One of the best parts about the sci-fi movie genre, one of the key factors that has made it one of the most popular and prolific in the medium, is the fact that it pretty much has no limits. Over the course of cinema’s history, some of the most talented filmmakers have let their imaginations reach their wildest extents to craft some of the most original movies the world has ever seen. Sometimes, these stories are set on unique, often futuristic versions of Earth. Some other times, however, they bring audiences to a different spot in space entirely.
From older classics likeForbidden Planetto more modern gems likeAvatar: The Way of Water, there are plenty of outstanding sci-fi movies set outside the confines of what we know as reality. These are stories set on planets that reflect Earth in some very interesting ways, whether that’s visually, thematically, or purely in terms of rich world-building. For consistency’s sake,only movies that don’t take Earth into account at all are able to qualify.
10’Fantastic Planet' (1973)
Planet: Ygam
The French animated classicFantastic Planetis one of the trippiest, most psychedelic experiences one can have with animated cinema. Considered by many one ofthe best foreign animated films, it’s set on a faraway planet where mysterious blue giants rule. There, oppressed humanoids rebel against their machine-like leaders.
Fantastic Planetis certainly too mature for kids and too bizarre for those expecting anything other than pure arthouse, but it’s still an essential watch for sci-fi fans.Its planet of Ygam is visually unique and delightfully strange, with some gorgeously drawn exotic localesand a native race that’s among animation’s most visually distinct aliens.
Fantastic Planet
9’Pitch Black' (2000)
Planet: M6-117
One ofthe most underrated sci-fi action moviesof the 2000s,Pitch Blackmay not be a movie with any particular artistic merit, but it definitely is an awful lot of fun. It was the premier installment of theChronicles of Riddickfranchise, following the Furyan antihero with surgically enhanced eyes that allow him to see in the dark. He’s part of the crew of a transport ship that crashes on the desert planet M6-117, which is inhabited by bloodthirsty creatures that come out during an eclipse.
Easily the best installment in the franchise, as well as one ofVin Diesel’s most memorable films and performances,Pitch Blacktakes a simple but interesting concept and finds in it a source for great suspense. M6-117 is itself a phenomenal setting for the story, with a quasi-surreal design and fearsome native creatures that make for an effectively terrifying enemy.
Pitch Black
8’Avatar: The Way of Water' (2022)
Planet: Pandora
The Pandora moon fromJames Cameron’sAvatarfranchise should need no introduction. With a themed area dedicated to it in Disney World’s Animal Kingdom, it’s evident that it’s already become one of cinema’s most iconic fictional locations. But while the originalAvatarfailed to squeeze out all the juice that Pandora had to offer, the sequel,Avatar: The Way of Water(where Jake has to protect his home and family from a familiar threat) improved on everything that its predecessor didn’t do particularly well.
InWay of Water,Pandora feels grander, more lived-in, and more alive than ever before. Thanks to the introduction of a new water biome (which makes this one ofJames Cameron’s wettest movies), the movie gets to explore all sorts of creative concepts and introduce all sorts of fun creatures. With some of the most visually striking shots of Cameron’s filmography, this is a world that audiences are sure to want to return to in subsequent installments.
7’Treasure Planet' (2002)
Planets: Various
Nowadays,Treasure Planetis so often referred to as one of Disney Animation’s most criminally underrated efforts, that it may not actually be so underrated anymore. ThoughTreasure Planetwas an all-around failureat the time of its release, this story about a teenager setting off into space in search of a space pirate’s hidden treasureis now one of the most beloved sci-fi films in its studio’s library.
Starting off in the protagonist’s native planet of Montressor, and later traveling to the titular Treasure Planet, the film is a creative sci-fi turn onRobert Louis Stevenson’sTreasure Island. Full of ships, pirates, advanced gadgets, and intriguing secrets begging to be dissected, the planet is a fittingly engrossing location for such an entertaining story.
Treasure Planet
6’Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' (2023)
The only installment of the trilogy that doesn’t have scenes set on Earth,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, coincidentally, may just be the best in the series. It follows Peter Quill and his team, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, having to defend the universe and one of their own — a mission that could mean the end of the Guardians of the Galaxy if unsuccessful.
