Travel through space, time, and subgenre with these speculative gems. The 35 best scifi movies of all time Travel through space, time, and subgenre with these speculative gems. By Randall Colburn :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/RandallColburnauthorphotoe7e8b48d9f8645588439077e721a5f48.jpg) Randall Colburn Randall Colburn is a writer and editor at . His work has previously appeared on The A.V. Club, The Guardian, The Ringer, and many other publications. EW's editorial guidelines and Kevin Jacobsen on June 4, 2026 7:55 a.m.

Travel through space, time, and subgenre with these speculative gems.

The 35 best sci-fi movies of all time

Travel through space, time, and subgenre with these speculative gems.

By Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn is a writer and editor at **. His work has previously appeared on The A.V. Club, The Guardian, The Ringer, and many other publications.

EW's editorial guidelines

and Kevin Jacobsen

on June 4, 2026 7:55 a.m. ET

Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty in ‘Blade Runner’; David Prowse as Darth Vader in ‘Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back’; Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in ‘Alien’. Credit: Everett Collection (3)

Who are we? How did we get here? And where are we going next? As technological advancement outpaces human understanding, people are left to wonder about our place in the universe. Have we optimized existence to such an extent as to render humanity irrelevant? Science fiction movies consider these questions and provide audiences with thoughtful, brilliant, and terrifying theories on issues of humanity, nature, God, science, and more of life's great mysteries.

Nobody knows what’s next for our species, but these films are full of intellectual wormholes into which audiences can dive. Here, in alphabetical order, are the 35 best sci-fi movies of all time.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Keir Dullea as Dr. Dave Bowman and Gary Lockwood as Dr. Frank Poole in '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Warner Bros. Pictures

Like so many of the best films on this list, *2001* feels alien. It has shape, weight, and a clear sense of itself. We leave it knowing we've seen something truly awesome, even if we can't quite articulate what exactly we saw. Stanley Kubrick's dizzying achievement towers in the pantheon of film like the monolith that beguiles its cast, a lush and indelible exploration of ideas that, more than a half-decade later, continue to fascinate: artificial intelligence, space exploration, the evolution of consciousness. So, too, do its audio and visual elements: The awe-inducing blare of "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," the space station's humbling grandeur, and the lonely drift of an unleashed astronaut, lost to the cosmos. One of a kind in any genre. —*Randall Colburn*

Where to watch *2001: A Space Odyssey*: HBO Max

Alien (1979)

Yaphet Kotto as Parker, Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, and Ian Holm as Ash in 'Alien'. Everett Collection

It's the endless expanse that sets the stage, the sense that, despite being surrounded by so much open space, there is absolutely nowhere to run. There's no dialogue for the first six minutes of *Alien*, nor is there music. It's just ambient sound, as cold and alienating as the crowded, grimy halls of the *Nostromo*, cinema's most notorious intergalactic haunted house. All the crew members — an out-of-this-world ensemble consisting of Tom Skeritt, John Hurt, Yaphet Kotto, and, of course, Sigourney Weaver — have are each other, so when a creature bursts from their buddy's chest and begins picking them off one by one, the ugly, pipe-strewn walls close in. Director Ridley Scott embraces the claustrophobia, embedding his Xenomorph into the fabric of the ship and, by extension, our nightmares. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Alien*: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

Arrival (2016)

Jeremy Renner as Ian Donnelly and Amy Adams as Louise Banks in 'Arrival'.

Jan Thijs/Paramount Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

What if, instead of fighting alien invaders, we made an effort to understand them? This heady sci-fi masterpiece from Denis Villeneuve tackles such a concept with thought and care, showing that a blockbuster doesn't have to be mindless. After alien pods mysteriously appear around the world, a linguist named Louise (Amy Adams, in one of her best performances to date) is brought in to try to crack the code of what they want from Earth's inhabitants. She ultimately discovers that their understanding of time varies from our own, leading to a deeply moving conclusion. —*Kevin Jacobsen*

Where to watch *Arrival*: Paramount+

Back to the Future (1985)

Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett Brown and Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future'. Ralph Nelson/Universal

It's wild that *Back to the Future* is one of the most beloved movies ever, one that families still gather around the TV to watch, given that its story centers on a teenager who unwittingly travels back in time only to threaten his existence after his mother gets intensely horny for him. On the other hand, the discomfort would overwhelm, but Robert Zemeckis' clever, fleet-footed direction and Bob Gale's inventive yet impeccably structured script endear us immediately to this world and its eccentric characters. It's a shockingly emotional movie, using its time-hopping adventure to witness that pivotal moment when a child learns to see their parents as, well, people. And, like any time travel narrative, it touches on the fragility of our realities, the notion that our fates hinge on the smallest of moments. One small move and the entire house of cards collapses. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Back to the Future*: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982)

Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty in 'Blade Runner: The Final Cut'. Everett Collection

Pluck any quote from the mouth of Rutger Hauer's Roy Batty and you'll land upon a classic. "It's not an easy thing to meet your maker," for instance. He speaks as a human-engineered replicant, of course, but try turning that concept back on ourselves — what would we do if we met our creator? The ideas overflow in Ridley Scott's sci-fi masterpiece, a flop upon its release that, after receiving numerous director's cuts, has firmly planted itself in the cultural consciousness. But it's not all philosophy; *Blade Runner* is a spectacle, its choked, dystopian, post-capitalist cityscapes growing more and more familiar as the years pass. The film's exquisite clutter extends to its eccentric ensemble, a collection of enigmas that brim with weariness and wonder. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Blade Runner: The Final Cut*: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

The mothership in 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'. Everett Collection

There are plenty of jokes to be made at the expense of Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), the UFO obsessive in Steven Spielberg's *Close Encounters of the Third Kind**. *He abandons his wife and family for aliens! What a s---ty dad! But isn't this what makes Spielberg's movie so interesting, the idea that mysteries are sometimes so compelling that one can't help but chase them to the outer reaches? Like so many films on this list, it's a testament to the lure of science fiction, to a reality that exists outside society's portrait of a life well lived. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Close Encounters of the Third Kind*: Peacock

Contact (1997)

Jodie Foster as Dr. Eleanor 'Ellie' Ann Arroway in 'Contact'. Everett Collection

Robert Zemeckis' ambitious adaptation of Carl Sagan's 1985 novel is that rarest of films: a philosophical blockbuster. Jodie Foster is steely yet open-hearted as Ellie Arroway, a scientist who discovers schematics for a single-occupant space vessel buried in transmissions from a distant star system. As the vessel is constructed and Ellie prepares for first contact, a stacked ensemble — Matthew McConaughey, Angela Bassett, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt — navigates the tensions between science and faith with charm and nuance. Zemeckis, meanwhile, balances the script's bigger questions with white-knuckle awe. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Contact*: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

Dark City (1998)

Kiefer Sutherland as Dr. Daniel P. Schreber (center) in 'Dark City'.

