Since the 1950s, science fiction has given Hollywood some of its most thoughtful stories, from 2001: A Space Odyssey to The Day the Earth Stood Still. While the serious side of the genre tends to receive the most accolades and critical acclaim, it isn't without a thriving comedy side. Ranging from witty parody movies to biting works of satire, a number of directors have used sci-fi to bring audiences some of the funniest films ever made.
Sci-fi comedies explore everything from bizarre and comical dystopia to buddy adventure stories, exploring a range of ideas along the way. While these films don't typically get as big a budget as a Star Wars movie, they do a great job of poking fun at some of cinema's most epic and successful stories. People who need a good laugh and love fantastical ideas to explore that, they have a wealth of good choices.
IMDb Rating: 6.1/10
Evolution begins when a meteorite crashes into Earth, leading a pair of college professors — biologist Ira Kane and geologist Harry Block to investigate. When they arrive, they realize that the rock has transported alien life to Earth and that it's evolving at an alarming rate. Then, when the evolution spawns monsters, the duo team up with an aspiring firefighter and CDC scientist to try and save the day before humanity goes extinct.
The 2000s remain something of a modern golden age of comedy movies, and Evolution is among the most underrated. The film doesn't pretend to be a witty satire, nor a deep and thoughtful look at science. Instead, it's more of a buddy hangout movie, one that casts two best friends as alien hunters stepping in to save the day in the face of a trigger-happy military.
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Evolution
PG-13
Comedy
Science FictionAction
- Release Date
- June 8, 2001
- Runtime
- 101 minutes
Cast
-
David Duchovny
Dr. Ira Kane
-
Julianne Moore
Dr. Allison Reed, CDC
-
Orlando Jones
Prof. Harry Phineas Block
-
Seann William Scott
Wayne Grey
9 Don't Look Up Is A Frustrating Look At Human Greed
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Don't Look Up begins when a scientist and his assistant discover a comet hurtling towards Earth, dooming the planet to destruction if not prevented. What follows is a frustrating but hilarious look at humanity's response as an ignorant political class and greedy corporate bosses bumble their way through a solution — only to look out for their own self interests.
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Don't Look Up is simultaneously a hilarious and sobering look at human ignorance, greed and apathy, giving audiences an analogy for the world's poor response to climate change. Made by comedy legend Adam McKay, the film gives viewers flawed and relatable characters, finding humanity in its story in face of impending disaster. As one of the best works of satire of the last decade, it delivers its message brilliantly.
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Don't Look Up
R
Comedy
DramaSci-Fi
- Release Date
- December 10, 2021
- Runtime
- 145 minutes
- Director
- Adam McKay
- Writers
- Adam McKay, David Sirota
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming
8 Paul Is Alien Conspiracy Meets Road Trip Adventure
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
Paul follows two British best friends, Graeme and Clive, as they head to the US to attend Comic-Con and go on a road trip to a series of science fiction-related landmarks. Along the way, they meet an alien, Paul, who is on the run from the government and seeking a way to contact his people. Pursued by a trio of bumbling agents, they make their way across the country in search of help.
Paul takes the audience into the heart of an X-Files-style conspiracy story, turning it into a comedic road trip adventure as its heroes become closer through their experience. With an all-star cast of comedy stars, the film is one big exploration of beloved sci-fi tropes, from making first contact to the government's "men in black."
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Paul
r
Sci-Fi
Comedy
- Release Date
- February 14, 2011
- Runtime
- 110minutes
- Director
- Greg Mottola
- Writers
- Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming
7 The Truman Show Is A Unique Dystopian Story
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
The Truman Show revolves around the life of a young man, Truman, the oblivious star of the world's biggest reality TV show. With everything curated to make his life as entertaining as possible, his world begins to crumble as he becomes aware of his situation — pushing him to test the boundaries of his false reality.
The Truman Show explores a variety of great sci-fi themes, combining elements of dystopia and false reality to offer commentary on the ethics of the media industry and social entertainment. Despite its thoughtful plot and themes, the movie is also a brilliant comedy, one that manages to make the audience laugh as much as they cry.
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The Truman Show
PG
DramaSci-Fi
Comedy
- Release Date
- June 5, 1998
- Runtime
- 103 minutes
- Director
- Peter Weir, peter
- Writers
- Andrew Niccol
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming
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6 Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy Is A Comedy Space Odyssey
IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
Based on the book of the same name, The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy begins when an Englishman, Arthur Dent, learns of the impending destruction of Earth. Hopping aboard a starship with his friend, he soon embarks on a veritable space odyssey as he moves between worlds, learning the secrets of the galaxy. When he meets up with an old girlfriend, his journey turns into a rescue, one that pushes him toward the discovery of the meaning of everything.
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20
The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is an acquired taste for many, but its oddball characters come together to deliver a great, dysfunctional crew whose mishaps keep the audience entertained. While the film is a comedy, it's actually its sci-fi elements that are strongest, delivering a truly epic look at creation and the universe.
