After making three Mad Max movies in the ’80s, George Miller’s iconic dystopian franchise went on a 30-year hiatus. The wait was worth it because the next entry,Mad Max: Fury Road, became one of the best action movies of the 21st century. Thankfully, Miller only waited nine years for his next Mad Max adventure,Furiosa.
Thanks to a licensing agreement,Furiosais now available to stream on Netflix. It won’t be here forever, though, as it leaves the service at the end of the month.Furiosais one of our five sci-fi movies to watch this July. Check out all of our picks below.
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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
Charlize Theron introduced the world to Imperator Furiosa inMad Max: Fury Road. Then, the Oscar winner passed the torch to Anya Taylor-Joy, who portrayed the character in the prequel,Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. The first third of the movie explores Furiosa as a child (Alyla Browne) when she lived at the Green Place of Many Mothers. After being kidnapped by Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), Furiosa eventually lives at the Citadel with Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme).
She rises to the rank of Imperator under the guidance of Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke). Furiosa never loses sight of her goal: finding a way home. No one stages chase sequences like Miller, andFuriosaincludes a few that rival those inFury Road.Furiosais also an effective meditation on trauma and survival, as the iconic heroine receives a riveting backstory.
StreamFuriosa: A Mad Max Sagaon Netflix.
Pacific Rim (2013)
Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro showcased his affinity for monster movies inPacific Rim, a cross between a creature feature and an action blockbuster. In the future, humongous sea monsters — Kaiju — emerge from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and begin attacking major cities. To combat the monsters, humanity builds Jaegers, giant robots piloted by humans. Unfortunately for mankind, the Jaegers cannot defeat the Kaiju, leading to the world leaders decommissioning the robots.
Humans make one last gasp to save the world by trying out the Jaegers with two pilots: the washed-up Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and the rookie Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi). The action inPacific Rimis so invigorating that it makes you wish del Toro made more blockbusters.
StreamPacific Rimon Netflix.
V for Vendetta (2005)
V for Vendetta —a thriller about the dangers of authoritarianism, a preview of how oppression can lead to anarchism, or an eerie preview of the world’s future? I’ll let you be the judge. Let’s start by calling it a thought-provoking adaptation of the graphic novel. In a dystopian future, London is now governed by a fascist regime that eliminates the “undesirable” people — homosexuals, minorities, etc.
A masked vigilante known as V (Hugo Weaving) begins wreaking havoc on the government as he orchestrates terrorist attacks to start a revolution. V eventually takes a young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) under his wing to hopefully open her eyes to the oppression. Even if you agree or disagree with the politics, some ofV for Vendetta’sset pieces are undeniable.
StreamV for Vendettaon Netflix.
Our Times (2025)
Our Timesis for the viewers who don’t necessarily care about the rules of time travel. Instead of going back into the past,Our Timesheads to the future in this Mexican romance. In 1966, physicists Nora Esquivel (Lucero) and her husband, Héctor (Benny Ibarra), are attempting to build a time machine. Since it’s the ’60s, most of Nora’s male colleagues have little regard for her ideas and opinions.
The time machine works, and the couple travels to 2025. With the improved technology and female-friendly societal standards, Nora finds herself thriving, while Héctor feels sidelined.Our Timesis a refreshing take on thetime traveltrope, with a romance worth rooting for and pertinent ideas about gender roles.
StreamOur Timeson Netflix.
Coneheads (1993)
Coneheadsisn’t a film many think of when naming sci-fi movies. How can a family about a cone-headed family be categorized in the same genre asThe Terminatorand2001: A Space Odyssey?That has to be the only time in history thatConeheadshas been mentioned with two of the greatest sci-fi movies ever. Semantics aside,Coneheadsis about aliens, so it receives the sci-fi tag.
Based on theSNLskit,Coneheadsstars Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin as Beldar and Prymaat, married extraterrestrials from the planet Remulak who crash-land in New Jersey after being shot down by the military. Forced to live on Earth, the Coneheads assimilate into humanity and even have a daughter, Connie (Michelle Burke). The Coneheads eventually must choose between Earth and Remulak after facing a crisis of faith. It’s not the smartest nor the funniest movie, but it has its comedic moments, especially if you watched this movie as a child.