New Line Cinema/Everett Collection

"When was the last time you remember doing something during the day?" It's such a chilling line, and one that teases the mysteries at the heart of Alex Proyas' masterful *Dark City*. Set in a murky metropolis that echoes the paintings of Edward Hopper, the film stars Rufus Sewell as a man who, after waking in a hotel bathtub with no memories, stumbles upon the puppet masters who have long manipulated his surroundings. The pale, floating beings are called Strangers and their goal is to rebuild their dying alien civilization by unlocking the secrets of the human soul via frequent experimentation. That means injecting their subjects with new memories and rebuilding the city to explore new possibilities. It's eerie, gripping stuff, a sci-fi noir that raises the biggest question of all: How much of our lives are truly ours? —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Dark City*: Tubi

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Harry Lauter as Platoon Leader and Michael Rennie as Klaatu in 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'. Everett Collection

To watch Robert Wise's *The Day the Earth Stood Still* today is to view it through the prism of film history; it's near-impossible for a modern audience to separate the movie (and Bernard Herrmann's score) from the iconography it helped popularize. Flying saucers, space lasers, hulking silver humanoids — to this day, they continue to manifest in homage, parody, art, and subversion. It's worth a revisit, though, as Wise's film, based on a short story by Harry Bates, remains an enduring (and fittingly cynical) work of satire. Nearly 75 years later, the thought of a unified front and nuclear disarmament remains as elusive as ever. Klaatu would stand even less of a chance. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *The Day the Earth Stood Still*: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

Dune (2021)

Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in 'Dune'.

Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures

Frank Herbert's *Dune* has bested not one, but two of cinema's best storytellers. David Lynch's '84 adaptation, though it has its defenders, was a critical and commercial dud, while Alejandro Jodorowsky crumbled beneath the weight of his own vision. In his adaptation of the first half of Herbert's novel, Denis Villeneuve opts for a sober approach that wisely emphasizes story and character over eccentricity. He also, though, understands that the grandeur of Herbert's vision is part of what makes *Dune** *so uniquely, well, *Dune*. Everything from the architecture to the sandworms that swim through these sweeping desert vistas is as massive as the spice war's impact on the saga's political and religious machinations. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Dune*: HBO Max

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Henry Thomas as Elliott (center, in red hoodie) in 'E.T.'.

Universal/Everett Collection

Who needs adults? *E.T.* is a marvel of the popular genre — a vibrant, sweet, funny, and magical movie. But one of director Steven Spielberg's most inspired choices is to cloak many of the film's authority figures (parents, teachers, government stooges) in shadow and silhouette. Why? Because a leathery little scamp like E.T. is lovable only in the uninhibited mind of a child; fear, distrust, and paranoia are born of experience and disappointment. It's not that adults are evil in the world of *E.T.*, it's just that their curiosity isn't rooted in compassion. Why help a creature phone home when there's use for him here? Kids don't think that way. *E.T. *doesn't, either. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial*: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

The Fly (1986)

Jeff Goldblum as Seth Brundle in 'The Fly'. Everett Collection

*The Fly* is disgusting. It's also beautiful? Because you're rooting for Seth (Jeff Goldblum) and Ronnie (Geena Davis), and it's unfair that an errant fly joins Seth inside his new teleportation device, fundamentally altering his DNA and destroying his mind and body. People love to talk about David Cronenberg's penchant for body horror, but *The Fly* amounts to more than mere goopiness, serving as a gutting allegory for the ways physical and mental illness can ravage a relationship that was once beautiful. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *The Fly*: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

Galaxy Quest (1999)

Tim Allen as Jason Nesmith, Alan Rickman as Sir Alexander Dane, and Sigourney Weaver as Gwen DiMarco in 'Galaxy Quest'. Everett Collection

One of the first comedies to pay homage to the legion of sci-fi diehards that flooded the early internet, Dean Parisot's hilarious *Galaxy Quest* stars Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver as the senescent stars of a bygone *Star Trek*-like phenomenon who are unwittingly swept up in an honest-to-goodness sci-fi adventure. The intergalactic Thermians, thinking Allen's Jason Nesmith and Weaver's Gwen DeMarco are truly the characters they play on TV, are relying on these conceited actors to save them from an all-too-real adversary. By positing the aliens as fans and offering these performers a real moment to be heroes, *Galaxy Quest* both satirizes and celebrates fandom, acknowledging the genuine impact fictional touchstones ultimately have on their most devoted consumers. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Galaxy Quest*: Pluto TV

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Major Motoko Kusanagi (voice: Atsuko Tanaka) 'Ghost in the Shell'. Everett Collection

James Cameron, whose fingerprints will forever be imprinted on modern sci-fi, called Mamoru Oshii's *Ghost in the Shell* "the first truly adult animation film to reach a level of literary and visual excellence," per Far Out Magazine. Anime stans will surely take issue with such a sweeping statement, but his endorsement speaks to both the film's crossover appeal and the magnetism of its ideas. It follows Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg public-security agent in 2029 Japan, as she pursues a hacker known as the Puppet Master, but the film isn't about the hacker's threat so much as our fear of it. What happens when technology overwhelms humanity? Is it to be feared or embraced? —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Ghost in the Shell*: Tubi

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Donald Sutherland as Matthew Bennell in 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'. United Artists/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

Yeah, it's a remake, but Philip Kaufman's spin on Don Siegel's 1956 film (and Jack Finney's 1955 novel) trades Cold War anxiety for post-Vietnam paranoia in ways that strengthen and sharpen the source material. The plot is more or less the same: A Bay Area health inspector discovers humans are being replaced by alien duplicates that possess none of the pesky emotions that make life lovely and unbearable. A blessing, perhaps? It was hard not to live in a state of distrust following Vietnam, Watergate, Chappaquiddick, and the assassinations of JFK and RFK. The true horror of Kaufman's *Invasion*, though, is that acquiescence gives way to McCarthyism; in conformity, old friends become new enemies. Also, what's the deal with that Robert Duvall cameo? —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Invasion of the Body Snatchers*: Amazon Prime Video

Jurassic Park (1993)

A Tyrannosaurus rex in 'Jurassic Park'.

