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Best Sci-Fi Movies On A Long Flight From The 2020S Perfect For When You Need A Good Cry

The Moviepiq team picked these sci-fi films specifically for a long flight. No filler. Every film on this list earns its place for exactly this occasion.

The best sci-fi movies on a long flight from the 2020s perfect for when you need a good cry. Includes 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, The Guardians of the G...

A long flight is one of the few times you have no choice but to sit still and actually watch a film - no phone calls, no errands, nothing to do but commit. Use it wisely.

Despite everything, the 2020s have produced some genuinely remarkable cinema. Films made under pressure that somehow carry none of it.

Science fiction cinema at its finest takes ideas seriously. Not as window dressing — as the engine. These films are built around questions worth asking.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple movie poster
1
2026 · ★★★½☆ 7.1/10

Dr. Kelson finds himself in a shocking new relationship - with consequences that could change the world as they know it - and Spike's encounter with Jimmy Crystal becomes a nightmare he can't escape.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special movie poster
2
2022 · ★★★½☆ 7.1/10

On a mission to make Christmas unforgettable for Quill, the Guardians head to Earth in search of the perfect present.

The Invisible Man movie poster
3
2020 · ★★★½☆ 7.1/10

When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.

Superman: Red Son movie poster
4
2020 · ★★★½☆ 7.1/10

Set in the thick of the Cold War, Red Son introduces us to a Superman who landed in the USSR during the 1950s and grows up to become a Soviet symbol that fights for the preservation of Stalin's brand of communism.

Don't Look Up movie poster
5
2021 · ★★★½☆ 7.1/10

Two astronomers go on a media tour to warn humankind of a planet-killing comet hurtling toward Earth. The response from a distracted world: Meh.

The science fiction films that last are the ones where the ideas are inseparable from the story. Not grafted on — woven in. These films are genuinely about something.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes movie poster
6
2024 · ★★★½☆ 7.1/10

Several generations following Caesar's reign, apes - now the dominant species - live harmoniously while humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all he's known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.

Space Sweepers movie poster
7
2021 · ★★★½☆ 7.1/10

When the crew of a space junk collector ship called The Victory discovers a humanoid robot named Dorothy that's known to be a weapon of mass destruction, they get involved in a risky business deal which puts their lives at stake.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire movie poster
8
2024 · ★★★½☆ 7.0/10

Following their explosive showdown, Godzilla and Kong must reunite against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence - and our own.

M3GAN movie poster
9
2022 · ★★★½☆ 7.0/10

A brilliant toy company roboticist uses artificial intelligence to develop M3GAN, a life-like doll programmed to emotionally bond with her newly orphaned niece. But when the doll's programming works too well, she becomes overprotective of her new friend with terrifying results.

Companion movie poster
10
2025 · ★★★½☆ 7.0/10

During a weekend getaway at a secluded lakeside estate, a group of friends finds themselves entangled in a web of secrets, deception, and advanced technology. As tensions rise and loyalties are tested, they uncover unsettling truths about themselves and the world around them.

A good cry isn't weakness - it's release. These films provide it honestly, without manipulation, without cheap sentiment.

The best sci-fi films feel more relevant with time, not less. The future they imagined turns out to be a map of now.

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