There Are Thousands of Sci-Fi Movies — We'll Be Impressed If You Can Name 40!

By: Ian Fortey
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
There Are Thousands of Sci-Fi Movies — We'll Be Impressed If You Can Name 40!
Image: DreamWorks Pictures/Gran Via Productions

About This Quiz

What is it that makes the science fiction genre so fascinating and entertaining at the same time? It offers something no other genre can give audiences, and certainly not with such a variety of divergent approaches. Good science fiction can be straight-up serious and dramatic, like the film "Gravity." It can be romantic, like in "Her," and it can be the most terrifying horror you've ever seen, like "Event Horizon." 

It's one of the few genres that so effortlessly straddles every other genre while still staying true to itself. Just look at the contrast between movies like the classic "2001: A Space Odyssey" and the kitschy "Starship Troopers." One is very cerebral, while the other is non-stop action-packed fun. And yet they both have deeper layers of meaning if you watch them a certain way.

As a fan of science fiction, no doubt you're going to be aware of the big ones, like "Star Wars," "The Fifth Element" or "The Terminator," but only a true fan is going to be able to get through this whole list and name every single one of them. If you think you can do it, grab your plasma cannon, hop in your DeLorean and head off to a galaxy far, far away in this quiz.


1 - Alien
20th Century Fox/Brandywine Productions
"In space, no one can hear you scream" was how which of these movies was advertised?
"Starship Troopers"
"Alien"
"Life Force"
"Invaders From Mars"
27 - Close Encounters of the Third Kind
EMI Films
Richard Dreyfuss famously sculpts mashed potatoes in which of these movies?
"Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
"Jaws"
"Mr. Holland's Opus"
"Stand By Me"
2 - E.T.
Universal Studios/Amblin Entertainment
Drew Barrymore starred in which of these classics?
"Mac and Me"
"Turbo Kid"
"E.T."
"Super 8"

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3 - Arrival
FilmNation Entertainment/Lava Bear Films/21 Laps Entertainment
Do you know this movie in which a linguist tries to communicate with aliens?
"Arrival"
"Annhilation"
"Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
"The Abyss"
4 - Star Wars The Last Jedi
Lucasfilm Ltd.
The internet was divided on this Rian Johnson-directed movie. What is it?
"The Hunger Games"
"Alien:Covenant"
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi"
"Ready Player One"
5 - Star Trek
Spyglass Entertainment/Bad Robot Productions
Do you know which of these was rebooted in 2009?
"Lost in Space"
"Flash Gordon"
"Star Trek"
"Independence Day"

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36 - Galaxy Quest
DreamWorks Pictures/Gran Via Productions
Do you know which of these is a parody of "Star Trek"?
"Galaxy Quest"
"Time Bandits"
"Star Command"
"Starship Troopers"
6 - The Terminator
Hemdale/Pacific Western Productions/Cinema '84
Which of these films made Arnold Schwarzenegger a household name?
"The Terminator"
"Robocop"
"Moster Squad"
"Aliens"
7 - Gravity
Heyday Films/Esperanto Filmoj
Sandra Bullock and George Clooney starred in which of these?
"Interstellar"
"Contact"
"Arrival"
"Gravity"

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8 - War for the Planet of the Apes
Chernin Entertainment/TSG Entertainment
You'll find Woody Harrelson in which of these?
"Midnight Special"
"Escape From New York"
"12 Monkeys"
"War for the Planet of the Apes"
9 - Wall-E
Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios
Which of these is a Pixar film?
"Wall-E"
"Short Circuit"
"Batteries Not Included"
"Galaxy Quest"
26 - Avatar
20th Century Fox/Lightstorm Entertainment/Dune Entertainment/Ingenious Film Partners
Before "Avengers: Endgame," this was the highest-grossing film of all time. What is it?
"The Abyss"
"Avatar"
"Terminator 2: Judgement Day"
"Star Wars: Episode IV"

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31 - Minority Report
20th Century Fox/DreamWorks Pictures/Amblin Entertainment/Blue Tulip Productions
Police stop crimes before they happen in which of these movies?
"The Adjustment Bureau"
"Inception"
"Timecop"
"Minority Report"
32 - Men in Black
Columbia Pictures/Amblin Entertainment/Parkes/MacDonald Productions
Which movie is about government agents keeping aliens in check?
"The X-Files"
"The Congress"
"Existenz"
"Men in Black"
35 - Inception
Legendary Pictures/Syncopy
Which of these movies featured Leonardo DiCaprio?
"The Adjustment Bureau"
"Dark City"
"I Robot"
"Inception"

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10 - Mad Max Fury Road
Warner Bros. Pictures/Village Roadshow Pictures/Kennedy Miller Mitchell/RatPac-Dune Entertainment
Which of these George Miller-directed films is the top-rated sci-fi movie on "Rotten Tomatoes"?
"Aliens"
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"E.T."
"Blade Runner"
11 - Aliens
20th Century Fox/Brandywine Productions
This movie features a character named Newt. What is it?
"Men in Black"
"The Thing"
"Source Code"
"Aliens"
12 - Back to the Future
Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment
This movie made DeLoreans famous. What is it?
"Back to the Future"
"Turbo Kid"
"Tron"
"The Fly"