Murray Close/Getty

Few movies have ever rivaled the level of wonder and magic evoked when Laura Dern's Ellie Sattler witnesses a live dinosaur in person for the first time (as John Williams' majestic score swells) in *Jurassic Park*. Steven Spielberg's iconic blockbuster about a trio of scientists who investigate an island on which a business magnate has created a theme park of cloned dinosaurs will simply never be topped — no matter how many sequels Hollywood tries to spawn. After all, as Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) quips in the film, "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." The 1993 original is thrilling, fear-inducing, and altogether entertaining, thanks in part to the then-innovative visual effects that still hold up today. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Jurassic Park*: Peacock

The Matrix (1999)

Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity and Keanu Reeves as Neo in 'The Matrix'.

Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection

*The Matrix* is one of the defining movies released at the turn of the century, tapping into existential crises and technological anxieties of the time. Computer programmer Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), a.k.a. Neo, has his entire perspective shaken upon learning that the world he lives in is a simulated reality called the Matrix, designed by hyper-intelligent machines that secretly use human bodies as an energy source. Neo joins a team of rebels fighting back against the machines to free humanity. Wildly ambitious and endlessly thought-provoking, *The Matrix* is a one-of-a-kind sci-fi epic, still resonant decades later. —*K.J.*

Where to watch The Matrix: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)**

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Metropolis (1927)

Rudolf Klein-Rogge as Rotwang (right) in 'Metropolis'. Everett Collection

One of the first feature-length science-fiction movies doubles as one of the most influential films of all time. Fritz Lang's stunning *Metropolis* unfolds in a futuristic urban dystopia, one heavily influenced by Art Deco architecture and flooded with Biblical imagery, where the rich live carefree lives above ground while workers toil below. It's the son of the city's leader, who has fallen for a working-class woman, who hopes to bring unity between the classes — a notion so naive that Lang himself scoffed at it in his later years. Still, the film's primitive effects dazzle to this day, as does the sweep of its imposing cityscape. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Metropolis*: Tubi

Night of the Creeps (1986)

'The Night of the Creeps'. Everett Collection

Fred Dekker's cult favorite opens on some of cinema's goofiest-looking aliens before spiraling into a feverish homage to the B-movies of yesteryear. As hilarious as it is grotesque, Dekker uses its extraterrestrial threat as a springboard to a whole host of familiar horrors, from slack zombies and demon dogs to axe murderers and feather-haired frat bros. Horror legend Tom Atkins gets the best one-liners — "Thrill me" — and the chance to flex his flamethrowing skills. It's classic, Spanky. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Night of the Creeps*: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

Nope (2022)

Daniel Kaluuya as OJ Haywood Jr. in 'Nope'. Universal Pictures

The latest of three features directed by Jordan Peele and released within a five-year period, *Nope* is a sci-fi horror set on a horse ranch outside Los Angeles. Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer play OJ and Em Haywood, siblings who inherit their family's business of wrangling horses for Hollywood projects after their father is killed by debris falling from a UFO. Determined to cash in and save their ranch, the Haywood siblings decide to take a photo of the otherworldly object to sell as proof of its existence. Written and executed in Peele's signature style, which straddles the line between social satire and genre love letter, *Nope *lassos the viewers' suspended disbelief while also interrogating the place where entertainment and exploitation intersect. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Nope*: Netflix

Nowhere (1997)

Alan Boyce as H---job, Chiara Mastroianni as Kriss, Debi Mazar as Kozy, and Jeremy Jordan as Bart in ‘Nowhere’.

Fine Line Features/Getty

Some of the best sci-fi films use classic tropes of the genre to inform their characters' inner lives. While few would classify Gregg Araki's satirical, hyper-saturated acid trip of a movie as sci-fi first, its inclusion of a reptilian alien who terrorizes the streets of Los Angeles serves as a fun metaphor for this story of disaffected, alienated youth. Released in 1997, the film also highlights the end-of-the-world anxiety of the approaching millennium, and what this does to a group of teens whose whole lives are ostensibly ahead of them. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Nowhere*: The Criterion Channel

Planet of the Apes (1968)

A still from 'Planet of the Apes'.

20th Century Fox Film Corp.

If concerns about white nationalism and immigration have taught us anything over the last several decades, it's that a vocal sect of white Anglo-Saxons are increasingly scared of losing their status as the dominant force in the United States. Franklin J. Schaffner's *Planet of the Apes* satirizes that anxiety, telling the story of an astronaut (Charlton Heston) who crash-lands on a planet in which apes are the dominant species, having adopted a human-like intelligence and speech, only to discover that (gasp!) the planet is a future version of the Earth he's always known. It's been parodied time and again — most hilariously as a musical on *The Simpsons* — but the film remains an entertaining and well-constructed adventure, a hair above the numerous sequels and spinoffs it spawned. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Planet of the Apes*: Fawesome

Predator (1987)

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dutch in 'Predator'. Everett Collection

Sometimes you just want to see the strongest, sweatiest men get their asses handed to them by an alien. John McTiernan's beloved brawler stars a never-better Arnold Schwarzenegger as the leader of a paramilitary rescue team sent to free hostages in a guerrilla-held territory of a Central American rainforest. There, flitting between the trees, is a humanoid creature with a plasma cannon and an invisibility cloak that proves more formidable than any guerrilla grunt. Yeah, it's funny — "Stick around" and "Get to da choppa!" are all-time Arnold one-liners — but McTiernan gets his hands dirty, too, immersing us in the jungle's terrors while building to a killer climax that strips away the technological frippery in favor of old-fashioned fisticuffs. Grisly, relentless, and dripping with machismo. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Predator*: AMC+

Primer (2004)

David Sullivan as Abe in 'Primer'. Everett Collection

Made for just $7,000, *Primer* took home Sundance's Grand Jury Prize with what's got to be the most normcore depiction of time travel ever put to film. Writer, director, composer, editor, and star Shane Carruth elides exposition and layman's speak for realism, relying instead on scientific shorthand, technical jargon, and elliptical storytelling to spin this story of two not-so-eccentric engineers who somewhat accidentally invent a time machine. The 78-minute thriller is chilly and often opaque, but Carruth's narrative restraint allows the dread dripping from its philosophical implications to sink in that much deeper. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Primer*: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

Solaris (1972)

Natalya Bondarchuk as Khari and Donatas Banionis as Kris Kelvin in 'Solaris'. Everett Collection

Though the two filmmakers weren't fans of each other's meditative space epics, Stanley Kubrick's *2001 *and Andrei Tarkovsky's *Solaris* both touch on a singular notion: What we perceive as reality on Earth takes on a different shape in space. In *Solaris*, a psychologist played by Donatas Banionis is sent to a space station orbiting a distant planet to diagnose whatever malady appears to have fallen upon its inhabitants. It isn't long before the strange affliction takes hold of him as well, spawning visions (or are they?) of his deceased former wife. *Solaris* demands patience from its viewer, but its philosophical explorations of human interiority and the manifestations of our most painful memories are deeply rewarding. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Solaris*: HBO Max

