10 Best Sci-Fi Movies Based on Books, Ranked

Since very early in cinema's history—in fact, since the times of Georges Méliès, before movies became an art form or even a full-blown storytelling medium—science fiction has been one of the most popular and prolific genres. It's fascinating to see how these stories have evolved throughout the years in terms of their tropes, their visual style, their public reception, and the themes they deal with.

A particular kind of sci-fi film that tends to be phenomenal is one based on a book. There are multiple literary adaptations that can be counted among the very best movies in the genre, from ones based on children's books to others based on iconic novellas. When there's already an established narrative there for you to use as the foundation of a cinematic story, it usually allows you to engage in an explosion of creativity that audiences will end up loving.

10 'The Wild Robot' (2024)

Based on 'The Wild Robot' (2016) by Peter Brown

Perhaps the best animated film of last year, The Wild Robot is one of the best films in DreamWorks Animation's entire library. It's based on the first installment of a trilogy of children's sci-fi novels by Peter Brown, touching on important themes with allegories that respect readers' intelligence and don't shy away from some uglier aspects of the real world.

The film's protagonist, Roz, is one of the best heroes of any 2024 movie. It's through here that The Wild Robot works as a deeply moving celebration of motherhood, unity, and the protection of nature. Kids will have a blast, and adults won't be able to help but shed a few tears. Fans are already clamoring for DreamWorks to build on the success of this beautiful movie with sequels based on the other two books in the series.

9 'Planet of the Apes' (1968)

Based on 'Planet of the Apes' (1963) by Pierre Boulle

Nowadays, it's well known that the Planet of the Apes franchise is one of the most prolific in the sci-fi genre, with ten films (and counting) and several outings in other media. In any franchise, though, it's always hard to beat the original. Indeed, the first film in the series is an often delightfully campy B-film that can be counted among the most important sci-fi films ever made.

The franchise might never have existed, however, without the French novel that the first movie was based on. Although the author, Pierre Boulle, considered it one of his minor works (the legendary war film The Bridge on the River Kwai is also based on a book of his that he perhaps was more fond of), it was a commercial success. So, it's perhaps no surprise that the film, too, was a smash hit with both critics and the box office. Today, though it might not be as artsy as other seminal entries in the science fiction film canon, it's still one of the most iconic sci-fi pictures ever.

8 'The Thing' (1982)

Based on 'Who Goes There?' (1938) by John W. Campbell

Although he also worked on other genres here and there, John Carpenter was mainly a horror filmmaker, and the genre is hugely indebted to him, his style, and his legacy. The question of what his best movie is may elicit several kinds of responses, but there's one film that's guaranteed to come up more often than the rest: His Arctic paranoid horror masterpiece The Thing.

Carpenter pretty faithfully adapted the classic sci-fi novella Who Goes There?, which was also more loosely adapted in 1951 by Christian Nyby as The Thing from Another World. It's very interesting how a book published before the start of World War II became the source for two of the best-known movies that serve as allegories for Cold War paranoia and McCarthyism. The world is all the better for it, as Carpenter turned the story into one of the best horror movies of the '80s.

7 'Children of Men' (2006)

Based on 'The Children of Men' (1992) by P. D. James

Directed by the acclaimed Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, Children of Men is one of the biggest cult sci-fi hits of the 2000s. It was based on a then-14-year-old dystopian novel by English writer P. D. James, rich in sociopolitical commentary and theological analysis. Although Cuarón didn't stick particularly close to James's book, instead using its general premise to make more contemporary commentary on issues like the treatment of refugees. James said she was nevertheless proud of the resulting film.

Although the movie was as much of a critical success as the book was in its time, unlike the book, it was a commercial failure. As the years have passed and audiences have started to look back at the (very poorly marketed) film, they've realized just how brilliant a dystopian movie full of rich social and political critique it is. The way it complements the cautionary tale of the source material is utterly perfect.

6 'Jurassic Park' (1993)

Based on 'Jurassic Park' (1990) by Michael Crichton

A cautionary tale about genetic engineering, Michael Crichton's seminal sci-fi novel Jurassic Park was a huge critical and commercial success when it was published in 1990. So, it surprised no one when it was turned into a movie directed by none other than the legendary Steven Spielberg. The movie was just as successful, if not more. When it came out, it was the highest-grossing film at the time.

With its groundbreaking visual effects, exhilarating storytelling, and flawless adaptation of the book's urgent themes, Jurassic Park is today remembered as one of the best and most influential sci-fi films of all time, certainly for good reason. Though some still prefer Crichton's novel for its more detailed world-building and its darker, much more horrifying dinosaur scenes, it's impossible to deny the impact of Spielberg's masterpiece.