With a surprisingly resonant emotional core, some of the coolest action sequences in the MCU, and several ofMarvel’s most badass charactersin action,Guardians Vol. 3is the perfect way to close off what may be Marvel Studios' best trilogy. The movie’s planets — from the familiar, like the mysterious Knowhere, to the new, like the High Evolutionary’s Counter-Earth—aresmartly constructed and fun-to-explore locations that greatly boost the film’s entertainment factor.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Watch on Disney+
5’Aliens' (1986)
Planet: LV-426
Seven years afterRidley Scotttook the world by storm withAlien, James Cameron released an unexpected sequel:Aliens, which brought the franchise more toward action territory — to terrific effect. It’s set decades after the Nostromo incident from the original. Ripley has been sent out to re-establish contact with a terraforming colony on the planet where she first found the Xenomorph. As expected, violence ensues.
Aliensis one ofthe best R-rated horror films of the ’80s, packed with Cameron’s signature yet also unmistakably a sequel toAlien. Simply turning the first installment’s title into a plural for a sequel may sound like a silly idea, butAliensmakes it work wonders.The LV-426 moon orbiting the gas giant Calpamos feels even more horrifying than it did in the original, with more, bigger, and meaner aliens threatening the main characters' lives.
4’Forbidden Planet' (1956)
Planet: Altair IV
One ofthe best classic B-moviesof Hollywood’s Golden Age,Forbidden Planetfollows a starship crew in the 23rd century, who goes to investigate the silence of a distant planet’s human colony. They only find two survivors, a powerful robot, and the deadly secret of a lost civilization. A loose sci-fi adaptation ofWilliam Shakespeare’sThe Tempest, the film does a surprisingly good job at everything it sets out to do.
With a phenomenal script, beautiful sets, andvisual effects that remain impressive nearly seventy years later,Forbidden Planetis far more than just eye candy. It’s delightfully imaginative, enjoyably campy, and pulpy enough to join the ranks of the greatest sci-fi flicks of the ’50s. It’s set on the planet of Altair IV, and despite not exactly having the biggest budget ever at his disposal, directorFred M. Wilcoxwas able to create one of the most interesting, fun, and visually pleasing sci-fi settings of the era.
Forbidden Planet
3’Alien' (1979)
Often praised as bothone of the greatest horror movies ever and one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever,Alienis an icon without equal. It’s about the crew of a commercial spacecraft, who, after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin on a sinister moon, find themselves trapped with a deadly lifeform aboard their ship.
The perfect introduction of the Xenomorph, one ofcinema’s most iconic monsters, Ridley Scott’sAlienis a masterclass in slow-burning, artistic sci-fi and monster horror. Though the vast majority of it is set aboard the Nostromo starship, the crew’s visit to LV-426 (prior to it becoming a human colony) is the event that kicked off this prolific franchise, and it lives up to that legacy. The few scenes that Scott gives audiences in this world are chilling, grim, and nothing short of terrifying.
Watch on Hulu
2’Dune: Part Two' (2024)
Planet: Arrakis
For a long time, especially followingAlejandro Jodorowsky’s failed attempt at adapting it andDavid Lynch’s successful yet terrible effort doing the same,Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi masterpieceDunewas assumed to be unadaptable. Along came exceptional Canadian filmmakerDenis Villeneuveand proved the naysayers wrong. His 2021Duneis great enough, but it’sDune: Part Twothat’s guaranteed to remain in the annals of history as one of the greatest sci-fi movies of the 21st century.
A riveting desert adventurefollowing the completion of Paul Atreides’s journey for revenge against those who destroyed his family,Dune: Part Twomixesthe best parts of Herbert’s imagination with the most intriguing corners of Villeneuve’s mind. It’s a sprawling, epic odyssey through the richly-constructed desert planet of Arrakis. Villeneuve achieves in just under three hours the kind of complex world-building that some directors aren’t able to convey in a whole franchise, making his Dune a planet as fascinating and often jaw-dropping as Herbert’s original.
Dune: Part Two
1The ‘Star Wars’ Original Trilogy
When the average movie viewer thinks of “sci-fi,” there’s a solid chance that the first films that’ll come to their mind will beGeorge Lucas’sStar Warsfranchise. But while every single installment has had nuanced and entertaining world-building, it’s hard to deny that the original trilogy is unparalleled in that department. Following the Hero’s Journey of a young farmer who becomes the galaxy’s last hope against the tyrannical Empire, these three are amongthe most influential sci-fi filmsof all time.
From the scorching-hot deserts of Tattooine inEpisode IV — A New Hope, to the claustrophobic Cloud City in Bespin inEpisode V — The Empire Strikes Back, to the forest moon of Endor inEpisode VI — Return of the Jedi, Lucas’s creationhas not just one, but numerous of the coolest and most interesting fictional planets in all of media. There are many things that make theStar Warsoriginal trilogy such a culturally important piece of filmmaking, and the atmospheric locations are definitely among the biggest.
