Science fiction movies have long captivated audiences with their depictions of new worlds and discoveries, while still maintaining human themes. Though sci-fi can be fantastical, we still rely on actors to ground us through these journeys. Sci-fi movies, and the performances in them, often aren’t given the same recognition that drama movies get. However, some sci-fi movies feature excellent performances that deserve praise in any genre. Here are the best acting performances in sci-fi movies, ranked.
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12 Rutger Hauer – Blade Runner (1982)
Warner Bros. Pictures
Though Blade Runner focuses on Rick Deckard, a detective hunting down rogue android replicants, he has a worthy opponent in Rutger Hauer’s Roy. As a replicant who wants to keep living, Roy begs his manufacturer for more time to be added to his android life-span. Hauer shows all the desperation and pain Roy feels, especially when he laments that his memories will be lost “like tears in the rain.” Even as an android, he feels truly human.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
11 Richard Dreyfuss – Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Columbia Pictures
Close Encounters of the Third Kind features Richard Drefyuss as Roy Neary, an ordinary man who sees an unidentified flying object one night. After the encounter, he grows obsessed, and is unable to stop his obsessions until the aliens welcome him onto their ship. According to ScreenRant, the role was turned down by Jack Nichsolson and Steve McQueen before going to Dreyfuss, who badly wanted it. His persistence paid off, as Dreyfuss shows all the intensities of his obsession, along with the joy and almost-relief of joining the aliens.
10 Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson – Her (2013)
Her might not be a traditional sci-fi movie, but it presents a compelling near-future where Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) falls in love with Samantha (Scarlett Johansson), his highly-advanced phone operating system. Phoenix captures Theodore’s loneliness, which runs so deep that he finds companionship in artificial intelligence. Johansson, despite not being physically seen, is also perfect as Samantha. Her voice is so engaging and warm that it’s actually believable for Theodore to fall for her.
9 Jeff Goldblum – The Fly (1986)
20th Century Fox
A blend of sci-fi and horror, The Fly tells the story of scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), whose transportation experiments cause his DNA to merge with a housefly’s. What’s really special about Goldblum’s performance is the transformation, both physically and emotionally. As the fly slowly takes him over, we see him lose his humanity, going from a kind man in love with a reporter to a creature begging for his death. It’s a nuanced and emotional take that elevates the movie.
8 Linda Hamilton – Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
TriStar Pictures
Terminator 2: Judgment Day sees AI Skynet send a Terminator back in time to kill future resistance leader John Connor. The resistance sends another Terminator to protect him, causing the two to battle. Linda Hamilton is John’s mother, Sarah, who stands out among the Terminators, forming the human center of the movie. Nearly insane with knowledge of Skynet’s future rise, she fights to preserve the world, and her son. Strong and tough but also human, she captures the fear and hope of humanity at the same time.
7 Jim Carrey – The Truman Show (1998)
Paramount Pictures
In The Truman Show, Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) lives a seemingly ordinary life. However, this life is revealed to be a lie – Truman was adopted by a TV studio as a baby, and the studio has turned his life into a constant reality show. He realizes the truth slowly, and Carrey captures each layer of discovery. Despite the heartbreak of the life he knows being taken from him, Truman still decides to leave the show, and embrace the uncertainty of an unscripted life. It’s a great dramatic performance for Carrey, and remains one of his all-time best.
6 Alicia Vikander – Ex Machina (2014)
A24
Ex Machina stars Alicia Vikander as the advanced android Ava. When programmer Caleb arrives to test whether she has consciousness, she forms a bond with him. This escalates into her trying to manipulate him into setting her free, and letting her live as a human. Vikander is kind and warm, yet also cold and calculating. She wants to live like a human, and succeeds not only in making the audience believe that she is one, but in making them root for her.
5 Sigourney Weaver – Alien (1979)
The original Alien sees a spaceship fall prey to the alien that’s infiltrated it. Sigourney Weaver plays warrant officer Ellen Ripley in her first major film role. Right from the start, she shows her toughness, when she wants to keep her fellow shipmates out after breaking quarantine. This doesn’t work, and as the alien begins killing them all, Ripley takes on the creature herself, fighting and outsmarting it at every turn. Weaver’s tough, persistent performance cemented her as an actor, and established Ripley as a great hero.
4 Malcolm McDowell – A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The controversial movie A Clockwork Orange presents a violent world where Alex (Malcolm McDowell) leads his group in horrific crimes. After getting captured, he becomes the test subject for a new program that cures violent urges in people. McDowell shows Alex’s form of pure, remorseless evil, but he also makes the character even more compelling with his intelligence and charisma. The movie is a tough watch, but McDowell makes it hard to look away.
3 Amy Adams – Arrival (2016)
In Arrival, Amy Adams stars as linguist Louise, who has been recruited to communicate with extraterrestrials. These communications reveal more about the world and her own life to her. Adams quietly yet powerfully grounds the whole movie. She manages a perfect balance of intensity, intelligence, and emotion, especially when she finds out the flashbacks she’s having are actually the future. It’s a nuanced performance, but an excellent one that deeply resonates.
2 Sam Rockwell – Moon (2009)
Sony Pictures Classics
Sam Rockwell accomplishes two incredible feats as astronaut Sam Bell in Moon: he’s essentially the sole character for most of the movie, and he plays his own double. As he harvests minerals on the moon, we see Sam’s isolation and loneliness get to him. After a head injury, he is further driven into insanity when he sees his doppelganger, and must uncover the truth. It’s a suspenseful and heartbreaking performance from Rockwell, who perfectly shows the character’s loneliness and loss.
1 Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
In Mad Max: Fury Road, Charlize Theron steals the show as Furiosa, a war captain who teams up with Max to save the wives of the villainous Immortan Joe. There’s a deep physical and emotional strength to Furiosa, which comes through in every scene. In a movie that’s essentially a long car chase, she gives excitement with her action sequences, and a resting place with her hints of deeper emotion. She elevates the entire movie with a performance so well-loved that it’s inspired its own prequel, according to Den of Geek.
