Paramount+ is still finding its feet in Australia. While it doesn’t have a catalogue comparable to the likes of Disney+, Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, there are still a bunch of action, fantasy and sci-fi movies on Paramount+ to entertain our nerdy selves.
Just like anything, choice is overwhelming, but fear not as we’re here to give you our own list of what we reckon are the best sci-fi, fantasy and action movies available to stream on Paramount+ right now.
Best sci-fi, fantasy and action movies on Paramount+
In no particular order, here are the 12 best sci-fi movies on Paramount+, according to Gizmodo Australia.
Blade Runner 2049
Too often sequels are little more than weaponised nostalgia, but Blade Runner 2049 offered an extended stay in the universe created by Ridley Scott’s original. At the time, we compared watching this flick to staying up all night to finish a 150,000-word fanfic that you started reading, thought was good but not great, and then just kept reading because you’d committed to it. And then the next morning, as you struggle bleary-eyed through the work day, you keep wondering if it was worth it. It’s worth it, somehow, and Blade Runner 2049 is one of the best sci-fi movies you can binge on Paramount+, so do it. Let us change your mind.
Significant Other
If you like your movies to start off with an unsettling vibe and build to a shocking ending, you need to watch Significant Other immediately. The supernatural thriller follows young couple Ruth (Maika Monroe) and Harry (Jake Lacey) as they venture into the woods for a camping trip. Soon, the couple realises they may not be alone. It’s a bit of a different vibe from the sci-fi movies we tend to promote on Gizmodo Australia, but it’s one of the many hidden gems on Paramount+ we wanted to share.
Inception
When Inception was released I, like many others, instantly fell for it. The scope, te ambition, the effects, it was one of my favourite films of the year. I’m also a very big Leo fan. The story, if you’re not familiar (or have forgotten), is that DiCaprio’s character, Cobb, specialises in invading people’s dreams and extracting information. However, when a job goes wrong he’s asked to perform “inception”, which means going into a person’s dream and planting an idea. Everything is obviously much more complex than that, almost shockingly so, but Nolan keeps the viewer acclimated and alert to what’s going on at all times.
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight is one of the best movies ever made. Christopher Nolan’s marvel is gritty, dark and serious in the right ways, and there’s no denying Heath Ledger’s portrayal is legendary
Interstellar
Heck, let’s go for the Christopher Nolan three-in-a-row. Interstellar is a sci-fi epic by the director of The Dark Knight and Inception, following a pilot and his crew navigating space to find a new world for humans to live on, with the Earth coming to a slow end brought on by climate change. It’s an incredible movie, but it’s also super long.
Top Gun: Maverick
Top Gun: Maverick picks up 30 years after the events of the first Top Gun film. Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is tasked with training a group of graduates for a special assignment, when he is reunited with Rooster (Miles Teller), the grown-up son of his late best friend, Goose.
The Mask of Zorro
The Mask of Zorro is a good example of a movie packing action for days but not relying on explosions and gunfire. It’s thrilling and has a lot of swordplay, in between the themes of good vs evil we’re all too familiar with, just in a way that isn’t the usual. It’s a step back to 1998 where the swashbuckler film based on the character of the masked vigilante Zorro stole our hearts.
Transformers
It would be an understatement to say how much of a big deal this movie was for its time. There are plenty of genre films one could point to as being important or iconic in some way, but one of the best examples is without a doubt Transformers. Both the first Transformers and its sequels have consistently become used as an example of what Hollywood can get wrong about adapting beloved IP, and look, the reviews following its debut reflected this. Love it or hate it, Transformers is one of the best sci-fi movies out there, and you can watch it on Paramount+, so you may as well give it another chance.
Elysium
In the year 2154, humanity is sharply divided between two classes of people: The ultrarich live aboard a luxurious space station called Elysium, and the rest live a hardscrabble existence in Earth’s ruins. His life hanging in the balance, a man named Max agrees to undertake a dangerous mission that could bring equality to the population, but Secretary Delacourt vows to preserve the pampered lifestyle of Elysium’s citizens, no matter what the cost. The visuals are breathtaking, even still in 2023.
Gravity
The plot of Gravity is pretty simple: a crew of astronauts in space are working on the Hubble space telescope, when a Russian satellite is destroyed, splaying debris in a dangerous orbit around the Earth, tearing apart telescopes, space stations, shuttles and other satellites to pieces. It’s a brilliant film, and you’ll be gripping your seat from start to finish. The plot holds you right until the very end, with the series of unfortunate events plaguing Dr Stone from the edge of space right down to … no spoilers, the movie is only 90 minutes long. It’s a must-watch sci-fi movie on Paramount+.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Director Mel Stuart’s 1971 musical take on the 1964 Dahl classic has become a classic itself, led by a gentle, melancholy performance by the late, great Gene Wilder. It also boasts some pretty incredible practical effects, a few genuine scares (two words: tunnel scene), and a tone that embodies so many moods of childhood and beyond: Profound wistfulness, crushing disappointment, giddy excitement, and the eternal hope that there’s still room for good, unselfish people to come out on top.
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Although the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers movies are also on Paramount+, we’ve chosen Return of the King for no other reason than its epic battle scene and its importance in sci-fi culture. There will be no further elaboration.
There we go, 12 of the best action, fantasy and sci-fi movies you can stream on Paramount+ in Australia.
Want more suggestions across the other streaming services? Check out our guide to the best sci-fi movies on Netflix, the best sci-fi movies on Prime Video, the best sci-fi movies on Binge, the best sci-fi movies on Disney+, the best sci-fi movies on Stan, and the best sci-fi movies on Apple TV+. This article has been updated since it was first published.