6 Sci-Fi Movies About Space and Aliens on Netflix in December 2023
When you're tired of tinsel and Santa, try switching it up with some aliens.
Men in Black (1997)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
Let's kick it off with a classic. The CGI may have aged, but the magic is still there for this sci-fi comedy starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as the titular men in black.
Smith plays a NYPD cop who joins a top-secret organization managing the many aliens who live (mostly) peaceful lives on Earth. But soon an alien 'bug' crash-lands on a farm and threatens to start a war between species.
Fun Fact: Producers briefly considered Quentin Tarantino to direct the movie.
Extinction (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 31%
Michael Peña stars as Peter, an engineer and family man who suffers from recurring nightmares of an alien invasion. He fears that his dreams might be prophetic, and he's proven correct when an invasion hits the planet. Peter and his wife Alice must use the information from his dreams to save their family.
A major twist partway through changes this from your typical invasion fare, and Peña and Lizzie Caplan (Alice) show that they have more than just comedy chops to offer.
Fun Fact: In 2013, the script for Extinction made Hollywood's 'Black List' of best unproduced screenplays.
Rim of the World
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 27%
A modern take on the classic 80s kid adventure films, Rim of the World is about four misfits who are thrown together at summer camp just before an alien invasion. When they stumble upon the key to saving the world, they're going to have to find their way across miles of alien-infested territory to get the job done.
Although it features a band of kids, the movie is rated TV-14 for language and scary content.
Fun Fact: The scene where the kids are being hunted by aliens in a kitchen is an homage to Jurassic Park. If you watch closely, you can tell that some shots are exact replicas from the dinosaur flick.
Annihilation
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
If you like your sci-fi with a dollop of philosophy (and trippy visuals), check out Alex Garland 's Annihilation.
Shortly after a meteor falls to Earth, 'The Shimmer' appears. It's a strange anomalous zone that is slowly spreading across the US. After several exploratory missions, only Kane (Oscar Isaac ) returns, and he is desperately ill. Hoping to find enough information to save him, his biologist wife Lena (Natalie Portman ) joins a small group of explorers that enter the zone.
Fun Fact: The studio worried that the film was 'too intellectual' and demanded that Garland changed the ending. Garland refused.
Beyond Skyline
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 67%
You don't need to have seen 2010's Skyline for this followup to work; it features different characters entirely, though they are fighting the same alien invasion.
After most of Los Angeles' population is vacuumed up into a UFO, police detective Mark Corley finds his way aboard in order to rescue his son. Lots of alien shooting and action adventure abound – getting onto the ship is only the beginning.
Fun Fact: If you find the aliens in this movie intimidating, the blooper reel will probably change your mind.
We Can Be Heroes
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%
We'll wrap up the list with an utterly silly, kid-friendly alien movie from Robert Rodriguez, the creator of Spy Kids.
Missy Moreno is the daughter of superhero (Pedro Pascal ) who is captured by an invading alien force. She and a team of young superheroes must band together to save the world – and their parents.
It's probably too zany and noisy for most adults, but this sort-of followup to Sharkboy and Lavagirl never skimps on sincerity or fun.
Fun Fact: Robert Rodriguez's son Racer doodled Sharkboy as a kid, creating the character and earning him a 'Story by' credit on Sharkboy and Lavagirl when he was only 7 years old.