The 25 best sci-fi movies, ranked by critics

Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Tomatometer), then Metacritic score. Only movies with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 70% or higher make the list. Scores as recorded in Wikidata.

1. 1

   Stalker (1979)

   Rotten Tomatoes 100% · Metacritic 85

   Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky

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2. 2
   E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial1982

   E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

   Rotten Tomatoes 99% · Metacritic 92

   Directed by Steven Spielberg

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3. 3

   Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

   Rotten Tomatoes 97% · Metacritic 90

   Directed by George Miller

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4. 4

   Jaws (1975)

   Rotten Tomatoes 97% · Metacritic 87

   Directed by Steven Spielberg

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5. 5

   Gravity (2013)

   Rotten Tomatoes 96% · Metacritic 96

   Directed by Alfonso Cuarón

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6. 6
   Black Panther2018

   Black Panther (2018)

   Rotten Tomatoes 96% · Metacritic 88

   Directed by Ryan Coogler

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7. 7

   Ghostbusters (1984)

   Rotten Tomatoes 95% · Metacritic 71

   Directed by Ivan Reitman

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8. 8
   Her2013

   Her (2013)

   Rotten Tomatoes 94% · Metacritic 91

   Directed by Spike Jonze

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9. 9
   Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope1977

   Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)

   Rotten Tomatoes 94% · Metacritic 90

   Directed by George Lucas

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10. 10

    The Truman Show (1998)

    Rotten Tomatoes 94% · Metacritic 90

    Directed by Peter Weir

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11. 11

    Star Trek (2009)

    Rotten Tomatoes 94% · Metacritic 82

    Directed by J. J. Abrams

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12. 12
    Arrival2016

    Arrival (2016)

    Rotten Tomatoes 94% · Metacritic 81

    Directed by Denis Villeneuve

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13. 13
    Alien1979

    Alien (1979)

    Rotten Tomatoes 93% · Metacritic 89

    Directed by Ridley Scott

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14. 14

    Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

    Rotten Tomatoes 93% · Metacritic 89

    Directed by Michel Gondry

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15. 15
    Aliens1986

    Aliens (1986)

    Rotten Tomatoes 93% · Metacritic 84

    Directed by James Cameron

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16. 16

    Spider-Man 2 (2004)

    Rotten Tomatoes 93% · Metacritic 83

    Directed by Sam Raimi

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17. 17
    Hugo2011

    Hugo (2011)

    Rotten Tomatoes 93% · Metacritic 83

    Directed by Martin Scorsese

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18. 18
    Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back1980

    Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

    Rotten Tomatoes 93% · Metacritic 82

    Directed by Irvin Kershner

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19. 19

    Midnight in Paris (2011)

    Rotten Tomatoes 93% · Metacritic 81

    Directed by Woody Allen

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20. 20

    Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

    Rotten Tomatoes 93% · Metacritic 81

    Directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

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21. 21
    Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens2015

    Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)

    Rotten Tomatoes 93% · Metacritic 80

    Directed by J. J. Abrams

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22. 22

    Logan (2017)

    Rotten Tomatoes 93% · Metacritic 77

    Directed by James Mangold

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23. 23
    Thor: Ragnarok2017

    Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

    Rotten Tomatoes 93% · Metacritic 74

    Directed by Taika Waititi

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24. 24

    Groundhog Day (1993)

    Rotten Tomatoes 93% · Metacritic 72

    Directed by Harold Ramis

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25. 25
    Spider-Man: No Way Home2021

    Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

    Rotten Tomatoes 93% · Metacritic 71

    Directed by Jon Watts

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