TAGGED AS: movies, Sci-Fi
(Photo by Netflix/ courtesy Everett Collection)
Best Science Fiction Movies of 2021, Ranked by Tomatometer
Welcome to our guide to the best science-fiction movies of 2021, where we feature Fresh and Certified Fresh genre films from the year. Among 2021’s best you’ll find kaiju death-matches (Godzilla vs. Kong), time loops (The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, Boss Level), superhero and horror hybrids (In the Earth, Black Widow), and mind-blowing animation (The Mitchells vs. The Machines, Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time).
Check back as we add more to the best-reviewed sci-fi movies of 2021! (Plus, we’re doing the same for 2021’s action movies, horror movies, and the overall best movies of the year.) —Alex Vo
#1
Adjusted Score: 107593%
Critics Consensus: Eye-catching and energetic, The Mitchells vs. the Machines delivers a funny, feel-good story that the whole family can enjoy.
Synopsis: Young Katie Mitchell embarks on a road trip with her proud parents, younger brother and beloved dog to start her...
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#2
Adjusted Score: 109869%
Critics Consensus: A nerve-wracking continuation of its predecessor, A Quiet Place Part II expands the terrifying world of the franchise without losing track of its heart.
Synopsis: Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family must now face the terrors of the outside world as they...
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#3
Adjusted Score: 94954%
Critics Consensus: Tough but stirring, Little Fish uses one couple's pandemic love story to illustrate the strength of human connection in trying times.
Synopsis: Little Fish, the fourth feature film from director Chad Hartigan, is a romance set in a near-future Seattle teetering on...
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#4
Adjusted Score: 109784%
Critics Consensus: Enlivened by writer-director James Gunn's singularly skewed vision, The Suicide Squad marks a funny, fast-paced rebound that plays to the source material's violent, anarchic strengths.
Synopsis: Welcome to hell--a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst...
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#5
Adjusted Score: 94756%
Critics Consensus: Oxygen gets the white-knuckle maximum out of its claustrophobic setting, with director Alexandre Aja and star Mélanie Laurent making this a must-watch thriller for sci-fi fans.
Synopsis: Oxygen is a French survival thriller directed by Alexandre Aja. The film tells the story of a young woman (Mélanie...
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#6
Adjusted Score: 95074%
Critics Consensus: Combining a clever concept, sweet, self-aware humor, and a charming cast, Free Guy is frivolous fun.
Synopsis: In "Free Guy," a bank teller who discovers he is actually a background player in an open-world video game, decides...
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#7
Adjusted Score: 88392%
Critics Consensus: In the Earth's bleak kaleidoscope of horror is a hallucinogenic meditation on the residual pandemic fears that haunt humanity.
Synopsis: As the world searches for a cure to a disastrous virus, a scientist and park scout venture deep in the...
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#8
Adjusted Score: 82468%
Critics Consensus: A bizarrely memorable sci-fi/comedy hybrid, Fried Barry may be an acquired taste, but it certainly isn't chicken.
Synopsis: Aliens take over the body of a drug addict and take it for a joyride through Cape Town....
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#9
Adjusted Score: 102968%
Critics Consensus: Black Widow's deeper themes are drowned out in all the action, but it remains a solidly entertaining standalone adventure that's rounded out by a stellar supporting cast.
Synopsis: In Marvel Studios' action-packed spy thriller "Black Widow," Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger...
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#10
Adjusted Score: 81179%
Critics Consensus: Its characters' time-loop journey is a little bumpy and fairly familiar, but heartfelt charm and likeable leads make A Map of Tiny Perfect Things worth following.
Synopsis: The film tells the story of quick-witted teen Mark, contentedly living the same day in an endless loop whose world...
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#11
Adjusted Score: 96281%
Critics Consensus: Delivering squarely on its title, Godzilla vs. Kong swats away character development and human drama to deliver all the spectacle you'd expect from giant monsters slugging it out.
Synopsis: Legends collide in "Godzilla vs. Kong" as these mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle for the ages, with the...
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#12
Adjusted Score: 80917%
Critics Consensus: Pacing problems prevent Stowaway from fully engaging, but it's distinguished by its thoughtful, well-acted approach to a story built on an excruciating moral dilemma.
Synopsis: On a mission headed to Mars, an unintended stowaway accidentally causes severe damage to the spaceship's life support systems. Facing...
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#13
Adjusted Score: 100573%
Critics Consensus: With its characteristic boldness, Evangelion:3.0+1.01 more than thricely rewards fans with a cathartic finale to the 26-year-old iconic anime tale.
Synopsis: From legendary director Hideaki Anno, EVANGELION:3.0+1.01 THRICE UPON A TIME is the fourth and final installment of the REBUILD OF...
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#14
Adjusted Score: 91362%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An eccentric general and a young filmmaker take refuge in a ravaged bunker after a catastrophic global war....
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#15
Adjusted Score: 74601%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After getting a car ride from an unknown man, Lisa wakes up in a tube. On her arm is strapped...
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#16
Adjusted Score: 77724%
Critics Consensus: Boss Level powers up the increasingly crowded time-loop genre with a gleefully over-the-top sci-fi action thriller that revels in its own excess.
Synopsis: Trapped in a time loop that constantly repeats the day of his murder, former special forces agent Roy Pulver (Frank...
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#17
Adjusted Score: 70465%
Critics Consensus: As a story, Space Sweepers isn't as adventurous as its star-navigating protagonists -- but relatable characters and impressive effects keep it from drifting out of orbit.
Synopsis: After snatching a crashed space shuttle in the latest debris chase, Spaceship Victory's crew members find a 7-year-old girl inside....
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