16 Most Underrated Sci-Fi Movies

Director James Cameron makes huge hits like Titanic and Avatar.TitanicandAvatarso the underperformance of his 1989 filmThe Abyssshocks people. The story puts a crew underwater to find a sinking submarine, leading to an alien ship discovery deep down. The idea did not take off, earning only$90 milliontotal—tiny compared to Cameron's other hits.

The competitor that sankThe Abysswas none other thanParenthoodwhich stars Steve Martin trying to handle his three kids' problems and the fourth child's arrival. People view this movie as a classic comedy and it likely would have outdone almost any film released with it. WhileThe Abyssis good, but it could not beat the competition.

Edge of Tomorrowis an adaptation of the Japanese Light novelAll You Need is Killshows a military officer (Tom Cruise) stuck in a time loop fighting aliens. This unique sci-fi/war movie hybrid made some money at the box office, but the inflated ad spend made it look like a failure. Audiences now like the film for its action and strong performances from Cruise and Emily Blunt.

The film might have failed to get as much attention at release as another movie that came out the same day overshadowed it:The Fault in Our Stars. John Green's novel with the same namewas already a bestseller,so the movie should have been a big hit. This meantEdge of Tomorrowhad to split its profits with an equally popular movie, making it less known than it should have been at release.

Danny Boyle'sSunshineis a sci-fi thriller where astronauts try to restart the dying sun to save Earth. Great special effects for the time let the film use high stakes to build tension that keeps the audience engaged. The cast, though not famous then, includes big stars like Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh, and Chris Evans and Benedict Wong. Even with this strong cast,Sunshinehad asmall opening weekendand small total box office.

Perhaps the opposite of a good sci-fi movie came out at the same time asSunshine, an Adam Sandler comedy calledI Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.. Even though the film was so bad that a critic for theNew York Postcalled itan insult to the LGBTQ+ community and comedy itself,the movie still overshadowedSunshine, just because of Sandler's name.

Guillermo del Toro's 2013 sci-fi action flickPacific RimPacific Rim is a film where humans pilot giant robots against massive Kaiju rising from the ocean. Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, and Rinko Kikuchi perform. The movie performed well internationally and built a loyal fan base, but a surprise contender overshadowed it in the US domestic box office.

Grown Ups 2it actually ended upmakingabout $20 million more thanPacific RimThe US saw Pacific Rim succeed, likely due to its star cast, easy comedy, and fans of its first film.Pacific Rimit did end upbeing more popular overseas, especially in China.This was the film's first target market.

Since its release,Event HorizonEvent Horizon became a cult classic. It features an astronaut crew (Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan) heading to a mysterious spacecraft that reappeared after vanishing and gained sentience. Fans liked the great visuals and gruesome, memorable practical effects. People still love it today.Event Horizon'stotal box office gross was just over$26 million.

Audiences may have avoided Event Horizon's extreme violence. Releasing it shortly after Air Force One hurt its performance. The Harrison Ford action film took most attention by the time Event Horizon released.Air Force One. The Harrison Ford action film performed well at the box office and kept most attention until Event Horizon released.Event Horizonreleased.

Dark CityDark City blends noir and sci-fi. It follows a man with amnesia (Rufus Sewell) on the run from the police after becoming a murder suspect. He meets the "Strangers," a group that warps reality. The city's nature and unique look create a mystery that makes Dark City a gem of the genre.Dark Citya gem of the genre.

Even though Dark City aired for two months, Titanic still dominated the box office when Dark City came out.Titanicwas still dominating at the box office when Dark City came out.Dark CityIt came out, making most movies from that time fade away. It became the highest grossing film ever until another James Cameron movie took that spot.Avatar.

Fox Animation Studios lacked the recognition of Disney or Dreamworks. This meant Titan A.E. did not get the audience of a major studio release. Even with its heart and unique ideas, this sci-fi action movie failed to get the recognition it earned. People still remember its 2D art and CGI mix, but it flopped hard, earning back only half its budget.Titan A.E.It lacked the built-in audience of a major animation studio. Though this sci-fi action film had heart and unique ideas, it missed the recognition it earned. People still remember it fondly for mixing 2D art with CGI, but it failed hard, earning back only half its budget.half of its budget.

Part of why Titan AE failed to find an audience is that it faced a more marketable movie.Titan A.E.it was up against a much more marketable movie.Fantasia 2000. The originalFantasiaTitan A.E. was a popular Disney musical anthology. Audiences wanted Disney's modern follow-up to this classic. It pulled away interest from animation and earnedTitan A.E. has over twice the content.asTitan AE.

The sci-fi horror filmLifeA crew aboard the International Space Station finds life on Mars. This discovery starts exciting. The creature grows smarter and more dangerous. It kills the crew. Ryan Reynolds and Rebecca Ferguson gave great performances. The movie got a modest box office return.Life is modest.It has a box office return, but it is not terrible.

ThoughLifeLife fits the sci-fi horror genre well. It did not get as much attention as the new Power Rangers film. That film had a bigger domestic opening weekend.Power RangersLife shares a film that came out at the same time and had a far biggerdomestic opening weekend.. In hindsight, Life was the stronger of the two films. However, people still prefer the massive brand.LifeLife was stronger than the other film. Still, people prefer the huge brand.

