The Best Sci Fi Movies of 2019 (So Far)

The thing about science fiction is that even though it tends to be about a high-concept setup, it’s usually about something more fundamental. That makes it the perfect genre for our times, and in 2019, we’ve so far gotten a lot of sci-fi movies that explore what it means to be a person—especially a person living in chaos. There’s an android striving to understand her past, a monster trying to be heard, and a band of criminals struggling to hold onto their humanity in deep space.

Below are the best sci-fi movies of 2019. We’ll update as more of them come out.

Alita: Battle Angel (February 14)

Who’s In It?

Rosa Salazar, Mahershala Ali, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly.

What Is It?

Robert Rodriguez directed this uncanny-looking flick about an android woman who is found in a junk heap, revived, and raised by a loving scientist surrogate father. With the futuristic world under constant threat, she realizes that the key to its survival might be finding out about where she came from. Cue quest!

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Alita: Battle Angel | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX

From visionary filmmakers James Cameron (AVATAR) and Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY), comes ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment. When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories. But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city come after Alita that she discovers a clue to her past – she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love. Directed by: Robert Rodriguez Screenplay by: James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis Based on the Graphic Novel ("Manga") Series: "Gunnm" By Yukito Kishiro Produced by: James Cameron and Jon Landau Cast: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, Keean Johnson

Captain Marvel (March 8)

Who’s In It?

Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Lashana Lynch, Jude Law, Annette Bening, Gemma Chan.

What Is It?

Just before the release of Avengers: End Game, we finally got the origin story of the strongest Avenger of them all: Captain Marvel. Played by Brie Larson, Carol Danvers—a.k.a. the Cap herself—is a fighter pilot who taps into a secret alien power in order to save Earth from an intergalactic war. Casual.

High Life (April 12)

Who’s In It?

Juliette Binoche, Robert Pattinson, André Benjamin, Mia Goth

What Is It?

A group of criminals serving life sentences are sent on a rocket ship to find alternative energy sources from a black hole, but Binoche’s Dr. Dibs is also using them for various experiments (many involving artificial insemination and conception in space). It’s gory, trippy, sexy, and very strange—and the way its timeline unravels will have you guessing the true nature of the voyage until the very end. Directed by French auteur Claire Denis.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31)

Who’s In It?

Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, Ken Watanabe, Bradley Whitford.

What Is It?

Sure, Godzilla movies can be hit or miss in terms of actual content, but it’s never short on spectacle. And this installment goes hard: All the titans of the Godzilla universe, including my girl Mothra, have come to play, and only Godzilla can protect Earth from the other giant monsters. Perfect summer action flick fodder.