20 Sci-Fi Movies EVERY Film Fan Should Have Seen

While Hollywood has always had a place for alien invasions and epic disaster movies, Independence Day is credited for kicking off a major resurgence in sci-fi blockbusters in the mid 1990s, and all it takes it one watch of it to see why.

A truly larger-than-life film in every way that counts (and every way that doesn't too), the Roland Emmerich epic chronicled the arrival of a strange alien species on earth who, instead of beating around the bush like most alien invaders, just thought 'f*ck it' and decided to launch an all-out war on mankind in a bid to eradicate the species. What they didn't count on, however, was badass action heroes like Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum who brought the fight back to them.

A cinematic marvel that should be seen on the biggest screen imaginable so that you can truly appreciate it, Independence Day pays homage to previous iconic genre pieces and is still completely original in its story, making for a genuinely immersive experience.

Many have tried to recreate its success - including its own sequel 20 years later - and all of them have failed. Invasion movies just don't come like this anymore.