131 Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy Movies to Watch (Page 4)

Undead Unluck is such a strange anime with such a strange duo. Named after their respective powers, the undead Andy seems familiar with his Deadpool-like regeneration, albeit with such a fast rate that he can shoot out body parts with such gruesome animation. However it’s the unlucky Fuuko that brings them to the most absurd comedic scenarios, including, but not limited to, surviving a giant truck crash, a lightning strike, and a whole meteor. In order to achieve their goal of dying, they have to build up a bond to maximize her unluck. As they learn more about Fuuko’s abilities, as well as the organization hunting them down, it’s likely that they’ll go through wackier situations that will escalate as the show progresses. It’s definitely something uniquely watchable, if you can handle the off-putting gore that’s part and parcel of Andy’s powers.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Aoi Yuki, Kenji Nomura, Koji Yusa, Mariya Ise, Moe Kahara, Natsuki Hanae, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Rie Kugimiya, Rikiya Koyama, Yuichi Nakamura

Rating: TV-MA

Bright, breezy, and refreshingly unburdened by the seriousness of so many live-action Superman shows and movies, this new animated series wipes the slate clean and boils down the titular hero to his most endearing qualities. Here, Clark Kent is still learning to be more in touch with his identity and emotions—most evident in his enigmatic flashbacks to his childhood, and in his absolute nervousness around the energetic and spontaneous Lois Lane. So while the action and the intrigue in My Adventures with Superman are still somewhat ordinary for an animated series, the undeniable, bashful chemistry between its two leads is what keeps these adventures worth going on. It's a romcom and a coming-of-age story wrapped in a classic superhero adventure, where selflessness and courage are firmly at the heart of everything.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Family, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Alice Lee, Ishmel Sahid, Jack Quaid

Rating: TV-PG

In their ninth drama collaboration, director Park Chan-hong and writer Kim Ji-woo partner again to deliver a murder mystery in Miraculous Brothers. The first few episodes juggle multiple plotlines between the novelist, the amnesiac boy he crashes into, and the serial murders, and at first, it seems unclear what links all of them. However, as the series successfully maintains its suspense for the two driving mysteries, it also makes it easy to root for the main characters – the superpowered empath and the reluctant writer – as they seek justice for crimes committed long before. The series shines best when the two become closer, and when the developing dynamic pushes Yuk Dong-joo closer to admitting the truth.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Bae Hyeon-seong, Jung Woo, Lee Ki-woo, Oh Man-seok, Park Yu-rim

Director: Park Chan-hong

Rating: TV-14

From Mike Flanagan, creator of The Haunting anthology, comes Midnight Mass, a miniseries that is just as gory, unsettling, and supernaturally twisted as any Flanagan horror flick. The series follows an ex-convict who returns to his small town just upon the arrival of a mysterious but alluring priest. As inexplicable events start to happen, the townsfolk hang onto the churchman's words, seeking reassurance where they can. 

With lots to say about religious fanaticism and perpetual grief, Midnight Mass is part of a new wave of layered and thoughtful scary stories currently dominating the genre. While its stately and meditative pace can be overbearing sometimes, it never runs out of things to shock and unnerve the soul.

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, History, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Alex Essoe, Annabeth Gish, Annarah Cymone, Crystal Balint, Hamish Linklater, Henry Thomas, Igby Rigney, Kate Siegel, Kristin Lehman, Louis Oliver, Matt Biedel, Michael Trucco, Rahul Abburi, Rahul Kohli, Robert Longstreet, Samantha Sloyan, Zach Gilford

Rating: TV-MA

Dark Matter may be a sci-fi series, the latest in Apple TV+’s ever-growing roster of the genre, but it’s tonally closer to the sexy, psychological thrillers that used to be so rampant in the early aughts. In the first few episodes, at least, it’s more invested in Jason’s relationship with his wife Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) and doubles as an interrogation of their marriage. Are they really happier together or do they secretly wish they could go back in time to reset their fates? Eventually, the series hews closer to its sci-fi foundations as Jason embarks on a nerve-racking journey to find Daniela and their son, Charlie (Oakes Fegley) amid infinite realities. It’s at this point where the show becomes truly exciting to watch: we see different (sometimes apocalyptic and other times utopic) versions of their life in Chicago and begin to wonder if a happy ending is still in the realm of possibilities or not.

