Many classic sci-fi movies are based on novels, and this trend is still alive and well. Sci-fi novels are often the source of the genre’s most innovative and interesting ideas, partly because they are a relatively low-risk medium compared to film or TV. Once these stories gain traction, it’s not uncommon for Hollywood to step in and fund a big-budget adaptation.

Movie adaptations always come under a certain level of scrutiny from fans of the book. This can be even more intense with sci-fi movies, since the stories can be filled with ideas that are either hard to visualize or require an immense sense of scale. Only the best sci-fi directors, like Denis Villeneuve and Ridley Scott, can make suitable adaptations that are loved by newcomers and fans of the source material.

10

Annihilation (2018)

Based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer

Annihilation is a very loose adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s novel, but it’s still a great movie. One reason why Alex Garland makes so many changes to the story is that some of VanderMeer’s ideas are intentionally hard to visualize, like the creature he describes as being made of light and noise. Garland finds a way to retain the same kind of ambiguous cosmic horror on the big screen.

Another change Garland makes to the book is that he adds more detail to the characters. This slightly shifts the story’s focus, so that the characters can be more relatable conduits for the audience as they venture further into a strange scientific anomaly that plays tricks on their minds. Annihilation ends with some lingering mysteries, meaning that it’s worth watching multiple times.

9

The Martian (2015)

Based on the novel by Andy Weir

The Martian stars Matt Damon as an astronaut stranded on Mars after his crew wrongly believe that he has been killed. The incredible story of his survival, as scientists on Earth scramble to bring him back home, is an uplifting tale of human resilience and ingenuity.

The Martian has plenty of humor to brighten up a dramatic plot, which allows Damon the chance to flex his underrated comedy chops. Although the story can often be extremely tense and filled with peril, Damon’s performance is a key part of keeping the tone light, which contributes to a crowdpleasing sci-fi thriller that ranks among Ridley Scott’s best movies.

8

The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)

Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins

Although the Hunger Games franchise may lean more toward action than sci-fi at times, the dystopian thriller still has plenty of otherworldly concepts. The franchise seemed like it was over for a while, but Suzanne Collins’ prequel series has caused a rebirth, and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is the first movie to take a look at Panem long before Katniss’ birth.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes introduces audiences to a different version of Panem, one that is moving deeper into totalitarianism as the government extinguishes the last flames of rebellion. With the knowledge of everything that’s coming, it’s a fascinating prequel for fans of the franchise, and the action scenes are thrilling for anyone. Coming next is Sunrise on the Reaping, the long-awaited story of Haymitch’s Hunger Games campaign.

7

The Wild Robot (2024)

Based on the novel by Peter Brown

One of 2024’s outstanding animated movies, The Wild Robot is an adaptation of a popular children’s book by Peter Brown. The book’s two sequels mean that The Wild Robot could become a franchise for DreamWorks, rejuvenating their lineup of animated movies alongside The Bad Guys and returning classics like the Shrek franchise.

The Wild Robot is a heartwarming story about an alien robot who lands on Earth and has to learn about the new forms of life he encounters. It’s also frequently hilarious, as the fish-out-of-water story makes the robot seem like an overgrown child at times. A stacked voice cast is the icing on the cake for the instant classic.

6

Edge Of Tomorrow (2014)

Based on All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka

Doug Liman’s adaptation of All You Need Is Kill makes the story more palatable to Western audiences, starting with the тιтle. The mech suits and sci-fi action scenes mean that the story’s Japanese origins are still clear, but Edge of Tomorrow is a Tom Cruise actioner through and through, with Emily Blunt also delivering a memorable performance.

Edge of Tomorrow‘s time loop structure sets up some incredible action scenes, but it also means that there’s a compelling mystery at the heart of the story. As the characters learn more about their foes and their strange circumstances, so do the audience. This allows Liman to keep the stakes high when his characters can die without immediate repercussions.

5

Ready Player One (2018)

Based on the novel by Ernest Cline

Ready Player One received some mixed reviews when it came out, but it proved to be more popular with audiences than critics. As with so many of Steven Spielberg’s movies, Ready Player One delivers jaw-dropping spectacle, but the difference is that the virtual setting gives Spielberg license to let his imagination run wild.

Ready Player One mostly takes place in a virtual world where people in the near-future go to escape the drudgery of their everyday lives. The world is teeming with characters and icons from pop culture, and it’s always enjoyable trying to spot as many of these Easter eggs in the background as possible.

4

Paprika (2006)

Based on the novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui

Paprika has been adapted into two different manga, but it originally appeared as a novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui, published in four parts. Satoshi Kon’s masterful anime adaptation blows away the other versions of the story, as the medium of film allows the concept of dream interventions to come to life in a more vibrant and unexpected way.

Paprika has often been cited as a precursor to Inception, since both movies deal with the lines between dreams and reality. Paprika‘s animation allows it to create more bizarre and colorful visions of the subconscious, and it constantly delivers surprising, surreal visuals that still manage to tie into the movie’s themes.

3

Under The Skin (2013)

Based on the novel by Michael Faber

Under the Skin remains a hidden gem, although plenty of sci-fi fans now appreciate its mysterious charms. Jonathan Glazer’s dark, unsettling horror movie stars Scarlett Johansson as a shape-shifting alien wandering through rural Scotland, capturing unsuspecting men and banishing them to an inky black void.

Under the Skin leaves plenty of questions unanswered, so the alien’s origins and intentions are unclear. This allows people to cast their own ideas onto the story, and it has been interpreted as a feminist revenge thriller, an allegory about colonization and a metaphor for the random chaos of the universe. Michael Faber’s novel adds a little more detail, but there are still questions hanging over the plot.

2

Arrival (2016)

Based on Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang

Arrival is Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of a short story by Ted Chiang. Eric Heisserer’s script masterfully translates Chiang’s themes to the big screen, which is no simple feat considering how the story is all about linguistics and philosophical theories. Heisserer retains this kernel of an idea while setting the groundwork for Villeneuve.

Arrival‘s non-linear timeline highlights the central idea of Chiang’s story: that language can affect our perception of the world around us. Villeneuve’s sense of spectacle does the rest of the work, creating large, imposing monoliths reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and strange aliens unlike anything else the genre has produced.

1

Dune (2021)

Based on the novel by Frank Herbert

Arrival isn’t Denis Villeneuve’s only major contribution to the sci-fi genre. Blade Runner 2049 showed that he was unafraid of tackling a legacy sequel to one of the biggest sci-fi movies ever, and he continued his daring streak with Dune, an adaptation of a novel that had long been given the tag of “unfilmable“.

Villeneuve’s Dune is a suitably extravagant adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel, bringing the desert planet of Arrakis and its violent mythology to life. Splitting the first book into two parts proved to be a shrewd move. While there are still cuts and alterations, it allows Villeneuve’s Dune to tell more of the story without compromising his methodical pacing. Dune Messiah is already in the works, but it remains to be seen if the other book sequels also get adaptations.