With Thanksgiving now here, countless audiences across the country will be looking to Netflix for something exciting to watch over the holiday. The service remains at the top of the steaming hierarchy, largely thanks to Netflix’s deep catalog of content spanning genres like sci-fi, action, drama, and everything in between.
Netflix’s constantly growing library ensures every fan will find something to suit their mood, including those wanting some sci-fi thrills. It’s one of the most imaginative and versatile genres in film considering the various subgenres it delves into. This Thanksgiving holiday, audiences can find sci-fi movies on Netflix ranging from Godzilla-themed action to postapocalyptic horror.
Need more Thanksgiving recommendations? Then try 10 great movies to watch on Thanksgiving, the 5 great Netflix thrillers to watch on Thanksgiving, the 10 great Amazon Prime Video movies to watch on Thanksgiving, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2024: all confirmed performers.
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
While the Godzilla franchise has proven to be a pop culture icon for decades, the critical and commercial success of Godzilla Minus One is a massive statement. Produced by Toho, the movie demonstrates how Hollywood-style blockbuster tropes (and budgets) aren’t necessary to make a compelling Godzilla story.
Unlike the recent MonsterVerse’s campy approach with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, director Takashi Yamazaki’s Minus One opts for a grounded, dramatic approach. Set in post-WWII Japan, the plot follows Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), a former kamikaze pilot suffering from PTSD, as he joins the efforts to defeat the monstrous Godzilla.
Godzilla Minus One was acclaimed last year for returning to the 1954 movie’s sci-fi-movie-with-a-message roots. It uses the eponymous beast as symbolism for anti-war messaging and shows how a kaiju movie can, in fact, make its human cast interesting.
Watch Godzilla Minus One and the black-and-white Minus Color version now on Netflix.
A Quiet Place Part II (2021)
In 2018, John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place quickly cemented itself as one of the most exciting sci-fi horror franchises. That critical praise and box office success continued in A Quiet Place Part II, once again with Krasinski in the director’s chair. Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer) reprises her role as Evelyn Abbott.
Now a widow, Evelyn desperately tries to lead her remaining family to safety from the sound-based aliens and find some semblance of civilization. A Quiet Place Part II earned a positive critical reception for ramping up the grueling atmosphere of its predecessor.
The presence of the movie’s sound-sensitive aliens is overwhelming, and the story expands upon its impressive world it established in the first film. So far, this series (now with a prequel in A Quiet Place: Day One) rivals the imaginative world-building of iconic sci-fi horror franchises like Alien.
Watch A Quiet Place Part II now on Netflix.
Upgrade (2018)
The Thanksgiving holiday season is ideally a time for quiet relaxation, but if audiences want some bombast from their sci-fi, Upgrade is an excellent choice. Directed by Wolf Man‘s Leigh Whannell, the movie revolves around Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green), an auto mechanic left paralyzed and widowed after a violent mugging.
Grey, a technophobe, agrees to receive a cybernetic implant to regain motor functions — and carry out his violent vengeance. While the premise is far from novel, Upgrade excels in its straightforward storytelling and over-the-top thrills. Whannell’s cyberpunk film gives The Six Million Dollar Man a more vengeful, modern coat of paint with some grim social commentary to back up the plot’s intrigue.
Watch Upgrade now on Netflix.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Fantasy and sci-fi are seamless fits for the superhero genre, and Netflix has one of Marvel’s best from last year. Co-directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the long-awaited continuation of Miles Morales’ (Shameik Moore) world-hopping exploits.
Alongside Gwen Stacy’s Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld), Miles joins a wider society of Spider-themed heroes to stop the multiversal threat of the Spot (Jason Schwartzman). The mainline MCU may have made a mess of its “Multiverse Saga,” but Across the Spider-Verse proudly stands on its merits. The movie’s animation is dazzling, the voice cast is spectacular, and the sci-fi story is supported by Miles’ coming-of-age-themed arc.
Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse now on Netflix.
Okja (2017)
Bong Joon-ho (Mickey 17) has brought welcome attention to international filmmaking largely thanks to his Academy Award-winning Parasite. But the Netflix-distributed Okja shows how the director’s catalog features a handful of impactful movies. Set against a backdrop of corporate dystopia, a young girl named Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun) lives on a farm with her grandfather and their loving, genetically modified super pig Okja.
However, Mija embarks on an ambitious rescue operation when Okja is whisked away by CEO Lucy Mirando’s (Tilda Swinton) Mirando Corporation. Okja is an emotionally charged sci-fi adventure film and, like other Bong Joon-ho features, it makes some smart societal commentary. The movie tactfully explores the insatiable nature of corporate corruption.
Watch Okja now on Netflix.