10 bold sci-fi movies you can stream on Prime Video now

This sci-fi classic, directed by Steven Spielberg, follows an average guy named Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) who becomes obsessed with the existence of UFOs after an encounter with aliens. Close Encounters sheds a light (or two) on humanity's enduring curiosity about what exists beyond our world. And it goes even deeper: It's a poignant exploration of mental health.

It's hard to leave The Tomorrow War off this list because it's Prime Video's big sci-fi action movie starring Chris Pratt. It's about a teacher who gets drafted into a war with aliens in the future. An easily digestible flick that you can watch while looking at your phone.

Christopher Nolan's Interstellar takes the filmmaker's intellectual storytelling talent into space. Matthew McConaughey plays Cooper, a NASA astronaut tasked with finding a planet capable of supporting life to secure the future of humanity. Loss, trauma and grief play a large role in the narrative here. Nolan has a knack for weaving a gripping story and he succeeds in doing so in this film. In short, Interstellar does not disappoint.

Superman: The Movie is an example of a successful comic book film. Richard Donner's superhero epic set the standard for how modern films of this kind should work. Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor is a legendary portrayal of the DC Comics villain. With an effortless balance of heroism, physical strength, humor and heart, Christopher Reeve's portrayal of Kal-El remains as iconic as ever.

After making his name in the horror genre with the first two Evil Dead films, Sam Raimi made his big-budget debut with Darkman – a disruptive superhero film that's hard to categorize. Is it science fiction? Yes. But the film, starring Liam Neeson and Frances McDormand, mixes horror, action, comedy and romance into an entertaining cult classic.

Stephen King ventured into the realm of science fiction with “Dead Zone”. The story is about a teacher named Johnny Smith (played by Christopher Walken) who, after waking up from a coma, discovers that he has psychic abilities. Since he can see the future, Johnny sets out on a mission to save it. In doing so, he faces Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen), a presidential candidate who, according to his visions, will trigger a nuclear war if elected.

Rian Johnson's sci-fi thriller explores a future where time travel is possible. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Joe, a hitman who waits in the past until the mafia sends him targets to eliminate. Things get complicated when his future self, played by Bruce Willis, is sent back in time so he can kill. A clever script with twists and turns, solid performances and slick cinematography make this a thoroughly entertaining experience.

Wes Anderson takes on the science fiction genre with Asteroid City and, as you would expect, he flips the script and delivers a film that is quintessentially his. Whimsy, nostalgia and drama blend effortlessly as this UFO story transports audiences back to a fictional version of 1950s America. The ensemble cast is a who's who of Anderson favorites, with wonderful performances from Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Maya Hawke, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston and more.

Face/Off follows a pretty simple and silly premise: FBI agent Sean Archer (Nicolas Cage) goes under the knife for a controversial face transplant to find the location of a bomb planted by comatose terrorist Castor Troy (John Travolta). Things spiral into chaos when Troy wakes up and undergoes the same surgery. It all sounds ridiculous, and it is, but thanks to the stellar performances of the two leads and the guidance of legendary director John Woo, it all works. And it works beautifully.

This movie doesn't really make sense, but it's certainly fun. Packed with notable talent, including Peter Weller, Jeff Goldblum, Clancy Brown, Ellen Barkin, John Lithgow, and Christopher Lloyd, the '80s cult classic follows Dr. Buckaroo Banzai (Weller) as he battles a group of alien enemies in a bid to save the world. Thematically, it's reminiscent of Doctor Who and features a wonderfully wacky performance from Lithgow.