Behold: The 12 Best Sci-Fi Movies of 2021
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With the year coming to a close and the cold weather setting in, it's the perfect moment to catch up on the 2021 movies you missed. And with so much to choose from—thanks, in part, to the gazillion streaming services we all pay for now—it's always nice to narrow things down wherever you can. So if you're feeling like watching a new sci-fi movie specifically, we're here to help!
The best 12 new sci-fi movies of the year all offer something unique. Looking for sci-fi mixed with romance? Check out I'm Your Man, a rom-com in which a woman is set up with her perfect "partner" (aka a robot). Looking for comedy? Maybe you've heard Ryan Reynolds's Free Guy, where he plays a video game character. Looking for more of a thriller instead? How about an absolutely claustrophobic movie called Oxygen in which a woman is trapped in a cryogenic pod? (You gotta be brave for that one.)
No matter where your tastes lie, read on to find the perfect new 2021 sci-fi movie for you.
Dune
Dune was one of the most anticipated sci-fi releases of the year. Adapted from the book by Frank Herbert, it's about a young man (Timothée Chalamet) in the far future, his family, and war over a planet that contains a sought-after substance. Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, and Zendaya are also part of the ensemble cast (though some viewers felt Z needed more screen time, which, fair!).
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Animated family movie The Mitchell's vs. the Machines is about a girl and her family figuring out what to do when all electronics in the world come to life and participate in a robot uprising. The voice cast includes Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, and Olivia Colman.
I'm Your Man
If you're in the mood for a sci-fi movie that's also a comedy and a romance, check out I'm Your Man. It's about an archeologist (Maren Eggert) who agrees to participate in a study in which she must live for three weeks with a humanoid robot (Dan Stevens) that has been programmed to be her ideal partner.
Stowaway
Space thriller Stowaway is about a group of astronauts heading to Mars. It's all going well until they find an accidental stowaway aboard right after the ship leaves on a two-year mission...and then their oxygen supply is put at risk. Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson, and Toni Collette star.
Finch
Tom Hanks stars in Finch, about a man who survives a catastrophic event on Earth and is left with only his dog and the robot (Caleb Landry Jones) he built to keep them company as they search for other survivors.
Godzilla vs. Kong
Godzilla vs. Kong is the follow-up to both 2017's Kong: Skull Island and 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Alexander Skarsgård, and Brian Tyree Henry star in this mashup about iconic monsters battling it out.
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things is a sci-fi romantic dramedy about two teens stuck in a time loop who are forced to live the same day over and over again. Basically, they can do whatever they want, and what they want is to spend a lot of time falling in love. Kathryn Newton and Kyle Allen star.
Free Guy
Ryan Reynolds stars in Free Guy as a non-player character in a video game who becomes conscious of that fact and decides he wants in on the action (literally). Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Joe Keery, and Taika Waititi also star.
Oxygen
The thriller Oxygen stars Mélanie Laurent as a woman who wakes up in a cryogenic pod with no memory of why she is there or who she is. Working with an interactive AI in the pod, she has to try to find a way to escape before her oxygen runs out.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is the sequel to the Ghostbusters movies from the '80s. It follows a family that finds out they have a connection to the OG Ghostbusters when strange events start occurring. McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, and Paul Rudd star.
This movie won't hit streaming services just yet (boo), but it comes out in theaters starting November 19, 2021, so get your movie tickets right this way.
Encounter
Encounter stars Riz Ahmed as a father who tries to protect his two young sons during an alien invasion. Octavia Spencer and Janina Gavankar also feature. This movie will hit Amazon Prime starting December 10, 2021.
Don’t Look Up
Don't Look Up also hasn't hit worldwide theaters just yet, but it's highly anticipated nonetheless (and it's not hard to see why when you glance at the cast list). Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio star as two astronomers who try to warn the world that a comet is coming to destroy the Earth.
The A+++ list cast of this sci-fi comedy also includes Meryl Streep, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Jonah Hill, and Cate Blanchett. Check it out on Netflix once it releases on December 10, 2021.
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