Another month, and another look at the best sci-fi movies streaming on Prime Video.
Some new contenders make themselves known in April, as Edgar Wright’s adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Running Man” lands on the streamer, while renewed excitement for “Spaceballs” reaches a new high after new details about the sequel emerged at CinemaCon. If neither of those is to your liking, there are plenty of other strong offerings available this month.
Here are the best sci-fi movies worth streaming on Prime Video right now.
The Running Man
Fans of Stephen King and those yearning for a post-apocalyptic future, “The Running Man” is ready to be seen. The film reveals a grimy future where the easiest way to make a buck is by competing in one of several deadly game shows. The most dangerous is “The Running Man,” where contestants must evade hunters—and the general public—for a month to win the grand prize. If they succeed, they’ll never want for anything again, but if they’re caught, it will be their last game over.
Spaceballs
If you’re looking for iconic comedy, there are few films that outstrip “Spaceballs.” The film is Mel Brooks’ spoof of “Star Wars,” but became a cult hit of its own. Come for the deconstruction of Han Solo, Chewbacca and how “Star Wars” became mired in a hunt for more money and the next great brand deal, and stay for Rick Moranis in perhaps his best role as the Vader-esque Dark Helmet – an icon for incompetent bosses and middle managers throughout the galaxy.
Donnie Darko
Plain and simple: if you’re a fan of sci-fi and haven’t seen “Donnie Darko,” close this tab and get to work. Explaining the thriller would spoil some of the magic, but know that Jake Gyllenhaal plays a boy in the late ’80s plagued by visions of a man in a rabbit suit who tells him the world will end in a month if he doesn’t commit a series of crimes.
Just trust that it’s great, and that many movies seen immediately afterward won’t feel quite in the same league.
Carrie
Another Stephen King adaptation for those looking for a lighter sci-fi touch. “Carrie” follows a girl who develops telekinetic abilities at the same time she begins going through puberty. With an overbearing, religious mother at home and a group of mean-girl bullies at school, Carrie becomes a ticking time bomb as she is pushed further toward unleashing her new powers on the people who torment her.
Waterworld
“Waterworld” is one of the most famous movie flops of all time. But spoiler alert: it’s a pretty rad time. Kevin Costner stars as the Mariner, a man who adapted to the planet after the polar ice caps melted and flooded most of the land masses, by growing gills and roaming from man-made island to man-made island. Don’t listen to the haters who are convinced the infamous box office bomb is bad. “Waterworld” is a ride and deserve to be seen.
The Vast of Night
Want a period piece sci-fi story that isn’t set in the 1980s? “The Vast of Night” is your ticket to a good time. The film is set in the 1950s and follows a pair of kids who pick up a signal frequency on their radio that leads them to believe there is some UFO activity in their town. Alien contact films and this era are few and far between and “The Vast of Night” is one of the best to marry the two.
Mickey 17
If you want weird vibes and strange accent work, you won’t do much better than “Mickey 17.” Bong Joon-ho’s follow-up to “Parasite” follows Robert Pattinson’s titular Mickey, part of a cloned workforce used to carry out menial and dangerous tasks for a company, who is accidentally replaced by a new version of himself despite not having died. It’s funny, it’s violent, it’s heartfelt. It has all the trappings of great sci-fi.
