Prime Video: 12 Sci-Fi Movies You Should Add to Your Watch List Right Now

Written and directed by Leigh Whannell (Upgrade, Wolf Man) — and based on the original HG Wells story — the 2020 release of Blumhouse’s Invisible Man flips the script on the iconic Universal monster movie. Themes of abuse, privilege and gaslighting permeate this tight and terrifying flick. A stellar performance by the cast, led by the always-great Elisabeth Moss, makes this a must-watch. 

In case you couldn’t tell by the title, there’s time travel in this movie. Jean Claude Van Damme plays a cop who must travel through time to rescue his wife and unravel a government conspiracy. You may be wondering why this is on the list. Sometimes, you just need an action-packed B movie that requires little thought. This is one of those movies. Enjoy.

Vin Diesel reprises his role as the titular space criminal in the second installment of the Riddick franchise. While on the run from capture, he finds himself immersed in a battle to bring down a warrior army known as the Necromongers. The result is a rather entertaining story that feels a bit like Dune — and that’s not a bad thing.

Based on David Mitchell’s novel, Cloud Atlas is an expansive sci-fi epic that takes place over many decades and explores how human lives are intrinsically connected. The Wachowskis directed the movie alongside their Sense8 co-director, Tom Tykwer. The film stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant and Hugo Weaving.  

Frank Darabont took a significant risk when he turned Stephen King’s novella, The Mist, into a movie. With a stacked cast led by Thomas Jane, the story is simple enough: A group of small-town folk get trapped in a store as an otherworldly mist unleashes unimaginable horrors outside. Soon, factions are formed, and — while the terror outside remains mostly unseen — fear causes chaos among the survivors as they struggle to make sense of the threat and each other. Darabont’s ending is a heartbreaking departure from King’s story and, indeed, what makes this movie pop. 

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard lead the 2015 Jurassic Park sequel, which started a new dinosaur-centered franchise that has continued thriving over the past decade. What happens when a genetically modified hybrid dinosaur — known as the Indominus Rex — escapes containment and wreaks havoc at the renovated and immersive dino-themed amusement park? Chaos, obviously.

Sometimes, you just want some mindless fun, and Rampage offers that. Based on the 1986 video game about giant mutated beasts who destroy cities, this movie stars Dwayne Johnson and is about mutated giant beasts who destroy cities. Grab some popcorn and shut off your brain. You’re welcome.

A Quiet Place: Day One takes audiences back to the very beginning of the alien invasion. While it may not be a necessary entry in the franchise — like, say, 10 Cloverfield Lane, which is also on this list — the movie digs its heels into the human experience amid an otherworldly cataclysmic disaster. Come for the disaster, stay for the cute cat.

In John Carpenter’s postapocalyptic cult classic, it’s 1997 in New York and the city has been ravaged by war. Manhattan has been turned into a giant walled-in prison. After the president is taken hostage, former Special Forces officer (and current prisoner) Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is recruited to save the day in return for his own freedom.

This mind-bending cult classic stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a misunderstood high schooler who, after seemingly surviving a horrific accident, begins traveling through time. In the process, he discovers the joy of being alive and in love. Themes of depression, repression and alternative universes fill this delightfully bizarre film. Also, let’s not forget that giant demon bunny named Frank.

Thematically reminiscent to the classic silent film Metropolis, Dark City follows a fugitive wanted for murder who doesn’t at all remember committing the crimes. Is he guilty? Or is it possible he’s gone completely nuts? The underworld he happens upon, which is comprised of a bunch of otherworldly beings known simply as The Strangers, keeps him and the audience guessing through much of the movie. The visual aesthetic and effects of the movie are well worth the price of admission. This one was way ahead of its time.

10 Cloverfield Lane is a riveting psychological thriller that unfolds into something unexpectedly supernatural. Technically a sequel to Cloverfield — which means it’s absolutely a sci-fi movie — this entry explores the monstrous nature of reality and the metaphorical monsters it can create. The tight-knit cast delivers, but John Goodman’s Howard is a force to reckon with.