2023 has already made for some exciting entries inscience fiction. While some films likeDune: Part Twohave sadly moved out of the year into 2024, there are still plenty for fans to look forward to in 2023.The Creatoris one of the most anticipated movies of 2023, and November will see the release of bothThe MarvelsandThe Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,with Zack Snyder’sRebel Moonarriving on Netflix in December to round out the year.
Update June 21, 2025: In honor ofThe Creator, just around the corner from release, this list has been updated by Gargi Chatterjee to reflect recent sci-fi releases of 2023.
But here, we are going to look back at the year so far and reflect on which films stood out as the best so far. We will use Rotten Tomatoes' Critic Score to determine the best sci-fi movies of 2023 so far. We may reflect the Audience Score in some entries or use box office numbers to provide context, but this list will be entirely based on the film’s respective scores that are based on a 01-100% scale. We will also be discussing plot details, so be forewarned.
13Acidman (75%)
While the film technically saw its debut at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, it didn’t see wide release until March 2023. The film would see a touching look of a father trying to emotionally reconnect with his estranged daughter, despite the public perception that Lloyd (Thomas Haden Church) is a kook looking for imaginary aliens.
Maggie (Dianna Agron) had traveled to find her father and shared the sentiment that her father may be suffering mentally, with the pair often relying on toys or Lloyd’s dog, Milo to help them keep the connection going. The premise of the film may not attract audiences immediately, but critics were quick to praise the performances of the two-star actors.
12No One Will Save You (77%)
The latest sci-fi horror film from Hulu stars Kaitlyn Dever in a mostly wordless performance as a young girl who finds herself facing off against aliens who have invaded her home. It takes the concept of home invasion and mixes it with alien invasion to be one of the best sci-fi and horror films of the year.No One Will Save Youhas garnered a great deal of critical acclaim. and builds off great horror films likeSigns, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, andUnder the Skin, but also makes a unique sci-fi horror film that will be enjoyed for years to come.
11Blue Beetle (78%)
The most recent venture from the DCEU based on the DC Comics superhero Jamie Reyes, aka Blue Beetle, was a reasonable success. The movie featured Xolo Maridueña in the role of Blue Beetle, and fans were more than happy with the rest of the casting as well.Blue Beetlegot generally good reviews, apparent from its generous Rotten Tomatoes score. While the film was not the box office smash hit the studio might have hoped for, it has generated positive word of mouth and will likely build over the coming years to become a cult classic.
10The Wandering Earth II (79%)
The Wandering Earth II(2023) is a transhumanist’s dream, as the film focuses on humanity attempting to save itself from an inevitable fate. With the majority of the film focusing on the project designed to move the Earth to a sustainable galaxy, there are also characters who believe that the future of humanity lies in uploading their consciousnesses digitally.
After a terrible tragedy involving the moon, many sacrifices are made to ensure the Earth’s safety, with one key figure uploading himself digitally before drowning and activating the ion thrusters that begin to move the Earth. This continues to set up another sequel with a mid-credits scene that reveals there is more to Earth’s troubles than meets the eye.
9Linoleum (80%)
Jim Gaffigan puts his comedic skills to use in this sci-fi feature about a middle-aged man discovering a crashed rocket ship in his backyard and deciding to do the most sensible thing possible with it: fix it and create his very own rocket ship.
Linoleumis another film that technically saw its debut a year prior, this time at the famous South by Southwest Festival (SXSW), though it wouldn’t see public release until February 2023. Critics praised the film for its heartfelt story, and some cite the project as Gaffigan’s best work.
8Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (82%)
You didn’t think the DCU would take the top spot in superhero sci-fi flicks, did you? The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) would fire on all cylinders, with the final volume focusing on the Guardians, with a performance so impressive thatThe Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey would cite it as “The best Marvel movie in years.”
Related:Why Guardians of the Galaxy Is the Most Underrated MCU Trilogy
Audiences would be left in tears, both at having to say goodbye to their favorite characters and in sympathy for all the plights they had to endure, with many still talking about the tragic origin story of Rocket Raccoon. While some would be turned off by the featured animal cruelty, many fans and critics alike still praised the film’s story, the actors that helped to convey the emotions, and the fun action sequences the MCU is known for. It can be agreed that the MCU will miss James Gunn, andGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3is one of the best films of the year.
7Infinity Pool (86%)
Infinity Poolis a sci-fi horror film with quite a few disturbing scenes, but that is what makes the movie so interesting. When a couple, James and Em, vacation together in the fictional country of Li Tolqa, and James accidentally kills a local man with his car, the couple is understandably scared. Their fear only increases when they find out that the penalty for his crime is death.
When they are told that in this country, the man can pay to have a clone of himself killed in his stead, James eagerly signs up for it and even goes to watch the execution of his clone. The rest of the movie feels like a fever dream as James loses himself in a criminal and hedonistic lifestyle in the town. The movie is a gem in the sci-fi horror genre, and the audience absolutely loved it as well.
6Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out (87%)
Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Outis a family-friendly sci-fi movie about a girl named Itsy and a guy named Calvin she meets in the new town her family just moved into. Itsy is a 17-year-old who aspires to be a journalist for the New York Times, but when her mom and dad move into a town in the middle of nowhere, she thinks that her life is over.
That is until she has an opportunity to write something about her space-obsessed neighbor named Calvin, a guy obsessed with space. Itsy is initially apprehensive to spend time with Calvin as he believes that his parents were abducted by aliens ten years ago. But as they get closer, Itsy discovers that not everything is as it seems. Even though the movie is made for children, it is an entertaining watch for everyone who likes sci-fi.
5Molli and Max in the Future (93%)
Are you a fan of romcoms set in a wildly different era than the present? ThenMolli and Max in the Futuremight be perfect for you. Molli and Max in the Future is a sci-fi romcom about a woman named Molli and a man named Max who keep bumping into each other in different years, planets, and directions. This fateful story is set a billion years in the future, filled with sentient robots, demigods, and magic.
4M3GAN (93%)
Someone else can tell her she didn’t get the top spot.M3GANwas released in January and is still considered by many to be a front-runner for the title of best sci-fi/horror film of the year. There are some critics (including the consensus on Rotten Tomatoes) that would even cite the film as touching into the comedy genre, with some of the one-liners and slapstick violence interweaving well with the graphic sequences and chilling plot.
The film also carries an asterisk on this list, as it saw its early Los Angeles premiere in December 2022 before seeing wide release one month later. The film was a commercial success as well as a critical one, with a reported budget of $12 million and a reported box office of almost $180 million. Send the flowers to Megan (Amie Donald as the body, Jenna Davis as the voice), who many praised for sending chills up the audience’s spines despite theuncanny (valley) resemblanceto an innocent young girl.
