Prime Video: 15 of the Best Sci-Fi Movies You Should Stream Right Now


Prime Video is a common place to head to for your next movie night. Take five minutes to scroll through the pages of content, and you’ll see what I mean. That said, if you’re looking for good genre entertainment, like some solid sci-fi movies, you may need to take some time to dig.

For every good sci-fi movie, Amazon’s streamer is crowded with a bunch of missable ones. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t browse, but it may help you to be nudged in the right direction. That’s where I come in. I rounded up a collection of worthy sci-fi movies to watch. These titles are all included with your Prime membership, so this list has nothing to do with add-on subscriptions or the films currently available for rent.

Every flavor of science fiction is at your disposal here. You want an alien invasion thriller or a dystopian drama? Prime Video has it. Seeing is believing, though. So, scroll on to find CNET’s roundup of the best sci-fi movies currently on Prime Video. I’ll regularly update this list, so be sure to check back each month.

Read more: Netflix’s 27 Best Sci-Fi TV Shows to Stream Right Now

Ross Ferguson/Paramount Pictures

Edgar Wright came through with a flashy remake of the ’80s cult classic. What’s different about this Running Man? There’s no Arnold Schwarzenegger or Richard Dawson, but the movie absolutely strikes a chord. And, it’s truer to the Stephen King (I mean, Richard Bachman) short story. Basically, the idea here is that it’s the future, and people love this reality TV show that follows a man who is hunted everywhere he goes. If he survives, he wins a fortune. Yeah, I’d watch that.

  • Director: Edgar Wright
  • Stars: Glen Powell, Lee Pace, Emilia Jones, Michael Cera, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin
  • Running time: 134 minutes

Screenshot by Aaron Pruner/CNET

Spaceballs follows a ragtag group of heroes who go on a mission to save a princess who gets kidnapped because her planet has air, and planet Spaceball doesn’t. The story, which riffs heavily on Star Wars, sounds thin, but it doesn’t matter because the movie is all about gags and the character work of its cast. Heck, they’re coming out with another Spaceballs in 2027, so Mel Brooks is doing something right.

  • Director: Mel Brooks
  • Stars: Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Daphne Zuniga, Mel Brooks
  • Running time: 96 minutes

Orion Pictures

James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger brought this sci-fi banger to life in 1984, kicking off an enduring fandom and story world that people still follow today. There’s something about a time-traveling cyborg hunting down the mother of a future resistance fighter that still captures imaginations. Part 2 may be the watershed moment for the franchise, but this gritty film is where it all began.

  • Director: James Cameron
  • Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn
  • Running time: 107 minutes

Universal Pictures

Terry Gilliam helmed this sci-fi mind-bender, and if you’re at all familiar with the director’s work, you know full well the type of twisted storytelling you’re in for with this one. It’s a time-travel thriller with Bruce Willis leading the way. I won’t bore you with story specifics, but I will say, the movie is full of memorable visuals and scenes — and Brad Pitt. Seriously, Pitt’s performance is off-the-wall in the best way possible.

  • Director: Terry Gilliam
  • Stars: Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Madeleine Stowe, Christopher Plummer
  • Running time: 129 minutes

Paramount Pictures

This sleeper sci-fi flick was a covert spinoff of monster disaster movie Cloverfield. Most of the film takes place in a bunker and follows two people who are being held captive by a doomsday prepper convinced that the world is under attack. Spoiler: It is.

  • Director: Dan Trachtenberg
  • Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.
  • Running time: 103 minutes

Empire International Pictures

You could absolutely consider Re-Animator to be a horror movie — and it is. But the subject matter of life regeneration in this H.P. Lovecraft-inspired B-movie classic puts it in the sci-fi category, as well. It’s campy, gory and peak ’80s fun. You’re welcome.

