HBO Max bursting at the seams from great sci-fi movies, from classics like The Matrix and Blade Runner, to newer titles including Pacific Rim and a great little Spanish gem called Timecrimes.
Scroll down for the extensive options available on HBO Max.
Paramount Pictures
David Cronenberg’s science fiction thriller based on the Stephen King novel – what else do you need to entice you to watch the Dead Zone? The plot, maybe? Christopher Walken plays a schoolteacher who wakes up from a coma and discovers he has psychic powers. What he uses them for: Preventing a certain politician from becoming president. Yes, Dead Zone is an 80s horror movie that mentions Stranger Things. It’s also one of Stephen King’s better adaptations.
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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
“Alexa, Game 2001: A Space Odyssey.”
Warner Bros./YouTube/CNET Screenshot
This sci-fi mystery of one half of the duo created by Westworld (Lisa Joy) is astounding, but the interesting ideas are noteworthy. Reminiscence follows Nick Bannister Hugh Jackman, who uses a machine that can see human memories.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The best Terminator movie? Evaluate by watching the Terminator sequel.
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Butterfly Effect (2004)
A pleasing B-movie, The Butterfly Effect, shows student Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher) fiddling with the past and reveals how every change affects the present.
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Go through Stalker’s slow start and you’ll be able to say you’ve watched an existential masterpiece of Russian cinema.
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Before Stalker, Andrei Tarkovsky made great leaps in science fiction cinema, with his complex work guided by a character about astronauts who have wild hallucinations that may or may not be real. The 2002 American remake of Solaris is also on HBO Max, with an added romance about George Clooney.
Paramount Pictures
Matt Reeves has been into big things since directing this smooth bite of the monster found footage. Take a look at what he did before the 2022 films Planet of the Apes and Batman.
Sony Pictures
This huge low-budget science fiction starring Sam Rockwell has it all. There’s Sam Rockwell. The result of Clint Mansell. Claustrophobic retro set and beautiful moonscapes. Tough sci-fi ideas. Basic premise: A man who comes to the end of a three-year lonely stay on the opposite side of the moon suffers from a personal crisis. Be sure to check it out.
20th Century Fox / YouTube / CNET Screenshot
A routine blockbuster for reliable entertainment.
Manson International
A warning to a body that doesn’t like horror before it starts playing this David Cronenberg science fiction. Scanners track people with special abilities, including telepathic and telekinetic powers. Not the first on this list to become a cult classic after a lukewarm initial response, Scanners left a lasting impression, not least because of an unforgettable scene involving a head blast.
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Robert Rodriguez isn’t currently the most popular among Star Wars fans, largely because the character made him spin a pointless ballerina in the finale of Bobe Fett’s book that broke up. The faculty, directed by Rodriguez, is not great, but it is not bad either, following teenagers who are researching mysterious events in their high school.
Paramount Pictures
Basically Stranger Things set in the 70s. Super 8 follows a group of teenagers who are shooting their movie when a train derails and a dangerous presence begins to stalk their city.
Warner Bros.
Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi blockbuster is back on HBO Max. The epic based on the novel by Frank Herbert recently won many Oscars, including the best original music and cinematography. Catch the extensive story of the Atreides family, who found themselves at war on the deadly planet Arrakis. Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya and others make up an extremely impressive cast.
Universal Pictures
A new Jurassic Park film is coming to cinemas this year, so check out the (superior) original now. In 1993, Jurassic Park launched a franchise based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. Spoiler: Original actors Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum will return in the upcoming 2022 film.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Its sequel did not reach the same lofty heights, so check out the first epic about monsters in the Pacific Rim franchise. 2013 Pacific Rim is led by Guillermo Del Toro, so expect a strong rush of visual skills over the monster.
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This truly fantastic Spanish science fiction is a wonderful card to take a chance if you are in the mood. With all the details of a low-budget thriller, Timecrimes follows a middle-aged man stuck in a time loop. The current of the turn will keep you on your feet.
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The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Roland Emmerich, “Master of Disaster,” presents The Day After Tomorrow. The director also made this year’s Moonfall, in which the Moon falls out of its orbit during a collision with the Earth. You already know what kind of fun it will be in this movie.
Universal Pictures / YouTube / CNET Screenshot
Oblivion came out of the workshop for building a science fiction film. With Tom Cruise in the lead role, he follows people at war with aliens, paying homage to the science fiction films of the 70s, including The Omega Man and Silent Running. A love letter in the form of a semi-decent sci-fi action adventure.
Jaap Buitendijk
Based on Ernest Cline’s popular novel of the same name, Ready Player One is a nerdy feast, featuring over 100 references to popular culture from different time periods, including Minecraft, Batman and Back to the Future. There is even a story about a dystopian society that finds solace in virtual reality.
Vertigo Releasing / YouTube / CNET Screenshot
This solid British science fiction comes from Gareth Edwards, who directed Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Godzilla from 2014. His mastery of atmosphere, wonder and beauty is shown here, all on a small budget. The monsters follow a couple trying to cross the “Infected Zone” full of giant monsters with tentacles.
Warner Bros. Pictures
If you haven’t watched The Matrix, and somehow don’t know its main points of action, well done for avoiding spoilers for 23 years. The sequels Reloaded, Revolutions and Resurrections are also on HBO Max.
Stephen Vaughan
Watch two and a half hours of atmospheric, lavish spectacle, but don’t expect any conclusions to the question posed by the original Blade Runner: Is Rick Deckard a replicant?
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Forever the pinnacle of neo-noir visual art, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner will never be lost in time, like tears in the rain.
Warner Bros.
Love it or hate it – understand or think that his “science” is confusing – Tenet is eye-catching fun. Best tip: Don’t question Tenet, submit to Tenet’s experience.
Warner Bros./YouTube/CNET Screenshot
Christopher Nolan’s best film on this list.
Screenshot by Amanda Kooser / CNET
A dystopian thriller starring Charlton Heston and set in 2022 plagued by overpopulation, pollution and climate catastrophe. This is not a documentary.
Movies coming in 2022 from Marvel, Netflix, DC and others
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