Pictures: Netflix / Max
Netflix offers many atmospheric and action-packed space sci-fi series and movies. From epic movies like Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon to unique takes such as Scavengers Reign, this list offers a bit of everything.
Space sci-fi is undoubtedly one of my most popular genres in the world (or universe, you never know). While Netflix doesn’t have access to some of the most popular space opera franchises, like Disney has with Star Wars and Marvel, the streamer does have more than a few great space opera series and movies. In this list, we countdown 10 of the out-of-this-world things to watch. Let’s take a tour!
Captain Nova
A fighter pilot from a desolate future unexpectedly transforms into her younger self while traveling back in time on a mission to avert global disaster.
Space adventures? Time travel? If you like particularly wild sci-fi stories, Captain Nova is the movie for you. Directed by Maurice Trouwborst, the Dutch 2021 movie received harsh criticism upon release, but don’t let that put you off from this fun adventure.
So what’s it about? Captain Nova follows fighter pilot who goes back in time to warn everyone of a global environmental catastrophe. The issue? The form of time travel she uses means she gets de-aged as she travels back. In the year she travels back to, she’s a child, and so those in power decide to not take her seriously.
We should note that this movie is one of the Netflix Originals scheduled to depart the service imminently on April 1st.
The Midnight Sky
In the aftermath of a global catastrophe, a lone scientist in the Arctic races to contact a crew of astronauts with a warning not to return to Earth.
George Clooney stars as scientist Augustine Lofthouse, a man who remains in the Arctic ring after most of humanity has fled Earth following catastrophic disaster. He decides to remain on the dying planet because he himself is dying, But he eventually finds himself taking on one dying mission, to prevent Sully (Felicity Jones) and her fellow astronauts on the interplanetary Aether craft from returning home to Earth.
The Wandering Earth
A looming collision with Jupiter threatens Earth as humans search for a new star. The planet's fate now lies in the hands of a few unexpected heroes.
The Wandering Earth is a huge-concept space sci-fi movie. And by that, I mean the entire premise of the movie follows a group of astronauts who put everything on the line to save Planet Earth with the sun dying out. How do they do it? Well, they intent to quite literally shift the planet into an entirely new solar system.
The Chinese movie is a whole lot of adrenaline-packed, sci-fi fun. It even got a sequel in 2023, exactly 4 years after the original, but sadly The Wandering Eath II isn’t available on the streamer yet.
Oxygen
After waking up in a cryogenic unit, Liz fights to survive and remember who she is before her oxygen runs out.
Oxygen is your typical pulsating, epic thriller about a woman (Mélanie Laurent) who awakes in a cryogenic chamber, with no recollection of why she’s there. She quickly realises that she’s running out of oxygen, therefore must move fast un order to escape and survive. Despite contacting emergency services through a help of an AI called MILO, nobody is able to help and she’s left to fend for herself.
Oxygen is far from a groundbreaking sci-fi film. It’s a story we’ve seen in so many different formats before. Even so, it’s a ton of fun.
Orbiter 9
A woman who's been alone on a spaceship her whole life becomes enamored with an engineer who suddenly enters her life and upends her universe.
Spanish sci-fi film Orbiter 9 ponders a simple idea: Imagine spending your entire existence in outer space. Would you dream about living on Earth. In this movie, we follow Helena (Clara Lago), who’s spent her entire life aboard the Orbiter 9 spaceship after her parents died by suicide. Her life has been confined between the walls of a ship, even being raised by the craft’s onboard computer.
The movie kicks into gear when engineer Alex (Álex González) enters her ship. A clever blend of space sci-fi, mystery, and romance — Orbiter 9 is a unique watch for viewers seeking something a little different.
Stowaway
A three-person crew on a mission to Mars faces an impossible choice when an unplanned passenger jeopardizes the lives of everyone on board.
Joe Penna helms Stowaway, a forgotten sci-fi movie that has a stacked cast that includes Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, and Toni Collette. The trio plays astronauts heading on a two-year mission to Mars. But on their journey, they find a stowaway, played by Shamier Anderson. The issue? The team only has enough oxygen for themselves. They simply can’t complete their mission with another crew member.
Naturally, the movie brings up numerous moral issues. How do you get rid of the stowaway, when all your lives are in danger? You can’t exactly throw them out to their death in outer space, can you?
Space Sweepers
Chasing after space debris and faraway dreams in year 2092, four misfits unearth explosive secrets during the attempted trade of a wide-eyed humanoid.
If you’re looking for a space sci-fi film that’s just pure, adrenaline-fuelled fun, Space Sweepers is the movie for you.
Set in 2092, when Earth is no longer habitable, humanity looks up into the stars. The Korean film follows 3 space sweepers — and one android — as they travel through space collecting all sorts of debris. When they come across a crashed space shuttle, they find a mysterious 7-year-old girl inside. Curious as to her situation, they soon find themselves in the middle of a perilous ransom with the UTS Space Guards.
Spaceman
Six months into a solo mission, a lonely astronaut confronts the cracks in his marriage with help from a mysterious creature he discovers on his ship.
Based on the 2017 novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař, Netflix’s Spaceman stars Adam Sandler as Jakub — an astronaut on his sixth-month solitary mission in outer space. The film is a hugely atmospheric (and very claustrophobic) story about a man not only pondering the universe, but also his home and his wife. The movie also stars Paul Dano as the voice of Hanuš, an enigmatic creature Jakub finds on the craft.
Spaceman received mixed reviews upon release. It currently stands at a meagre 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, but don’t let that put you off!
Scavengers Reign
The crew of Demeter 227 is stranded. Their resources are scarce. And the alien planet they're on is anything but inviting. Can they make it back home?
This might seem like a slightly controversial pick for #2, but hear me out. Sure, Scavengers Reign might’ve been very unfairly axed after season 1, but the animated series is one of my favorite shows on Netflix. Originally an HBO Max series, Scavengers Reign was cancelled there and later found a home at Netflix… where it sadly didn’t garner enough attention to merit more instillments.
The series follows a group of scavengers who crash land on a bizarre planet, rife with life, but where nothing makes any sense. Scattered on the world, the series follows their respective journeys across the wilderness, and the natural events they come across; whether beautiful, dangerous, or something in-between. Scavengers Reign is a masterfully crafted, atmospheric insights into what lurks on a secluded world. And yes, I’m still very bitter that it got canceled.
Lost in Space
After crash-landing on an alien planet, the Robinson family fights against all odds to survive and escape. But they're surrounded by hidden dangers.
Netflix’s Lost in Space premiered back in 2018, but the story itself dates back decades. The Robinson family was first put to screen in the 1960s series of the same name. And then again as a movie in 1998. Despite a cult classic original series, and a rather disappointing ’90s movie, Netflix decided to revive the franchise in 2018.
The Netflix series was more than a reboot. It stood on its own as a stellar series in its own right. The show follows the Robinsons, a family space colonists, who crash land on a distant, mysterious planet. While there, they must learn to adapt to its harsh environments and survive. Lost in Space ran for 3 seasons bringing the show to a natural conclusion. Unlike most reboots, the series was widely praised by fans of the original series, while also being loved by newcomers. Of all the sci-fi shows on Netflix, Lost in Space is absolutely a must-watch!
