5 best sci-fi movies on Prime Video right now

Anne Hathaway, Matthew McConaughey, and Wes Bentley in "Interstellar" (2014)
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

Prime Video is a great streaming destination for genre projects — here's a round-up of the best Prime Video fantasy shows as proof — and it's no different if you're into science fiction.

The best sci-fi movies pack in big ideas, contain amazing visuals or take us to far-flung destinations or even hop timelines, and Prime Video's home to a broad range of movies that fit the bill.

Whether you're in the mood for a mind-bending tale, a tense thriller, or you just fancy a laugh with a cult comedy favorite, Prime Video almost certainly has at least one sci-fi movie to suit your taste. Here are just a few of the very best science fiction movies available to stream on Prime Video right now. 

'10 Cloverfield Lane' 

10 Cloverfield Lane Trailer (2016) - Paramount Pictures - YouTube 10 Cloverfield Lane Trailer (2016) - Paramount Pictures - YouTube
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Dan Trachtenberg's 2016 thriller "10 Cloverfield Lane" takes us inside an underground bunker for a claustrophobic, tense ride below the surface of the Earth. 

Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) wakes up following a rough car accident to find herself chained to the wall of a bunker owned by Howard (John Goodman), a man who insists that the Earth's surface is no longer habitable after aliens poisoned our world. Howard says he rescued her from the accident and brought her inside for her safety. Michelle's left to consider whether to trust him or to plan her escape into the unknown world. 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Watch now on Prime Video

'Donnie Darko' 

Richard Kelly's kaleidoscopic 2001 sci-fi thriller is still just as intriguing and strange as ever and remains a fantastic watch all these years later. 

The movie follows teenager Donnie Darko (a young Jake Gyllenhaal). After surviving a freak accident, our troubled lead starts seeing visions of Frank, a man in a hideous rabbit outfit who warns the world will soon come to an end. As Donnie starts to investigate time travel and the very laws that govern life as we know it, he's drawn into a series of increasingly bizarre events as that fateful date grows ever closer. 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
Watch now on Prime Video

'Galaxy Quest'

Galaxy Quest (1999) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers - YouTube Galaxy Quest (1999) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers - YouTube
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In need of a lighter watch? Dean Parisot's 1999 sci-fi spoof is well worth a worth. In the same way "Spaceballs" sends up "Star Wars", "Galaxy Quest" sets its sights on "Star Trek". 

Here, the alumni cast of the cult classic sci-fi show "Galaxy Quest" — which is comprised of Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, and Daryl Mitchell — are drawn back together well over a decade after the show came to an end. This time, though, they won't be playing at being heroes; they have to become heroes, as the "fans" who contact them for help are actually aliens who believe the show is real. The Thermians want their help to save them from an evil warlord. 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Watch now on Prime Video

'Ghost in the Shell'

Ghost in the Shell (1995 Movie) Official IMAX Trailer - Mamoru Oshii, Masamune Shirow - YouTube Ghost in the Shell (1995 Movie) Official IMAX Trailer - Mamoru Oshii, Masamune Shirow - YouTube
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"Ghost in the Shell" is a landmark 1995 anime movie that follows Major Motoko Kusanagi (Atsuko Tanaka), an elite government agent who as an assault team leader works for "Section 9", tackling serious incidents in Japan's New Port City in 2029. Cybernetic technology has developed significantly, to the point that humans have developed the cyberbrain, a casing that encases human brains and allows users to connect their brains to the internet. Right now, she's on the hunt for the "Puppet Master", a hacker capable of invading his victims' brains and altering their memories.

Philosophical, influential and brilliantly realized, you should seriously check "Ghost in the Shell" out if you haven't already.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Watch now on Prime Video

'Interstellar'

Interstellar Movie - Official Trailer - YouTube Interstellar Movie - Official Trailer - YouTube
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If you can't wait for the theatrical rerelease of "Interstellar" coming later this year, you can stream Christopher Nolan's hit sci-fi feature on Prime Video right now.

If you're yet to watch it, "Interstellar" takes place in a bleak (but increasingly plausible) future where the human race's brightest minds are scrambling to find a solution to save us all as the Earth continues to grow uninhabitable.

One such visionary, Professor Brand (Michael Caine) hatches an ambitious plan to send the population of planet Earth to a brand new home, via a wormhole. Before that plan can take place, a team of researchers sets out to find the human race a new home.

If you do decide you want to watch this modern classic, you'll need to do so soon; "Interstellar" is leaving Prime Video in just eight more days, at the time of publication.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 73%
Watch now on Prime Video 

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Staff Writer, Streaming

Martin is a Streaming Writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things movies and TV. If it’s in the theaters or available to stream somewhere, he’s probably watched it… especially if it has a dragon in it. Before joining the team, he was a Staff Writer at What To Watch where he wrote about a broad range of shows that stretched from "Doctor Who" and "The Witcher" to "Bridgerton" and "Love Island". When he’s not watching the next must-see movie or show, he’s probably still in front of a screen playing massive RPGs, reading, spending a fortune on TCGs, or watching the NFL.