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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?
1The Empire Strikes Back (1980)The gold standard of sci-fi sequels
👍 94%18,164 votes
2Return of the Jedi (1983)The original trilogy's triumphant conclusion
👍 94%16,727 votes
3Alien (1979)In space, everyone can hear you scream... with approval
👍 93%16,111 votes
4Terminator 2 (1991)James Cameron's action-sci-fi masterpiece
👍 93%14,028 votes
5Interstellar (2014)Nolan's emotional space odyssey
👍 92%39,138 votes
6Avengers: Endgame (2019)The culmination of a decade of storytelling
👍 92%27,368 votes
7Back to the Future (1985)The time travel movie that started it all
👍 92%21,488 votes
8WALL·E (2008)Pixar's most poetic and visionary film
👍 91%20,007 votes
9Jurassic Park (1993)Spielberg brings dinosaurs to life
👍 91%17,624 votes
10The Terminator (1984)Where it all began for Cameron and Schwarzenegger
👍 91%14,369 votes
11Back to the Future Part II (1989)Hoverboards and time paradoxes
👍 91%13,741 votes
12The Fifth Element (1997)Luc Besson's colorful, over-the-top space opera
👍 91%11,522 votes
13Aliens (1986)Cameron turns horror into action — and both work
👍 91%10,661 votes
14The Matrix (1999)Red pill, blue pill — audiences chose both
👍 89%27,518 votes
15Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)George Miller's explosive return to the wasteland
👍 89%23,840 votes
16Star Wars (1977)The film that created modern blockbuster cinema
👍 89%22,049 votes
17The Martian (2015)Matt Damon sciences the s*** out of Mars
👍 89%20,925 votes
18Avengers: Infinity War (2018)Thanos did nothing wrong (according to 88% of people)
👍 88%31,604 votes
19District 9 (2009)Neill Blomkamp's grounded alien apartheid allegory
👍 87%12,744 votes
20Blade 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.