One of cinema’s most popular and influential flavors of film, science fiction has accounted for many of the greatest movies of all time. However, while big-name franchises in the vein of Star Wars, Star Trek, or Avatar are regarded as being generally suitable for most audiences, the genre is also renowned for playing host to a number of notably R-rated movies, whether that be as a result of their extreme violence, profanity, or just generally NSFW material.
However, make no mistake; this graphic content is no subsтιтute for quality. Many of the best sci-fi movies ever made have received this age restriction over the years, resulting in a veritable laundry list of beloved R-rated outings from the genre that fans will be rewatching for as long as humans have screens. In many cases, these movies blend science fiction with other flavors of film to great effect, a status quo that has resulted in even greater numbers of fans revisiting these acclaimed pieces of cinema.
10
Predator (1987)
Directed By John McTiernan
Led by a surefire sci-fi Hall of Famer in Arnold Schwarzenegger, 1987’s Predator is possibly the most Arnie movie of all time. Stuffed with explosive action sequences and immortal one-liners, this beloved classic follows a group of mercenaries who are stalked through a jungle by the movie’s тιтular camouflaged extra-terrestrial hunter. Featuring copious helpings of gore and bloody body parts, John McTiernan’s outing more than justifies its R-rating across 107 minutes.
A revered staple among both action and sci-fi fans, Predator is not Citizen Kane in terms of cinematic quality, but it’s still loaded with some of the most iconic moments that both genres have to offer. A gloriously cheesy sci-fi action romp designed to play to the strengths of its leading man, the film has never shied away from what it is at its core. However, it’s arguably that inherent simplicity that makes McTiernan’s outing such an enduring and rewatchable entry.
9
RoboCop (1987)
Directed By Paul Verhoeven
Following Peter Wellers’ eponymous cyborg police officer, 1987’s RoboCop is one of sci-fi’s most notoriously R-rated offerings. Paul Verhoeven’s bonkers picture is renowned for being one of the most violent films in science fiction history, featuring such gratuitously graphic carnage that you can’t help but laugh at the sheer brutality of what’s unfolding onscreen. It’s also a seminal piece of ’80s cinema, a hugely influential classic that has lost none of its original inherent entertainment factor.
|
RoboCop franchise entries by year |
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score |
|---|---|
|
RoboCop (1987) |
92% |
|
RoboCop 2 (1990) |
28% |
|
RoboCop 3 (1993) |
9% |
|
RoboCop (2014) |
49% |
Verhoeven’s original has aged like a fine wine over the years. RoboCop is loaded with timeless aspects that still work today; the film’s emphasis on corporate greed and political corruption has arguably never been more relevant, while timeless themes of idenтιтy and free will resonate with audiences of all demographics. A remarkably uncomplicated movie on paper, RoboCop’s formula for success ironically sounds simple enough, but you try telling that to the contrived clanger that was 2014’s remake.
8
Dredd (2012)
Directed By Pete Travis
Following 1995’s panned mess, Judge Dredd, hopes were not high for the 2012 Karl Urban-led remake. This made Pete Travis’ Dredd all the more delightfully surprising, featuring spectacular futuristic visuals and brutal action sequences against the backdrop of an engrossing dystopian backdrop. The movie’s darkly self-aware humor and a tremendous bow from a perpetually scowling Urban as the eponymous Judge Dredd make for absolutely timeless R-rated viewing.
Compounding the memorability of the wider movie’s spectacularly graphic subject matter, Dredd’s premise features a drug called Slo-Mo, an addictive substance that reduces users’ perception of time to 1% of its actual speed. This allows for large chunks of R-rated sci-fi carnage to unfold in glorious slow motion, compounding this gritty entry’s pulpy and atmospheric aura. However, Dredd is far more than just action porn; this is a first-rate, and endlessly rewatchable R-rated sci-fi entry.
7
Total Recall (1990)
Directed By Paul Verhoeven
Jam-packed with violence, profanity, and generally NSFW material, 1990’s Total Recall follows Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Douglas Quaid as he attempts to unravel the mystery behind who stole his memories. Paul Verhoeven had already produced a seminal sci-fi outing in 1987’s RoboCop, with Total Recall picking up where the director left off in terms of sheer R-rated cinematic entertainment.
Colin Farrell played Douglas Quaid in 2012’s remake of Total Recall.
Boasting one of Schwarzenegger’s best performances, this frenetic cult classic makes for absolutely essential genre viewing. Colorful villains, a mind-bending central premise, and brutally over-the-top action combine to produce a gloriously entertaining sci-fi movie. This state of affairs persists to this day, underlining why fans will continue to return to Verhoeven’s chaotic fan favorite forever. Hell, Arnie’s iconic “Consider that a divorce” one-liner is worth a rewatch, in and of itself.
6
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Directed By George Miller
The fourth entry in the series and the best Mad Max movie by some stretch, 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road can lay claim to being one of the cinema’s best R-rated movies across multiple genres. A chaotic blend of sci-fi and action from the mind of George Miller given life onscreen, this iconic entry quite simply never gets old, courtesy of some of the most spectacular apocalyptic visuals, battles, and chase sequences ever brought to life on screen.