Like many underrated sci-fi gems,The Adjustment BureauPhilip K. Dick wrote the story for The Adjustment Bureau. The story mixes romance and thriller. Congressman David Norris (Matt Damon) learns his life is planned by a shady group. When he meets a dancer, The Adjustment Bureau tries to force him back on their path. Critics liked the movie. It made moderate money at the box office. Emily Blunt, John Slattery, and Anthony Mackie gave a capable cast.

However,The Adjustment Bureau failed to reach many viewers. Competition from the animated film Rango caused this.Rango.Rango.RangoRango was a surprise hit. It brought in $235 million worldwide. It became Nickelodeon Movies' first film to win the Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards.$235 million worldwide.It became Nickelodeon Movies's first film to earnthe Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards..

2002'sTreasure PlanetTreasure Planet is Disney's animated sci-fi version of Treasure Island.Treasure Island. The movie shows great invention. It has a strong emotional core and a great cast. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Hyde Pierce, Martin Short, and others provided the voice work. Disney seemed unbeatable with animated films.

Despite earning mostly positive reviews and a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars,Treasure Planetbombed at the box office because it had to compete withHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Disney is a big name for family movies. But it could not match the cultural force of Harry Potter at that time.Harry Potterat the time.

Time-travel movies often struggle with tight stories. They also fall into tropes viewers see constantly.PredestinationThe movie smartly uses its premise. It shows a time-traveling agent sent back to find a bomber's identity. The mind-bending plot, with its time-paradox twists, uses great acting from Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook (before her HBO fame).Succession

An original movie like this shows Hollywood’s over-reliance on franchises better than anything else.Predestinationgets overshadowed byTaken 3. The thirdTakenThe third Taken movie is pretty terrible. Some critics called it an embarrassment.embarrassmentIt earned over $320 million more for its stars.over $320 million morethanPredestinationat the box office only because of brand recognition.

2019'sAd AstraAn exciting space travel movie features a strong father-son bond. Tommy Lee Jones and Brad Pitt perform well. An astronaut (Pitt) seeks his father's (Jones) old space station, which causes dangerous energy surges. It pulled in $127 million total, a small amount for its $90 million budget.$127 millionwhich was a small amount compared to its $90 million budget.

AlthoughAd AstraAd Astra got high praise, but it failed to earn back its budget at the box office. This likely happened because it faced the Downton Abbey movie.Downton Abbeya highly anticipated follow-up to the popular Downton Abbey movie.Downton AbbeyTV show. The unknown nature of Ad Astra made it impossible to compete against such a beloved entity.Ad AstraAd Astra made it impossible to compete against such a beloved entity.

A Scanner Darklyis an animated film based on Phillip K. Dick's dystopian novel. It gained love at festivals and was a 2007 Hugo Award finalist. Richard Linklater directed, and Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, and Winona Ryder provided voice acting for the near-future world of heavy surveillance. However, it earned about $7 million worldwide.$7 millionfrom the worldwide box office.

Scanner faced challenges because it had bad luck. It released the same day as the huge sequel, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chestwhich hadthe best opening weekend for any film in history at the time.. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp)'s appeal was too strong, and a unique animated sci-fi gem got lost.

Low-budget sci-fi films are rare now, soMidnight SpecialMidnight Special was in a strange spot. Roy (Michael Shannon) and his friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton) try to protect Roy's son from a cult hunting him for his powers. Critics liked the film; some compared it to Steven Spielberg's work. Kirsten Dunst and Adam Driver's extra performances seemed set to make it a hit.

Still,Midnight Specialended upnot making its budget backMidnight Special earned some box office money, partly because it released with the third film in the moderately popular series.DivergentseriesAllegiantWhileAllegiantAllegiant also performed worse at the box office, and it tanked.it tanked theDivergentfranchise, yet it drew more crowds thanMidnight Special.

About TimeAbout Time is a sci-fi romantic comedy. Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleason) learns he can time travel. He finds fixing mistakes complicates his pursuit of Mary (Rachel McAdams). It may lack hard sci-fi, but it offers fun viewing with good acting and a solid setup. Its domestic opening weekend was small, but international earnings pushed the total to $87 million.$87 million.

Unfortunately forAbout Time, it had to share space with the release ofEnder's Gamefilm.Ender's Gameis based on Orson Scott Card's popular sci-fi novel. Though it bombed at the box office, it barely made back its $110 million budget.$110 million budget, it still attracted much attention—and ticket sales—fromAbout Time.

Spike Jonze's 2013 filmHerHer is not underrated now; it lacked the recognition it deserved in theaters. The sci-fi romance about a lonely man (Joaquin Phoenix) loving an AI named Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) earned five Oscar nominations. This did not translate to strong box office numbers, netting only about $48 million in worldwide gross.$48 millionworldwide gross.

One hurdle forHer's box office success was its release alongsideAnchorman 2, and just one week after the secondHobbitmovie.Anchorman 2Anchorman 2 may not have been an Oscar contender, but it followed one of the most popular comedies recently. This made it a big box office draw, pulling over half of Her's total earnings in its opening weekend.most popular comedies in recent historypulling over half ofHer'stotal earnings injust its opening weekend.