You may have noticed a distinct lack of science fiction options at the box office this summer unless you count Jurassic World Rebirth.
But if you’re looking for something out of this world, you’re going to need some help finding suitable options for the July 4th holiday weekend.
That’s what the Watch With Us team is here to provide, and we’ve already put together our picks for the three must-watch sci-fi movies to stream on the Fourth of July weekend.
And all of our picks can easily be found on Netflix.
‘Starship Troopers’ (1997)
You wouldn’t expect a movie about humanity’s war with a giant race of alien bugs to be funny without slipping into farce, but director Paul Verhoeven‘s satirical touch added a lot of flavor to Robert A. Heinlein‘s Starship Troopers. Amusingly, a lot of the humor from the propaganda segments flew over the heads of contemporary reviewers, and it’s only been accepted as a cult classic in the years since its release.
Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards), Dizzy Flores (Dina Meyer) and Carl Jenkins (Neil Patrick Harris) are emblematic of humanity’s intergalactic hubris. They joined Earth’s military service straight out of school and they collectively felt invincible. That sensation evaporates after a shocking attack on Earth proves that the alien bugs can strike them from afar. When the human forces face the bugs directly, the odds are overwhelmingly against them.
Starship Troopers is streaming on Netflix.
‘Godzilla Minus One’ (2023)
Godzilla Minus One is a throwback Godzilla movie that lets the title creature be the antagonist of the movie instead of forcing him to be a hero. The story begins in the last days of World War II, as kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) pretends to have engine trouble to get out of the suicide attack. That leads him to encounter Godzilla for the first time, and his cowardliness in that situation haunts him in the aftermath.
As Shikishima slowly rebuilds his life and begins caring for a young woman, Noriko Ōishi (Minami Hamabe), and the orphaned baby she saved, he once again encounters Godzilla. The creature is more powerful each time, and it may take a greater sacrifice from Shikishima to save Japan from Godzila’s wrath.
Godzilla Minus One is streaming on Netflix.
‘Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire’ (2023)
Despite appearances of several very familiar sci-fi tropes, Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire is not a Star Wars movie. But it sure feels like writer and director Zack Snyder wanted to play in that universe. Sofia Boutella stars as Kora, a former soldier for the galactic Imperium who has hidden her identity and reinvented herself as a farmer on a distant moon called Veldt.
When the Imperium arrives with demands that would force the residents of Veldt to starve, Kora fights back against the oppressors. With only a short time before the Imperium returns with reinforcements, Kora recruits like-minded rebels Titus (Djimon Hounsou), Kai (Charlie Hunnam), Nemesis (Bae Doona), Tarak (Staz Nair) and more to help her defend Veldt. And despite Kora’s best efforts, even these warriors may not be able to turn the tide in her favor.
Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire is streaming on Netflix.
