10 great sci-fi films to stream for free

In an era where just about every streaming service continuously ups their prices every few months, it’s nice to have Tubi, a streamer that still remains free. Sure, you’ve got to put up with commercials, but that’s the price you pay when you don’t have a price to pay. Every month, Tubi adds tons of new titles to its library in just about every genre, including science fiction. For example, just this month it added several solid sci-fi classics, a couple of which were even directed by the great Steven Spielberg — perfect for reacquainting yourself with the director ahead of his return to sci-fi later this year.

Here are 10 new sci-fi movies to Tubi that are worth checking out:

10

War of the Worlds

While it’s not quite the level of masterpiece as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T., Spielberg’s other alien movie is still excellent. War of the Worlds faithfully adapts H. G. Wells’ story of alien invaders, complete with global, world-ending consequences, but Spielberg humanizes it by never losing focus on Tom Cruise’s character, a mostly deadbeat dad who rises to the occasion and tries his best to keep his kids safe against impossible odds.

9

Minority Report

Image: DreamWorks

Another second-tier, but still quite excellent, Spielberg movie also just hit Tubi, and that’s Minority Report. Set in 2054, the movie stars Cruise as a policeman in charge of the “precrime” unit, which specializes in stopping crimes before they happen with the aid of human psychics. More than just a satisfying sci-fi thriller, the movie explores some interesting issues around free will and our legal system.

8

Equilibrium

Image: Miramax/Everett Collection

Starring a pre-Batman Christian Bale, Equilibrium is another futuristic tale of a police officer, but in this case he’s tasked with tamping down artistic expression and emotions for the sake of general order — or “equilibrium.” In addition to the police force, things are kept in order by psychoactive drugs that keep everyone sedated, but when Bale’s character misses a dose, he begins to realize just how suppressive the whole system is. Equilibrium’s claim to fame, however, is popularizing Gun kata fighting (aka, Gun fun) long before Keanu Reeves ever pistol-whipped a henchman in John Wick.

7

Prey

Image: 20th Century Studios

Prey is just great fun. Since 1990’s Predator 2, fans of the franchise have put up with a lot of disappointment, but Prey delivered as not just a worthy addition to the franchise, but one of its very best installments. Taking place in the 1700s, Prey sees one of the Predator aliens land on Earth centuries before the first movie and do battle with a Comanche woman intent on proving herself as a warrior — which she most certainly does. Prey’s director, Dan Trachtenberg, went on to make two more Predator movies in 2025, making this one the perfect entry point into a reinvigorated franchise.

6

Galaxy Quest

Image: DreamWorks

For a very different kind of movie featuring aliens, check out the comedic sci-fi masterpiece that is Galaxy Quest, which has one of the greatest premises ever. In it, a group of helpless aliens is facing destruction, so they turn to the heroes they’ve watched for years on transmissions from Earth. Those transmissions, however, were just a corny old sci-fi show like Star Trek and the heroes themselves are really pampered, washed-up actors. All of that nuance is lost on the aliens, however, who abduct the cast of the show Galaxy Quest to save their species.

5

Men In Black

Men in Black is everything you remember it being: fun, funny, action-packed, and a satisfying sci-fi story. Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith have wonderful Odd Couple-like energy as two members of an agency sworn to protect Earth from aliens, as well as aliens from Earthlings. It’s one of the best sci-fi movies of the 1990s, it’s just too bad it doesn’t have a decent sequel.

4

Men in Black II

Image: Sony

While I’m not recommending Men in Black II, I’m fully aware that after the fun of the first one, any reasonable person might seek out the second one hoping for more. Men in Black II is not a satisfying sequel, but it has its moments, like more of Frank the talking pug and the sequence where Tommy Lee Jones’ character, Agent K, gets reintroduced to his life as a Man in Black after having his memory wiped at the end of the first movie.

3

Men in Black III

Image: Sony

Men in Black III is even more disappointing than the previous installment but the big highlight here is seeing Josh Brolin play a past version of Tommy Lee Jones’ Agent K. Brolin does a phenomenal job, too good for the movie he’s in.

2

Deep Impact

Image: Paramount

When Deep Impact came out little more than a month before Armageddon in 1998, the two movies seemed to be intertwined thanks to their near-identical premises of Earth preparing for the impact of an asteroid. However, in the years since, Armageddon has managed to stay in the public consciousness while Deep Impact has faded. Perhaps that’s fair, as Armageddon is a heck of a lot more fun, but I’d argue that Deep Impact is a slightly stronger story with more developed characters led by the ever-lovable Morgan Freeman as the President of the United States.

1

The Fifth Element

Image: Columbia Pictures

Purposefully leaving the best for last, The Fifth Element is a spectacular film. This wildly imaginative future-set film from the utterly unique voice of French director Luc Besson stars Bruce Willis as a special forces officer turned cab driver who gets pulled into a plot involving aliens, mystical stones and the potential end of planet Earth. In addition to Willis, it’s full of magnetic performances from the likes of Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman and Chris Tucker. The movie has a lot to take in, but it’s all excellent.