The 20 Best Sci-Fi Movies According to Real People

Ranked by the percentage of everyday audiences who actually liked them — not critics, not algorithms.

Published March 18, 2026 · ThumbScore Editorial

Science fiction is a genre where critics and audiences frequently disagree. Films that push creative boundaries sometimes alienate casual viewers, while crowd-pleasing blockbusters get dismissed by cinephiles. At ThumbScore, we cut through the debate with a simple question: what percentage of real people actually liked it?

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The gold standard of sci-fi sequels

👍 94%18,164 votes

Return of the Jedi (1983)

The original trilogy's triumphant conclusion

👍 94%16,727 votes

Alien (1979)

In space, everyone can hear you scream... with approval

👍 93%16,111 votes

Terminator 2 (1991)

James Cameron's action-sci-fi masterpiece

👍 93%14,028 votes

Interstellar (2014)

Nolan's emotional space odyssey

👍 92%39,138 votes

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

The culmination of a decade of storytelling

👍 92%27,368 votes

Back to the Future (1985)

The time travel movie that started it all

👍 92%21,488 votes

WALL·E (2008)

Pixar's most poetic and visionary film

👍 91%20,007 votes

Jurassic Park (1993)

Spielberg brings dinosaurs to life

👍 91%17,624 votes

The Terminator (1984)

Where it all began for Cameron and Schwarzenegger

👍 91%14,369 votes

Back to the Future Part II (1989)

Hoverboards and time paradoxes

👍 91%13,741 votes

The Fifth Element (1997)

Luc Besson's colorful, over-the-top space opera

👍 91%11,522 votes

Aliens (1986)

Cameron turns horror into action — and both work

👍 91%10,661 votes

The Matrix (1999)

Red pill, blue pill — audiences chose both

👍 89%27,518 votes

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

George Miller's explosive return to the wasteland

👍 89%23,840 votes

Star Wars (1977)

The film that created modern blockbuster cinema

👍 89%22,049 votes

The Martian (2015)

Matt Damon sciences the s*** out of Mars

👍 89%20,925 votes

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Thanos did nothing wrong (according to 88% of people)

👍 88%31,604 votes

District 9 (2009)

Neill Blomkamp's grounded alien apartheid allegory

👍 87%12,744 votes

Blade Runner (1982)

Ridley Scott's rain-soaked cyberpunk noir

👍 87%14,216 votes

Surprising Omissions

Notice what's NOT in the top 20? 2001: A Space Odyssey (84%), Blade Runner 2049 (78%), and Arrival (83%) all scored lower with general audiences than with critics. These are films that cinephiles revere but everyday viewers find less accessible. Meanwhile, blockbusters like Avengers: Endgame and Back to the Future score higher than many "prestige" sci-fi films.

That's the beauty of ThumbScore — it doesn't pretend that critical consensus equals audience satisfaction. Both perspectives have value, but we believe regular people deserve their own rankings.

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