Rentals
Sci-Fi - Days of Fear and Wonder
Take a trip around the blazing worlds of sci-fi as we undock a blockbuster celebration of this most spectacular of movie genres.
Cinema’s science fiction visions have transfixed and transported audiences for as long as the trickery of our camera and screen technologies have enabled filmmakers with scientific imaginations to inspire fear and wonder. These films often plunge us into the unknown, into scientific and philosophical mysteries, and often far into the future. BFI Player's collection expands into the outer limits of Sci-Fi's spectacular and speculative highlights, presenting a comprehensive selection of British science fiction and further dystopian delights from beyond our shores. And proving that this galaxy-sized genre can’t just be confined to the big screen.
High LifeHigh Life
Science Fiction2019113 minsDirector: Claire Denis
The messiness of sex, the mysteries of birth and the moving spectacle of devoted parenting in the face of impending oblivion create a potent atmosphere in Claire Denis’ English-language debut.
PossessorPossessor
Horror2020104 minsDirector: Brandon Cronenberg
In the near future, a cool and ruthless assassin who uses other people’s bodies to carry out execution-style killings comes unstuck when her latest vehicle resists.
Under the SkinUnder the Skin
Horror2014108 minsDirector: Jonathan Glazer
An alien Scarlett Johansson prowls the streets of Glasgow in Jonathan Glazer’s astonishing, mind-bending mixture of existential sci-fi and inner-city realism.
ArrivalArrival
Science Fiction2016116 minsDirector: Denis Villeneuve
Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner star as the humans who make first contact with extra-terrestrial visitors in this richly textured sci-fi from director Denis Villeneuve.
Memory: The Origins of AlienMemory: The Origins of Alien
Documentary201993 minsDirector: Alexandre O. Philippe
The untold origin story behind Ridley Scott’s Alien, one of Hollywood’s most beloved and iconic shockers.
After Blue (Dirty Paradise)After Blue (Dirty Paradise)
Fantasy2021129 minsDirector: Bertrand Mandico
A mother and daughter living in a post-apocalyptic future are sent to hunt down and kill an evil demon hell-bent on destruction.
Midnight SpecialMidnight Special
Science Fiction2015112 minsDirector: Jeff Nichols
Jeff Nichols, the acclaimed chronicler of American delirium, presents an imaginative sci-fi about an otherworldly child pursued by the FBI and a shadowy cult.
Attack the BlockAttack the Block
Crime201188 minsDirector: Joe Cornish
Aliens wage war on a tower block after one of their number is bludgeoned by a street gang in this witty, action-packed feature debut by Joe Cornish.
VivariumVivarium
Science Fiction201998 minsDirector: Lorcan Finnegan
Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg play a pair of first-time buyers who get more than they bargained for in this twisted fable about the horrors of suburban living.
Welcome II the TerrordomeWelcome II the Terrordome
Drama199594 minsDirector: Ngozi Onwurah
A ferocious dystopian nightmare, this was the first film directed by a Black British woman to receive a UK theatrical release.
Elstree 1976Elstree 1976
Documentary2015101 minsDirector: Jon Spira
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, ten actors landed small roles in a mysterious project called Star Wars. This is the story of how their lives changed forever.
SnowpiercerSnowpiercer
Science Fiction2013126 minsDirector: Bong Joon-ho
After a global catastrophe launches the world into a new ice age, the last of humanity are trapped on a high-speed train that circles the globe infinitely.
The EndlessThe Endless
Horror2017112 minsDirector: Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson
Two brothers who escaped a cult are drawn back in by a mysterious message… Acclaimed directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Spring) return with another hybrid piece of raging intensity.
The RoverThe Rover
Crime2014103 minsDirector: David Michôd
Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson star in a post-apocalyptic thriller set in the Australian outback, from the director of Animal Kingdom.
Artificial Intelligence A.I.Artificial Intelligence A.I.
Science Fiction2001146 minsDirector: Steven Spielberg
A robotic boy longs to become real to regain his mother's love, in this powerful Kubrick project completed by Spielberg.
2001: A Space Odyssey2001: A Space Odyssey
Science Fiction1968149 minsDirector: Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick took science fiction cinema in a grandly intelligent new direction with this epic story of man’s quest for knowledge.
A Clockwork OrangeA Clockwork Orange
Crime1971137 minsDirector: Stanley Kubrick
Malcolm McDowell stars in Kubrick’s chilling, thrilling and unsettling cinematic vision of nihilistic violence and social control.
The MatrixThe Matrix
Science Fiction1999136 mins
Hacker Neo (Keanu Reeves) is drawn into a burgeoning underground rebellion against the machines that enslave humanity, in the hugely influential action sci-fi.
InterstellarInterstellar
Science Fiction2014169 minsDirector: Christopher Nolan
A group of explorers attempt to navigate a wormhole in space, with the hope of saving humanity, in this sci-fi epic from Christopher Nolan.
InceptionInception
Crime2010148 minsDirector: Christopher Nolan
Leonardo DiCaprio stars in Christopher Nolan's mindbending thriller, in which a highly trained team attempt a heist inside their target's mind.
The Tenth VictimThe Tenth Victim
Fantasy196589 minsDirector: Elio Petri
Long before The Hunger Games, Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress battled it out in a televised assassination game, in Elio Petri’s cult sci-fi.
DuneDune
Science Fiction1984131 minsDirector: David Lynch
David Lynch brings Frank Herbert’s powerful novel and rich fantasy world to life in this cinematic spectacle.
Dr. Who and the DaleksDr. Who and the Daleks
Science Fiction196583 minsDirector: Gordon Flemyng
Peter Cushing fires up the Tardis for the Doctor’s big-screen debut, as he and his companions travel to a devastated planet ruled by the Daleks.
The Final ProgrammeThe Final Programme
Science Fiction197386 minsDirector: Robert Fuest
Wild adaptation of Michael Moorcock's novel about a playboy's search for the lost designs of the perfect self-replicating human.
Explore further
Contact!
The infinitely vast reaches of outer space evoke fear and wonder in equally boundless measure. It's not just boldly going - these are films which play on our fears of invasion, extinction and annihilation!
Tomorrow's World
From the seemingly far-flung dystopias where ultraviolent gangs roam post-apocalyptic wastelands, to more immediately recognisable futures in which our megacities grow out of control.
Altered States
Mad scientists, mutants, man-machines and mind-bending trips - these films connect with our human biology and chemistry.
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