The Best Sci-Fi Movies of 2025 (So Far)

One of David Cronenberg's most personal movies yet, The Shrouds is another must-see piece of techno body horror from the man who synonymous with the genre. Vincent Cassel plays Karsh, a wealthy inventor whose new software which allows the bereaved to watch the decay of buried loved ones. The technology becomes the center of a conspiracy, all while Karsh grieves the loss of his own wife (Diane Kruger). Set against a near-future that looks eerily like our own, Cronenberg's newest movie is also one of his best in years—the auteur's vulnerability is naked like never before.

In theaters now

Man makes machine. Man goes extinct. Machine inherits the Earth. Or something like that. That's the gist behind Love Me, a sweet romantic drama about artificial intelligence and genuine souls. Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun co-star as the personification of a weather satellite (Yeun) and a buoy (Stewart), who learn what it means to be alive long after humankind. Where most sci-fi movies are forbidding about the sophistication of A.I., Love Me supposes that the greatest form of sentience is still being human.

Watch Now

TV director Drew Hancock makes one hell of an impression in his debut feature, Companion, a delectable sci-fi thriller and black comedy that brings a new face to the "fembot" subgenre. Sophie Thatcher plays Iris, who joins her boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid) on a weekend getaway with friends. But the weekend turns into a nightmare after Iris learns she's an artificial companion robot. Companion brings a bloodied knife to the canon of movies shared by Metropolis, Her, and Ex Machina.

Watch Now

We've already sung the praises of Mickey 17, but allow us to do it again. In director Bong Joon-ho's third English-language feature film (after Snowpiercer and Okja), Robert Pattinson plays one of his many clones in the year 2054, when mankind's expansion to space necessitates a workforce of expendable laborers. Despite his routine deaths, Mickey can't help but fall for a security agent (Naomi Ackie). Though it didn't earn the widespread acclaim of his previous film Parasite, Mickey 17 stands out with daffy humor and scathing social commentary from its observant auteur.

Watch Now

"What if we're not good enough?" asks Elizabeth Olsen's Mia, who—along with her husband, Aaryan (Himesh Patel)—undergoes a seven-day "assessment." The test is conducted by Virginia, played by a mystifying Alicia Vikander, in order to determine their suitability as parents in a strictly controlled near-future. This weighty directing debut by Fleur Fortuné is a mature sci-fi of a rare breed, where stimulating ideas are elevated by minimalist production design and maximalist performances. The Assessment has flown under the radar, but it's not one to underestimate.

Watch Now

It's basically Guardians of the Galaxy in Kevlar black, but Thunderbolts* finds its own voice—and it has become quite the early summer surprise from Marvel Studios. Florence Pugh takes center stage in this antihero ensemble, reprising her role as Yelena from 2021's Black Widow to lead a team of misfit sidekicks and villains against a common enemy. Marvel specializes in big-budget action comedies that end in a group hug, but even when that formula has gone stale, Thunderbolts* feels like a jolt of new life.

In Theaters Now

Part action-thriller, part monster movie, and part star-crossed romance, Scott Derrickson's The Gorge is an all-around feast even if it juggles too many genres at once. Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy star as two elite snipers on the most top-secret of top-secret missions: standing guard against an army of creatures who dwell at the bottom of a mysterious gorge. Though forbidden from any contact, the two improbably fall in love and work together when the monsters threaten to break free. Though it was unceremoniously dumped on Apple TV+ on Valentine's Day 2025, The Gorge emerges as a legit crowd-pleaser with an air of darkness.

Watch Now

Hip-hop artist Flying Lotus makes his feature directing debut with Ash, a piece of phantasmagoric sci-fi horror. Eiza González stars as Riya, an amnesiac and lone survivor of a crew stationed on the planet Ash. While piecing together her memory, Brion (Aaron Paul) arrives to rescue her, though Riya must decide between trusting a stranger and ensuring her own survival. With palpable influence from David Cronenberg, Flying Lotus soars in his first full-length movie, giving audiences an interplanetary nightmare dipped in high-contrast colors and shadows, violent editing, and a reverberating universe of sound.