Think You Don’t Like Sci Fi? These 5 Movies Might Change Your Mind

One of the more difficult movie genres for many fans to get into is sci fi, but there are some movies that anyone can really get into, even if they aren’t genre fans. In fact, there are some movies that are good enough to change the minds of fans who don’t think they like sci-fi movies. What many fans don’t think about is the fact that sci fi isn’t just one type of movie. These films range in dynamics from space operas like Star Wars to time-travel movies like Back to the Future and even post-apocalyptic futuristic movies like Mad Max: Fury Road.

Here are five sci-fi movies that could make a fan out of even the most reluctant movie fan.

5) The Matrix

Released in 1999, The Matrix is a sci-fi movie that was bigger than just about any pure sci-fi movie of its era. This film merged action movie dynamics with a virtual landscape that turned out to be a computer-simulated world in a post-apocalyptic landscape. The Wachowskis wanted to create something different with their sci-fi action movie, and they did that by creating a world that almost every other sci-fi action movie that came out after it tried to copy.

The Matrix has a plot for sci-fi doubters to love, and it is a great movie that could pull anyone into the genre. Up first is Keanu Reeves at the top of his game as Neo, as the actor began his road to becoming a cultural icon. There are also the special effects, which include the Bullet Time effects that other movies tried to copy but never did as well as this film did. While the sequels might push some people experimenting with sci-fi away thanks to their confusing narrative, the first movie has something for everyone, and there is a reason The Matrix is a modern-day masterpiece.

4) Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is another sci-fi action movie, and while it doesn’t look as inspired as The Matrix, it was groundbreaking at the time it was released. What separates it from something like The Matrix is that Terminator 2 is a horror movie as much as it is a sci-fi film. This was a follow-up to the first movie, which was almost a slasher movie with a Terminator sent back from the future to kill a young woman before she could give birth to the future leader of the resistance.

However, the second movie was a genuine action flick, similar to how Alien changed genres with Aliens. All four of those movies are sci-fi, but the sequels leaned hard into the action. Terminator 2 had nonstop action, a great rock soundtrack, and this time, the original Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) was the hero while a new Terminator (Robert Patrick) pushed the limits of CGI in the 1990s. Terminator 2 stands up as well today as it did when it was first released.

3) Galaxy Quest

Not every sci-fi movie lives and dies with the action. Much of the sci-fi genre is based on theories, science, and futuristic ideas. Nothing really plays into that as strongly as the Star Trek franchise. At a Star Trek convention, the franchise’s fans voted Galaxy Quest as one of the best Star Trek movies ever made, even though it is not a Star Trek movie. Instead, this is a satirical movie that is based on the world of Star Trek-styled entertainment.

This is a perfect sci-fi movie for anyone who wants to see what is great about Star Trek’s world, but with a high dose of comedy. The cast is solid from top to bottom, with Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tim Allen, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, and more. What is best about the comedy in this movie is that it never once makes fun of Star Trek or its fans, and it is a love letter to the genre, while also showing some of the more ridiculous corners of sci fi.

2) Children of Men

For fans who love dramatic, heartfelt stories with deep messages, there isn’t a better sci-fi movie released in the 21st century than Children of Men. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who would go on to win Oscars for Gravity and Roma, Children of Men takes place in a futuristic world where there have been no births in 18 years. However, when a woman shows up pregnant, one man has to get her to safety while factions want to capture her for their own purposes.

The idea here is pure sci fi, with the world almost completely going sterile. However, the plot depicts a society that becomes violent and fractured with the idea that the end of the world is closing in as the survivors grow old and die, and no one is left to carry on. This is a theme that plays out in many sci-fi movies, as the human reaction to times of stress is often negative and destructive. Children of Men could serve as a gateway into these dystopian, post-apocalyptic movies that are prevalent in the sci-fi genre.

1) Guardians of the Galaxy

For anyone who doesn’t think they like sci fi, it is important to understand that the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Guardians of the Galaxy is more of a sci-fi movie than a superhero film. As with franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek, this is a movie that takes place in space, with aliens teaming up to fight a would-be conqueror. Here, there is only one human on the team, as he forms a bond with aliens from other planets to save the world from Ronan the Accuser.

Guardians of the Galaxy is not only one of the best MCU movies of all time, but it is a gamble that Marvel took that paid off big time. There were two sequels and a special Disney+ holiday presentation, and there are still Marvel fans who want to see the Guardians of the Galaxy back on the big screen. Anyone who thinks they hate sci fi should watch Guardians of the Galaxy to see that many of the drawbacks for new fans are not really there in the sci-fi genre.