  • Director: Stuart Gordon
  • Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale
  • Running time: 86 minutes

Prime Video/Screenshot by CNET

The Japanese cult classic takes place in a dystopian reality where high school students are forced by the government to go on a killing spree against each other until there’s one survivor left. There have been a bunch of comparisons between this movie and other dystopian titles, like The Hunger Games, but Battle Royale stands the test of time for its extreme violence, dark humor and sociopolitical themes.

  • Director: Kinji Fukasaku
  • Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Taro Yamamoto
  • Running time: 114 minutes

UK Film Council

There are time loop movies, and then there’s Triangle. This is a little underdog of a movie filled with enough twists and terror to keep you invested. Heck, it burrowed itself into my brain when I first saw it in 2009 and stayed there for a while. The movie follows a woman named Jess as she struggles to survive a killer on a deserted boat. Sounds simple enough, but things go haywire rather quickly.

  • Director: Christopher Smith
  • Stars: Melissa George, Joshua McIvor, Jack Taylor, Michael Dorman, Henry Nixon, Liam Hemsworth
  • Running time: 99 minutes

20th Century Studios

Highlander follows an immortal man named Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) who faces off in a centuries-long battle against five immortal enemies in the streets of New York City. This movie is peak ’80s sci-fi, which means if you’re looking for an action movie that leans heavily into the schlocky absurdity of the genre, this is the title for you.

  • Director: Russell Mulcahy
  • Stars: Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown
  • Running time: 111 minutes

Warner Bros.

Mickey 17 takes place in a reality where disposable employees are created to perform tasks too dangerous for humans. The story follows Mickey 17 on his mission to help colonize an icy world called Niflheim. A clone of his, Mickey 18, is accidentally brought into being, resulting in an off-beat exploration of humanity, classism and colonialism. What else would you expect from director Bong Joon Ho?

  • Director: Bong Joon Ho
  • Stars: Robert Pattinson, Anamaria Vartolomei, Naomi Ackie, Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette, Steven Yeun, Samuel Blenkin, Holliday Grainger, Patsy Ferran
  • Running time: 139 minutes

Relativity Media/Screenshot

What if there were a pill that could turn any person into a hyperintelligent super genius? Limitless aims to answer that question. The movie stars Bradley Cooper as Eddie Morra, a down-on-his-luck writer who takes the untested drug and uses it to massively level up his life. Of course, what goes up must come down, and Eddie soon finds out that sometimes, it’s best to leave mysterious meds alone.

  • Director: Neil Burger
  • Stars: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish, Johnny Whitworth, Andrew Howard, Hill Harper, Richard Bekins, Daniel Breaker, Robert John Burke
  • Running time: 105 minutes

Amazon Prime Video

Chris Pratt stars in this action movie that follows a group of soldiers who travel back in time to warn of a future where humanity is losing the war against an army of alien invaders. Mankind’s only hope lies in a group of would-be heroes who are tapped to travel to the future in order to save the present.

  • Director: Chris McKay
  • Stars: Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, Betty Gilpin, Jasmine Mathews, Sam Richardson, J.K. Simmons
  • Running time: 138 minutes

Paramount Pictures

A Quiet Place: Day One takes audiences back to the very beginning of the alien invasion. While it may not be a necessary entry in the franchise — like, say, 10 Cloverfield Lane — the movie digs its heels into the human experience amid an otherworldly cataclysmic disaster. Come for the disaster, stay for the cute cat.

  • Director: Michael Samoski
  • Stars: Joseph Quinn, Lupita Nyong’o, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, Thea Butler, Denis O’Hare
  • Running time: 99 minutes

City Films

In John Carpenter’s postapocalyptic cult classic, it’s 1997 in New York and the city has been ravaged by war. Manhattan has been turned into a giant walled-in prison. After the president is taken hostage, former Special Forces officer (and current prisoner) Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is recruited to save the day in return for his own freedom.