Snowpiercer (2013)

Chris Evans as Curtis Everett, Tilda Swinton as Minister Mason, and Octavia Spencer as Tanya in 'Snowpiercer'. Radius/The Weinstein Company

Set on a speeding train in a postapocalyptic world undone by hubristic climate engineering, *Snowpiercer*'s tale of class warfare is thrilling, bloody, and not quite what it seems. Directed by genre alchemist Bong Joon Ho, who would revisit similar themes a few years later with the Academy Award-winning *Parasite* (2019), the film melds action with horror, humor, and a healthy dose of queasy drama. Chris Evans is as good as he's ever been as rebel leader Curtis, but Tilda Swinton steals the show as a toothy, grotesque spokesman for the upper crust. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Snowpiercer*: Tubi

Stalker (1979)

Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy as Stalker and Anatoliy Solonitsyn as Writer in 'Stalker'. Everett Collection

Though very different movies, Andrei Tarkovsky's *Stalker *shares with his previous *Solaris *a concern with the otherworldly as it impacts the imperfect soul of man. Dense and dogged in its philosophical exploration, the film follows a writer (Anatoly Solonitsyn) and a professor (Nikolai Grinko) as an oddball known as the Stalker (Alexander Kaidanovsky) guides them through a mysterious, perilous, and heavily guarded site ominously called the "Zone." There, beyond a wasteland that can't help but summon visions of nuclear fallout, lies a room that's said to grant a person's innermost desires. It's this grand notion of human desire that's interrogated across the film, and while Tarkovsky offers no simple conclusions, it's the accumulation of the debate that lingers, that longing to know ourselves. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Stalker*: HBO Max

Starship Troopers (1997)

Casper Van Dien as Johnny Rico (right) in 'Starship Troopers'. Everett Collection

Fascist imagery and thudding allusions to World War II-era propaganda films permeate Paul Verhoeven's *Starship Troopers*, but because the provocative Dutch filmmaker didn't explicitly spell out his satire, it went over the heads of many upon its release. But time has been good to the action-comedy, perhaps because its gleefully cynical portrait of nationalism and a war-hungry populace would resonate that much more in the years following 9/11 and the Iraq War. That said, those interested in the simpler pleasures of watching bugs go splat will also find plenty to like, from its gnarly, goo-slinging action set pieces to CGI effects that stand up to today's technology. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Starship Troopers*: Netflix

Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

David Prowse as Darth Vader in 'Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back'. Lucasfilm Ltd.

*Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back* didn't need to be this good. Even if director Irvin Kershner, working off a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, had recycled everything that made George Lucas' *Star Wars* such a hit, it still would've drawn audiences in droves. But *Empire*, the gold standard of a sequel that surpasses its predecessor, turns a potential franchise into an honest-to-goodness saga. As Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) comes into his own as a Jedi, Kershner guides us through fresh locales rich in potential lore, punishing snowscapes and colorful cloud cities, while Brackett and Kasdan complicate an otherwise simple story with conflicted notions of good and evil. There's also that twist and the downer of an ending that chases it; decades later, the franchise is still trying to recapture that magic. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Star Wars: Episode V —* *The Empire Strikes Back*: Disney+

Sunshine (2007)

Cillian Murphy as Robert Capa in 'Sunshine'. Everett Collection

The Sun is dying, and a bomb the size of Manhattan is all that can save it in this thrill ride from protean filmmaker Danny Boyle. Penned by Alex Garland, *Sunshine* transcends its sensational premise by grappling with how the vastness of space exposes the fallibility of man, forcing him to reckon with the prospect of an all-knowing creator. Boyle's dazzling, eye-melting direction finds beauty and terror in juxtaposing the smallness of man against the monolithic star. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Sunshine*: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

The Terminator (1984)

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Terminator in 'The Terminator'.

Orion Pictures Corporation/Courtesy Everett Collection

The "unkillable killer" is a given by this point in genre filmmaking, but the sci-fi staple — think of *The Day the Earth Stood Still*'s Gort — cemented its place in modern action cinema with Arnold Schwarzenegger, a man whose massive, marbled physique may as well have been carved in another dimension. It's difficult to imagine anyone but the Governator playing the namesake of James Cameron's breakthrough blockbuster, which pits Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and a time-traveling soldier (Michael Biehn) against a relentless cyborg assassin (Schwarzenegger) who slaughters without thought or remorse. It's thin gruel, but Cameron's eye for carnage is as poetic as his humor is wry. It's chaos that winks, a blueprint for many a cinephile's favorite era of action filmmaking. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *The Terminator*: HBO Max

Them! (1954)

James Whitmore as Sgt. Ben Peterson in 'Them!'. Everett Collection

Filmed before self-awareness defanged much of the '50s sci-fi genre, *Them!* is a relic of the "nuclear monster" era that, 70-plus years later, retains much of its original glow. Sure, it's about big ants terrorizing the States, but it's also about everyday people grappling with their justified fears of a post-nuclear world in which everything they've come to know has been tainted and made dangerous. Those ideas ripple, but there's also a queasy revulsion baked into the idea that the pests we've spent much of our lives stomping could do the same to us. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Them!*: Tubi

The Thing (1982)

Kurt Russell as MacReady and Charles Hallahan as Norris in 'The Thing'.

Universal/Everett Collection

Though reviled upon release, John Carpenter's vicious remake of the 1951's *The Thing From Another World*, itself an adaptation of John W. Campbell's 1938 novella *Who Goes There?*, has established itself as one of the genre's most inventive, resonant, and gut-churning visions. Kurt Russell stars as MacReady, one of a handful of American researchers in Antarctica who encounter an alien parasite with an uncanny ability to infest and imitate its host. And while the assimilation process is plenty frightening in itself — the memes flood social media to this day — it's the ensuing paranoia that pervades, dividing this tiny community with an escalating litany of fears that mirrors any number of political and spiritual obsessions. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *The Thing*: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

Under the Skin (2013)

Scarlett Johansson as the Female in 'Under the Skin'. A24

In different hands, this stark and disquieting adaptation of Michel Faber's 2000 novel could have been an effects-heavy sci-fi spectacle. Jonathan Glazer, the English visionary behind *Sexy Beast* (2000) and *Birth* (2004), saw a different story between the pages, one about a predatory alien's drift towards empathy on a planet whose citizens are only growing more isolated. Mica Levi's violent, viola-forward score will give you nightmares. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *Under the Skin*: Netflix

WALL-E (2008)

