10 Best 2009 Sci-Fi Movies, Ranked

Sometimes certain years in film history are tied to particular trends or genres. For example, 2022 can be seen as the year of maximalist films. 2020 was a year in which small-scale films thrived, due to the COVID-19 pandemic delaying many big-budget films. And 1982 ended up being a good one for the sci-fi genre, with releases like throne, The thing, E.T, Blade Runneri Star Trek II.

However, rivaling – or perhaps even surpassing – 1982 when it comes to science fiction is 2009. For whatever reason, Not only were there a lot of sci-fi movies released that year, but there were a lot of fantastic – so much so that two were even nominated for best film at the Academy Awards. The following are among the best sci-fi films released in 2009, and they all prove what a strong year it was for the genre.

10 'Splice'

Directed by Vincenzo Natali

It cannot be denied: splice is a deeply strange and unsettling sci-fi/horror film. It has a narrow scope and very few actors in its cast, focusing on two young scientists who manage to create a new life form by joining the DNA of various animals. Naturally, he behaves unexpectedly and causes a great deal of drama, taking the film into horror territory for much of its second half.

Humanity messing with the natural order of things and their creations fighting back is a well-worn sci-fi premise at this point, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. splice it takes the familiar premise and, for better or worse, does some very strange and unsettling things with itmaking it a sci-fi/horror film that, once seen, is hard to forget… even if some viewers will.

9 '9'

Directed by Shane Acker

while 9 is animated and features somewhat cute character designs, it's definitely not a film suitable for all audiences. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic Earth where humans have long been extinct, and all that remains are tiny sock puppet-like robots and fearsome machines that seem determined to hunt them down no matter what.

The animation style and the world depicted create a tense and unsettling atmosphere, and that's before considering how tense the story gets. It's a weird, risky, but exciting sci-fi animated filmand it is also a good twist of fate that 9 came out the same year as District 9… in 2009.

8 “Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance”

Directed by Hideaki Anno, Masayuki and Kazuya Tsurumaki

After a 2007 film that more or less summarized the first episodes of the iconic anime Neon Genesis Evangelion2009 Evangelion: 2.0 You can (not) advance shake things up a bit. It continues to recap the original series, but begins to detour a bit, which then enabled the third and fourth films of the Reconstruction of Evangelion series to truly come into its own.

Even if viewers are familiar with the story since Neon Genesis EvangeliontIts new version of the classic series is worth watching for the spectacular animation. There is an almost overwhelming amount Evangelion content out there, but this is one of the best, and more than justifies its existence.

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7 'To know'

Directed by Alex Proyas

Disaster movies seem to fail more often than they arrive, but despite their reputation, To know it's honestly one of the best out there. The admittedly weird disaster movie is about a time capsule that reveals a code that appears to have predicted numerous catastrophic events – and ominously promises to predict numerous future disasters – and a teacher's reaction to this information that can reveal when the world ends.

Although he stars in the often wild and exaggerated Nicolas Cage, is presented in a way that feels quite tense and gritty, and Cage himself gives a solid and mostly lackluster performance. Things veer a little too far into the weird side of things the knowledge unequal final act, but before, is a surprisingly engaging and well-made sci-fi/disaster movie that sci-fi fans should check it out.

6 'red line'

Directed by Takeshi Koike

A criminally underrated adrenaline rush of a movie, red line is one of the greatest Japanese films of the 21st century so far. It's an interplanetary car racing tournament where participants reach incredibly fast speeds, risking their lives on incredibly dangerous courses for a chance to be crowned the best racer in the universe.

The most impressive red line is the amount of hand-drawn images I needed – apparently more than 100,000. It's a testament to the power of non-CGI animation, though sadly its lack of popularity may mean that audiences will see even less hand-drawn animation as the years go by. At least those who are fans of this genre will always have movies like red line to marvel

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5 “District 9”

Directed by Neill Blomkamp

Combining science fiction and action with a mockumentary format, District 9 is a unique and surprisingly compelling sci-fi film. It follows the conflict between humans and alien refugees who have been stranded next to Johannesburg after their spaceship crash-landed in the city some 30 years before the film's main story begins.

The fact District 9 it's so exciting and satisfying in its spectacle and the action is even more impressive considering the film's budget, which is lower than you'd expect from a sci-fi film. The 2000s sci-fi cult film also serves as a thought-provoking allegory for both apartheid in South Africa and the way human refugees are treated in real life, succeeding as a film that makes the heart and mind think.

4 'Guardians'

Directed by Zack Snyder

It may take place in an alternate version of the past, though watchmen it still feels like a sci-fi superhero movie at its core. It follows an alternate reality that branched off into a drastically different one where superhero vigilantes thrived, but then found themselves outlawed by the government. Things only get worse when it becomes clear that someone is hunting these ex-vigilantes and will stop at nothing until they're all dead.

It features a more technologically advanced version of the past, though these advancements seem to be used more for evil than good. As such, is a dark, disturbing and often very violent, but nonetheless compelling superhero filmand it also works very well as an alternate history sci-fi film.

3 'Star Trek'

Directed by JJ Abrams

JJ Abrams' contributions to the War of the galaxies The series may be divisive, but most can agree that its 2009 reboot Star Trek it was pretty good It focused on the origins of the characters that both hardcore and casual viewers are familiar with, especially focusing on how James Kirk and Spock initially clashed before becoming loyal friends with each other.

It rejuvenated the series in many ways, giving viewers a faster version Star Trek with little downtime and lots of action. Some fans of the older TV iterations Star Trek and older TV shows may not have liked this approach, but at its core, it was still a well-made sci-fi film that only used familiar characters and iconography to do something more appealing to viewers in 2009.

2 'moon'

Directed by Duncan Jones

moon is an engaging sci-fi film about an astronaut who faces the isolation of being in space with no one but an AI program for company, but it's possible that before anything be a showcase for Sam Rockwellacting talents. He is constantly on screen and rarely has anyone to work with, to do moon kind of an impressive one-man show.

It's not just a movie about the isolation of space, though, and once the main story kicks in, it becomes a strange but engrossing watch for the rest of its running time. It's an ambitious film on a small scale and it deservedly has a reputation as something of a modern cult classic that nonetheless deserves a little more love thrown its way.

1 'Avatar'

Directed by James Cameron

Some love it and some seem sick to death, but everyone should be able to agree Avatar it was a big problem at release. While there is debate over whether its cultural relevance equals its box office earnings, there's still no denying that Avatar it was a huge hit and another movie to prove it James Cameronthe ability to make blockbusters accessible and popular.

It's the kind of straightforward, straightforward story that looks easy to pull off on paper, but is harder to pull off in practice, considering no other filmmaker besides Cameron seems to produce these kinds of films so consistently. This is an immersive and exciting film set on an alien moon, with effects and action sequences that still hold up very well 13 years after its original release.

NEXT: The best sci-fi movies of all time, ranked