  • Director: John Carpenter
  • Stars: Kurt Russell, Adrienne Barbeau, Lee Van Cleef, Donald Pleasence, Harry Dean Stanton, Ernest Borgnine, Isaak Hayes, Frank Doubleday
  • Running time: 99 minutes

Newmarket Films

This mind-bending cult classic stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a misunderstood high schooler who, after seemingly surviving a horrific accident, begins traveling through time. In the process, he discovers the joy of being alive and in love. Themes of depression, repression and alternative universes fill this delightfully bizarre film. Also, let’s not forget that giant demon bunny named Frank.

  • Director: Richard Kelly
  • Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Seth Rogen, Jena Malone, Patrick Swayze, Mary McDonnell, Noah Wyle
  • Running time: 113 minutes





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Coffee and energy drinks are popular sources of caffeine, but may have different health effects.Credit: Health / Getty Images
Coffee and energy drinks are popular sources of caffeine, but may have different health effects.
Credit: Health / Getty Images
  • Both coffee and energy drinks can vary in caffeine content.
  • Moderate caffeine consumption is recommended for reducing the risk to your heart.
  • Energy drinks have been shown to cause heart problems, but more research is needed.

Coffee and energy drinks are popular options for a quick energy boost. Both caffeinated beverages can support physical endurance, alertness, and reaction time. However, they can also increase heart rate, reduce steadiness, and increase your added sugar intake.

Which One Will Give You More Energy?

Coffee and energy drinks can both range in caffeine content, which can affect their impact on energy levels. Coffee drinks vary in caffeine based on the brew method and bean type, but on average, a cup (8 ounces) of coffee contains about 113-247 milligrams of caffeine.

Standard 16-ounce energy drinks can contain anywhere from 70 to 240 milligrams of caffeine. Concentrated 2-2.5 ounce energy shots pack about 113-200 milligrams of caffeine in a much smaller volume.

It's important to be aware of how much caffeine you’re consuming and check nutrition labels. However, energy drink manufacturers aren’t required to disclose the caffeine content.

Which Has a Greater Impact on Heart Health?

Research shows consuming high levels of caffeine can raise your blood pressure and heart rate, as well as affect your heart’s rhythm. This risk is especially high for children since their cardiovascular and nervous systems aren’t fully developed.

Coffee's effect on heart health is more widely researched than that of energy drinks. Evidence suggests that moderate coffee drinking can support heart health, while heavy consumption increases heart disease risk. How you prepare your coffee also affects the way it impacts your heart. Boiled coffee, like the kind you can make with a French press, can increase your cholesterol levels. High amounts of caffeine can also have negative effects on the heart, so many people with existing heart conditions choose decaf coffee out of caution.

Some case studies show that energy drink consumption can harm heart health, even in young people, but more research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind this. Some of the more severe cases include sudden death from drinking an energy drink.

What Other Ingredients, Besides Caffeine, Can Affect My Health? 

Coffee and energy drinks aren’t just pure caffeine. It’s important to consider their other ingredients when thinking about how they can impact your health. Early research suggests some of the cardiovascular effects of coffee and energy drinks may be more related to other ingredients than caffeine.

For example, energy drinks can contain a range of other ingredients, such as guarana (which contains additional caffeine), sugar, B vitamins, and other energy-boosting compounds. Both coffee drinks and energy drinks can contain high amounts of added sugar. Energy drinks can also interact with alcohol and prescription or illicit drugs, causing negative health effects.

Risks of Having Too Much Caffeine

Whether you choose coffee, an energy drink, or another caffeinated drink for your energy boost, it’s important to watch how much caffeine you’re consuming per day. Adults without underlying health conditions should limit their total caffeine intake per day to 400 milligrams. People who are pregnant or breastfeeding should stick to half of that limit, or about 200 milligrams. You can always check with your healthcare provider about your individual health status and their recommendations for your caffeine levels.

If you consume too much caffeine, you may notice:

  • A faster heart rate or a racing heart
  • High blood pressure
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Anxiety or jitters
  • Nausea or an upset stomach
  • Headache

If you’re choosing an energy drink, research suggests having only one drink at a time, with a max of two per day, for safer outcomes.



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