Science Fiction, as a genre, is enjoying something of a Renaissance period. Letterboxd has emerged as a place where many moviegoers can, and have, chosen to take it as an alternative to Rotten Tomatoes and have expressed their pleasure at several films in this particular genre.
Indeed, some of the titles may be familiar to a mainstream audience, and some may be niche, but regardless, there's something about science fiction that sparks the imagination. These Sci-Fi films have all been chosen as the hallmarks of the genre, as it were.
1 The Prestige - Official Trailer (Trailer)
Magic, mayhem, and misdirection describe Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige perfectly. But even that feels entirely too simplified for this movie. It’s a spellbinding and multifaceted story of clashing magicians, and it has numerous flash-forwards and flashbacks to earlier times and later times, especially during certain tricks.
The rivalry between Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale keeps audiences enthralled until the final climactic trick is revealed. Sometimes the greatest trick ever pulled is hiding in plain sight, as many Letterboxd reviewers wrote. It's worth it just to see that final trick.
2 Project Hail Mary Amazes With Its Emotional Core
Ryan Gosling has had an unprecedented string of successes since he broke out into the mainstream with The Notebook in 2004. Project Hail Mary is no exception, becoming the seventh highest-grossing film of 2026 and winning multiple awards. The story of helping to save two suns, plus Rocky being a practical puppet mixed with visual effects, thrilled audiences that world over.
The reception on Letterboxd is no exception. Many of them have some variation on Rocky's "Amaze!" phrase. One reviewer called it, “the definition of ‘accidentally became important at work and it’s ruining my life’,” an apt description of Grace’s situation.
3 The Thing Leaves the Viewer Paranoid
John Carpenter’s masterpiece of a horror film, adapted from the short story Who Goes There by John W. Campbell, is considered a cult classic. The moody atmosphere, the practical effects, and the haunting music by the late great Ennio Morricone really sell the feeling of being trapped in an isolated and cold environment and stalked by an inhuman creature.
That the film was nominated for a Razzie award for Worst Musical Score is simply baffling, and its underperformance at the box office is balanced out by home video helping boost its popularity into cult classic status. Several Letterboxd reviews compare it to Among Us, whereas others joke about not being able to trust their dog after watching it.
4 Dune: Part Two Sees Paul’s Fremen Journey Continue
For a sequel movie based on the insanely dense Frank Herbert novel of the same name, Dune: Part Two somehow managed to eclipse the original 2021 film by leagues. The action is doubled, the intrigue and politicking are doubled, and the amount of giant sand worms is likewise doubled.
Paul Atreides’ journey into Fremen culture and becoming Lisan al-Gaib is as trippy as it is mesmerizing, and Letterboxd viewers appear to agree. As one reviewer stated, they’d be easily manipulated by someone claiming to be a message because “the scene where Paul learns how to ride a sandworm made me believe in god again.”
5 Stalker Feels Like an Extended Twilight Zone Episode
Sometimes a movie comes along that reminds viewers of The Twilight Zone; Stalker from 1979 is one such film. A movie about a mysterious “Zone” where odd things happen, much like the Backrooms or other eldritch locations, and a couple of people who try to traverse it and end up changed after they leave.
The themes of faith, the ugly desires of men, and the need to seek asylum from a world that stagnates into hopeless oblivion are just a few interpretations that critics and artists have made from this film. One user expresses that Stalker is an experience, and it “will hold a different meaning to every person…it would be like trying to explain something deeply experiential to a person who was not there to share that experience with you.”
6 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Is Miles Morales’ Story
A no-brainer on any superhero fans list, or animation fans for that matter, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse had a lot of firsts for a Spider-Man film. It was the first to star Miles Morales after six movies about Peter Parker; it was the first to introduce the Spider-Man multiverse to the big screen; it was the first animated Spider-Man film to hit theaters; and it was the first to feature alternate variants of the character approximately three years before No Way Home.
The different Spider-People all having their own animation styles is just one reason why this movie is so beloved. The other is, as a Letterboxd review said, “an understanding of the character of Spider-Man.” The coda of the whole movie is “anyone can be a hero,” and Miles’ journey proves it.
7 Across the Spider-Verse Introduces the Spider-Man Multiverse
If the original Into the Spider-Verse was a Miles Morales movie with a few other Spider-people mixed in, Across the Spider-Verse really lives up to its name as a multiverse movie. Multiple Spider-People, including Pavitr Prabhakar and Hobie Brown, multiple universes, and a fresh villain in The Spot instead of another Spider-Man mainstay after the Kingpin, are all just as fascinating, well-acted, and well-written as each other. Miles sharing the spotlight with Gwen, the frenetic and fast action, the multitude of references, plus a dash of arguments about “canon events” permeate the film, but it never loses its heart.
While feeling like it goes by quick, to the point where some Letterboxd reviewers joke they have to watch it twice at “0.75x speed with subtitles”, the film is a thrill ride. With Beyond the Spider-Verse currently slated for release in June 2027, fans of the wisecracking wall crawlers won’t have to wait long for the epic continuation of Miles’ story.
8 The Empire Strikes Back Changed Star Wars Forever
Massive battles on snow planets, an epic twist nobody saw coming at the time, a darker Star Wars film 25 years before Revenge of the Sith, and twists and turns galore characterize The Empire Strikes Back. It was the highest-grossing film of 1980, and despite a mixed reaction at the time, the film is now known as possibly the best film in Star Wars history.
Whether one loves Empire for the battles, the cave scene on Dagobah, the timeless and often memed quotes, Han and Leia’s relationship, or the famous twist, it’s clearly got a huge place in Star Wars fans' hearts. One reviewer even quoted it with the Han and Leia line, “I love you, I know.”
9 Interstellar Is Truly Out of This World
Another Christopher Nolan film that has all the hallmarks and cinematography one expects from something truly special, Interstellar is absolutely one of those special effects extraganzas. It’s an odyssey of sorts, trying to find habitable worlds and avert the extinction of humanity. All told through a small team of explorers going through a wormhole.
The film is a lot of spectacle, mixed with the debate of altruism and selfishness underneath. It’s worth watching for the visual effects alone, but the themes of family and Hans Zimmer’s score keep people coming back. Even if, as one person put it, an hour of this film felt like “four years of real time.”
10 The End of Evangelion Is Depressing, Haunting, and Beautiful
For as depressing as the original Neon Genesis Evangelion got, The End of Evangelion topped it. The many deaths of main characters and mainstay characters, the hospital scene, the haunting soundtrack, and the absolutely mind-bending ending all reinforce the thesis of Evangelion: running away from problems solves nothing.
Creator Hideaki Anno describes the film as an alternative ending to the original series, much like the Rebuild of Evangelion films that came years later. Letterboxd reviews echo this, showing that despite how draining it is, the film definitely earns its place in anime film history. One particularly long review says as much, calling the film “a borderline religious experience that should be viewed from beginning to end for its immaculate balance of perfectly orchestrated action and dizzying psychological drama.”
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