Marshmallow
Daniel DelPurgatorio’s indie thriller Marshmallow scratches the itch for anyone who wants their sci-fi to feel a little scary. In Marshmallow, an adolescent boy haunted by nightmares is sent away to summer camp, where only he can see the encroaching terror of the camp’s resident boogeyman, “the Doctor.” A modernized amalgamation of ’80s-era horror like Friday the 13th and The Thing, Marshmallow will make you feel like you’re back around the campfire.
Descendent
Produced by sci-fi horror duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead and directed by Peter Cilella, Descendent follows a security guard and soon-to-be father (played by The Walking Dead’s Ross Marquand) who witnesses a mysterious beam of light in the sky and later wakes up fundamentally changed. A minimalist thriller that plays with the unknown and otherworldly, Descendent will not answer all your questions, but that’s half the fun.
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Predator: Killer of Killers
Sometimes you just want to watch a Predator tear shit up. That’s what Predator: Killer of Killers does with flying colors. In this animated anthology film streaming on Hulu, codirectors Dan Trachtenberg (who helmed the 2022 banger Prey) and Joshua Wassung oversee three different stories set in three different time periods in which a Predator squares off with some of the greatest warriors of human history. From Viking-era Scandanavia to Edo Japan to the front lines of World War II, Predator: Killer of Killers crams three Predator spec scripts into one rollicking 90-minute experience.
Superman
Superman may be the blueprint superhero, but never forget his alien origins. Director James Gunn formally kicks off his reign over DC Studios with Superman, the summer hit that brought the Man of Steel back into the sun. In this soft reboot of the DCU, David Corenswet flies high as the title hero, who tries to assert his goodness after a shocking revelation about his past makes him question his future. With plenty of nods to Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman throughout, Superman marries superhero action with sci-fi imagination.
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
The fourth time’s the charm! After many years and multiple reboots, Marvel’s First Family get the treatment they deserve in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Set in an alternate universe—and a delicious retro-futuristic 1960s—the Fantastic Four work to defend Earth against the planet’s greatest nemesis yet: Galactus, the world eater. You might have seen Fantastic Four movies before, but believe me: You’ve never seen them like this.
The Shrouds
One of David Cronenberg’s most personal movies yet, The Shrouds is another must-see piece of techno body horror from the man who is synonymous with the genre. Vincent Cassel plays Karsh, a wealthy inventor whose new software allows the bereaved to watch the decay of buried loved ones. The technology becomes the center of a conspiracy, all while Karsh grieves the loss of his own wife (Diane Kruger). Set against a near future that looks eerily like our own, Cronenberg’s newest movie is also one of his best in years—the auteur’s vulnerability is naked like never before.
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Love Me
Man makes machine. Man goes extinct. Machine inherits the earth. Or something like that. That’s the gist behind Love Me, a sweet romantic drama about artificial intelligence and genuine souls. Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun costar as the personification of a weather satellite (Yeun) and a buoy (Stewart) who learn what it means to be alive long after humankind. Where most sci-fi movies are foreboding about the sophistication of AI, Love Me supposes that the greatest form of sentience is still being human.
Companion
TV director Drew Hancock makes one hell of an impression in his debut feature, Companion, a delectable sci-fi thriller and black comedy that brings a new face to the “fem-bot” subgenre. Sophie Thatcher plays Iris, who joins her boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid) on a weekend getaway with friends. But the weekend turns into a nightmare after Iris learns she’s an artificial companion robot. Companion brings a bloodied knife to the canon of movies shared by Metropolis, Her, and Ex Machina.
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Mickey 17
We’ve already sung the praises of Mickey 17, but allow us to do it again. In director Bong Joon-ho’s third English-language feature film (after Snowpiercer and Okja), Robert Pattinson plays one of his many clones in the year 2054, when mankind’s expansion to space necessitates a workforce of expendable laborers. Despite his routine deaths, Mickey can’t help but fall for a security agent (Naomi Ackie). Though it didn’t earn the widespread acclaim of Bong’s previous film Parasite, Mickey 17 stands out with daffy humor and scathing social commentary from its observant auteur.
The Assessment
“What if we’re not good enough?” asks Elizabeth Olsen’s Mia, who—along with her husband, Aaryan (Himesh Patel)—undergoes a seven-day “assessment.” The test is conducted by Virginia, played by a mystifying Alicia Vikander, in order to determine their suitability as parents in a strictly controlled near future. This weighty directing debut by Fleur Fortuné is mature sci-fi of a rare breed, where stimulating ideas are elevated by minimalist production design and maximalist performances. The Assessment has flown under the radar, but it’s not one to underestimate.
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Thunderbolts*
It’s basically Guardians of the Galaxy in Kevlar black, but Thunderbolts* finds its own voice—and it has become quite the early summer surprise from Marvel Studios. Florence Pugh takes center stage in this antihero ensemble, reprising her role as Yelena from 2021’s Black Widow to lead a team of misfit sidekicks and villains against a common enemy. Marvel specializes in big-budget action comedies that end in a group hug, but even when that formula has gone stale, Thunderbolts* feels like a jolt of new life.
The Gorge
Part action thriller, part monster movie, and part star-crossed romance, Scott Derrickson’s The Gorge is an all-around feast even if it juggles too many genres at once. Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy star as two elite snipers on the most top-secret of top-secret missions: standing guard against an army of creatures who dwell at the bottom of a mysterious gorge. Though forbidden from any contact, the two improbably fall in love and work together when the monsters threaten to break free. Though it was unceremoniously dumped on Apple TV+ on Valentine’s Day this year, The Gorge emerges as a legit crowd-pleaser with an air of darkness.
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Ash
Hip-hop artist Flying Lotus makes his feature-directing debut with Ash, a piece of phantasmagoric sci-fi horror. Eiza González stars as Riya, an amnesiac and the lone survivor of a crew stationed on the planet Ash. While she pieces together her memory, Brion (Aaron Paul) arrives to rescue her, though Riya must decide between trusting a stranger and ensuring her own survival. With palpable influence from David Cronenberg, Flying Lotus soars in his first full-length movie, giving audiences an interplanetary nightmare dipped in high-contrast colors and shadows, violent editing, and a reverberating universe of sound.
