10 great free sci-fi movies you should stream right now

Streaming prices continue to increase, but luckily for viewers, there’s a growing number of free streaming services out there. From Amazon Freevee to Tubi, Pluto TV, and even no-cost options on Peacock, there’s tons of free content to be enjoyed. In recent years, the free content has also gotten a lot better now that major companies are investing in free streaming services.

This is especially great news for sci-fi fans since lots of fantastic new and classic sci-fi films have made their way to these free streamers. Whether you want a big box office hit, an award-winning indie film, or a legendary cult classic, you can find them for free. Here are 10 of the best sci-fi movies you can stream right now without paying a dime.

Jurassic Park (1993)

The iconic Spielberg classic Jurassic Park is streaming completely for free right now. Though you’ve probably already seen the movie, Jurassic Park never gets old and is always great for a rewatch. In the film, a soon-to-open dino theme park falls to pieces after a conniving employee shuts down power to steal dinosaur embryos. But shutting off the power also gives the dinosaurs a chance to escape their enclosures.

To this day, many of the practical effects in the movie look phenomenal, and the T-Rex is still one of the coolest movie monsters ever. And while the movie is never really considered an “ensemble film,” it has a knockout cast that includes Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight, and the late Richard Attenborough.

Watch Jurassic Park for free on Tubi.

The Invisible Man (2020)

In 2020, H.G. Wells’ classic story The Invisible Man was remade for a new generation. The film stars Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia Kass, a woman in an abusive relationship with a man who (unfortunately for her) happens to be a world-renowned optical engineer. She escapes from him, but instead of finding peace and freedom, she senses a lurking presence that’s out to torment her. Could it somehow be her obsessive boyfriend, or is she just breaking under the pressure of trauma?

The Invisible Man was a hit with critics and audiences, and despite premiering just two weeks before the COVID pandemic caused theaters around the globe to shut their doors, the movie managed to gross an impressive $144 million.

Watch The Invisible Man for free on Freevee.

The Void (2016)

Lovecraft fans will love 2016’s The Void. In the movie, a group of strangers find themselves at a mostly-abandoned hospital that’s surrounded by robed cultists. Things get even worse when people start turning into monsters after the cult leader reveals he’s found a way to make deals with otherworldly entities. Like all Lovecraftian horror films, The Void has an emphasis on cosmic terrors and lots of tentacles, pus, slime, and morbid creatures.

The Void received mostly positive reviews, but it did get some negative criticism for its plot — which leaves a lot unexplained. But for fans of the body-horror genre, or anyone who enjoys Lovecraft’s famous style, the movie won’t disappoint thanks to its great monsters.

Watch The Void on Tubi.

Evolution (2001)

Evolution is a wacky and fun sci-fi comedy about a small Arizona town that’s changed forever when a meteor crashes into a city park, revealing a previously unknown cave system underneath. The meteor also has some extraterrestrial goo in it that evolves millions of times faster than life on Earth. Within a week, the cave system becomes an alien world filled with creatures that rapidly evolve, eventually producing human-size primates and other fun monsters. How can a ragtag team of misfits stop the alien creatures before they overtake the planet? Head & Shoulders shampoo, obviously.

The movie starred David Duchovny, who was fresh off The X-Files at the time, as well as Julianne Moore, Orlando Jones, and Sean William Scott (remember him?). While it’s certainly not the smartest or the most thought-provoking sci-fi movie ever, Evolution is an enjoyable, easy watch.

Watch Evolution on Pluto TV.

The Time Machine (2002)

In 2002, H.G. Wells’ famous story The Time Machine was given a modern film adaptation. Keeping it a true family affair, the movie was directed by Simon Wells, H.G.’s great-grandson. The film begins in 1899 and follows an inventor (Guy Pearce) who feels he has nothing left to live for after his fiancée dies. Lost in grief, he builds a time machine and travels to the distant future where humanity has split into three races: the subterranean Morlocks, the surface-swelling Eloi, and the all-powerful and secretive Über-Morlocks.

