The 5 best sci-fi movies to watch on Netflix, Prime, and Max this June

Summer is officially here, readers of Polygon. The sun is shining, the breeze is luxurious and a huge amount of exciting new movies are ready to hit the cinema screens in the coming months. However, if you’re someone who prefers the comfort and convenience of watching movies from home, don’t worry – that’s what we’re here for.

Each month, we pick five sci-fi movies to watch at home, on Netflix, and other streaming platforms. This month we have films from acclaimed directors like James Cameron and Jordan Peele, as well as other contemporary sci-fi classics for audiences looking for thrills, chills and an abundance of heart.

Let’s get into it.

---

Terminator 2: doomsday

Year: 1991
Duration: 2h 33m
Director: James Cameron
Form: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick

James Cameron’s successor The terminator is much more action-oriented than the horror-tinged sci-fi original. Eleven years after the first movie, Skynet has once again sent a Terminator into the past to kill a Connor. The target is now young John Connor (Edward Furlong) and the Terminator is a new shape-shifting model (Robert Patrick). For an added twist on the premise of the original film, the T-800 that served as the antagonist in Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has now been sent back to protect the Connors from the threat.

With groundbreaking use of CGI that still looks fantastic to this day, T2 is a milestone for big action movies and the digital effects industry. Robert Patrick’s liquid metal Terminator featured one of the first recorded uses of motion capture for visual effects – and absolutely amazing. And with Arnold’s recent switch to television with Fubar (and his new “role” as Netflix’s Chief Action Officer), what better time than now to catch up with one of his best movies? —Pete Volk

Terminator 2: doomsday is available to stream on Netflix. It is also available for rent Amazon, AppleAnd Vudu.

Avatar: the way of the water

Year: 2022
Duration: 3h 12m
Director: James Cameron
Form: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver

Yes, back-to-back Cameron selections, but for good reason: the biggest blockbuster of 2022 is finally available to stream at home. Cameron’s long-awaited sequel to his 2009 epic sci-fi film avatar is a spectacular feat of visual storytelling in the service of a narrative of adoptive families, ecological devastation, industrial colonialism and clashing cultures.

16 years after the events of the first film, Avatar: the way of the water follows the human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully, his wife Neytiri, and their family as they are forced to flee their home in the wake of the human army’s return to Pandora to plunder the moon of its natural resources. Taking refuge with the aquatic Metkayina clan, Jake must face a resurrected Avatar clone of his old nemesis Quaritch to protect his family and way of life.

From the cutting-edge 3D visuals and breathtaking action sequences to the thoughtful characters and moving writing, Avatar: the way of the water is a viewing by appointment for all fans of science fiction movies. —Toussaint Egan

Avatar: the way of the water is available to stream on Disney Plus And max. It is also available for rent Amazon, AppleAnd Vudu.

District 9

Year: 2009
Duration: 1h 52m
Director: Neil Blomkamp
Form: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James

This allegorical sci-fi action film remains the most impressive and entertaining film from sci-fi veteran Neill Blomkamp, ​​who directs the upcoming film. Gran Turismo movie. With a strong setting and imaginative imperfect characters, balanced with moment-to-moment explosive suspense and suspense. District 9 is set in an alternate universe where, after an alien spacecraft becomes stranded in the skies over Johannesburg, the local government sets up an internment camp to quarantine the ship’s malnourished alien inhabitants (derisively known as “shrimp”) as they attempt to the secrets of the ship’s design and origins.

The film revolves around Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley), a clumsy bureaucrat infected with an alien fluid that steadily transforms him into one of the aliens themselves. With time running out, Wikus must help a District 9 resident find a fuel source for his makeshift dropship in order to escape Earth in exchange for a cure. Inspired by Blomkamp’s own experiences growing up in Johannesburg and real-life events of apartheid-era South Africa, District 9 is a fascinating sci-fi action film that doubles as a thoughtful allegory on xenophobia and institutional class discrimination. -AT

District 9 is available to stream on max. It is also available for rent Amazon, AppleAnd Vudu.

No

Year: 2022
Duration: 2 hours 10 minutes
Director: Jordan Peele
Form: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun

Jordan Peele’s 2022 sci-fi horror neo-western may be the director’s most divisive film to date, but it nonetheless remains one of the most unique and provocative original horror films to come out in recent history.

After experiencing an unexplained tragedy, two horse-wrestling siblings become convinced that their farm is haunted by a mysterious alien entity. In an effort to capture footage of the creature, the siblings’ quest for fame and fortune becomes increasingly perilous as the creature grows bolder and bolder.

A genre-blurring horror spectacle that dissects the gruesome nature of ‘spectacle’ itself, No is an ambitious and exciting film, even during the moments when the scope is beyond its reach. -AT

No is available to stream on Prime video. It is also available for rent Amazon, AppleAnd Vudu.

The end of the world

Year: 2013
Duration: 1h 49m
Director: Edgar Wright
Form: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine

The third and final installment in Edgar Wright’s Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy follows a group of estranged childhood friends who, now in their 40s, reunite in an attempt to recreate a failed pub crawl in their hometown. Unfortunately for them, their hometown has been invaded by alien android lookalikes.

The end of the world is a hilarious apocalyptic sci-fi comedy, complete with Wright’s requisite penchant for fast-paced dialogue and sharp editing, but it’s also a gripping drama about a man’s unwillingness to let go of the past and his slow journey to overcome his own mistakes. recognize and make amends with the people who matter most to him.

It may not be as iconic as Shaun of the deador as exquisite of a parody as Busy hassleBut The end of the world is certainly a great movie to close out a trilogy. -AT

The World’s End is available to stream on Prime video. It is also available for rent Amazon, AppleAnd Vudu.