5 'Dune: Part Two' (2024)

Based on 'Dune' (1965) by Frank Herbert

Neither Frank Herbert nor his magnum opus, Dune, should require any kind of introduction for those familiar with the sci-fi genre and its history. The book was published in 1965, and through several lackluster adaptations, was believed to be impossible to turn into a film that really lived up to its legacy. Things changed when Denis Villeneuve came onto the scene and enchanted both fans of the book and those who had never even heard of it with his Dune duology.

2021's Dune is a fine movie, but the main purpose it serves is to lay the foundations for what would end up becoming the greatest film in Villeneuve's career: Dune: Part Two, one of the most flawless films of 2024 and arguably this generation's The Empire Strikes Back. Hugely ambitious, colossal in its scope and epic feel, and a richly nuanced adaptation of the stories, characters, and themes of Herbert's masterpiece (while still leaving plenty of room for Villeneuve to exercise his limitless imagination and take creative liberties), Dune: Part Two is the kind of film that only comes along once in a lifetime.

4 'A Clockwork Orange' (1971)

Based on 'A Clockwork Orange' (1962) by Anthony Burgess

Praised by some as the single greatest filmmaker who ever lived, Stanley Kubrick made some of the greatest English-language movies in history, including some legendary sci-fi films (contrary to popular belief, 2001: A Space Odyssey wasn't based on a book, but rather the book was based on early drafts of the screenplay). One of his best-ever works is A Clockwork Orange, one of the darkest films ever made in Hollywood, based on a book by Anthony Burgess that was banned in several parts of the U.S. due to "objectionable language."

Objectionable language or not, this dystopic satirical black comedy has one of the most complex and hard-hitting studies of violence of any book in history, which was likewise turned into one of the best-ever films that deal with the theme of violence. The sci-fi elements are quite subtle, at least in comparison to other renowned movies in the genre, but they fulfill their role perfectly. Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange is as disturbing, memorable, and profound as Burgess's.

3 'Blade Runner' (1982)

Based on 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' (1968) by Philip K. Dick

He may not be quite as acclaimed today as he was before the turn of the century, but Ridley Scott is one of the most important and celebrated filmmakers in history, and there's no taking that from the man. One of his best movies is the dystopian masterwork Blade Runner, based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by one of the most key figures in science fiction history: Philip K. Dick.

The movie changed quite a few elements from the book and has completely overshadowed it as time has passed, but it's still a must-read for all those interested in sci-fi literature. Its themes of humanity and artificial intelligence in the cybernetic age are even more timely today than they were back in the '60s. However, make no mistake: Scott's Blade Runner very much is one of the biggest masterpieces in the history of sci-fi cinema. Richly philosophical, deeply thought-provoking, and full of delightful imagination and creativity, it's a love letter to the genre that every cinephile should see at least once.

2 'Solaris' (1972)

Based on 'Solaris' (1961) by Stanisław Lem

Though he's not quite mainstream and may even be quite underrated outside of arthouse fan circles, Soviet auteur Andrei Tarkovsky is still one of the most influential filmmakers in history, and his influence can be seen particularly in the sci-fi genre, even if he only ever made two movies in the genre. One of them is Solaris, based on the novel of the same title by Polish author Stanisław Lem.

Lem's book, a treatise on the limitations of human rationality, was hugely successful and impactful upon release, being adapted many times for radio, theater, and film. The best of these adaptations, though, is easily Tarkovsky's film. Though it may not be one of Tarkovsky's most approachable works, being deeply imbued with his signature glacial pace and almost entirely philosophical style, it's still a sci-fi masterpiece that all lovers of the genre should witness. With the right amount of attention and patience, it's guaranteed to be a highly rewarding experience both intellectually and spiritually.

1 'Stalker' (1979)

Based on 'Roadside Picnic' (1972) by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky

While Solaris may be a beyond-great film, few masterpieces transcend the boundaries of the sci-fi genre and of cinema itself quite as beautifully as Tarkovsky's best outing in the genre: Stalker. Based on one of the most acclaimed science fiction books ever written, the Soviet philosophical novel Roadside Picnic by brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, it's a movie so perfect that it somehow managed to surpass source material that was already perfect, too.

Though Stalker might be most famous for its hellish production, which ended up leading to the lives of several cast and crew members (including Tarkovsky himself) being cut short due to possible radiation poisoning, Stalker deserves to be more talked about in terms of its artistic merits. It's a beautifully profound and stimulating exploration of themes like faith, existentialism, and political control, told in Tarkovsky's typical symbolism-heavy style. While the slow pace may be daunting for those not quite so familiar with arthouse cinema, it's still a film that should be seen by absolutely everyone before they die.

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