2024 was a phenomenal year for sci-fi cinema. While the majority of the best sci-fi movies of 2024 are additions to already well-established franchises, there’s also a special place for a captivating and heart-warming sci-fi animation that is entirely new. If you didn’t catch everything the year had to offer, we’ve collated the eight best from the genre – a list filled with expansive worlds, thrilling journeys, and some world-class humor.
The home to all these? Well, you can find and watch sci-fi on a series of excellent streaming hubs, including Paramount Plus, Disney, Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. These platforms are home not only to new entries in the sci-fi genre, but some are the only places to stream entire franchises with exclusive access. Fortunately, there’s an abundance of streaming deals so you don’t have to break the bank this holiday season.
Our list of the best sci-fi movies of 2024 is not only titles you’ll find across the streaming landscape but includes something for everyone to enjoy, regardless of whether you’re looking for a blockbuster or something more family-friendly.
8. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
- Release date: May 10, 2024
- Cast: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, and more
- Director: Wes Ball
Almost seven years had passed when director Wes Ball picked up the reins and brought this iconic reboot of the franchise to the big screen, picking up from the events of War of the Planet of the Apes. This entry, though, jumps forward by 300 hundred years. In a change from the original characters, there’s a new cast including protagonist Noa, a young hunter ape, who is brought to the fore, although storyline-wise, it still follows Caesar’s legacy.
The new ape king, Proximus Caesar, may bear the name of his ancestor but preaches in favor of evil. As clans become enslaved and humans have seemingly regressed to a more primitive state, it comes down to Noa and Mae, a human woman, to determine what happens next for their civilizations. Highly praised for carving out a new era in the franchise, it does so with captivating visuals and incredibly impressive performances from its new stars.
7. “A Quiet Place: Day One”
- Release date: June 28, 2024
- Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou, and more
- Director: Michael Sarnoski
While John Krasinki famously directed the first two A Quiet Place films, he handed over his directorial duties to Pig’s Michael Sarnoski. Although, he’s still very much involved in the story as A Quiet Place: Day One is one they conceived together. As a prequel and spin-off, this entry takes the franchise in a new direction – the alien invasion’s origin being witnessed in the once hustling and bustling New York City. If you know the franchise though, you’ll know that these aliens prey on noise, so to survive, you need to stay completely quiet and so New York City falls eerily silent.
Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) is a terminally ill woman living in hospice care. While she’s convinced to head out on a group outing to Manhattan, the alien invasion begins and all roads out of the city are cut off. With her cat, Frodo, by her side, she meets Eric (Joseph Quinn) and they navigate this new world in the hopes of surviving. A wonderful performance from the pair takes the core concept of the first two movies while remaining true to the deeper exploration into character, all while surviving the unthinkable.
6. “Alien: Romulus”
- Release date: August 16, 2024
- Cast: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Isabela Merced, and more
- Director: Fede Álvarez
Like Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the Alien franchise also returned after a seven-year hiatus with a surge of new life. This time, returning to its roots as a horrifying nightmarish sci-fi thriller smothered in jaw-clenching moments. But, it brought its own twist and turns to the established franchise this time round. It follows a group of young space colonists as they face, you guessed it, the return of the Xenomorphs.
All it took was Evil Dead’s Fede Álvarez to prove the creature could still be incredibly feared, despite its first appearance happening over three decades ago. And while so much time has passed, that doesn’t mean there aren’t cocoons left to disturb.
Though it’s the 9th entry into the franchise, we voted it the third best in our Alien movies, ranked worst to best guide. In fact, we said: “It expertly mixes things up every few minutes whilst coming up with a number of all-new sequences that are both conceptually playful and well-executed on-screen”.
5. “The Wild Robot”
- Release date: September 27, 2024
- Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, and more
- Director: Chris Sanders
Amidst a list full of returning franchises, The Wild Robot carves its own place in the sci-fi movie landscape and this animated adventure from DreamWorks is based on a novel of the same name by Peter Brown.
