Sci-Fiandfantasyare ever-evolving genres that are massively dictated by technological advancements, more so than any other movie genre. Whereas many worlds and special effects were once only managed to create in animation, now almost anything can be brought to life in live action. 2022 was an incredible year for science-fiction and fantasy, mostly thanks to technology. These new advanced technologies made a way to create never before seen worlds. However, it was not just the big-budget blockbusters that benefited, as cheaper cameras and effects allowed creatives of all sorts the opportunity to make the kinds of films that were unthinkable even a decade or two ago. The result was a panoply of great low-budget sci-fi films this year, many of which stood above the bigger CGI productions.
Update June 13, 2025: This article has been updated to include even more great sci-fi and fantasy films that were released in 2022.
Yes, sequels toAvatarandBlack Panther, along with films likeNope, brought massive spectacles to audiences, but it was mostly the smaller films that stood out. Pandemics and viruses were a popular subject in the year, as were themes of lost time and losing loved ones. Plenty of amazing films came out in 2022, and to help you navigate, scroll down or click through the list to check out the 26 best sci-fi and fantasy films of 2022.
31Alienoid
Alienoidcould be described asa genius sci-fi tour de forceor a convoluted, chaotic mess of a narrative, but probably best to describe it as both. In a nutshell, a forbearing alien Guard and his robot partner, Thunder, aim to stop a hostile alien, the Collector, before he can liberate his fellow alien prisoners from their human host bodies.
Sounds simple enough, but in fact, it takes place over shifting timelines and becomes so complicated and hard to follow that one is better off not going into this for the plot but rather the thrills of all the action and sci-fi spectacles. Despite being a polarizing film, it is an epic one, and with Taoist wizards time traveling robots, and aliens, one cannot deny its ambition, creativity, and originality.
30Lightyear
Lightyearwas Pixar’s attempt at rebranding theToy Storyfranchise in a new way. Instead of a traditional sequel, they made the in-universe version of the movie that Andy would have seen that would have inspired the toy line of Buzz Lightyear. That is a difficult premise to sell and likely hurt the movie at the box office as it was one of Pixar’s most notable box office failures.
However,Lightyearis a fantastic science fiction adventure. It plays it straight, there is no winking or meta jokes about it being aToy Storyspin-off. The filmmakers clearly commit to the idea and look to tell a very serious, high-octane sci-fi adventure that could have been made even without theToy Storyiconography.Lightyearis certainly a film that will be a cult classic for years to come.
Related:Toy Story: All the Movies, Ranked
29Three Thousand Years of Longing
George Miller isone of the best directorsout there today, and he proved this irrefutability withMax Max: Fury Road. One might think his next film would be in the same vein, but lo and behold, it was a much different epic story.Three Thousand Years of Longingstars Tilda Swinton as Alithea and Idris Elba as a genie or djinn.
When she releases him, he grants her the standard three wishes in return for his freedom, but there’s a big problem. Alithea is a scholar of story and mythology, so being aware of all the cautionary tales of wishes gone wrong, she is extremely hesitant to complete all three.Three Thousand Years of Longingis much more dense in meaningful themes than your A-typical genie movie.
28Moonfall
Roland Emmerich brings another harrowing end-of-the-world tale inMoonfall. The fate of the world rests on three astronauts who get sent on a mission to basically stop the moon from engaging in a head-on collision with the Earth when a mysterious force sends it tumbling out of its orbit.
In a race against time to find out what actually caused this cosmic catastrophe and prevent the moon from crashing into Earth andwiping out all existenceOscar-winner Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, and K.C. Houseman playing the astronauts on a mission to save the world find out more about themselves and the world they thought they lived in. The movie might not have made any extravagant marks, but the magnificent visuals it packs need to be witnessed and appreciated more.
27Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Talk about an animated film that surprised audiences.Puss in Boots: The Last Wishwas not only aShrekspin-off, but a sequel to a movie that had come out just eleven months prior. It should not have been good, but it was fantastic.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wishfeatures a unique animation style that was clearly inspired bySpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The innovative action scenes and strong character work made this one of the best fantasy films of 2022 andone of the best-animated films of the year.
26Avatar: The Way of Water
PuttingAvatar: The Way of Waterin a best-of list feels odd. Sure, the film is absolutely stunning with its special effects, performances, and music, asdirector James Cameronhas truly created the kind of experience which movie theaters were made for. However, this doesn’t feel like its own movie; it feels like an extension of the firstAvatar(a masterpiece) on the one hand, but also a different extension leading to moreAvataron the other hand. Nonetheless, it’s a beautiful epic.
For fans of the original,Avatar: The Way of Wateris a wonderful journey back to Pandora. Cameron and the special effects wizards spent years perfecting the look of the film, creating new ways to pull off what the iconic director envisioned. Much likeAvatar, Avatar: The Way of Wateris a huge leap forward for special effects.
Related:10 Movies Like Avatar: The Way of Water to Watch Next
A very fun trip through Scandinavian folklore and Amblin Entertainment-style fantasy films,Trollwas a surprise hit on Netflix, and rightfully so. It takes the giant creature feature format ofKing KongandGodzillabut injects it with classic myth and gives it a modern conspiratorial twist.
The film follows a paleontologist father and daughter as they work both with and against the government to stop a gigantic troll that has recently awakened after an excavation in the Dovre mountains. Beautifully detailed special effects and a strong father-daughter relationship ground the somewhat wacky but very entertaining movie.
A comically quirky, extremely deadpan little sci-fi movie from Riley Stearns (The Art of Self-Defense),Dualis about as dry as a film can possibly be, which works in its favor.Dualpresents a future in which cloning is possible, and people are able to clone themselves at the end of their life. When Sarah (played by the charming Karen Gillan) receives a terminal diagnosis and decides to get a clone; however, when she recovers, her clone doesn’t want to be decommissioned (or essentially killed).
The government mandates that only one of them can live, resulting in a gladiatorial duel to the death. Sarah trains to fight her clone with the help of an extremely serious and possibly shady self-defense instructor (a hilarious Aaron Paul), hoping to survive this fight with herself. It’s a very weird, allegorical film that’s intentionally flat and devoid of expressiveness, but the alienating effect works.
Related:Exclusive: Aaron Paul Talks Family and the Acting Trust Fall of Dual
Tin Canwas filmed quite a while ago and yet was finally released theatrically and commercially in 2022, which is remarkable considering how many parallels the film has to real-world events.A piece of ‘Covid Cinema,‘Tin Canwas one of many, many 2022 films to become associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and follows a scientist (a wonderful Anna Hopkins) who was attempting to find the cure to a vicious pandemic when she is abducted by mysterious forces.
With extensive memory loss and confusion, the woman attempts to not only figure out what has happened to her, but to also escape from her captors. Seth Smith, who also made the extremely stylistic filmThe Crescent, continues to experiment with visuals and narrative, resulting in a truly enigmatic, haunting sci-fi film.
22Brian and Charles
Brian and Charlesbrings a quirky, funny, and touching tale of life to the screen that lets the audience gently submerge themselves in its surprising emotional depths. A lonely inventor, Brian, who cannot seem to make anything in his life work, starts to put his everything into his dream project after getting frustrated by his failures.
Using a washing machine and various spare parts, he brings to life his new and possibly first successful creation, AI robot Charles. A beautifully thoughtful journey unfolds when they tackle life and its lessons in all their strange and charming ways.Brian and Charlestackles some serious issues with gentle empathy while pulling some of the year’s best laughs out of the audience. It’s fresh and heart-warming and definitely worth a watch.
