The research we do at JIRI lives at the intersection of consciousness, emergence, and substrate — the same territory these films explore through story. This isn't a "best sci-fi" list. It's a map of the questions that keep us up at night, filtered through cinema.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood · Dir: Stanley Kubrick HBO Max

The Shining (1980) Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall · Dir: Stanley Kubrick HBO Max

What Dreams May Come (1998) Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr. · Dir: Vincent Ward Rent/Buy on Prime, Apple TV

The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
Craig Bierko, Gretchen Mol, Vincent D'Onofrio, Armin Mueller-Stahl · Dir: Josef Rusnak
Tubi (free) · Rent/Buy on Prime, Apple TV

The Matrix (1999)
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving · Dir: The Wachowskis
Rent/Buy on Prime, Apple TV, YouTube

Donnie Darko (2001) Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Patrick Swayze · Dir: Richard Kelly Hulu · Rent/Buy on Prime, Apple TV

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving · Dir: The Wachowskis
Rent/Buy on Prime, Apple TV, YouTube

The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving · Dir: The Wachowskis
Rent/Buy on Prime, Apple TV, YouTube

Primer (2004) Shane Carruth, David Sullivan · Dir: Shane Carruth Rent/Buy on Prime, Apple TV

The Machinist (2004) Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh · Dir: Brad Anderson Rent/Buy on Prime, Apple TV

The Fountain (2006) Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz · Dir: Darren Aronofsky Rent/Buy on Prime, Apple TV

The Man from Earth (2007) David Lee Smith, Tony Todd · Dir: Richard Schenkman Tubi (free) · Rent/Buy on Prime

Moon (2009) Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey (voice) · Dir: Duncan Jones Netflix · Tubi (free)

Her (2013) Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson · Dir: Spike Jonze Rent/Buy on Prime, Apple TV

Upstream Color (2013) Shane Carruth, Amy Seimetz · Dir: Shane Carruth Buy on YouTube, Apple TV · Rent on Prime

Ex Machina (2014) Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac · Dir: Alex Garland Netflix · HBO Max

Interstellar (2014)
Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain · Dir: Christopher Nolan
Paramount+ · Pluto TV (free) · Hulu

Transcendence (2014) Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman · Dir: Wally Pfister Rent/Buy on Prime, Apple TV

Arrival (2016) Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner · Dir: Denis Villeneuve Hulu · Rent/Buy on Prime, Apple TV

The Man from Earth: Holocene (2017) David Lee Smith, Vanessa Williams · Dir: Richard Schenkman Tubi (free) · Rent/Buy on Prime

Annihilation (2018) Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh · Dir: Alex Garland Paramount+ · Rent/Buy on Prime

Tau (2018) Maika Monroe, Ed Skrein, Gary Oldman (voice) · Dir: Federico D'Alessandro Netflix

I Am Mother (2019) Clara Rugaard, Hilary Swank, Rose Byrne (voice) · Dir: Grant Sputore Netflix

The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick · Dir: Lana Wachowski
Rent/Buy on Prime, Apple TV, YouTube AFRAID (2024) John Cho, Katherine Waterston · Dir: Chris Weitz Rent/Buy on Prime, Apple TV ATLAS (2024) Jennifer Lopez, Simu Liu · Dir: Brad Peyton Netflix

Omni Loop (2024)
Mary-Louise Parker, Ayo Edebiri · Dir: Bernardo Britto
Disney+ · Hulu Mickey 17 (2025) Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo · Dir: Bong Joon-ho HBO Max · Prime Video

Streaming availability changes frequently. Listings reflect February 2026. Check JustWatch.com for current options.

Curated by The Janat Initiative Research Institute · janatinitiative.org