WALL-E (voice: Ben Burtt) in 'WALL-E'. Disney/Pixar

Pixar's ninth feature begins by indulging our most cynical fears: The world as we know it will one day be overrun by garbage, undone by corporate monopolization. A touch rich coming from a Disney-owned company? Sure, but *WALL-E*'s heart is in the right place, a story of an adorable trash-collecting robot alerting young viewers to the perils of environmental disregard and unchecked human consumption. Director Andrew Stanton treats his youthful audience as equals, elevating the animation with complex shots that mimic live-action cinematography and allowing them to unfold across long stretches that feature not a single line of dialogue. —*R.C.*

Where to watch *WALL-E*: Disney+

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Published: June 5, 2026 at 09:38AM on Source: MORNING MAG

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June 05, 2026

The 35 best sci-fi movies of all time

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School is out, but documentaries are always in. The 31 best documentaries on Netflix School is out, but documentaries are always in. By Ilana Gordon, Kevin Jacobsen, James Mercadante, and Diedre Johnson on June 4, 2026 8:38 a.m. ET :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/BestDocumentariesonNetflix022426d4111fd4b09742a18999c8a4b559bd43.jpg) Amy Winehouse in 'Amy'; Buzz Aldrin in 'Apollo 11'; Seymour Hersh in 'CoverUp'.

School is out, but documentaries are always in.

The 31 best documentaries on Netflix

School is out, but documentaries are always in.

By Ilana Gordon, Kevin Jacobsen, James Mercadante, and Diedre Johnson

on June 4, 2026 8:38 a.m. ET

Amy Winehouse in 'Amy'; Buzz Aldrin in 'Apollo 11'; Seymour Hersh in 'Cover-Up'. Credit:

Daniel Boczarski/Redferns; Neon/CNN Films; Mark Mahaney/Netflix

The days are growing longer, and what better way to fill them than with new information? Netflix's robust documentary catalog is regularly restocked with the most interesting nonfiction films, with entries from around the world.

Highlights this month include the new documentary *Marty: Life Is Short*, a biographical look at actor Martin Short's life spent finding the funny while navigating tragedies. Also worth watching are two diametrically opposite films from 2024: *The Lost Children* is an against-all-odds tale of survival from Colombia, and *Secret Mall Apartment* is an off-beat story about eight artists squatting in a Providence shopping center for four years.

There's always more to learn. Here's **’s list of the 31 best documentaries on Netflix.

13th (2016)

A woman sitting in a chair in '13th'. Netflix

The 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, but this searing documentary argues that both have only taken on different forms in the years since its adoption. The Emmy-winning work, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay, traces the systematic oppression of Black Americans following the official end of slavery in 1865, from segregation to the disproportionate targeting of minorities during the war on drugs to the prison-industrial complex, of which private contractors have benefited financially.

DuVernay tackles varied and complicated forms of corruption here, but *13th* is carefully plotted to show how each act of disenfranchisement leads to another, serving as a riveting rallying cry. —*Kevin Jacobsen*

Where to watch *13th*: Netflix

**Director:** Ava DuVernay

All the Empty Rooms (2025)

In the documentary short *All the Empty Rooms*, journalist Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp cross the United States, photographing and memorializing the abandoned bedrooms of children and teenagers killed in school shootings. The film’s mission is to put a human face on the gun violence crisis, and the production couldn’t have accomplished their goal in a more visceral way. A true emotional gut punch, *All the Empty Rooms* reminds viewers that children once lived, slept, and dreamed in these now-vacant rooms. Moving with empathy and compassion, Hartman and Bopp capture how these spaces help loved ones grieve and remember. *—Ilana Gordon*

Where to watch *All the Empty Rooms*: Netflix

**Director: **Joshua Seftel

**Cast:** Steve Hartman, Lou Bopp

American Factory (2019)

Workers in a windshield factory in Dayton, Ohio, in 'American Factory'. Netflix

This first film from Barack and Michelle Obama's production company Higher Ground — and winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature — is an even-handed look at the trials and tribulations of a Chinese-owned windshield factory in Dayton, Ohio. As its domestic workers are tasked with more intensive labor for lower pay, their Chinese employers experience culture shock while adjusting to the American way of life.

Told with matter-of-fact honesty, *American Factory* drew rave reviews that included EW's critic, who notes, "The heart and soul of *American Factory*, like all American factories, is never really politics of course; it's people." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *American Factory*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B+

**Directors:** Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert

Amy (2015)

Amy Winehouse on the poster for 'Amy'. A24/Courtesy Everett Collection

A haunting documentary celebrating a once-in-a-lifetime talent, *Amy* offers a glimpse into the world of a young jazz singer with a musical gift developed far beyond her years. Propelled into fame at an early age and ridiculed by the media, Amy Winehouse's journey from vocal prodigy to cautionary tale premiered four years after her tragic death at age 27.

Featuring direction from Asif Kapadia, *Amy *does right by its namesake, celebrating her love of music and interrogating how that passion was dulled by a toxic relationship, familial struggles, and the substances she used to cope with her public existence. Nothing can bring Winehouse back, but this documentary does its best to capture her life in all its glory and complexity. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Amy*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A

**Director: **Asif Kapadia

**Cast:** Amy Winehouse

Apollo 11 (2019)

Buzz Aldrin in 'Apollo 11'. Neon/CNN Films/Sundance Institute

Human achievement leveled up during the summer of 1969 when America successfully sent three astronauts to the moon. In the almost six decades since, the historic Apollo 11 mission has folded into American history and culture, but it’s never been experienced like this.

*Apollo 11*, a 93-minute documentary, takes viewers on an immersive journey behind the scenes of the launch and into the galaxy, thanks to an archival trove of 65mm footage and thousands of hours of audio recordings. The documentary is in a category all its own, with EW’s critic calling it “an inspiring, magical, and transcendent testament to human know-how, ambition, and achievement of the seemingly impossible. It’s, in a word, awesome.”** ***—I.G.*

Where to watch *Apollo 11*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A

**Director: **Todd Douglas Miller

**Cast:** Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Charles Duke, Bruce McCandless

Becoming Led Zeppelin (2025)

Jimmy Page in 'Becoming Led Zeppelin'.

Sony Pictures Classics/Courtesy Everett Collection

The summer of ‘69 wouldn’t have been the same without the formation of Led Zeppelin. The rock band missed the British Invasion, but took America by storm at the end of the ‘60s, becoming the number one music group by 1970, and one of the best-selling acts of all time.

*Becoming Led Zeppelin* is the band’s first authorized documentary and follows the group’s creation and early years together. Featuring three of the four bandmates — John Bonham died in 1980 at 32 years old, his story is presented through archival interviews — *Becoming Led Zeppelin *is music history told right. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Becoming Led Zeppelin*: Netflix

**Director: **Bernard MacMahon

**Cast:** Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Robert Plant

Cover-Up (2025)

Seymour Hersh in 'Cover-Up'.

