Prime Video: 12 of the best sci-fi movies you can stream right now

Before he was a hitman in a smart suit, Keanu Reeves was a lovable slacker named Ted Theodore Logan in this unexpected hit. Alex Reeves plays his rock ‘n’ roll partner in crime, Bill S. Preston Esquire. The two embark on an educational journey back in time (in a phone booth, no less) to learn the lessons they missed in history class.

• Director: Stephen Herrick
• Stars: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin
• Run time: 90 minutes.

Alien Romulus is a standalone film set between the events of the 1979 film Alien and its action-packed sequel. It has all the elements one could want in an Alien movie, and does a great job of bringing the series back to the basics that made it so iconic in the first place. It’s a terrifying and fun ride. What else do you want?

• Director: Fede Alvarez
• Stars: Cailee Spaeny, David Johnson, Archie Reno
• Running time: 119 minutes.

Steven Spielberg directs this video game-inspired film (based on the book of the same name) that follows a young man who ventures into an oasis to find elusive treasure. He is not alone in this competition, however, and given the fantasy world he has entered, there are a large number of challenges he must overcome to achieve his goal.

• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Stars: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn
• Running time: 140 minutes.

Wesley Snipes first took on the role of Blade, the Daywalker, in 1998. Yes, this is technically a comic book movie because Blade is a Marvel character, but it stands out as one of the few releases from the studio that is a full-fledged horror movie. Stephen Dorff stands out as the villainous Deacon Frost, and the opening rave scene is enough to keep this movie in your head for a while.

• Director: Stephen Norrington
• Stars: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson
• Operating time: 120 minutes.

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 ice world called Niflheim. A clone of himself, Mickey 18, was created by mistake, leading to an unusual exploration of humanity, class, and colonialism. What else can you expect from director Bong Joon Ho?

• Director: Bong Joon Ho
• Stars: Robert Pattinson, Annamaria Vartolomei, Naomi Ackie, Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette, Steven Yeun, Samuel Blinken, Holliday Grainger, Patsy Ferrand.
• Running time: 139 minutes.

What would happen if you found your true love and devoted yourself to it, only to learn that it was not your free will, but your programming? This is the conundrum Iris finds herself in when she discovers that she is actually a robot companion and not a human. Her owner, Josh, turned out to be a great business, which led to a struggle for survival from her perspective. It’s a funny, dramatic, action-packed film that explores themes of misogyny, toxic relationships, and artificial intelligence.

• Director: Drew Hancock
• Stars: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lucas Gage, Megan Suri, Rupert Friend, Harvey Gillen.
• Running time: 97 minutes.

What if there was a pill that could turn anyone into a super-intelligent genius? Limitless aims to answer this question. The film stars Bradley Cooper as Eddie Morra, a down-on-his-luck writer who takes an untested drug and uses it to massively improve his quality of life. Of course, what goes up must come down, and Eddie soon discovers that sometimes, mysterious drugs are best left alone.

• Director: Neil Berger
• Stars: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish, Johnny Whitworth, Andrew Howard, Hale Harper, Richard Pickens, Daniel Brecker, Robert John Burke.
• Running time: 105 minutes.

Chris Pratt stars in this action film that follows a group of soldiers who travel through time to warn of a future in which humanity is losing the war against an army of alien invaders. Humanity’s only hope lies in a group of would-be heroes who have been tapped to travel into the future in order to save the present.

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

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

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

In John Carpenter’s classic post-apocalyptic novel, it’s 1997 and New York has been ravaged by war. Manhattan has been turned into a giant walled prison. After taking the President hostage, former Special Forces officer (and current prisoner) Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is recruited to save the day in exchange for his freedom.

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

This stunning classic stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a misunderstood high school student who, after seemingly surviving a horrific accident, begins traveling through time. In the process, he discovers the joy of living and loving. Themes of depression, oppression, and alternative worlds fill this strange and exhilarating film. Also, let’s not forget that giant demon rabbit 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.