Returning to our list once again, Lupita Nyong’o is the voice of Roz, a service robot that finds herself stuck on a forest island with no human life, but plenty of local wildlife. Roz learns their language to try and build relationships with the animals, it’s not an easy task. But, the robot does form a connection with a goose, Brightbill, who is found orphaned and alone and vows to protect it.
The mix between the robotic protagonist and their vastly different surroundings makes for an interesting watch. She’s a service robot after all and wants to help, but trying to fit in in a place she doesn’t belong tells a wonderfully touching story of when modern meets wild.
4. “Deadpool & Wolverine”
- Release date: July 26, 2024
- Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, and more
- Director: Shawn Levy
As with previous Deadpool movies, the dark humor and epic fight scenes commence almost immediately in Deadpool & Wolverine. But, as the title suggests, it’s not just the Merc with a Mouth leading the tale this time, as he teams up with Wolverine to make a comic book pair up so many thought would never happen.
In Deadpool & Wolverine, Deadpool finds himself in a bind. His reality is in jeopardy, as he’s told as much by the Time Variance Authority, but, in true Deadpool fashion, he doesn’t play by the rules. Instead, he opts to find a variant of Wolverine from the timeline to help them both save their realities.
It’s a deliciously twisted entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially considering fans thought they’d seen the last of Wolverine in 2017’s Logan. But, dreams can come true, and this superhero duo makes sure those dreams are executed with style. There are also some very fantastic cameo appearances from the Fox franchise where Deadpool moves across from that’ll make you feel a little bit warm inside.
3. “Transformers One”
- Release date: September 20, 2024
- Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, and more
- Director: Josh Cooley
As the first animated feature-length film in the entire franchise, Transformers One tried something new, and it was deeply appreciated. As a sort of prequel, it heads back to the days before Optimus Prime and Megatron were at war, telling their origin story, as well as exploring Cybertron. There’s plenty of humor, stunning visual effects, and a wonderful Autobot adventure to enjoy making this one of the best sci-fi movies in 2024.
In our Transformers movies ranked, worst to best guide, Transformers One immediately shot to number two, second only to the original Transformers movie. And we placed it there because of the way this movie totally redefines the Cybertronians for a new generation (something Hasbro was incredibly keen to do), but not without honoring the lore.
But, although it had a great reception from fans, this sentiment wasn’t mirrored in the way it performed at the box office. Alas, there may not be a sequel, who knows, but it’s a most excellent addition to the much-loved franchise.
2. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”
- Release date: May 24, 2024
- Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, and more
- Director: George Miller
When director George Miller brought Mad Max: Fury Road to the world, it quickly became one of the most stunning and impressive action sci-fi titles with an impressive 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. To follow it up almost a decade later was a hefty task, but one that Miller embarked on with a prequel in mind – the tale of Furiosa, before she met Mad Max.
Young Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) is taken by a biker horde, led by warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). As she’s taken across the Wasteland, they come to the Citadel, run by another warlord, Immortan Joe. Here, she must fight for her survival between two warring forces. In true Mad Max fashion, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is every bit as volatile, visually captivating, and a downright glorious cinematic experience. No bother if you missed it in cinemas in 2024, TVs these days are more than capable of bringing the vibrancy to streaming platforms.
1. “Dune: Part Two”
- Release date: March 1, 2024
- Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, and more
- Director: Denis Villeneuve
As Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi novel was split into two, Dune: Part One acted as a movie that formed the setup for what was to come. And, Dune: Part Two let the story rise in spectacular fashion. Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother (Rebecca Ferguson) found themselves deep in the deserts of Arrakis, looking to seek revenge on the people who destroyed their family as Part One ended. And this is where Part Two picks up. For this, he unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen to fight for not just their own survival, but the fate of the universe.
The star-studded cast is just one of many factors that make this sci-fi title the most impressive flick of 2024. The narrative story building is epic in proportion, the visuals are spectacularly captivating, and despite the almost three-hour runtime, you’ll find yourself so intertwined in the storyline that you’ll be hoping for more.