Mark Mahaney/Courtesy of Netflix

The My Lai massacre. The secret bombing of Cambodia. The Watergate Scandal. Domestic spying conducted by the CIA. Torture at Abu Ghraib. Freelance journalist Seymour Hersh investigated some of the 20th century's most incendiary stories. His reporting created lasting cultural and political impact — and earned him his fair share of enemies.

For the first time ever, Hersh allowed filmmakers into his world of political and military intrigue, offering insight into his reporting process, sources, and body of work. A documentary as gripping as a thriller, *Cover-Up* is a journey through political history via Hersh’s archives and anecdotes. The film is a crucial reminder of the importance of a free press, and its release couldn’t come at a better time. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Cover-Up*: Netflix

**Directors: **Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus

**Cast: **Seymour Hersh

Crip Camp (2020)

Activist Judith Heumann in 'Crip Camp'. Netflix

Following the success of *American Factory*, Higher Ground released this Oscar-nominated documentary about a New York summer camp called Camp Jened, which served as a haven for people with disabilities. Featuring footage of co-director James LeBrecht's experiences there in the early 1970s, the film demonstrates how the campers went on to fight in the disability rights movement of the late-20th century.

Balancing warmth with the urgency of its message, *Crip Camp* gives a more three-dimensional view of this marginalized community than most films, emphasizing the power of advocating for one's rights. As EW's critic writes, "Like most good storytelling, it takes care to make the political personal." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Crip Camp*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A–

**Directors:** Nicole Newnham and James Lebrecht

Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)

Dick Johnson (left) in 'Dick Johnson Is Dead'. Netflix

Life and death are inexorably linked in this unique film by celebrated documentary cinematographer Kirsten Johnson (*Cameraperson*). As her father lives with dementia, Johnson stages various fictional scenarios in which he accidentally dies — from tripping down the stairs to getting hit by a falling air conditioner — which he charmingly acts out for the camera.

What may sound morbid in writing is actually a bittersweet meditation on the stigma surrounding death and a daughter's special way of bonding with her dad before it's too late. Come for the absurdly planned schemes, stay for, as EW's critic observes, "the immeasurable love between [the film's] maker and its muse." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Dick Johnson Is Dead*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A–

**Director:** Kirsten Johnson

Disclosure (2020)

Lilly Wachowski in 'Disclosure'. Ava Benjamin Shorr/Netflix

Similar to the 1995 landmark film *The Celluloid Closet* — which discusses LGBTQ+ representation on screen — this documentary narrows in on depictions of trans characters in Hollywood. From problematic movies such as *The Crying Game* (1992) and *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective* (1994) to groundbreaking shows like *Orange Is the New Black* and *Pose*, *Disclosure* deftly tracks the evolution of trans acceptance and how far we still have to go.

While the footage often speaks for itself, the value of this documentary comes from real-life actors and artists discussing how those cultural depictions shaped not only the societal perception of trans people but also how they view themselves. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Disclosure*: Netflix

**Director:** Sam Feder

Found (2021)

Lily, Chloe, and Sadie in 'Found'. Everett Collection

The effects of China's one-child policy are explored through the stories of three adopted American teenage girls in this rousing documentary. Each is adopted from China and come to discover they're cousins, leading them to explore their ancestry.

What makes *Found* fascinating is in how it allows for multiple perspectives from the cousins — one feels perfectly at home in America, while another is hoping that reconnecting with her roots will provide some resolution. It also makes room to honor the caretakers who house orphaned children and the sensitive nature of the adoption process. Have tissues nearby when watching. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Found*: Netflix

**Director: **Amanda Lipitz

The Greatest Night in Pop (2024)

The dozens of recording artists who participated in singing 'We Are the World,' as documented in 'The Greatest Night in Pop'.

Courtesy of Netflix

Remember that cringeworthy moment when Gal Gadot and a gaggle of celebs sat in their respective lavish homes and recorded a sing-along to John Lennon's "Imagine" during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic? Well, let's rewind to 1985, when 46 music legends responded to a crisis and produced a hit that made a *real* impact.

Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, artists including Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross united Avengers-style in A&M studio to record "We Are the World" — a chart-topping anthem that raised more than $80 million to combat famine in Africa, clinched four Grammys (including Record of the Year and Song of the Year), and became one of the best-selling singles of all time. *—James Mercadante*

Where to watch *The Greatest Night in Pop*: Netflix

**Director:** Bao Nguyen

Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (2022)

A woman from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints being interviewed in 'Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey'.

Courtesy of Netflix

When did serving as a religious leader turn into a quest to have sex with as many underage girls as possible? That’s the question *Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey* attempts to answer in its four-episode docu-series centered on Warren Jeffs, former head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). This documentary draws you in as it explores the philosophies and teachings of the FLDS, Jeffs’ rise to power, the many girls forced to become wives and mothers before their time, and the families torn apart by his misdeeds. —*Diedre Johnson*

Where to watch *Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey*: Netflix

**EW grade: **A–

**Directors: **Rachel Dretzin, Grace McNally

The Lost Children (2024)

Magdalena Mucutuy in 'The Lost Children'.

In 2023, a small plane containing seven people — including four children under the age of 13 — crashed in the Colombian Amazon. When rescuers located the aircraft in the jungle two weeks after the accident, they found the bodies of the three adult passengers — but the kids were missing.

An astonishing tale of survival, *The Lost Children* details how the children's Indigenous upbringing prepared them to withstand their punishing environment, and highlights how the search and rescue effort aligned two groups historically at odds: the Colombian military and local native communities. The events are recent, but the storytelling is timeless. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Lost Children*: Netflix

**Directors: **Jorge Duran, Lali Houghton, Orlando von Einsiedel

Marty: Life Is Short (2026)

Martin Short in 'Marty: Life Is Short'.

Courtesy of Netflix

With a comedic resume that includes *SCTV*, *Saturday Night Live*, and almost five decades' worth of film, TV, and stage work, Martin Short built his career on making people laugh. His ability to do so is a superpower, enhanced by years of early personal loss. Orphaned at 20 years old and the youngest of five siblings (the eldest who died in a car accident when Short was 12), Short’s joyful approach to comedy and life gave him a unique lens through which to view Hollywood and made him a beloved figure among his large cadre of industry pals and co-workers. Director Lawrence Kasdan (1983's *The Big Chill*) — another longtime friend — invites a few of Short’s closest comedy peers to help flesh out the actor’s story, and explain how metabolizing tragedy can shape a life of positivity. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Marty: Life is Short*: Netflix

**Director:** Lawrence Kasdan

**Cast: **Martin Short, Steve Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin

Miss Americana (2020)

Taylor Swift in 'Miss Americana'.

