Senior Living News

• Paying for streaming services like Netflix, Hulu or Disney+
• Watching content on free streaming services that have ads
• Buying DVDs, Blu-rays and 4Ks of movies at stores like Walmart
• Borrowing movies from the local library

With so many channels and movies to choose from, it can be hard to pick something specific for your next movie night. We've got 20 recommendations for older adults who love science fiction and adventure stories below. Find one to stream or borrow from the library, make some popcorn and get cozy while you enjoy (sometimes literal) out-of-this-world adventures.

Oldies But Goodies

This category includes movies from the last century that are good enough to repeat even if you have the dialogue memorized.

• 2001: A Space Odyssey. This groundbreaker from Stanley Kubrick hit theaters in 1968 and remains a favorite of classic science fiction film enthusiasts. It's based on the novel by Arthur C. Clarke and includes themes of artificial intelligence and the place of mankind in the universe that remain highly relevant today.
• Blade Runner. Another classic science fiction film based on a novel, Blade Runner is Ridley Scott's reimagined version of Philip K. Dick's book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. The film stars a fairly young Harrison Ford as the main character and includes a characteristically enigmatic performance from Rutger Hauer. Blade Runner was released in 1982.
• The Fifth Element. This 1997 movie features Bruce Willis as an underdog hero in a quirky, colorful space opera that includes cast members such as Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman and Chris Tucker. Willis races to stop the destruction of Earth in a rapid-paced plot.
• Aliens. Released in 1986, this film is a sequel to the 1979 release Alien. Sigourney Weaver reprises her role as Ellen Ripley in a storyline that sees her return, backed by marines, to the planet she narrowly escaped from in the first movie.
• The Terminator. Watch this 1984 film that showcases Arnold Schwarzenegger as an assassin from the future. This is a great start to a binge-movie night, as you can flip the coin and follow up this flick with Terminator 2 and see Schwarzenegger reprise his role as a cyborg warrior — this time on the good guy's side.

Movies You Might Have Missed

These movies don't date back to the last century, but they're still long-time favorites. If you were busy living life in the first decade or two of this century, you might have missed some of these.

• Inception. Released in 2010, this science fiction thriller explores concepts of mental states and thought, wrapping those philosophical ideas up in a package that includes a sort of heist-type plot.
• The Martian. Matt Damon delivers a genius dramatic performance in this 2015 story about an astronaut left behind on Mars and the race to rescue him.
• Pitch Black. Vin Diesel delivers a compelling performance in this science fiction horror movie that strands a ragtag group of people on a mysterious planet and asks the question, "What's lurking in the darkness?"
• V for Vendetta. This 2005 movie, based on a graphic novel, stars Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman in a dystopian sci-fi adventure that pulls in Gunpowder Plot themes and Guy Fawkes references.
• Minority Report. Another film based on a story by Philip K. Dick, this 2002 release features Tom Cruise as a police officer in a futuristic society that involves psychics to mitigate crime.

New Blockbusters in the Genre

If you're a regular science fiction or adventure movie watcher, you might have seen all the classics dozens of times. Don't worry — Hollywood continues to make movies in these genres. From 2020 to 2024, some favorite options include:

• Spider-Man: No Way Home
• Top Gun: Maverick
• Dune
• Avatar: The Way of Water
• A Quiet Place Part II

Several of these newer releases are part of series, and you may want to watch the other movies before you jump into the plot. You can enjoy the Spider-Man series without having to watch the entire current run of Marvel Universe movies, though.

Science Fiction and Adventure Movies to Watch With the Grandkids

A lot of the movies mentioned above are rated R or otherwise not appropriate for young children. If you want to introduce your grandchildren or other young people in your life to the science fiction and adventure genres, consider some of the favorites below:

• WALL-E
• Muppets From Space
• The Iron Giant
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind
• Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

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