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13 - The Martian
Scott Free Productions/Kinberg Genre/TSG Entertainment
Matt Damon spends a lot of time alone in which of these movies?
"The Martian"
"Arrival"
"The Fifth Element"
"Moon"
14 - Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Walter Wanger Productions
Pod people are the villains in which of these films?
"Day of the Triffids"
"Invaders From Mars"
"Invasion of the Body Snatchers"
"Spaced Invaders"
15 - Edge of Tomorrow
Village Roadshow Pictures/RatPac-Dune Entertainment/3 Arts Entertainment/Viz Productions
Do you remember which movie was like an alien-invasion version of "Groundhog Day?"
"Oblivion"
"Time After Time"
"Edge of Tomorrow"
"Time Bandits"

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16 - Snowpiercer
Moho Film/Opus Pictures/Union Investment Partners/Stillking Films
Bong Joon Ho directed which of these films?
"Snowpiercer"
"District 9"
"Elysium"
"Chappie"
17 - Her
Annapurna Pictures
Do you know which movie features Scarlett Johansson as just a voice?
"Ghost in the Machine"
"Ghost in the Shell"
"Her"
"Lucy"
18 - Forbidden Planet
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Robbie the Robot was in which of these movies?
"Lost in Space"
"The Day the Earth Stood Still"
"Plan 9 From Outer Space"
"Forbidden Planet"

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19 - Blade Runner 2049
Alcon Entertainment/Columbia Pictures/Bud Yorkin Productions/Torridon Films/16:14 Entertainment/Thunderbird Entertainment/Scott Free Productions
Which film features Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling?
"Tron"
"Blade Runner 2049"
"The Force Awakens"
"The Thing"
20 - The Day The Earth Stood Still
20th Century Fox
In which movie will you find a robot named Gort?
"The Day The Earth Stood Still"
"Day of the Triffids"
"War of the Worlds"
"Lost Planet"
21 - Jurassic Park
Amblin Entertainment
Jeff Goldblum starred in which of these movies?
"Dark City"
"Jurassic Park"
"Event Horizon"
"Bicentennial Man"

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22 - Looper
Endgame Entertainment/DMG Entertainment/FilmNation Entertainment
Bruce Willis travels through time in which of these movies?
"Oblivion"
"Time After Time"
"Dark City"
"Looper"
23 - Godzilla 1954
Toho Studios
In Japan, this movie was called "Gojira." What is it?
"King Kong"
"Godzilla"
"Gorgo"
"Pacific Rim"
24 - 2001 A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick Productions
Which movie features an artificial intelligence named HAL?
"2001: A Space Odyssey"
"Gattaca"
"A.I."
"Shallow Hal"

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25 - The Matrix
Warner Bros./Village Roadshow Pictures/Groucho II Film Partnership/Silver Pictures
Do you know this movie that featured Keanu Reeves?
"Hot Fuzz"
"Paul"
"Gattaca"
"The Matrix"
28 - Children of Men
Strike Entertainment/Hit and Run Productions
The human race is unable to reproduce in which of these movies?
"Brazil"
"In Time"
"Gattaca"
"Children of Men"
29 - District 9
QED International/WingNut Films/TriStar Pictures
Aliens are called "prawns" in which of these movies?
"Life"
"Starship Troopers"
"District 9"
"Westworld"

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30 - Annihilation
Skydance Media/DNA Films/Scott Rudin Productions
Natalie Portman starred in this weird sci-fi flick. What is it?
"Arrival"
"Annihilation"
"They Live"
"Splice"
33 -The World's End
Relativity Media/StudioCanal/Working Title Films/Big Talk Pictures
This movie was part 3 of the "Cornetto Trilogy." What is it?
"Shaun of the Dead'
"Paul"
"The World's End"
"This is the End"
34 - The Fly
Brooksfilms/SLM Production Group
David Cronenberg directed this body horror/sci-fi film. What is it?
"The Fly"
"The Thing"
"Night Breed"
"Them"

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37 - Attack the Block
StudioCanal Features/Film4/UK Film Council/Big Talk Pictures
Faceless black monsters attack some London teens in which of these movies?
"They Love"
"Attack the Block"
"Life Force"
"Grabbers"
38 - Robocop
Orion Pictures
Peter Weller starred in which of these movies that takes place in futuristic Detroit?
"Robocop"
"Terminator 2"
"Screamers"
"Event Horizon"
39 - Metropolis
UFA
Do you know which of these movies dates back to 1927?
"Metropolis"
"Cosmic Voyage"
"Buck Rogers"
"Flash Gordon"

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40 - Brazil
Embassy International Pictures/Brazil Productions
Which 1985 film featured Robert De Niro?
"Moon"
"Brazil"
"Sunshine"
"Time Bandits"