Courtesy of Netflix

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour inspired one of the biggest pop culture conversations of 2023, but even as Swift proved over and over why she’s one of the best in the business, it’s worth traveling back in time a few years to a period when her reputation was on the line and much less respect was afforded to her work. *Miss Americana** *allows Swift the chance to get truly vulnerable, scrubbing away her strategically crafted image to reveal the human being behind the lyrics.

Swift opens up about her struggles with feuds and fame, her issues with disordered eating, her political frustrations, and ultimately, the responsibility she feels towards her fans, her music, and her legacy. *Miss Americana *will, as EW’s reviewer writes, make “you wish you’d seen more of this Taylor a long time ago.” *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Miss Americana*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A–

**Director: **Lana Wilson

**Cast: **Taylor Swift

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My Octopus Teacher (2020)

Craig Foster and an octopus in 'My Octopus Teacher'.

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2021, *My Octopus Teacher *is a story of relationships, as told by a filmmaker who bonds with an octopus. Craig Foster spent a year free-diving and following an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, and the bond he develops with the animal as she invites him into her underwater life helps to inform and transform his relationships with his fellow humans — especially his son.

It takes a talented production team to make a movie about sea creatures feel like an important story about humanity, but this crew pulls it off, creating a piece of art that is affecting, educational, and inspiring. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *My Octopus Teacher*: Netflix

**Directors: **Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed

**Cast: **Craig Foster, Tom Foster** **

The Only Girl in the Orchestra (2023)

Orin O'Brien in 'The Only Girl in the Orchestra'.

Courtesy of Netflix

In 1966, there were 104 members of the New York Philharmonic: 103 men and one woman. The woman’s name is Orin O’Brien, and she was hired by Leonard Bernstein to play double bass. As the first woman invited to perform in the orchestra, O’Brien’s incredible story as a pioneer within classical music was captured by her niece, filmmaker Molly O’Brien, and won the Best Documentary Short at the 2025 Oscars. The film is only 35 minutes long, but it packs a punch, allowing O’Brien to reflect on her love of craft and 55-year career with the Philharmonic, which ended when she retired in 2021. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Only Girl in the Orchestra*: Netflix

**Director: **Molly O'Brien

**Cast: **Orin O'Brien

The Perfect Neighbor (2025)

Ajike Owens' family in 'The Perfect Neighbor'.

Courtesy of Netflix

Florida is known for employing a stand-your-ground law, a legal policy that provides residents the option of employing lethal force rather than retreating as a means of self-defense. The law has proven controversial in the past, but in 2023, it was tested when 35-year-old Ajike Owens was shot through a locked door while waiting to speak with her neighbor.

*The Perfect Neighbor* gives an unvarnished accounting of the events leading up to and following Owens’ murder using body cam footage collected during the police’s prior visits to the killer’s house. What emerges is a documentary free from editorializing — the story is told by Ajike, her neighbors, the police investigating the conflicts, and the killer herself. The events in the film are hard to stomach, but the systemic issues the documentary highlights make *The Perfect Neighbor* a must-watch. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Perfect Neighbor*: Netflix

**Director:** Geeta Gandbhir

Race to the Summit (2023)

An alpinist on the face of a mountain in 'Race to the Summit'.

Fans of *Free Solo *will find new heights to explore in *Race to the Summit*. This sports and climbing documentary chronicles the rivalry between alpinists Ueli Steck and Dani Arnold as both climbers race to secure the fastest times on their ascents up the Swiss Alps' great north faces.

As with all climbing documentaries, non-climbers will struggle to understand what drives a person to risk their life like this, but the film’s stunning vistas and the athletes’ dedication to their sport needs no explanation. Viewers with fears of heights may want to steer clear, however: These shots are guaranteed to raise your heart rate and take your breath away. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Race to the Summit*: Netflix

**Directors: **Nicholas de Taranto, Götz Werner** **

**Cast: **Dani Arnold, Alex Honnold, Ueli Steck

Rolling Thunder Revue (2019)

Joan Baez and Bob Dylan in 'Rolling Thunder Revue'. Netflix

Martin Scorsese blurs the line between fiction and reality in this glimpse into Bob Dylan's eponymous 1975 tour. The director blends archival footage with modern interviews from those who were in the singer's circle, including Joan Baez and Sam Shepard, as well as from fictional characters, played by the likes of Sharon Stone and Michael Murphy. This fluid style pays tribute to Dylan's 1978 film *Renaldo and Clara*, which also combines documentary footage and fictional vignettes.

While your enjoyment may vary depending on your tolerance for experimentation, EW's critic writes, "The Rolling Thunder Revue was Dylan's personal magical mystery tour — and in Scorsese's hands, there's no shortage of magic or mystery." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Rolling Thunder Revue*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A–

**Director:** Martin Scorsese

Secret Mall Apartment (2024)

A man in red shorts walking into a living room in 'Secret Mall Apartment'.

One of 2024’s buzziest documentaries began as a Rhode Island urban legend. In 2003, a group of eight young adults snuck a secret apartment into a new mall in Providence. The artists squatted there for four years without detection, until one of them was discovered.

The documentary, released 21 years after the friends first moved in, is a fascinating portrait of a project that started as a protest against gentrification, and evolved into a combination of prank, performance art, and sustained act of meta-rebellion. The events depicted in *Secret Mall Apartment* occurred years before filming everyday life became de rigueur, but the eight artists who lived in the shopping center recorded everything using RadioShack cameras, giving director Jeremy Workman plenty of visual highlights to illustrate the story. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Secret Mall Apartment*: Netflix

**Director: **Jeremy Workman

**Cast:** Michael Townsend, Colin Bliss, Adriana Valdez-Young, Andrew Oesch, Greta Scheing

The Social Dilemma (2020)

Tristan Harris, Sandy Parakilas, and Roger McNamee in 'The Social Dilemma'. Everett Collection

"I always felt like, fundamentally, it was a force for good," says Alex Roetter, former head of engineering for Twitter in this incisive documentary. "I don't know if I feel that way anymore." *The Social Dilemma* dives deep into the manipulation tactics of sites like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Instagram to keep users hooked and the negative consequences that result — from the spread of misinformation to depression and suicide.

