These are the 10 best sci-fi films of all time according to film lovers

Futuristic cities, advanced technology, and existential horrors beyond our comprehension – science fiction has brought it all to the big screen.

Enthralling viewers for generations after generations, some of the biggest blockbusters in history have come from the fantastical subgenre, so it stands to reason that many of our favourite films are rooted in sci-fi.

But which one reigns supreme?

Letterboxd, a social media platform designed for film fans, allows users to log and rate films as they watch them.

So, gathering data from the platform by looking at the highest average ratings under science fiction, we have found the top 10 sci-fi films as decided by film fans themselves.

From classic flicks to modern hits, these are the best of the best – and where to stream them.

10. World of Tomorrow

Where to watch: Not available to stream

Coming in at number 10 is World of Tomorrow, a series of short films stitched together to make one feature-length epic.

It follows a young girl named Emily who is contacted by a clone from her future self from 227 years into the future, who takes her to the Outernet, a futuristic version of the internet which allows them to explore their memories.

9. La Jetée

Where to watch: Available to rent on Apple TV

La Jetée is a French sci-fi thriller that you can watch on your lunch break with time to spare.

Clocking in at just half an hour, Chris Marker’s 1966 film is told almost entirely using still photos and explores the time loop story of a post-nuclear war experiment in time travel featuring unnamed characters.

8. The Thing (1982)

Where to watch: ITVX

Regularly hailed as one of the best sci-fi films ever made, The Thing garnered a cult following after its home video release back in the 80s.

John Carpenter’s classic sci-fi film tells the story of a group of American researchers in Antarctica who come across an extraterrestrial life form that can infiltrate the bodies of other living organisms and imitate them to go undetected.

7. Dune: Part Two

Where to watch: NOW TV and Sky

While Part One didn’t break the top 20 on Letterboxd, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two ranks in number seven of the top sci-fi films.

The 2024 sequel sees Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) unite with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen to hatch a plan for revenge against the Harkonnen and those who killed his family.

6. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Where to watch: Disney Plus

Despite their legendary status in the world of film, only one Star Wars film impressed Letterboxd users enough to enter the top 10.

Set three years after the events of A New Hope, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) continues to lead the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire, while Luke Skywalker (Luke Hamill) trains in the ways of the Jedi.

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5. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Where to watch: Netflix

Spider-Man swings into the top five with the animated masterpiece Into the Spider-Verse, released in 2018.

Miles Morales gains powers after being bitten by a spider and protects the city as Spider-Man, soon meeting alternate versions of himself that recruit him into the task of saving the entire multiverse.

4. Stalker

Where to watch: Available to rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, and the Sky Store

Released in 1979, Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker was ranked number 29 on the BFI’s list of the greatest films of all time – but it sits at number 4 in Letterboxd’s sci-fi rankings.

It tells the story of an expedition led by a figure known as the Stalkee (Alexander Kaidanovsky), who guides two clients to a mysterious restricted site known simply as the Zone, where there supposedly exists a room that grants a person’s innermost desires.

3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Where to watch: Netflix

We’re back into the Spider-verse – or across it, I should say – in our number three spot.

Shameik Moore is back as Miles Morales in the 2023 film, as he joined forces with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) in a bid to stop a new threat in the form of the Spot.

2. Interstellar

Where to watch: NOW TV and Sky

Christopher Nolan’s science fiction magnum opus Interstellar is still raved about more than 10 years after its release, but it didn’t quite hit the top spot for Letterboxd users.

Set in a dystopian future where Earth is suffering from a catastrophic famine, a group of astronauts travels through a wormhole near Saturn in a bid to find a new home to inhabit.

1. Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion

Where to watch: Netflix

Japanese animated apocalyptic science fiction Neon Genesis Evangelion: End of Evangelion is one of the greatest animated films ever made, nay, one of the greatest films ever made, so it stands to reason it’s here at number one.

Directed by Hideaki Anno and Kazuya Tsurumaki, it serves as an alternate ending to the television series Neon Genesis Evangelion, which aired from 1995 to 1996.

It follows the teenagers Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, and Asuka Langley Soryu, who pilot mechas called Evangelion to defeat enemies who threaten humanity, named Angels.

What do you think is the best sci-fi film of all time?