The Best Sci-Fi Movies Streaming In December 2022 And Where To Watch Them
This may come as a culture shock but December isn't typically known as the best month for releasing science fiction media. People tend to expect magic and music and the strengthening of familial bonds, apparently. 'Tis the season and all that. Still, no amount of holiday spirit could halt the unyielding juggle which keeps streaming sites like Netflix and HBO Max above water. Most of the movies that will be released — or otherwise rereleased — during the upcoming December fall squarely into the fantasy genre but a small chunk is pure, undiluted science fiction.
That means mysteriously vague government-ordained doomsday weaponry, that means loosely connected techno babble that justifies corpse reanimation, and that means old white men in old white coats accidentally causing a global plague that can only be cured by torturing the survivors, for some reason. In other words, typical science fiction stuff!
Again, there's not a wide selection to sift through, here, not with Santa on the prowl, but we've rounded up some of the most interesting science fiction movies that are just a few days away from a December streaming release. Some of these will be familiar, some ... less so, unless you're a sci-fi savant, in which case, welcome! We've got matching Trekkie shirts. Sorry, reds all that's left. What's your preferred size?
The Maze Runner (2014)
Remember that hyper-specific reference from two paragraphs ago when we mentioned how science fiction tends to have scientists brutally experiment upon pandemic survivors? Yeah, that was a jab at "The Maze Runner," a 2014 film based on James Dashner's novel of the same name. For those that missed out on Dylan O'Brien's first leading role in a blockbuster film, "The Maze Runner" sees a group of kids dropped into a murder maze where the walls keep shifting to obscure the exit. They're not alone, either — the maze is home to a swarm of creatures known as Grievers. In the books, they're evil Jello with cybernetic tentacles but, in the movie, they're fuzzy robo-kraken ... things. Either way, they are not friendly, and the trapped children must find a way out while avoiding their many-limbed embraces.
Why are there a bunch of children imprisoned in a Jigsaw adjacent maze that's armed to its stony teeth with lethal traps and murderous cryptids, you ask? The short answer is, "Because of science!" The slightly longer answer is that Earth was struck by a massive solar flare which caused global devastation, including (but not limited to) a worldwide viral pandemic that transformed most of the human population into rabid zombies and the few survivors who are lucky enough to be immune to the aforementioned plague are treated like lab rats in literal mazes. See? The narrative circled back to the kids eventually.
Look, there's no logic behind the movie, and the book makes even less sense, but it's a solid popcorn flick that features the immortal Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Marvel's next himbo, Will Poulter. "The Maze Runner" will be available to stream via HBO Max starting December 1.
I, Frankenstein (2014)
Some movies use their source material like a rigid framework, dutifully respecting and recreating what made the original inspiration shine. "I, Frankenstein" is not one of those movies. It's not even a distant relation to one of those movies. Based on Kevin Grievoux's digital graphic novel of the same name which is, in turn, very, very loosely based on Mary Shelley's classic novel, "Frankenstein," the 2014 film sees a sexily scarred Aaron Eckhart portray Frankenstein's monster as a moody Van Helsing-type figure who slays demons as part of the Gargoyle Order's mission to defend humanity from Satan's dastardly clutches. That's right, this movie about humanity's only sentient kitbash has gargoyles and church stuff in it.
There's no denying that to frame "I, Frankenstein" as a true work of science fiction would be a stretch, as Adam Frankenstein — yes, the gargoyles gave him a name — spends most of the movie stabbing people with his magic fist swords. Anyone with an ounce of pop-culture knowledge knows that swords are strictly fantasy unless Jedi are involved. That being said, they kind of look like the Klingon's bat'leth, and the main antagonist poses as a scientist named Charles Wessex (Bill Nighy) who works at an institute that has an entire room dedicated to a big glowing machine that reanimates the dead. That's almost science fiction, right? Even if the bad guy's technically a demon prince of Hell?
Now, whether "I, Frankenstein" is so bad that it's actually good is not ours to decide ... but it can be yours if you're the adventurous type. "I, Frankenstein" will be available to stream via Hulu starting December 1.
Warriors of Future (2022)
Language can sometimes be a barrier to entry when enjoying a foreign film. Sure, subtitles bridge that gap, but that's not a universal fix as there's a vocal subset of moviegoers who despise the idea of reading their visual media. Fortunately, though, the language of militarized combat robots, invasive space plants, and bad governments is one spoken by all of humanity.
The 2022 film "Warriors of Future" is a science fiction film that dares to ask the question, what if Audrey II could solve global warming? Ng Yeun-fai's directorial debut sees an earth ravaged by war, pollution, and space debris that no longer has to fuss with trivial inconveniences like burning up in the ozone layer. Down on the ground, the type of wars fought by man have advanced to the point that near-sentient robots infest the battlefields. This probably has something to do with a shortage of viable human bodies because the pollution is so catastrophic that almost every child is born with severe defects. Most don't make it.
Yeah, it's grim. A meteor hits B-16 (future Hong Kong), bringing with it a fancy space plant that grows so rapidly that its bulk threatens to consume everything. On the other hand, Not-Audrey II releases a much-needed magic global warming cure from its titanic foliage. Governments, along with their scientists and BattleBots, proceed to wage another war over how to handle the situation, who to save, and what to sacrifice for the greater good. It's a sci-fi hodgepodge with incredible spectacle. "Warriors of Future" will be available to stream via Netflix starting December 2.
Inception (2010)
Can you hear that sound? That inescapable, earth-quaking, brassy sound? It's the sound of the 2010s, my friends, a sound that is often attributed to "Inception." Hey, we're all familiar with Christopher Nolan's 2010 blockbuster, right? For those who slept blissfully through the last decade, "Inception" sees a deeply traumatized Leonardo DiCaprio portray Dom Cobb, a thief who leads a team of experts who infiltrate dreams to steal information. There's only one rule to being a dream thief, and breaking it can be fatal: don't mistake dreaming for reality. The trouble is ... the deeper one goes into the dreaming, the harder that line becomes to discern. Going deeper requires creating a dream within a dream, a process known as Inception (roll credits).
In case the damn title wasn't enough of a giveaway, Cobb's crew goes deeper, creating dreams within dreams within dreams to find the information they were paid to steal. As with all of Nolan's films, the concept is high and the cast is stacked, featuring everyone from Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Tom Hardy, to Elliot Page, Cillian Murphy, and Ken Watanabe. It's easy to make fun of "Inception" because it takes itself so seriously and, but there's no denying that it features some of the decade's most memorable action sequences, along with astounding visual set pieces that "Doctor Strange" totally ripped off. "Inception" will be available to stream via Hulu starting December 12.