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Alice Braga, Dayo Okeniyi, Jennifer Connelly, Jimmi Simpson, Joel Edgerton, Oakes Fegley

Rating: TV-MA

You just wouldn't expect yet another superhero show from The CW to carry the sort of emotional weight typically reserved for prestige melodramas, but Superman & Lois gets close. In contrast to recent darker portrayals of the Man of Steel, this series allows Clark Kent to remain a nerdy, wholesome dad, whose greatest challenges come from the problems he can't solve with his powers. In fact, some of the superheroics only slow the show down from doing what it does best: navigating different relationships within the Smallville community, exploring various conflicts that can still pop up in a loving marriage, and looking at how Clark and Lois's kids deal with the secrecy around having (or not having) powers.

Strong, character-focused writing and mature, measured performances help put Superman & Lois above a number of its superhero contemporaries. It still falls victim to cheesy situations and occasional stretches of monotony (especially in the second season), but its dedication to human drama over action set pieces and expanding its lore makes it easy to be moved by their most personal problems. This is what DC has needed all this time.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Family, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Alex Garfin, Chad L. Coleman, Dylan Walsh, Elizabeth Tulloch, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Erik Valdez, Inde Navarrette, Sofia Hasmik, Tayler Buck, Tyler Hoechlin, Wolé Parks

These days, pandemic stories can go either of two ways: horribly or profoundly. The realism may be too much to bear, causing so-called pandemic fatigue, or it can compel you to move in the world in kinder, more self-aware ways.

Thankfully, HBO’s overlooked Station Eleven falls under the latter category. Epic, poignant, and lighthearted, the ten-episode miniseries (adapted from the bestselling novel of the same name) is one of the few pandemic-set, post-apocalyptic shows that takes a closer look at the kind and creative ways humans approach survival.

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Science Fiction

Actor: Daniel Zovatto, David Wilmot, Himesh Patel, Lori Petty, Mackenzie Davis, Matilda Lawler, Nabhaan Rizwan, Philippine Velge

Rating: TV-MA

With a wolf deity, wheat harvesting rituals, and farmtown folklore, it may seem that Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf would be a traditional fantasy, filling in the genre void after Frieren’s finale. However, new viewers such as myself would be surprised that this series is known as the “Economics anime”, a reboot of the 2008 series that hasn’t met its ending yet. Of course, older fans might be disappointed at the lack of a season 3, but with its striking first episode, 2024’s Spice and Wolf reassures both old and new fans that there’s still an exciting adventure up ahead, with medieval markets, clashes with the church, and of course, the partnership between wolf girl Holo and merchant Lawrence. And this time, they promise to finally complete this adventure on screen.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Ami Koshimizu, Daisuke Namikawa, Hochu Otsuka, Hozumi Goda, Jun Fukuyama, Mai Nakahara

Though it may seem like it at first, Lockwood & Co. is more than just Ghostbusters by way of YA fiction. For one, it is properly terrifying. The growls and screeches, the misshapen ghosts and the heartstopping jumpscares are all proof that the showrunners know what it takes to create an authentic horror series. The worldbuilding is also impressive; the show rightly doesn't dump all its secrets in one go and instead reveals them slowly and naturally, which adds to its credibility. 

In lesser hands, Lockwood & Co. might have ended up as cheesy child's fare, but with a skilled cast and crew behind it, it proves to be stirring for audiences of any age. The impressive CGI and costume design give it a prestigious sheen (it’s not tacky, in other words), while the tender moments make it as relatable as any well-told teen drama.

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Ali Hadji-Heshmati, Cameron Chapman, Ruby Stokes

Rating: TV-14

Dead Boy Detectives is as light fun as it sounds, but breezy it is not. Its case of the episode formula has fun, at times absurd premises that leads to satisfying conclusions, which makes it feel like a vibrant teen cartoon series. But so much of an episode is banter in the form of bloated dialogue that can go in one ear and quickly out the other. It's colorful, cute, and quirky at times, and it's easy to root for its energetic bits and seamless tying of threads; but all in all, watching one episode after another, it can feel unnecessarily dragged out for the kind of light mystery show that it is.

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Briana Cuoco, George Rexstrew, Jayden Revri, Jenn Lyon, Kassius Nelson, Lukas Gage, Ruth Connell, Yuyu Kitamura

Rating: TV-MA