The streaming service features many options for your sci-fi needs.

The 10 best sci-fi movies on Amazon Prime Video, from classic favorites to modern gems

The streaming service features many options for your sci-fi needs.

By Kevin Jacobsen and Janey Tracey

June 4, 2026 3:00 p.m. ET

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Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko in 'Donnie Darko'; Donald Sutherland as Matthew Bennell in 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'; Lupita Nyong'o as Sam in 'A Quiet Place: Day One'. Credit:

Newmarket Releasing/Courtesy Everett; United Artists/Courtesy Everett; Gareth Gatrell/Paramount Pictures

As even some of the biggest science fiction fans know, the genre can be hit or miss when it comes to effectiveness. From techno-thrillers to dystopian futures to intergalactic adventures, sci-fi is bursting at the seams with cool concepts, but the execution isn't always all there.

Thankfully, Amazon Prime Video offers a vast selection of compelling sci-fi movies that expand our minds and transport us to fascinating worlds unlike our own. Notable films on the streamer include cult classics like *Donnie Darko* (2001) and franchise entries such as *A Quiet Place: Day One* (2024), each of which you can stream free with a subscription.

Ahead, peruse our list of the 10 best sci-fi movies streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Michelle and John Goodman as Howard in '10 Cloverfield Lane'. Michele K. Short/Paramount Pictures

This spiritual sequel to 2008's *Cloverfield* takes an entirely different approach, forgoing found-footage cinematography and grand-scale set pieces in favor of an intimate setting and mesmerizing, character-driven storytelling. After being hit by another car while driving, a woman named Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) wakes up in a bunker also inhabited by a pair of men, Howard (John Goodman) and Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.). Howard tells Michelle he brought her there to save her life after a dangerous air contamination — but she soon discovers that things aren't quite as they seem.

Boasting grade-A performances by Winstead and Goodman, *10 Cloverfield Lane* is "lean, and taut, and tense, and moves with Swiss-clock precision," writes EW's critic. —*Kevin Jacobsen*

Where to watch *10 Cloverfield Lane*: Amazon Prime Video

**EW grade:** B

**Director:** Dan Trachtenberg

**Cast:** Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.

Coherence (2013)

Emily Foxler as Emily in 'Coherence'. Everett Collection

When old friends reunite for a dinner party in a movie, you know something is about to go terribly awry. In *Coherence*, that "something" is the arrival of a close-passing comet — and the discovery of a house full of doppelgängers having an identical dinner party down the street. The plot is full of quantum-related twists and turns, but the film is grounded by the talented cast, which includes the late Nicholas Brendon (*Buffy the Vampire Slayer*) in a fun self-referential role as a former TV star.

The production is just as quirky as the premise: Director James Ward Byrkit wanted to make a low-budget film that was so stripped down, it didn't even have a script. Instead, he invited a bunch of actor friends to his living room, gave them basic character motivations, and let them improvise through the entire thing. The result, while occasionally messy, is thoroughly original. *—Janey Tracey*

Where to watch *Coherence*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** James Ward Byrkit

**Cast:** Emily Foxler, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon, Lorene Scafaria

Communion (1989)

Christopher Walken as Whitley Strieber in 'Communion'.

Critics didn't quite know what to make of this psychological sci-fi drama when it was released in 1989. Subverting tropes of the alien abduction subgenre, the film doesn't offer easy answers as it tells its story of a novelist (Christopher Walken) who has disturbing visions of extraterrestrial beings in a remote cabin. Decades later, some of the biggest criticisms of *Communion* are arguably among its most charming virtues, from Walken's idiosyncratic performance as a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown to the cheesy special effects. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Communion*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Philippe Mora

**Cast:** Christopher Walken, Lindsay Crouse, Frances Sternhagen, Terry Hanauer, Andreas Katsulas

Donnie Darko (2001)

Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko, Jena Malone as Gretchen Ross, and James Duval as Frank the Rabbit in 'Donnie Darko'. Newmarket Releasing/Everett

"I find it kind of funny/I find it kind of sad/The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had." So go the lyrics to "Mad World," a song expertly deployed in this wildly original sci-fi thriller about a moody teenager named Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal), who is troubled by visions of a figure in a monstrous rabbit costume. The entity warns a sleepwalking Donnie that the world will end in approximately 28 days and subsequently persuades him to carry out an escalating series of crimes in his community.

Writer-director Richard Kelly taps into the suburban alienation tackled frequently in film at the turn of the 21st century and goes deeper and more disturbing, with a fun sci-fi bent that's helped establish its cult classic status. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Donnie Darko*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Richard Kelly

**Cast:** Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Jena Malone, Patrick Swayze

The Endless (2018)

Justin Benson as Justin Smith and Aaron Moorhead as Aaron Smith in 'The Endless'.

