If you’re not feeling like counting down with Ryan Seacrest this New Year’s Eve, there are plenty of good alternatives to kill time, including these five great Netflix sci-fi movies. Netflix has a solid selection of sci-fi movies, but it can be difficult sorting through the collection, especially when it’s filled with Netflix Originals that you may not have heard anything about.
Although interminable scrolling does feel a little like something that might happen in a dystopian sci-fi film, we’re here to help you avoid that fate. Ring in 2025 with one or more of the following great sci-fi movies now streaming on Netflix.
Limitless – 2011
Genre Thriller, Mystery, Science Fiction
Directed by Neil Burger
Our first pick is pop, pseudo-sci-fi that will satisfy even the non-sci-fi fans you may need to appease on New Year’s Eve. Limitless stars Aloha’s Bradley Cooper as Eddie Morra, an out-of-work writer who is nearing rock bottom after his girlfriend dumps him. In a moment, all that negativity vanishes after an old friend introduces Eddie to MDT, a designer pharmaceutical built to address the (false) theorem that humans only use 10% of their brains. Suddenly, with MDT, Eddie has access to everything he’s ever read, heard, or seen, allowing him to rise to the top of the creative and financial worlds.
However, he’s constantly afflicted by brutal side effects, and as the drug supply dwindles and his stash makes him a target, Eddie must deal with his addiction and very real threats upon his life.
What Happened to Monday – 2017
Genre Science Fiction, Thriller, Drama, Mystery, Action
Directed by Tommy Wirkola
Tommy Wirkola (Violent Night) directs this dystopian sci-fi thriller about a future in which overpopulation and famine have forced the adoption of a global One-Child Policy. In this world, seven identical sisters (all played by Noomi Rapace) live a constant game of hide-and-seek with the Child Allocation Bureau and its leader, Nicolette Cayman (Glenn Close). While the women outwit Cayman’s system by assuming the identity of one person and carefully playing the role on each day of the week at the direction of their grandfather (Willem Dafoe), things go awry one day when Monday does not come home.
Paul – 2011
Genre Adventure, Comedy, Science Fiction
Directed by Greg Mottola
Looking for something a little more lighthearted that’s still in the genre? Paul is one of Nick Frost and Simon Pegg’s (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) most underrated comedies. In this wacky sci-fi adventure, Paul (Seth Rogen), an extraterrestrial hitchhiker, has been locked up in a top-secret military base, advising world leaders about his people for the last 60 years. But as he begins to worry he’s outlived the usefulness of his knowledge, Paul jumps ship on the first RV that passes Area 51.
Fortunately, it’s Graeme and Clive (Pegg and Frost), two sci-fi geeks on a pilgrimage through America’s UFO heartland who just happen to be the exact pair of dudes most likely to harbor a fugitive alien.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – 2004
Genre Science Fiction, Drama, Romance
Directed by Michel Gondry
Looking for something a little, um, less lighthearted that’s still in the genre? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a true classic, regardless of genre, but it works because of the science fiction at its odd little heart. When Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) learns that his girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) opted for a procedure to erase Joel and their tumultuous relationship from her memories, he’s despondent. Desperate, he decides to do the same.
But as he begins the process and sees his memories of her begin to wash away, he realizes he’s still in love with her, and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to keep her memory alive. Carrey and Winslet are both extraordinary in this masterfully crafted film by Michel Gondry.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch – 2018
Genre Science Fiction, Mystery, Drama, Thriller, TV Movie
Directed by David Slade
We’re cheating a little bit with this final pick since Bandersnatch is really just a souped-up episode of Netflix’s beloved sci-fi anthology series Black Mirror. Nonetheless, it’s a great watch for a New Year’s Eve party, given the interactive nature. Bandersnatch is a choose-your-own-adventure tale that could lead to a variety of different endings based on your choices.
In the core story, a young programmer in 1984 begins to question his reality as he works to adapt a dark fantasy novel into a video game.
