Sci-fi movies come in all shapes in sizes, from ones that feature monsters to others that boast mind control or aliens. Some are parodies with a hint of humor, others skew more toward horror as well. With the three sci-fi movies on Amazon Prime Video you need to watch in April, you get a bit of everything.
Two of the movies on the list involve J.J. Abrams, and one is co-produced by Steven Spielberg, so you can be confident they’re worth a watch. The third is a remake of a 1975 movie that’s satirical but with a timely message despite being based on a story written more than a half-century ago.
Cloverfield (2008)
J.J. Abrams produced this found-footage movie about a massive, skyscraper-sized monster called a Clover that has taken over New York City. The story follows six young residents trying to escape the Clover and other smaller creatures that have joined in its wave of destruction. The story is presented in the Blair Witch Project-like found footage format, with footage from a personal camcorder recorded by these individuals as they desperately try to survive. This adds to the sense of intrigue as you watch curiously to see how the events play out.
Cloverfield is frantic, engaging, and intense throughout. The movie was a huge box office success and received decent reviews. Its originality, terror-inducing scenes, and unique presentation easily make Cloverfield a must-watch if you haven’t seen it yet.
Stream Cloverfield on Amazon Prime Video.
The Stepford Wives (2004)
A remake of the 1975 movie, which was based on an Ira Levin novel, The Stepford Wives, is a term for a woman who submits willingly to her husband, almost entirely focused on her domestic abilities and appearance. This movie is a sci-fi black comedy that parodies the concept of the dutiful housewife without a mind of her own, taking it to a disturbingly robotic degree. It begins when Joanna, ironically a successful reality TV producer, loses her job and moves with her family to a small suburb called Stepford. Learning that her husband is ready to leave her, Joanna promises to change her domineering ways and fit in with the other housewives. This, however, proves challenging when she discovers that the Stepford Wives are nano-chipped, effectively robots programmed to be blankly staring, submissive wives.
A hilarious but topical satire, The Stepford Wives is strangely still timely, even two decades after it came out and more than 50 years since the novel was written. As a movie with purpose hidden behind its satirical premise, actors like Nicole Kidman, Better Midler, Glenn Close, Matthew Broderick, and Dune: Part Two‘s Christopher Walken perfectly capture the tone and humor. The story cuts deep when you take the time to soak it all in.
Stream The Stepford Wives on Amazon Prime Video.
Super 8 (2011)
Another early J.J. Abrams film, which was also produced by Steven Spielberg, Super 8 is set in 1979 and centers around a group of teenagers. They are filming their own zombie movie at a train station at midnight. When a train derails, the kids scatter to safety. Upon coming back together, they discover that the driver was their biology teacher who strangely warns them not to discuss what they saw. Suddenly, odd events begin happening in town, from electrical power surges to missing people and creatures abducting humans.
Super 8 is in the same class as similar movies set during the same time, like The Goonies and Stand by Me, and shows like Stranger Things. It’s one of those lesser-known forgotten gems of the same vein that’s worth watching. Starring Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, and Gabriel Basso (The Night Agent), Super 8 is thrilling and nostalgic while also deeply unsettling and, at times, quite tragic.
Stream Super 8 on Amazon Prime Video.
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