10 Best British Sci-Fi Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 26, 2026

United Kingdom Arthouse thought provoking intense

British sci-fi tends to favour a single contained premise over spectacle, and gets more mileage from that restraint than bigger budgets do. High-Rise has a tower’s residents descending into class warfare, Attack the Block has London teens defending their estate from aliens, and Under the Skin has an alien hunting men across Scotland with almost no dialogue. Annihilation, Never Let Me Go, Sunshine, 28 Days Later, Moon, Ex Machina and Children of Men round out the list.

High-Rise (2015)

TMDB ★ 5.9

A luxury apartment tower's residents descend into class-based chaos and violence as services break down.

Directed by Ben Wheatley · 1h 59m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Monsters and Nightmares Amazon Channel, Warriors and Gangsters Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Attack the Block (2011)

TMDB ★ 6.6

A teenage gang in a South London tower block defends their home from an alien invasion on the same night they mug a nurse.

Directed by Joe Cornish · 1h 28m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Under the Skin (2013)

TMDB ★ 6.3

An alien in human form hunts men across Scotland with almost no dialogue at all.

Directed by Jonathan Glazer · 1h 48m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Annihilation (2018)

TMDB ★ 6.9

A biologist joins an expedition into a mysterious zone that rewrites everything inside it.

Directed by Alex Garland · 1h 55m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Never Let Me Go (2010)

TMDB ★ 7.2

Three childhood friends raised at an isolated boarding school slowly learn the tragic purpose for which they exist.

Directed by Mark Romanek · 1h 44m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Sunshine (2007)

IMDb ★ 7.2 RT 77% Metacritic 64

A crew is sent to reignite the dying sun with a bomb the size of a small country.

Directed by Danny Boyle · 1h 48m · Rated R

1 win & 22 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

28 Days Later (2002)

IMDb ★ 7.5 RT 87% Metacritic 73

A man wakes from a coma to find Britain emptied out by a rage-fuelled virus.

Directed by Danny Boyle · 1h 53m · Rated R

10 wins & 32 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Apple TV, Apple TV Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Moon (2009)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 90% Metacritic 67

A lunar miner nearing the end of his solitary contract discovers something deeply wrong with his own memory.

Directed by Duncan Jones · 1h 37m · Rated R

Won 1 BAFTA Award28 wins & 37 nominations total

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Ex Machina (2014)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A programmer's Turing test with an android grows more unsettling the longer it runs.

Directed by Alex Garland · 1h 48m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Children of Men (2006)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 92% Metacritic 84

Humanity has been infertile for eighteen years, and one miracle pregnancy changes everything.

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón · 1h 49m · Rated R

Nominated for 3 Oscars49 wins & 89 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

10 Best British Sci-Fi Movies

High-Rise (2015)

Attack the Block (2011)

Under the Skin (2013)

Annihilation (2018)

Never Let Me Go (2010)

Sunshine (2007)

28 Days Later (2002)

Moon (2009)

Ex Machina (2014)

Children of Men (2006)

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