Prime Video is a goldmine for science fiction movies, but not just the blockbuster franchises you can find on plenty of the other streaming services. There, you can find dozens of genuinely great sci-fi flicks that the algorithm never bothers to recommend, the kind you’d only stumble on by scrolling for an hour or getting a tip from a movie buff. And honestly, those are usually the best kind.
If you're not sure where to start finding something new to watch, then we've got your back. We’ve taken care of all the digging so you can skip straight to the good stuff. These three movies below should get you started on your next sci-fi movie night.
These three sci-fi films on Prime Video are real diamonds in the rough, and I’ve seen every one of them myself. Something tells me you’ll be recommending them to someone else before long. But something also tells me you probably haven't seen them, so my advice is to check them out ASAP.
3 overlooked sci-fi movies on Prime Video
'Paradise Hills' (2019)
Uma (Emma Roberts) wakes up on a remote island with no memory of how she got there. She’s at Paradise Hills, a lavish facility where wealthy families send their rebellious daughters to be "fixed," meaning they're effectively brainwashed through etiquette lessons, diets, and beauty treatments so they can be the perfect young women their families want them to be. Uma was shipped off for refusing an arranged marriage, and she finds unlikely friends in residents Chloe (Danielle Macdonald), Yu (Awkwafina) and a famous pop star (Eiza González). But the longer she stays, the clearer it becomes that something deeply sinister hides beneath all that beauty, and the island’s enigmatic ruler, the Duchess (Milla Jovovich), has no intention of letting anyone leave.
Watch on Prime Video
'Lifeforce' (1985)
When a joint British-American space mission investigates Halley’s Comet, the crew discovers an alien ship drifting in its tail, containing three humanoid bodies in suspended animation. They bring the mysterious passengers back to London, where the "Space Girl" (Mathilda May) wakes up and reveals her true nature: she’s a vampire who drains the very life force out of anyone she touches, leaving behind withered husks that rise again to feed on others. As the plague spreads and the dead begin walking, the city spirals toward an apocalypse, and a haunted astronaut (Steve Railsback) who shares a strange psychic bond with the creature may be the only one who can stop her. How do you kill something that feeds on life itself?
Watch on Prime Video
'The Assessment' (2024)
In a dystopian future after climate collapse, having a child is a privilege. No couple is allowed to become parents without passing a grueling evaluation. Mia (Elizabeth Olsen) and Aaryan (Himesh Patel) seem like ideal candidates. To be approved, they have to open their home to Virginia (Alicia Vikander), a government assessor who moves in for seven days to observe their every move. But Virginia’s methods are anything but ordinary. She behaves like a petulant, unpredictable child, escalating her behavior until the couple’s relationship begins to buckle. As the assessment grows more harrowing, Mia and Aaryan struggle to prove they’re worthy with Virginia's unorthodox methods in mind.
Watch on Prime Video
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