Liz Young
Tue, July 7, 2026 at 2:17 PM UTC
With a click of a keyboard or remote button, you can immediately access straight-to-streaming movies on services like Paramount+ and Netflix. Films that don’t ever hit theaters are just put up on their respective streaming home. It’s something audiences take for granted now, but there was a similar release model before the rise of streaming. Production companies could either push the project to theaters or make it a direct-to-video release, immediately coming out on VHS or DVD to buy at your local Best Buy.
If you’re willing to dig through the mountain of DVDs, there are some awesome science fiction films hiding toward the bottom of the bin. Are they the best sci-fi movies ever made? No, but they are worth a watch. They include interesting concepts, underrated adaptation gems, great genre combinations, and effects that trump their mainstream counterparts. Some will make you laugh, others will make you question what you’d do during an alien invasion, and others are just fun, but they are all worth watching at least once.
Adventures in Dinosaur City
Before “Dragon Tales” aired on PBS in 1999, there was “Adventures in Dinosaur City,” a family science fiction movie about three kids pulled into the universe of their favorite show. That show, “Dino Saurs,” features dinosaurs and prehistoric human populations living together. The former have been anthropomorphized, with some even in leadership roles. The children are trying to help save Saur City, a big population center, from Mr. Big, an Allosaurus hoping to destroy the town
“Adventures in Dinosaur City” is a fun flick for young audiences. Not only are the characters going on a journey to save the day, but they learn that their heroes aren’t always willing to help, a theme that isn’t in most children’s media. The dinosaurs aren’t the only science fiction element either — the entire reason the kids end up inside the show’s universe is that they used their parents’ invention, a portal they’re still testing, thinking it was a TV
Those who watched it during their childhood have fond memories of the film, with one Reddit user describing that “random scenes of the movie” will pop up in their memory now as an adult. Some also cite their love for the accompanying video game, or that it was an obvious “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” copycat
Hell Comes to Frogtown
What if after a nuclear war there were mutant frogs everywhere, and humans had to share the last habitable places with them? That’s what “Hell Comes to Frogtown” follows. The frogs are treated as second-class citizens, with humans forcing them into certain areas, and the frogs decide to fight back, stealing women and guns to try and force change. This all comes to a head when a man meant to help repopulate the Earth is sent to retrieve the women
It’s an entirely outlandish premise, and that’s what makes “Hell Comes to Frogtown” worth the watch. It’s a fun combination of action, science fiction, and suggestive comedy, and the lead actor is a highlight for many. The movie stars Roddy Piper, a wrestler-turned-actor, as Sam Hell, one of the last fertile men. A Reddit user wrote that they’d “watch it just for him,” while another declared that “Roddy Piper has a ton of charisma.”
Fans compliment director Donald G. Jackson’s work on the movie, with one Reddit user calling him “a true visionary.” Some even believe it’s one of his best, arguing that “Hell Comes to Frogtown” is “near Oscar worthy” when considering the rest of his filmography. The best part? There are two other projects set in the universe, “Return to Frogtown” and “Max Hell Frog Warrior,” so you can spend a whole day bingeing the adventures of mutant frogs after the apocalypse
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Arena
“Arena” is all about a man competing in intergalactic boxing. Steve (Paul Satterfield), who is initially working as a cook, ends up fired and courted by someone to enter the Arena, where the boxing takes place. Humans haven’t competed in years, so Steve is initially apprehensive, but eventually agrees because he needs the cash
A science fiction sports movie is not a common occurrence, and that’s what makes “Arena” awesome. It’s a human boxing aliens and other galactic beings — it’s like “Rocky” meets “Alien.” Other competitors are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure Steve does not win, determined to make sure the first human competitor in decades goes home after a brutal loss. You can’t help but both root for Steve and be amazed by his extraterrestrial opponents
Despite being a direct-to-video movie, the practical effects of “Arena” still hold up today, making the flick worth a watch, even if it’s often overlooked. One fan on Reddit describes it as “some of the best suit and puppet work you’ve ever seen.” The Japanese special effects artist Screaming Mad George was part of the team for the film. Even if you don’t recognize that name, you will know his work, with projects like “Predator” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors” on his resume
H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds
There are plenty of adaptations of H. G. Wells’ book “War of the Worlds.” In fact, three different film adaptations alone came out in 2005. While the Tom Cruise-led version directed by Stephen Spielberg is likely what comes to mind, a direct-to-DVD version by the production company The Asylum is one that should be on your watch list. In “H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds,” C. Thomas Howell is Dr. George Herbert, an astronomer meant to help research a strange meteorite. However, it then hits Earth, and now he’s trying to survive an alien invasion.
This adaptation is worth the watch, especially when compared to recent adaptations of the Wells novel, notably the screenlife one starring Ice Cube. Tonally, it’s incredibly different from the Spielberg movie. Watching Cruise’s Ray try to protect his daughter makes you feel hopeful, whereas George’s journey to Washington, D.C. feels fruitless with all of the issues he runs into. While the flicks have similar endings, you’re left with an entirely different sense of the story
Is it the best adaptation of Wells’ book? No. But it does lean into the dread that trying to survive an alien invasion ultimately evokes. A Reddit user argues it “feels more like a ‘modern’ adaption” of Wells’ work when compared to other versions, with some even arguing it is one of the more accurate adaptations of the
The Return of Swamp Thing
A sequel to the 1982 movie “Swamp Thing,” “The Return of Swamp Thing” takes audiences back to Florida. Abby (Heather Locklear) is looking into her mother’s death when she instead comes across the titular monster, who saves her from an evil scientist who happens to be her stepfather. We Craven directed the 1982 film, but Jim Wynorski helmed the sequel, who is known for creature features. Swamp Thing has a bit more personality in this one, with a more comedic tone throughout, and though he is fighting the same antagonist as the first flick, it doesn’t feel stale.
As a science fiction superhero movie, it’s a fun nod to the DC Comic character while incorporating the scientist’s experiments in a way that both expands on the original film and opens the door to future projects. Fans love the costumes used for Swamp Thing, with fan on Reddit writing that it has “far superior effects and prosthetics” compared to the first movie. Some on the same subreddit even argue it’s more faithful to the source material, arguing that “for how goofy it is, it’s way more comic accurate than the first one.” It’s campy, captures the best of the ’80s creature features, and is just a fun watch.
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