Several streaming platforms are giving sci-fi fans everywhere a gift by streaming some of the most underrated and well-loved cult classics for free. In the age of streaming, one thing we can always count on is that there will be sci-fi to binge. But when those same films stream for free, it makes the genre just that much more accessible to so many more people who might not otherwise have access to it.
So, in a move that should have every sci-fi fan jumping with joy, Pluto TV and Tubi are showcasing some of the best (and not so best, let’s be honest)—whether it’s an old favorite or something yet to be watched. And now, excitingly enough, these 10 sci-fi gems are streaming for free. Time to suit up and lock in for a movie night.
10) Galaxy Quest – Pluto TV
This one was a hit with critics and audiences alike, with the former going so far as to give it a 90% critics rating. The movie centers on a group of former stars of a 1970s sci-fi show who inexplicably find themselves beamed aboard an alien spacecraft, where aliens believe the cast’s heroic on-screen dramas are historical documents of real-life adventures. Of course, they’re then tasked with saving the galaxy from evil. It stars Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver, so it’s a top-tier satire that never feels overly highbrow and never loses its charm.
9) Hollow Man – Pluto TV
Hollow Man didn’t perform well with critics or audiences, but that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to love about it. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth Shue, and Josh Brolin, and tells the story of scientist Sebastian Caine (Bacon) as he attempts to develop a serum that induces complete invisibility. He’s successful, but finds that his scientific feat has granted him unimaginable power—power that also suffocates his sense of morality and leads him down a dark path. The special effects were entirely ahead of their time, and while Hollow Man does veer more toward horror than sci-fi, it still asks tough questions about the male gaze and the responsibility of scientists as a whole.
8) Darren Aronofsky’s Pi – Pluto TV
You either love Aronofsky, or you hate him—there is very little in between. And that’s how most people feel about his film, Pi. It did well with critics, earning an 88% critics rating for its attempt to reach Lynchian heights while maintaining its grasp of the inherent drama. The film centers on a paranoid mathematician who searches for a key number that he believes will unlock the universal patterns found in nature. He pushes himself to his limits, spiraling between brilliance and obsession as he attempts to grasp concepts entirely beyond a human’s capability. It’s very much your typical film school fare, but it’s worth watching for its beauty in black and white.
7) Starship Troopers – Pluto TV
Starship Troopers is wild. It’s campy, satirical, and just plain fun. At no point does this sci-fi comedy take itself too seriously. Set in the distant future, the people of Earth find themselves at war with a race of giant alien insects. No one knows much about the Bugs except that they are intent on eradicating all human life. Now, a Mobile Infantry travels to distant alien planets to bring the fight to the Bugs, protecting Earth at all costs. The film is very obviously a biting commentary on the war machine, and it’s all the more hilarious for it, and holds up just as well today as it did in 1997 when it was initially released.
6) Astro Boy – Tubi
An animated feature that performed perfectly middle-of-the-road with critics and audiences, Astro Boy tells the story of a brilliant scientist named Tenma who sets out to build a robotic boy with super strength. He ends up creating Astro Boy, who also boasts some impressive X-ray vision and the ability to fly. Astro Boy then sets out to explore the world and find acceptance, learning what it means to be human. Upon his return, he discovers that Metro City is in danger and that only he can save it. Overall, it’s a fun and visually pleasing film, strong in its pro-eco and anti-war messaging, and it honors the original Japanese cartoon it’s based on.
5) Sunshine – Tubi
Sunshine stars Cillian Murphy and Chris Evans in their scruffiest, most early-aughts bad boy stage, which was certainly part of the draw when it released in theaters in 2007. The film is set in the nebulous not-too-distant future as the sun’s impending demise threatens humanity with gruesome heat death. A crew of eight men and women ventures into space in a last-ditch effort to save the planet, taking with them a device that might just stop the sun from dying. However, between preventable accidents and a distress beacon from a long-lost spaceship, the crew and its desperate mission are threatened from every angle. Sunshine was directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, so it’s undeniably good, equally cerebral, and beautifully haunting, as it forces us to literally stare into the center of the sun.
4) Universal Soldier – Pluto TV
An absolute ratings bomb, Universal Soldier also boasts one of the weirdest plots. It tells the story of soldier Luc Devereaux (Jean-Claude Van Damme), who, during the Vietnam War, finds that his superior officer has become violently deranged. In the ensuing confrontation, the two fight to the death. But there’s no rest for the wicked, and after their bodies are retrieved, they’re then placed into a secret program where they are reanimated and trained to become mindless, remorseless murder machines. But as time goes on, both men, whose memories were wiped as part of the reanimation, begin to have glimpses of their past and their intense hatred for one another. The entire thing is a macho 80s feverdream, and while it’s thickheaded and oddly simple, it’s also wildly and weirdly fun.
3) Under the Skin – Pluto TV & Tubi
Based on a novel of the same name, this A24 film is probably the second weirdest movie on this list. It stars Scarlet Johansson and debuted in 2013, doing better with critics than with general audiences, as it tells the story of an alien who has assumed the form of a woman and her minder, as the pair essentially harvest victims who are either seduced or attacked. It offers no answers, leaving only questions, as the entire film is deliberately vague, with the only clear thing being its case against consumerism.
2) Timecrimes – Tubi
Critics raved about Timecrimes, rating it an impressive 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie centers on a man named Hector who is killing time by spying on a beautiful woman as she undresses in the woods near his home. Later, he finds the young woman after she has been assaulted. After this discovery, Hector is then attacked by a man whose head is wrapped completely in bandages. He manages to escape, but in the process stumbles upon a scientific facility where a scientist persuades him to hide in what is revealed to be a time machine, which he then uses to travel back in time just a few hours to observe himself. It’s low sci-fi, focusing more on the character-driven elements of the story as it powers through to its chilling conclusion with a distinctly Nolan-esque feeling to the whole thing.
1) Event Horizon – Tubi
It’s no secret that Event Horizon is one of the most underrated sci-fi horror movies of all time. Released in 1997, the film centers on a spaceship that has been missing for seven years and has finally reemerged, sending a distress signal for aid. But when a team is sent out to investigate, they discover that something sinister has taken over the craft. It had the potential to be remembered with the same fervor as fan-favorite horrors like Hellraiser and Alien (although it is very much its own thing), with Sam Neil and Laurence Fishburne giving eerie, incredible performances. Audience’s biggest gripe with Even Horizon? It was watered down by the studio to market to a more mainstream audience after test audiences said it was too gory, thanks to the infamous blood orgy scene. And while we’ll never have that particular scene in the movie, you can catch the rest of it now on Tubi.
Which of the films on this list is your favorite? Let us know in the comments. And then head over to the ComicBook forum to see what other sci-fi fans are saying.