The 10 Best Sci-Fi Movies Of The 2000s, According To Letterboxd

Thanks to the combination of films like 1999’s The Matrix and the advancement of technology, the 2000s turned out to be a highly intriguing decade for the sci-fi genre. Movies could take bigger risks and try things that simply weren’t really possible in previous years or eras.

Of course, not all of these things have held up well, with some attempts at CGI looking almost gummy by today’s standards. That’s why the best sci-fi flicks from the decade according to users at Letterboxd are typically the movies that relied less on that and focused more on telling great stories and utilizing interesting concepts.

10 District 9 (2009) – 3.74

Stream On Starz

When District 9 was first released, it made a major impact on the world as everyone seemed to be talking about it. The film took the popular found footage genre of the era and added a sci-fi twist by telling a story about a world where aliens have come down to Earth.

Instead of a typical invasion though, the film sees malnourished aliens arrive on the planet and get quarantined in South Africa. They are treated poorly and an agent from the group overseeing them visits the sealed-off area, only to get infected himself. The film ended up nominated for four Oscars and most Letterboxd scores have it at four stars (35%).

9 The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006) – 3.76

Stream On Funimation

It seems like there’s always at least one Japanese animated film on any list relating to the best movies of a given era. Here, that’s the case with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, which is a loose sequel to the original novel of the same name, which was released in 1967.

In a lot of ways, this is your expected time travel setup as young Makoto Konno gains the ability to jump back in time and uses it for her own small gains only to realize that there are always consequences to meddling with time. Four stars (34%) is the most common rating.

8 Moon (2009) – 3.84

Stream On Sun NXT

One of the best things about sci-fi is that although these movies can be made with huge budgets and be on a grand scale, they also work just as well when kept small. For the most part, Moon only features a single actor (Sam Rockwell) on screen throughout its runtime.

The film focuses on an astronaut who is working on a three-year solitary mission on the moon. Near the end of the tenure, he suffers something of a mental break and things are certainly not what they seem. Four stars (39%) were given out the most often and a follow-up film was released in 2018 titled Mute.

7 Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance (2009) – 3.87

Stream On Amazon Prime

Whenever discussing sci-fi from any era, it seems like Neon Genesis Evangelion will be brought up. Although things with the franchise were hot in the ’90s, they had films come out during the 2000s, 2010s, and even one as recent as early 2021.

In 2009, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance was released. It sees two new pilots be introduced to take on monstrous creatures running rampant known as Angels, setting the stage for something of an epic battle. Again, most users gave this four stars (36%).

6 REDLINE (2009) – 3.88

Stream On Tubi, IMDb TV, Vudu & PLEX

Once again, it’s a Japanese animation film that shines brightly. REDLINE is the name of an underground race in the distant future that is considered the most dangerous and exciting around and it is only held once every five years.

The film focuses on JP, who is known to be the biggest daredevil of the bunch and wants to win but the woman he loves, Sonoshee, is also competing. REDLINE was praised for being visually stunning, exhilarating, and unique. Most reviews have it at an impressive four stars (32%).

5 G.O.R.A. (2004) – 3.89

Stream On Netflix

Like most genres, sci-fi isn’t just contained to one simple thing. There are sci-fi horrors, dramas, and certainly comedies. G.O.R.A. falls squarely into that last category as the Turkish film follows a carpet salesman who gets abducted by aliens, pitting him against their home planet’s leader.

The premise may sound wacky but that’s why it worked. G.O.R.A. turned out to be quite the box office hit in Turkey and was well-received in the same vein as the iconic works of Mel Brooks. While four stars (31%) is the most popular score, five stars (21%) isn’t too far behind.

4 Paprika (2006) – 4.02

Stream On The Criterion Channel

One more time, another of the best sci-fi films of the 2000s is an animated picture from Japan. Based on a 1993 novel of the same name, Paprika centers on a therapist who enters the dream world to investigate a case of a stolen machine that allows people to alter each other’s dreams.

It sounds somewhat similar to Christopher Nolan’s Inception and many have made that comparison, especially when you consider that both films have plots that can be hard to follow if you’re not paying full attention. With gorgeous character designs from the person who did Princess Mononoke on top of the intriguing plot, it’s no wonder Paprika received four stars 36% of the time.

3 WALL-E (2008) – 4.13

Stream On Disney+

Although this is another animated feature, it comes from the United States and the brilliant minds at Pixar Studios. They have experimented with many different types of movies but WALL-E was a big risk as it was aimed at children yet featured very little dialogue.

Instead, it captivates audiences with stunning visuals, wordless storytelling, and a gripping romance. Centuries after Earth was abandoned due to being overrun by garbage, a clean-up robot named WALL-E meets a probe bot named EVE and falls in love, ultimately traveling across the galaxy and saving the world. Four (31%) and five stars (29%) are the most common scores.

2 Children Of Men (2006) – 4.21

Stream On Tubi

Director Alfonso Cuarón is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers around and one of his most beloved movies is Children of Men. The trailer grabbed audiences everywhere as it showed that the story was set in a world where humans couldn’t procreate anymore, only for one woman to become pregnant.

Due to the harsh conditions of this world, the woman goes through harrowing ordeals as she gets help traveling to a safe place to give birth and save mankind. The likes of Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, and Chiwetel Ejiofor lead a brilliant cast and the film most often got five stars (29%) from users.

1 Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004) – 4.21

Stream On Peacock

During the ’90s, Jim Carrey was basically the king of comedy. In fact, he starred in Dumb and Dumber, The Mask, and Ace Ventura all in the same year. Following his great work in The Truman Show, he branched out into different genres which ultimately led him to sci-fi.

Alongside Kate Winslet, Carrey is one of the leads in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The movie follows a couple who, after things go downhill for their relationship, have their memories of each other wiped. Along with getting five stars (34%) most often, this also won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

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