The 5 Best Sci-Fi Movies to Watch on Netflix and More in July 2023

It’s July and we’re flipping through the summer movie calendar with exciting new releases like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part OneAnd Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Lighting up cinema screens across the US Even more big tentpole releases, such as Barbie And Oppenheimer, should arrive later this month. But if you’re looking for something closer to check out then you’ve come to the right place – there are plenty of great movies streaming that you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Each month we pick five sci-fi movies for you to watch at home, on Netflix and other streaming platforms. This month we’re showcasing recent releases headed to stream, films from directors with new work in the pipeline, and deeper off-the-beaten-track plays that are sure to delight you.

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65

Year: 2023
Duration: 1h 33m
Directors: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Pour: Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt

The question is as old as archeology itself: what Really killed the dinosaurs? You know, except for the huge meteor that hit what is now known as the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. It’s a bit like asking who Really built the pyramids, although the answer is obviously and unfortunately Egyptian slave labor. Anyway, in Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ sci-fi action debut, the answer is an ancient alien astronaut named Mills (Adam Driver) who crash-landed on Earth 65 million years ago after taking a job researching medical science to pay for his daughter’s treatment.

After rescuing Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), the only other survivor of the crash, Mills must battle through a multitude of prehistoric predators to reach his ship’s escape pods – the only remaining way to return to his homeworld. before the giant meteor I mentioned earlier hits the planet. While the original premise of 65 Beck and Woods’ film is far more complicated than it should be, but all in all it’s a serviceably entertaining sci-fi game, backed by an unsurprisingly strong lead performance by Driver, cool action sequences, and cool alien tech .

65 is available for streaming Netflix. It can also be rented Amazon, AppleAnd vudu.

destruction

Year: 2018
Duration: 1h 55m
Director: Alex Garland
Pour: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson

However, Alex Garland’s adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s eco-horror novel is one of the director’s better works Ex Machina still reigns supreme, sorry). Natalie Portman plays Lena, a biology professor who agrees to undertake an expedition into the Shimmer, an anomalous zone in western Florida teeming with plants and creatures mutated by radiation from a meteorite impact. In search of answers to her husband’s inexplicable disappearance, Lena is confronted with a world of fantastic horrors that transcend her wildest fears and forced to ask unsettling questions about herself and the future of mankind.

exploring the nature of depression and self-destruction, destruction has one of the most memorable closing acts of any sci-fi film of the 2010s, thanks to the wonderfully disturbing performance of actor and recurring Garland collaborator Sonoya Mizuno. If you’re looking for a thought-provoking, scary, and most importantly, bizarre sci-fi drama featuring strange creatures and even stranger secrets, then destruction is the answer.

destruction is available to stream on Netflix. It can also be rented Amazon, AppleAnd vudu.

Arrival

Year: 2016
Duration: 1h 56m
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Pour: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker

Based on Ted Chiang’s 1998 short story “Story of Your Life” by Denis Villeneuve Arrival is the dune The director’s first foray into hard sci-fi, and easily one of his best. The film, starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, centers on Louise Banks (Adams), a linguistics professor recruited by the US government to lead a team of investigators on a first contact expedition when twelve mysterious spacecraft land on the planet. With a beautiful score by the late Jóhann Jóhannsson – his last collaboration with Villeneuve before his death in 2018 – this romantic sci-fi tale finds something new about the inherent power of language and communication.

Arrival is available for streaming Prime video. It can also be rented Amazon, AppleAnd vudu.

Belle

Year: 2021
Duration: 2h 4m
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Pour: Kaho Nakamura, Ryo Narita, Shota Sometani

Mamoru Hosoda (wolf children, summer wars) returns with another animated sci-fi fantasy in the form of Belle. The film follows Suzu, a reserved and quiet teenage girl who mourns the loss of her mother, retreats into the immersive online world of “U” and accidentally becomes a famous pop idol named Belle. When one of Belle’s concerts is disrupted by a monstrous user named “Dragon,” Suzu sets out to learn more about this mysterious person with whom she feels she has a deep and deep connection.

The setting of “U” feels like the culmination of Hosoda’s longstanding fascination with the internet and social media: a glitzy, unreal metropolis populated by colorful avatars and gigantic whales with loudspeakers behind them. The story is about trusting yourself, opening up to others and in turn loving them for who they are, regardless of their looks, with stirring musical numbers complemented by beautiful animations. Belle is the movie for you if you are longing for a fantastic heartfelt sci-fi musical drama.

Belle is available for streaming Max. It can also be rented Amazon, AppleAnd vudu.

Johnny Mnemonic: In Black and White

Year: 1995
Duration: 1h 36m
Director: Robert Longo
Pour: Keanu Reeves, Dolph Lundgren, and Takeshi Kitano

Robert Longo’s directorial debut gets a bad rap. Sure, it’s not exactly cyberpunk’s trademark either blade runner or The Matrix would continue to be, but it has a cheesy charm that still makes for an entertaining experience. Johnny Mnemonic suffered from significant post-production that ditched the more satirical and tongue-in-cheek tone of Longo’s original vision in favor of something more conventional, and as a result it feels like the film has split in two different directions. The black and white version of the theatrical version, edited by Longo himself, comes closer to the director’s intended vision and makes for a more satisfying and surreal sight.

Keanu Reeves plays Johnny, a “mnemonic courier” who uses an implant in his brain to transport sensitive information between powerful clients. Taking on one last job to recover his own lost childhood memories, Johnny finds himself caught up in a deadly conspiracy between ruthless mega-corporations, ruthless yakuza, mad biohackers, all-powerful artificial intelligence and sentient dolphins. Also, Dolph Lundgren delivers a delicious Hammy performance as a vengeful assassin with a penchant for biblically inspired executions. How could you not Do you want to at least try it?!

Johnny Mnemonic: In Black and White is available for streaming criteria channel.