12 Upcoming Sci-Fi Movies That WILL Be Better Than Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker

Let’s face it—last year’s conclusion to the epic nine film, four decade Star Wars saga left a little to be desired, to put it mildly.

Was The Rise of Skywalker all that bad, a catastrophe which derailed the entire franchise and left viewers unable to revisit childhood nostalgia without shaking their heads in shame?

Of course not—like every episode released since 1981’s superior sequel The Empire Strikes Back, the film wasn’t all that bad but it didn’t stop some commentators from reacting as if it were the death knell of Star Wars’ formidable cinematic legacy. But The Rise of Skywalker was nonetheless far from the triumphant return to form fans hoped to see after mixed reactions to the divisive Last Jedi, and by and large even the franchise faithful were left feeling flat and uninspired by the new trilogy’s final outing.

With that in mind, we here at WhatCulture are always looking to the future for our next favourite sci-fi offering (understandably, since most great sci-fi comes from the future). As a result, we’ve collected this list of exciting upcoming releases in the genre which we’re confident will blow The Rise of Skywalker out of the water—once cinemas worldwide actually, you know, reopen someday.

You knew we had to stick this one on the list, even if this year’s Dune isn’t the hyper expensive ambitious fever dream which El Topo director Alejandro Jodorowsky would have helmed in a more just world.

Starring indie heartthrob/ unspellable name Timothee Chalamet of Call Me By Your Name and Little Women fame, this belated adaptation of Frank Herbert’s iconic sci-fi epic shouldn’t have trouble improving upon Twin Peaks creator David Lynch’s impenetrable 1984 attempt. Where the eighties version hired a director known for his demented tangents and mad flourishes, this action epic wisely opted to hire helmer Denis Villeneuve of Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival fame.

This canny decision means that, regardless of the flick’s massive scope, Villeneuve’s reliably crisp, clinical sci-fi style will be a perfect match for such a complex and layered project.