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
PG
AdventureComedy
Sci-Fi
- Release Date
- April 29, 2005
- Runtime
- 109 Minutes
- Director
- Garth Jennings
- Writers
- Douglas Adams, Karey Kirkpatrick
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming
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5 Men In Black Parodies A Major Conspiracy Theory
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Based on the comic book of the same name, Men In Black begins when a shadowy organization recruits NYPD cop Jay. Upon acceptance, he is exposed to a world of alien life and government cover-ups. Alongside his partner, K, rookie "Agent J" takes on his new identity as a protector of Earth, with his first case involving a hilarious but terrifying bug wearing the skin of a farmer.
Men In Black is one of the best laugh-out-loud comedy and comic book movies of the '90s, and stands out as one of the starkest elevations from print to film. Thanks to the excellent chemistry between Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, the film gave fans one of the best buddy cop stories ever, with Vincent D'Onofrio's villain stealing the show at every turn.
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Men In Black
PG-13
Comedy
Action
AdventureSci-Fi
- Release Date
- July 2, 1997
- Runtime
- 98 minutes
- Director
- Barry Sonnenfeld
- Writers
- Lowell Cunningham, Ed Solomon
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming
RENT
BUY
4 Spaceballs Is the Definitive Star Wars Parody
IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
Mel Brooks has defined his comedy career through parody movies, and few nailed their subject matter as well as Spaceballs. Telling the story of rogue space smuggler Lone Star, his Mog friend Barf and a princess on the run, the film gives its audience a version of Star Wars based on '80s culture and slapstick comedy.
Spaceballs is one of the best parody movies of the '80s and redefined the idea of spoof cinema moving forward. Mel Brooks gives his audience a great satirical commentary on blockbuster cinema and franchises, and the cast gives them an assortment of lovable heroes and villains. The movie introduced a variety of popular quotes to pop culture and did it all in one big assembly of iconic movie moments remade for laughs.
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Spaceballs
PG
AdventureSci-Fi
Comedy
- Release Date
- June 24, 1987
- Runtime
- 96 minutes
- Director
- Mel Brooks
- Writers
- Mel Brooks, Ronny Graham, Thomas Meehan
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming
RENT
BUY
3 Ghostbusters Is A Great Supernatural Comedy
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Set in New York City, Ghostbusters focuses on a group of scientists who, through their study of paranormal phenomena, start a business dedicated to ridding people of ghosts. When a local woman learns that her apartment is a gateway for a demon named Zuul, the team takes the case — only to unleash a potentially world-ending menace upon the city.
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Equal parts supernatural and science fiction, Ghostbusters is one of the best buddy movies of the '80s, uniting some of the best stars of its decade, from Bill Murray to Sigourney Weaver. From its great deadpan humor and great chemistry between its cast to beloved ghost designs, the movie is one of the faces of its decade for good reason.
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Ghostbusters
PG
Action
Comedy
Fantasy- Release Date
- June 8, 1984
- Runtime
- 105 Minutes
- Director
- Ivan Reitman
- Writers
- Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis
WHERE TO WATCH
RENT
BUY
2 Galaxy Quest Is A Great Star Trek Parody
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Galaxy Quest begins when a faded actor, once known for his role as the hero in a Star Trek-style series, is approached by a group of aliens who believe his show to be a true story. Under threat from a galactic warlord, they implore the actor and his co-stars to lead them to victory, even handing them a real-life recreation of their TV starship. Using their wits and memories of the show to guide them, the bumbling actors slowly assume the role of heroes for their new allies.
The 1990s were replete with parody movies, from Austin Powers to Naked Gun, but no movie pulled the genre off like Galaxy Quest. Presenting audiences with an otherwise serious plot that uses the absurdity of actors playing real-life hero, the movie gives audiences an excellent Star Trek parody two decades before The Orville.
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Galaxy Quest
PG
Comedy
AdventureSci-Fi
- Release Date
- December 25, 1999
- Runtime
- 102 minutes
- Director
- Dean Parisot
- Writers
- Robert Gordon, David Howard
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming
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1 Young Frankenstein Parodies a Sci-Fi/Horror Classic
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Young Frankenstein follows the journey of Victor Frankenstein's grandson, Frederick, to Transylvania, where he meets Igor and his new assistant, Inga. Despite initially fighting to distance himself from his grandfather's work, Frederick himself becomes obsessed with the idea of reanimating the dead — and sets about building his own monster. What follows is a non-stop series of mishaps and misunderstandings, ending with a terrified monster with an abnormal brain on the run.
Easily the funniest interpretation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Young Frankenstein is Mel Brooks' finest film. From Marty Feldman's Igor delivering many of the film's greatest lines to Peter Boyle playing an exasperated monster, the film is one of the finest parodies ever made — and a must-watch movie for fans of horror, science fiction and good humor. Not only is it the king of '70s comedy movies, it's one of the funniest films ever made.
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Young Frankenstein
PG
Comedy
- Release Date
- December 15, 1974
- Runtime
- 106 minutes
Cast
-
Marty Feldman
-
Cloris Leachman
-
Madeline Kahn
-
Peter Boyle
