Polygon.com - Sci-fi

The Definitive ’90s Sci-Fi Action Blockbuster Is Officially Streaming for Free on YouTube

Ryan Epps — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 23:01:14 GMT

There’s something so refreshing about the simplicity of a great '90s adventure movie. Some of my personal favorites are the ones that don’t take themselves too seriously. They're the films that don't have to build an interconnected universe, explain every piece of mythology, or spend half the runtime teasing a future installment. The best kinds of ‘90s adventure films have a cool idea, a charismatic hero, some weird ancient mysteries, and a sense that the characters are entering a world totally unrecognizable.

MCU Actor Reveals the 'Avengers: Endgame' Spinoff He's Been Pitching to Marvel for 7 Years

Brian VanHooker — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 14:00:14 GMT

Actor Ross Marquand, who played the Red Skull in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame has a pitch for Marvel about a Captain America TV series

Ridley Scott's Near-Perfect Sci-Fi Masterpiece is Officially Streaming on YouTube for Free

Maria Loreto — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 03:01:14 GMT

The ‘70s and ‘80s were a major turning point for science fiction. Star Wars revitalized the genre and turned it into one of Hollywood’s main box office draws, inspiring a wave of films that are still shaping sci-fi today. Then, in the late ‘70s, Ridley Scott threw down the gauntlet with Alien, taking a clear step away from the optimism that had once permeated these stories and instead infusing it with corporate anxiety and untrustworthy artificial intelligence. It was a signal for things to come.

5 Huge Pop Culture Characters You Didn't Know Had a Daily Newspaper Comic Strip

Brian VanHooker — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 08:00:15 GMT

Lots of famous pop culture characters began with daily newspaper comic strips. Garfield and the Peanuts gang are probably the most famous examples, but there are many others, like Popeye, The Addams Family, and Dick Tracy. All of those characters were originally featured in daily comic strips. Only later did they become the subject of cartoons, films and comic books.

The Best Sci-Fi Action Epic of All Time Is About to Be Streaming on Netflix

Brian VanHooker — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 03:00:15 GMT

The best sequels expand upon everything audiences loved about the original — the action, the stakes, the world — while finding enough new ideas to justify returning to it at all. Making a worthwhile sequel can be a tricky balancing act, which is why there are as many bad sequels as there are good ones (if not more). 40 years later, though, one sequel remains the clearest example of how to pull that off.

Transformers Cast Reflects on Death of Optimus Prime Actor Peter Cullen: "A Prodigious Talent"

Brian VanHooker — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 11:00:14 GMT

Transformers voice actors pay tribute to Peter Cullen, the voice actor behind Optimus Prime for over 40 years.

Ridley Scott's 116-Minute Cosmic Sci-Fi Thriller Masterpiece Is Officially Coming to Streaming

Brian VanHooker — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 15:00:14 GMT

As far as genres go, science-fiction and horror pair together pretty naturally. Both of them regularly have stories where people explore the unknown, and strange creatures often show up in both categories. That’s why movies like Cloverfield and A Quiet Place have been so successful in recent decades, because the elements of science-fiction and horror that they are combining naturally complement each other.

Robert Pattinson’s 8/10 Sci-Fi Action Movie Officially Finds Success on Streaming

Elijah Gonzalez — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 15:33:13 GMT

The internet can’t get enough of Robert Pattinson being a freaky little guy. Even considering The Odyssey’s significant star power, Pattinson’s performance as the despicable worm Antinous was a major standout, so much so that one of his lines from the film (“Somebody get these BEGGARS out of here!”) has gone viral. Shortly after, another Pattinson line caught on, this time from his portrayal of Chris Hansen in A24’s upcoming thriller Primetime. It’s already been a big year for Pattinson, with more on the way like his upcoming role as Scytale in Dune: Part 3 and his reprisal of The Dark Knight in 2028’s The Batman: Part II.

Ridley Scott's Canceled 2-Part Sci-Fi Streaming Series Is "Westworld Meets Blade Runner"

Ryan Epps — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 08:00:14 GMT

Ridley Scott has spent nearly five decades returning to the same basic question: What does it mean to be human when the world around us stops making sense? From the industrial nightmare of Alien to the neon-soaked existentialism of Blade Runner, Scott's science fiction has always been interested in more than spaceships and futuristic technology. His best work uses those elements to make humanity feel stranger, more fragile and, occasionally, more precious.

27 Years Ago, The Last True Star Wars Masterpiece Arrived a Month After Phantom Menace

Brian VanHooker — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 08:00:14 GMT

Ever since Return of the Jedi, everything related to Star Wars has been “pretty good” at best. The prequel trilogy seemed aimed at a younger demographic than the original trilogy, and Disney’s sequel trilogy started strong but ultimately collapsed in on itself due to both corporate and fan pressure. The Mandalorian was good for only part of its run and the same goes for The Clone Wars. (I’ll admit I haven't watched Andor, though I hear good things.)