The best science fiction movies to watch on Netflix in December 2023

There’s never a bad time to find your new favorite sci-fi movie. So why not watch some new films before the holidays? Netflix has a lot of great sci-fi movies to choose from, but this month we’re expecting some surprising choices that you might not expect.

As the year comes to a close and the Godzilla hype sweeps the world, we have a selection worthy of the King of the Monsters, as well as something to help you get ready for Netflix’s upcoming space opera epic and a small film from just a few years ago that you may not have understood.

Editor’s tip: Love and monsters

Image: Paramount Pictures

Director: Michael Matthews
Pour: Dylan O’Brien, Jessica Henwick, Michael Rooker

Post-apocalyptic stories have a nihilism problem. It’s understandable how they get there: the end of the world sucks, so the circumstances (and people) at the end of the world must suck too. Station eleven

In this variant of the apocalypse, all cold-blooded creatures on Earth turned into monsters. The film features strong creatures (it was nominated for an Oscar for visual effects) and the premise offers some entertaining opportunities for creative monsters derived from recognizable creatures – frogs, ants, crabs, worms, etc.

The story follows Joel (Dylan O’Brien), the loser cook of a post-apocalyptic bunker where everyone but him is connected. The chronically frightened Joel misses his ex (Jessica Henwick) and decides to venture into the terrible world to find his lost love. Along the way, he teams up with a dog far more capable than him and a group of other survivors (including the ever-reliable Michael Rooker).

Love and monsters comes from director Michael Matthews (the neo-western Five fingers for Marseille) and author Brian Duffield (Nobody will save you). It’s newly added to Netflix and has quickly climbed into the platform’s top 10. If you can overcome the hit-or-miss opening, you’ll be rewarded with a different take on life after the apocalypse. —Pete Volk

Godzilla vs. Kong

Image: Legendary entertainment

Director: Adam Wingard
Pour: Alexander Skarsgard, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry

With the excellent Apple TV Plus series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters in the middle of the run, Godzilla Minus One is making its way through theaters and it looks exciting Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Heading out early next year, it’s the perfect time to catch up on the MonsterVerse.

Godzilla vs. Kong is exactly what it should be. It’s an absolutely great movie about two giant monsters fighting each other, and you know it doesn’t really have to be that way anymore. Sure, it’s fun and funny, and the human characters are solid enough, but when it comes down to it, what matters is Kong running through the beautiful neon lights of the Hollow Earth and Godzilla giving him hell later in the film. —Austen Goslin

man of Steel

Image: Warner Bros.

Director: Zack Snyder
Pour: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon

I know, I know. A superhero movie isn’t necessarily what you’re looking for if you’re looking for science fiction, but with the release of Rebel Moon In just a few weeks, it’s worth remembering that Zack Snyder has already made a pretty excellent sci-fi movie about an alien defending a planet.

Even more important than the fact that Earth’s greatest hero is himself an alien is the opening of man of Steel is one of the most impressive sci-fi films and world-building films in recent times, be it a superhero film or otherwise. Snyder’s vision of Krypton is so beautiful and fascinating that it could have supported an entire film on its own. As it stands, however, Snyder is creating an incredible race of aliens that seems like one of the most believable portrayals of Kryptonians to date. And that alone should justify a sci-fi remake of this underrated Superman classic. —AG