This sci-fi action classic is pedal-to-the-metal excitement from the very first sequence…
Leveraging the star power of leading duo Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron to maximum effect, Fury Road is Max’s unforgiving world as Miller originally envisioned it, and it never fails to entertain. This sci-fi action classic offers pedal-to-the-metal excitement from the very first sequence, a white-knuckle joyride through a jaw-dropping world that fans of all generations will rewatch forever.
5
The Thing (1982)
Directed By John Carpenter
It speaks volumes to The Thing’s innate quality that John Carpenter’s iconic sci-fi horror entry is a movie that fans have been returning to consistently for the better part of half a century. Loaded with terrifying visuals and prolific amounts of gore, the movie’s haunting R-rated scenes are decidedly not for the faint-hearted. The Thing plays host to a number of unforgettably disturbing moments, many of which have been terrorizing viewers’ dreams since 1982.
Fans will always continue to rewatch Carpenter’s classic because it’s an absolutely first-rate movie across the board.
Even if one is to discount the movie’s inimitable shock factor and generational practical effects work, fans will always continue to revisit Carpenter’s classic simply because it’s a first-rate movie across the board. Leveraging its inspired premise, claustrophobic setting, and rich characters to maximum effect, The Thing retains status as R-rated cinematic royalty across multiple genres to this day.
4
The Matrix (1999)
Directed By The Wachowskis
A triumphant blend of mind-bending science fiction and jaw-dropping action, The Matrix remains one of cinema’s most rewatchable outings, irrespective of parent genre. While the Wachowski siblings’ acclaimed 1999 entry may not possess the same level of graphic subject matter as many of its contemporaries, this does little to affect the timeless entertainment factor of one of cinema’s most universally revered R-rated sci-fi offerings.
|
The Matrix franchise entries by year |
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score |
|---|---|
|
The Matrix (1999) |
83% |
|
The Matrix Reloaded (2003) |
74% |
|
The Matrix Revolutions (2003) |
34% |
|
The Matrix Resurrections (2021) |
63% |
Hugo Weaving’s Agent Smith is widely regarded as one of the greatest sci-fi villains of all time, while the movie’s spectacular fight sequences have remarkably lost none of their original hypnotic allure. A film that continues to gain new layers of meaning with every year that pᴀsses, The Matrix represents essential cinematic viewing for movie fans of all ilk, highlighting why new viewers and old fans continue to flock back to this legendary number.
3
Alien (1979)
Directed By Ridley Scott
With every subsequent release in the long-running franchise comes the fresh urge to revisit the original installment, a film widely regarded as the best sci-fi horror movie of all time. Chronicling the first cinematic encounter with the series’ predatory extra-terrestrials, Ridley Scott’s Alien continues to age like a vintage cognac to this day. It’s also one of Scott’s most notoriously R-rated sci-fi offerings, chronicling the first Xenomorph’s bloody rampage in all of its gruesome glory.
Meryl Streep was originally up for the part of Ellen Ripley.
However, it isn’t Alien’s graphic content that keeps audiences coming back for more. Scott’s slow-burn picture remains one of the genre’s most endlessly rewatchable entries because it’s an absolutely triumphant piece of cinema. Introducing one of popular culture’s most iconic female action heroes, the movie has inspired countless imitators, serving as a watershed moment. From the film’s stunning practical effects to its eerie, claustrophobic atmosphere, fans will simply never tire of Alien.
2
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Directed By James Cameron
The quintessential R-rated ’90s action movie that never gets old, 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day is one of the greatest sequels ever made. The finest film in the Terminator franchise, James Cameron’s acclaimed sequel saw Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cybernetic ᴀssᴀssin reverse his tormentor role from the original to knockout results on screen, serving as an unlikely protector to John Connor in the face of Robert Patrick’s shape-shifting T-1000.
From its explosive action scenes to Arnie’s instantly quotable robotic soundbites, Terminator 2 holds up across the board to this day. One of the best movies of the 1990s, Cameron’s revered offering is an absolutely indispensable piece of sci-fi cinema led by one of the genre’s sure-fire Hall of Famers. The movie’s increased emotional pull through the T-800’s bond with the young John Connor proved to be the secret ingredient that 1984’s original was lacking, resulting in a classic that sci-fi fans have continued to flock to for more than 30 years.
1
Blade Runner (1982)
Directed By Ridley Scott
Count filmmaking тιтans in the vein of Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve among the countless sci-fi fans who will never get tired of rewatching Ridley Scott’s dystopian masterpiece, 1982’s Blade Runner. One of the most visually arresting movies the genre has ever witnessed, this iconic sci-fi number has been inviting poignant introspection on the nature of creation and sentience for the better part of half a century.
Following Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard as he attempts to hunt down a fugitive group of advanced replicants, Scott’s acclaimed entry is near perfect. From the movie’s stunning depiction of a decaying futuristic world to Rutger Hauer’s iconic “tears in the rain” soliloquy, everything depicted in Blade Runner makes it worthy of multiple viewings. It may not be the most graphic or violent R-rated genre offering that cinema has to offer, but it’s such a classic that it has to be mentioned when it comes to endlessly rewatchable sci-fi.
