The Best Sci Fi Movies of 2019 (So Far)

The thing about science fiction is that even though it tends to be about a high-concept setup, it’s usually about something more fundamental. That makes it the perfect genre for our times, and in 2019, we’ve so far gotten a lot of sci-fi movies that explore what it means to be a person—especially a person living in chaos. There’s an android striving to understand her past, a monster trying to be heard, and a band of criminals struggling to hold onto their humanity in deep space.

Below are the best sci-fi movies of 2019. We’ll update as more of them come out.



Alita: Battle Angel (February 14)

Who’s In It?

Rosa Salazar, Mahershala Ali, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly.

What Is It?

Robert Rodriguez directed this uncanny-looking flick about an android woman who is found in a junk heap, revived, and raised by a loving scientist surrogate father. With the futuristic world under constant threat, she realizes that the key to its survival might be finding out about where she came from. Cue quest!



Captain Marvel (March 8)

Who’s In It?

Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Lashana Lynch, Jude Law, Annette Bening, Gemma Chan.

What Is It?

Just before the release of Avengers: End Game, we finally got the origin story of the strongest Avenger of them all: Captain Marvel. Played by Brie Larson, Carol Danvers—a.k.a. the Cap herself—is a fighter pilot who taps into a secret alien power in order to save Earth from an intergalactic war. Casual.

High Life (April 12)

Who’s In It?

Juliette Binoche, Robert Pattinson, André Benjamin, Mia Goth

What Is It?

A group of criminals serving life sentences are sent on a rocket ship to find alternative energy sources from a black hole, but Binoche’s Dr. Dibs is also using them for various experiments (many involving artificial insemination and conception in space). It’s gory, trippy, sexy, and very strange—and the way its timeline unravels will have you guessing the true nature of the voyage until the very end. Directed by French auteur Claire Denis.



Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31)

Who’s In It?

Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, Ken Watanabe, Bradley Whitford.

What Is It?

Sure, Godzilla movies can be hit or miss in terms of actual content, but it’s never short on spectacle. And this installment goes hard: All the titans of the Godzilla universe, including my girl Mothra, have come to play, and only Godzilla can protect Earth from the other giant monsters. Perfect summer action flick fodder.