The Best Sci-Fi Movies of 2023

Asteroid City

“Asteroid City” is Wes Anderson’s first foray into sci-fi territory, and of course, it’s done in the most Wes Anderson way possible. Released just this year, the story continues the Russian nesting doll structure that Anderson used so well in “The Grand Budapest Hotel” as it follows a troupe of actors who are performing a play about a bunch of people who end up quarantined in a 1950s desert after they’re visited by an alien. The film packs an emotional punch as Anderson was clearly inspired by the pandemic with this one, and while the sci-fi elements are limited, Jeff Goldblum has a tremendous cameo as “The Alien.” As with most Anderson films, this one boasts an incredible cast that includes Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston and Steve Carell. – Adam Chitwood

In a year packed with lackluster sci-fi flicks, “Blue Beetle” blasted above the competition. This exhilarating superhero origin story introduced audiences to Mexican-American teenager Jaime Reyes, who becomes endowed with a powerful alien armor. Thanks to Xolo Maridueña’s magnetic performance, Jaime instantly leaps off the screen as a relatable and root-worthy hero. And “Blue Beetle” doesn’t skimp on dazzling action sequences as Jaime masters his new abilities in showstopping battles. But the film also maintains grounded stakes, with Jaime dealing with very human struggles of responsibility, family, and standing up to oppression. With vivid world-building, fun humor and plenty of heart, “Blue Beetle” was a breath of fresh air in the sci-fi genre this year – and one of 2023’s biggest cinematic treats. – Umberto Gonzalez

Godzilla Minus One

One of the more surprising success stories of the year, “Godzilla Minus One,” written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki (who also oversaw the visual effects), returned the iconic movie monster to its elemental power. Set a few years before the original 1954 feature (hence minus one), it focuses on characters already surviving in the rubble (quite literally) of a war-torn Japan. Adding Godzilla, a creature born out of atomic indifference, to the mix, and a bad situation becomes infinitely worse. “Godzilla Minus One” spends so much time getting to know the characters that the terror is amplified exponentially. And Godzilla himself, rendered fully in computer animation, maintains the iconic elements of the character while also breathing new life into him. (It is also a distinct enough design to set him apart from his western counterpart, currently seen in the “Monarch” series streaming on Apple TV+.) Scary, thoughtful and oddly emotional, “Godzilla Minus One” is one of the best Godzilla movies ever – and one of the best movies of the year. – Drew Taylor

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

James Gunn wrapped up his “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy in 2023, before heading off to reinvent the DCU. And he signed off with a signature blend of heartfelt and heartbreaking, this time putting the spotlight on Rocket Raccoon. “Guardians” movies are always full of sci-fi fantasy flourish, but “Vol. 3” is the most sci-fi fueled of the bunch, filling out Rocket’s tragic origin story, introducing the “mad scientist” who made him (and whole worlds) and pondering the cruelty of a perfectionist creator. Gunn leans into his horror roots more than you’d expect for an MCU movie, and it can be a surprisingly wrenching watch if you’re an animal lover, but it’s as lovely as it is grotesque, with a lot of heart behind the horrors. – Haleigh Foutch

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Yes, “The Hunger Games” is sci-fi, and yes, the “Hunger Games” prequel is Good, Actually. “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” takes place 64 years before the events of “The Hunger Games” and follows a young Coriolanus Snow – a poor young man masquerading as elite in the Capitol, trying to shoot his shot – as he’s tasked with mentoring a District 12 tribute (played by Rachel Zegler) in a new twist on the Hunger Games. This time, the gamesmaker (played by Viola Davis) wants spectacle instead of pure punishment. What follows is a surprisingly thoughtful and nuanced meditation on the nature of evil. – AC

Infinity Pool

If you’re rich enough, you can get away with murder. Brandon Cronenberg’s “Infinity Pool” takes that bitter truth, gets literal, and turns it into a mind-melter of a sci-fi premise. Uber-wealthy tourists flock to the idyllic beaches of an impoverished nation where they learn all about the draconian local legal system: the punishment for crime is death, unless you’re very rich, in which case you can pay to watch a clone of yourself die instead. Existential crises and extravagant violence ensue. Cronenberg is a filmmaker drawn to excesses, and that creative instinct threatens to topple “Infinity Pool” in its second half, but he also communicates his ideas through a singular visual language that worms into your brain and makes it itchy. So if you’re in the mood for a sci-fi film that finds new horrors in the concept of cloning – and skewers the debauchery and douchebaggery of wealth – “Infinity Pool” is a feverish, bold-paletted nightmare that will scratch around your mind for a while. — HF

Leave the World Behind

What if you thought the world had ended, but weren’t sure? And what if you were figuring all of this out while staying in a stranger’s house? That’s the premise of “Leave the World Behind,” written and directed by “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail. Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke play an affluent New York couple who get away for the weekend by renting an Airbnb on Long Island. But when some inexplicable event knocks out the internet and cell service, they’re visited by a man and his daughter (played by Mahershala Ali and Myha’la Herrold) who say this is their house, and they need someplace to stay given what’s going on. Harrowing, twisty and darkly funny, this Netflix original’s a trip with an unforgettable ending. — AC

M3GAN

Blumhouse’s “M3GAN” arrived just in time for the year of AI. The killer robot danced her way into viral fame the minute she twirled, strutted and cartwheeled her way through the film’s trailer, but M3GAN turned out to be something much more rare than a meme — she might just be a new horror icon. The best spin on the killer doll since Chucky, the film takes a Frankenstein-style approach to artificial intelligence, with “Get Out” star Allison Williams as the brilliant scientist who watches her most ambitious invention turn into a monster. It might not have anything especially timely to say about AI, but given the recent news, it seems folks could always use a reminder about the potential dangers of unchecked ambition, playing god and putting profit before safety. A sequel is on the way and I can’t wait to see what the filmmakers have to say now that we’re properly in the AI era. — HF

