20 Hidden Sci-Fi Movie Gems You Can Watch On Netflix

19. Limitless

The first film that properly established Bradley Cooper as a movie star outside of The Hangover world (the year after this, Silver Linings Playbook would begin his run of three Lead Actor Oscar nominations in a row - the others coming for American Hustle and American Sniper), Limitless is a brisk, well paced sci-fi thriller which, while never likely to be a classic, probably deserves a better reputation in regard to sci-fi of the last half decade or so. Cooper is Eddie Mora, a struggling writer who, with the help of a strange pill, becomes able to access 100% of his brain's potential.

From there, it's a bestseller followed by financial wizardry and on to a run for the United States senate, all the while experiencing hallucinations and blackouts which jeopardise his safety. Notable for not only Copper's star-turn, Limitless also contains one of Robert De Niro's only decent performances of recent years, in a small but effective turn as finance tycoon, Carl Van Loon.