heights. Set in the distant past, Prey forgoes the hypermasculine nature of its predecessors in favor of exploring the horrors of colonialism through the eyes of a young Comanche woman defending her tribe from human and alien hunters.
While this prequel presents an incredible new take on a beloved sci-fi property, this suspenseful, action-packed film stays true to its roots, presenting another primal battle to determine who is predator and prey.
5. Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time (2021)
After several years of waiting, writer/director Hideaki Anno finally shared the jaw-dropping conclusion to the Rebuild of Evangelion film franchise. The movie delivers plenty of beautifully animated action courtesy of the giant robot EVAs. However, as a psychological epic, this story takes its time as it shows the characters rebuilding themselves and their lives in their post-apocalyptic world.
Shinji Ikari, in particular, displays an extraordinary amount of growth as he overcomes his depression and becomes a true hero. Though there have been several endings to Evangelion, Thrice Upon A Time undoubtedly presented the best finale to this iconic anime.
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Writer/director James Gunn left the Marvel Cinematic Universe on a high note with this superhero masterpiece. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 features a massive, explosive adventure across the cosmos, rife with action, comedy, and emotional drama.
However, this threequel goes against the MCU’s filmmaking formula by having the heroes try to save one of their friends instead of the entire galaxy from the wrath of the High Evolutionary. This certainly won’t be the last audiences see of the MCU’s Guardians, but the team’s third film made for an epic and satisfying conclusion to their journeys together on the big screen.
3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Across the Spider-Verse took Sony’s animated Spider-Verse franchise to a new level as it continued the story of Miles Morales as Spider-Man. With such breathtaking animation, Across the Spider-Verse shows Miles and his allies traveling through several vibrant universes as the comic book transforms into cinema.
At the same time, this sequel enters darker and more daring territory as the heroes clash with each other over their conflicting ideas. In the end, the movie presents a deep meta-commentary about Spider-Man and what it means to be a hero as the webslingers struggle to find belonging and be who they are.
2. Dune: Part Two (2024)
After the first Dune movie started director Denis Villeneuve’s franchise, Dune: Part Two got to the real good stuff as it shows Paul Atreides rising up as the Fremen’s reluctant leader and fighting back against the evil Harkonnens and Emperor Corrino.
This dark sequel from Villeneuve delivered the epic climax to the second half of Frank Herbert’s novel with fantastic performances, visuals, music, costumes, and cinematography. With that, the Dune franchise should be held in as high regard as Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings.
1. Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
Directed by The Daniels, this Oscar-winning A24 film set a high bar for movies about parallel universes as it showed a simple laundromat owner and her family getting swept up in a bizarre battle against infinity. Here’s hoping Marvel and DC have been taking notes.
While Everything Everywhere All At Once presents several different realities with wacky gimmicks and unique versions of each character, it does so to raise questions about one’s own significance in an endless and chaotic multiverse. Such a daring and mind-boggling indie film had a true underdog story in Hollywood, succeeding at the box office and winning seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