No One Will Save You

Considering their impact on the American psyche, Roswellian Grays and flying saucers don’t actually get much screen time these days. Brian Duffield’s “No One Will Save You” is here to show us why that’s a mistake. Starring Kaitlyn Dever in a nearly dialogue-free performance, the film takes a home invasion approach to an alien invasion, pitting Dever’s lonesome outcast against a fleet of invading Grays. It’s thrilling and kinetic, with yet another hell of a performance from Dever, but the best part for this sci-fi nerd is how elegantly Duffield constructs a sense of societal structure among the extraterrestrials without saying a word. Then there’s the wholly unexpected ending, which cements “No One Will Save You” as a fascinating film about self-salvation with a “Twilight Zone” twist. – HF

Poor Things

“Poor Things” is currently the darling of critics and film enthusiasts everywhere. And for good reason – it’s easily one of the best, most astonishing movies released this year. But it’s also an incredible bit of science fiction, marrying a Frankenstein-style story of man’s hubris and insistence on playing God with traditional science fiction flourishes – most notably a vaguely steampunk-ish aesthetic. In “Poor Things,” Emma Stone plays a woman who commits suicide but is brought back to life thanks to a bizarre scientist (Willem Dafoe). Here’s the twist: the young woman was pregnant at the time she committed suicide and the scientist put the baby’s brain into the woman’s body. Not only does it lead to some dexterous physical comedy, as Stone’s Bella Baxter transforms from an infant to a fully-fledged, hyper-sexualized woman over the course of the movie’s runtime, but through her, the movie investigates class, sex and identity. All in a world with blimps and cruise ships that belch multicolored smoke. Bella’s awakening – there’s so much to love about this world – mirrors the audience’s own, as it absorbs the singular, beguiling world of “Poor Things.” – Drew Taylor

Shin Kamen Rider

One of the more surprising success stories of the year, “Godzilla Minus One,” written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki (who also oversaw the visual effects), returned the iconic movie monster to its elemental power. Set a few years before the original 1954 feature (hence minus one), it focuses on characters already surviving in the rubble (quite literally) of a warn-torn Japan. Adding Godzilla, a creature born out of atomic indifference, to the mix, and a bad situation becomes infinitely worse. “Godzilla Minus One” spends so much time getting to know the characters that the terror is amplified exponentially. And Godzilla himself, rendered fully in computer animation, maintains the iconic elements of the character while also breathing new life into him. (It is also a distinct enough design that he is set apart from his western counterpart, currently seen in the “Monarch” series streaming on Apple TV+.) Scary, thoughtful and oddly emotional, “Godzilla Minus One” is one of the best Godzilla movies ever – and one of the best movies of the year. – Drew Taylor

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” the long-awaited follow-up to the Oscar-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” is the rare sequel that is even more dazzling than the original. And we’re not just talking visually, which, of course, is the case, as the Spider-Gang travels to worlds like Mumbattan, a mash-up of Mumbai and Manhattan and Gwen Stacy’s world, which is a living mood ring, with splotches of inky paint dripping everywhere. But emotionally, the follow-up was much richer and more complicated, as Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) struggles to understand his place in the world if being Spider-Man requires you to suffer through such tragedy (over and over again too). And it’s the mood of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” a melancholic tone that owes as much to John Hughes as it does to Steve Ditko, that sets it apart from either the relentlessly cheery heroes of the MCU or the more dour inhabitants of the DC Universe. It’s a movie, beautifully directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson (and produced and co-written by Phil Lord and Chris Miller) where feeling is just as important as spectacle. In a world of nonstop bombast, that sets “Across the Spider-Verse” apart. Now the wait for part 3 begins. – Drew Taylor

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

There has been so much “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” product released over the past few decades, starting with the comic book series in 1984 and animated television show in 1987, in both animation and live-action, that the idea of a true reinvention seemed elusive if not downright impossible. And then along comes “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” which made the characters exciting – and adorable – for the first time in ages. (Imagine if Michael Bay’s approach had been “cute” instead of “ghastly.”) Under the direction of Jeff Rowe and producers/writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the movie leaned into the teenage part of the title and cast actual teenagers in the title roles (Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu and Brady Noon) while also embracing a ripped-out-of-a-teenager’s-notebook art style. (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross even channeled low-rent garage bands for their jangly score.) The resulting film, which sees the turtles battling a cadre of compelling mutant villains, is warm and relatable, fun and exciting. And the best the property has been perhaps since the original 1990 live-action feature. Cowabunga! – Drew Taylor

They Cloned Tyrone

What happens when a pimp, a sex worker and a hustler come together? They encounter a series of strange events that take them on a journey to unlock the government’s insidious plans to hypnotize and control a community of people. “They Cloned Tyrone” welcomes watchers to The Glen, a normal, everyday neighborhood where its predominantly Black residents spend their lives shopping, going to church and enjoying the fruits of their labor. 

However, beneath the surface, but right in front of their eyes, the government is executing a plot that has a mission to keep the community in an endless cycle of unhealthy behavior that ultimately blocks them from mental and financial wellness. “They Cloned Tyrone” was written by Juel Taylor and his writing partner Tony Rettenmaier, with Taylor sitting in the director’s chair for what is now his feature directorial debut.  — Raquel “Rocky” Harris