Well Go USA/Courtesy Everett

This low-budget sci-fi horror film may be underseen compared to more mainstream films in its subgenre, but its thrills can compete with some of the best of them. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who also directed and produced the film, star as brothers who escaped a UFO death cult in their childhood but grew up to lead lives of disappointment. Upon receiving a cassette tape from the group, the brothers agree to return to the camp for one day, where they discover a series of unexplained phenomena. EW's critic praises *The Endless* as "a thoughtful investigation into how our past and our families shape who we are — with plenty of scares and mind-bending twists." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *The Endless*: Amazon Prime Video

**EW grade:** B

**Directors:** Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead

**Cast:** Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Callie Hernandez, Tate Ellington, Lew Temple

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Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Donald Sutherland as Matthew Bennell in 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'.

United Artists/Courtesy Everett

In this sci-fi classic, an extraterrestrial race is populating Earth with pods that systematically replace humans with alien duplicates. The film follows a quartet of friends who try to uncover the truth and alert the authorities before it's too late, eventually waging war against pod people. Featuring one of the most chilling endings of all time, *Invasion of the Body Snatchers* remains a tense thrill ride and a powerful commentary on paranoia. This was the second of multiple adaptations of Jack Finney's 1955 novel, *The Body Snatchers*, and, as EW's critic writes of the 1978 film, it "trades Cold War anxiety for post-Vietnam paranoia in ways that strengthen and sharpen the source material." —*K.J.***** Where to watch *Invasion of the Body Snatchers*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Philip Kaufman

**Cast:** Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright**

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

Joseph Quinn as Eric and Lupita Nyong'o as Sam in 'A Quiet Place: Day One'.

Gareth Gatrell/Paramount Pictures

The first two *Quiet Place* films explored how a family adapts to a world where no one can make a sound for fear of being attacked by hypersensitive extraterrestrial predators. This sideways prequel takes it back to the beginning, where these alien creatures terrorize a New York City ill-prepared to fight back. It's the first day of the apocalypse, and the action centers on a cancer patient (Lupita Nyong'o) and a law student (Joseph Quinn) who team up for their own survival. EW's critic writes that *A Quiet Place: Day One* "ends up being quite touching in between scenes when it’s making you jump," thanks to Nyong'o and Quinn's heartfelt performances. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *A Quiet Place: Day One*: Amazon Prime Video

**EW grade:** B+

**Director:** Michael Sarnoski

**Cast:** Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou

Timecop (1994)

Jean-Claude Van Damme as Agent Max Walker in 'Timecop'.

Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett

Jean-Claude Van Damme's biggest box office success blends the actor's prolific martial arts experience with a knotty time-travel story. The action star plays Max Walker, an agent at the newly formed Time Enforcement Commission, where he is tasked with stopping criminals from altering the past. After uncovering a vast conspiracy by a corrupt senator, he discovers he might have the chance to rewrite history by going back in time to prevent his wife's tragic death. With high-concept emotional stakes and sleek visual effects, *Timecop *is an entertaining slice of '90s cheese. Plus, writes EW's critic, "Van Damme pulls off some novel stunts — his midair split will have you hitting the slow-motion button." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Timecop*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Peter Hyams

**Cast:** Jean-Claude Van Damme, Ron Silver, Mia Sara

The Vast of Night (2020)

Jake Horowitz as Everett Sloan and Sierra McCormick as Fay Crocker in 'The Vast of Night'. Amazon Studios

This underrated sci-fi indie centers on a pair of teenage friends living in 1950s New Mexico who investigate a cryptic audio signal that suddenly interrupts a radio program. Putting the pieces together, they unravel a conspiracy that may suggest proof of alien life. With a budget of just $700,000, director Andrew Patterson pulls off a number of stunning shots, transporting us to a specific time and place. As EW wrote following the film's success, "Just the setting and veneer of the film — it's framed as an episode of a *Twilight Zone*-esque anthology TV series* *— should be enough for you to guess more or less where it's headed." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *The Vast of Night*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Andrew Patterson

**Cast:** Sierra McCormick, Jake Horowitz

WarGames (1983)

Ally Sheedy as Jennifer Mack and Matthew Broderick as David Lightman in 'WarGames'.

An ‘80s movie about teenage Matthew Broderick accidentally hacking into a military supercomputer during the Cold War? It sounds hopelessly hokey, but it’s surprisingly well-written, entertaining, and even prescient, considering the word "hacking" wasn’t yet in the lexicon. *WarGames* has been credited with inspiring a generation of hackers and computer scientists, including Google cofounder Sergey Brin, and Ronald Reagan reportedly consulted with Congress and his Joint Chiefs of Staff about whether the plot of the movie was plausible.

Even the film’s creators didn’t expect *WarGames* to have that kind of impact: On the DVD commentary, director John Badham and the screenwriters said they were worried audiences wouldn’t find the premise believable, until a story about teen hackers breaking into the Department of Defense made headlines shortly after the movie opened. —*J.T.*

Where to watch *WarGames*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** John Badham

**Cast:** Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood, Ally Sheedy

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Source: “EW Movie”