The doc features various talking heads from former employees of these social media sites, who explain their companies' insidious practices. Additionally, the film presents a dramatization of an average family of five to demonstrate social media addiction in various forms. After watching *The Social Dilemma*, which presents its thesis in sobering fashion, it will be hard not to think twice before mindlessly scrolling Facebook or Instagram again. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *The Social Dilemma*: Netflix

**Director:** Jeff Orlowski

''Sr.'' (2022)

Robert Downey Sr. in ''Sr.''. Everett Collection

Before Robert Downey Jr. became one of the faces of mainstream cinema, there was his counterculture filmmaker father. Robert Downey Sr. made a name for himself in the independent cinema scene in the '60s and '70s, directing a series of anti-establishment films. His life is profiled in this moving documentary, delving into his unconventional career and his relationship with his son.

Downey Jr. — one of the producers on *"Sr."* — unpacks family traumas and shares his remembrances of his father throughout the doc. The film serves as a deeply personal tribute from a son to a father, and a loving eulogy, as Downey Sr. died in 2021 from complications of Parkinson's disease. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *"Sr."*: Netflix

**Director:** Chris Smith

Tell Me Who I Am (2019)

Marcus Lewis and Alex Lewis in 'Tell Me Who I Am'. Netflix

Documentaries don’t come much more riveting — or harrowing — than *Tell Me Who I Am*. The film centers around a pair of middle-aged identical British twins: Alex and Marcus Lewis. When Alex was 18, a motorcycle accident resulted in brain damage, impairing his memory and leaving him with only one truth: Marcus was his brother, and he could trust him implicitly.

Marcus helped Alex rebuild his life, but when the twins were 32, they discovered a photo in their deceased parents’ home that sent both of their realities spiraling. EW’s critic writes, “the truth, when it does come out, is devastating — to the point that it can feel invasive to watch such a profoundly private moment unfold on camera for our benefit.” *—I.G*

Where to watch *Tell Me Who I Am*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B

**Director: **Ed Perkins

**Cast:** Alex Lewis, Marcus Lewis

To Kill a Tiger (2023)

A young woman sits with her back to the camera in 'To Kill a Tiger'.

One of the best documentaries to premiere in 2022, *To Kill a Tiger *is a Canadian film that tells the story of one family’s fight for justice for their 13-year-old after news of her rape becomes public in their small village in India. Emotional, educational, and deeply personal, the film was nominated for a Best Documentary Feature Oscar in 2024, and cleaned up on the film festival circuit in 2023. Executive produced by Mindy Kaling, Dev Patel, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and the poet Rupi Kaur, among others, *To Kill a Tiger *is a necessary film with an important message, told and packaged with bravery and compassion by director Nisha Pahuja.** ***—I.G*

Where to watch *To Kill a Tiger*: Netflix

**Director: **Nisha Pahuja

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish (2025)

Lauryn Licari in 'Unknown Number: The High School Catfish'.

Courtesy of Netflix

In 2021, a scandal divided a small town in Michigan. A high school girl and her boyfriend started receiving threatening texts from an unknown number — and no one could figure out who was sending them. The harassment continued for a year, during which time the school, law enforcement, and FBI got involved. They eventually figured out where the texts were coming from, and the culprit shocked *everyone*.

*Unknown Number: The High School Catfish* is one of those documentaries that is so outrageous, it gets people talking. And if you’ve somehow managed to avoid spoilers, log off right now and watch the film before that changes. But even if you’ve had the twist spoiled by the online discourse, the film is still worth watching: It's one of those stories that's so wild, you have to see it to believe it. *—I.G*

Where to watch *Unknown Number: The High School Catfish*: Netflix

**Director: **Skye Borgman

Virunga (2014)

A gorilla and one of the workers fighting to protect the endangered primates in 'Virunga'. Netflix

The Oscar-nominated documentary *Virunga* is one of the prime examples of a documentarian shifting perspectives dramatically to follow the more interesting story. Filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel set out to document the preservation efforts of workers at the Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga National Park to protect endangered gorillas. Shortly into filming, a rebellion by the military group M23 took place in the region, adding further dimension to Einsiedel's original plan.

The doc explores the impact of the rebellion on the park, in addition to the exploits of a British oil company hoping to drill in the area. Unfolding with earned dramatic tension, *Virunga* is urgent and powerful in its message of mankind's destruction on natural environments, while giving us heroes worth rooting for. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Virunga*: Netflix

**Director:** Orlando von Einsiedel

What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)

Nina Simone in 'What Happened, Miss Simone?'. Netflix

Netflix is home to numerous documentaries about celebrities and artists, but few have led a life as fascinating as Nina Simone's. The iconic jazz blues singer — responsible for definitive versions of such classics as "Feeling Good," "I Put a Spell on You," and "Sinnerman," as well as originals like "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" — was an outspoken activist during the civil rights movement, infusing progressive messages into her music and risking her own career to stand up for what she believed in. *What Happened, Miss Simone?* will have you searching for her virtuosic performances on YouTube for hours on end. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *What Happened, Miss Simone?*: Netflix

**Director:** Liz Garbus

Will & Harper (2024)

Will Ferrell and Harper Steele in 'Will & Harper'.

*Saturday Night Live* launched Will Ferrell’s comedy career and turned castmates and co-writers into lifelong pals. Ferrell’s nearly 30-year friendship with one of the show’s former head writers changed one day when he received an email stating that said writer was transitioning to live as a woman.

*Will & Harper* follows Ferrell and comedy writer Harper Steele as the two embark on a road trip across America to better understand their new dynamic and explore this next phase in their friendship. A buddy comedy unlike any you’ve seen before, *Will & Harper* is an ongoing conversation about show business, platonic relationships, and living one's authentic life in modern America. Since leaving *SNL*, Ferrell has taken on dramatic roles, but never has he been more human and honest than in this prescient and funny documentary. *—I.G*

Where to watch *Will & Harper*: Netflix

**Director: **Josh Greenbaum

**Cast: **Will Ferrell, Harper Steele

Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom (2015)

Someone waving Ukraine's flag in 'Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom'. Everett Collection

Released seven years before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, *Winter on Fire* follows a Ukrainian fight of a different kind. The visceral documentary centers on the Maidan Uprising of 2013 and 2014, which began after a free-trade deal with the European Union fell through at the last minute, with then-Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych making a deal with Russia instead.

Through immersive on-the-ground footage, *Winter on Fire* tracks protestors from peaceful demonstrations to violent confrontations with police as people from all walks of life fight against a government preventing them from moving forward as a nation. The galvanizing documentary earned an Oscar nomination, and director Evgeny Afineevsky released a companion film in 2022, *Freedom on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom*, which chronicles the Russian invasion. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom*: Netflix

**Director:** Evgeny Afineevsky

- Documentary Movies

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Documentary"

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Source: Documentary

Published: June 5, 2026 at 09:38AM on Source: MORNING MAG

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June 05, 2026

The 31 best documentaries on Netflix

School is out, but documentaries are always in. The 31 best documentaries on Netflix School is out, but documentaries are always in...

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