While The Time Machine was criticized upon its release for its story, it was praised for its soundtrack, visual effects, and make-up effects. The movie has also had a much better reception in recent years, with home viewers giving it 4.1 out of 5 stars on Google. The Time Machine is an underrated sci-fi gem that absolutely deserves to be rediscovered.

Watch The Time Machine on Pluto TV

The Mist (2007)

In this modern Stephen King classic, a small town is suddenly consumed by a strange mist. As police cars rush down the street and alarms go off around the town, a group of residents hunker down inside a crowded grocery store. But things get even worse when they learn that giant monsters are lurking within the mist.

As the situation, becomes more dire the group struggles with conflicts. They wonder if they should stay or run, how long they might be trapped for, and how to ration supplies. But The Mist is most memorable for its traumatic and shocking finale that is both heartbreaking and brilliant. If you’ve never seen the movie, the ending is a giant gut punch that will sit with you long after the film ends.

Watch The Mist for free on Freevee.

Europa Report (2013)

In the indie sci-fi film Europa Report, a group of astronauts head to Jupiter’s moon to search for signs of extraterrestrial life. Before even arriving at Europa, problems arise that put the astronauts’ lives at risk, and once they land on the moon, the situation becomes even more dire.

Europa Report was praised by critics, and though it had a very limited theatrical release, it performed well on DVD and earned a cult following. The movie is noted for its gritty, realistic, and often brutal depiction of space exploration. Variety praised the film’s realistic vision, saying, “Without contriving any sort of overt threat, the film conveys the terror of deep space as a still, silent void, indifferent to human suffering or survival…” Instead of going for an alien-heavy splatterfest, the movie attempted to stay grounded in as much reality as possible, showing a near-future with technology similar to our own today.

Watch Europa Report for free on Peacock and The Roku Channel.

Cube (1997)

In Cube, a group of strangers wake up in a giant cube made of smaller, ever-shifting cubes. The movie never fully explains who made the cube or why the group has been trapped in it. Instead, it focuses on the desperation and paranoia that arises as they try to escape. The group is also forced to deal with another dilemma: some of the cubes are rigged with traps, and the only way to know which rooms are trapped is by solving a secret code within each cube’s room numbers.

Cube was praised by critics and even won Best Canadian Feature Film at its Toronto Film Festival premiere. Many have also noted its similarities to Saw, calling it a spiritual precursor to that movie thanks to its gritty, confined spaces and morbid traps. Cube‘s popularity has also led to two sequels and a 2021 Japanese remake. In 2022, Bloody Disgusting reported that Lionsgate was also in the early stages of working on an American remake.

Watch Cube for free on Tubi.

Stargate (1994)

If you’re a sci-fi fan, you probably already know about the Stargate franchise. In the original film, archeologists uncover a mysterious circular structure in Egypt that’s revealed to be a portal to other worlds. After activating the stargate, a team travels through a wormhole and finds themselves on an alien planet with structures that resemble those found in ancient Egypt. They also discover the Egyptian god Ra is actually an alien with malicious intent.

Stargate became an unexpected hit, grossing more than $71 million in America and over $196 million globally. It also launched one of the most high-profile fandoms in sci-fi history and spawned the insanely popular spinoff series Stargate SG-1. If you love sci-fi, Stargate is a must-watch.

Watch Stargate for free on The Roku Channel.

Melancholia (2011)

Provocative auteur Lars Von Trier brought clinical depression to poetic life in 2011’s Melancholia. In the film, a young bride (Civil War‘s Kirsten Dunst) becomes consumed by ennui on her wedding night. The situation becomes even more dire when it’s discovered that a rogue planet named Melancholia will likely become trapped in Earth’s orbit and eventually collide with our planet, destroying everything. Everyone deals with the news differently: some panic and commit suicide, others believe the events are somehow part of a cosmic destiny, and some solemnly accept their impending death.

Melancholia isn’t an easy film to watch. It leaves a haunting, empty feeling inside you, but it’s so incredibly gripping and well-made that you can’t look away. Dunst was even awarded Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival that year for her work, and she deserved it. It’s the best performance of her career (sorry, Bring It On fans), and one that deserves to be watched by the widest possible audience.

Watch Melancholia for free on Sling TV.