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As fun as movies about space can be, though, they sort of hog all of the attention. Sci-fi covers all elements of science, not just the ones that reside above Earth’s atmosphere, and it’s easy to forget that. Fortunately, there are plenty of films out there that are ready to remind the world that the genre is more than just aliens and spaceships. Here are seven great sci-fi movies not about space.
7) The Terminator
Cameron wasn’t always focused on humans destroying another world because, in The Terminator, they do it to their own. The premise of the 1984 movie needs no introduction, as it’s been done to death. However, all the missteps after the first two installments in the franchise don’t damage the legacy of the first. The Terminator makes a dense time-travel story palatable by making its main character as confused as the audience, and it also isn’t lacking in the action department.
6) Companion
A movie giving itself decades to marinate certainly helps it land on this list, but it isn’t a requirement. 2025’s Companion follows Iris, a woman who’s excited to go on a trip with her boyfriend. However, after arriving at their destination, the mood shifts, and she learns that she’s not a human but a robot companion that her partner purchased. Iris takes her new reality in stride but doesn’t go down without a fight. By the end of Companion, viewers can’t help but wonder whether being human is about more than having flesh and blood.
5) Snowpiercer
Bong Joon Ho is one of the best directors working today, taking home three Academy Awards for his film Parasite, including Best Picture and Best Director. As good as Parasite is, though, it might not be Ho’s best film because it has to compete with Snowpiercer. Set on a train in the distant future, humanity lives out its days in the cars, with status determined by wealth. That arrangement doesn’t sit right with the less fortunate, who revolt and try to take control of the train. Snowpiercer has a lot to say about how the rich treat the poor.
4) RoboCop
Detroit has seen better days at the start of RoboCop. Criminals are running the streets, and the police don’t have the resources to fight back. Well, they don’t until one of their own, Alex Murphy, nearly dies but gets a second chance thanks to the RoboCop project. While most movies would fail to make such a ridiculous premise work, RoboCop leans in to its more absurd elements and delivers something memorable.
