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The best sci-fi & fantasy on Criterion Channel right now

Right now the best sci-fi & fantasy films and series on Criterion Channel in the United States are Flow (2024), Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) and The Prisoner (1967). This is the top 24 streaming there today, ranked by how well rated each one is, how many people have rated it, and what people are watching now.

Updated November 10, 2026 · streaming in the United States

Pick three for meAllFilmsSeries

  1. 1. Flow2024

    Film · 1h 25mAdventure, Animation, Family★ 8.1

    A solitary cat, displaced by a great flood, finds refuge on a boat with various species and must navigate the challenges of adapting to a transformed world together.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  2. 2. Neon Genesis Evangelion1995

    Series · 1 seasonSci-Fi & Fantasy, Animation, Drama★ 8.6

    At the turn of the century, the Angels returned to Earth, seeking to wipe out humanity in an apocalyptic fury. Devastated, mankind's last remnants moved underground to wait for the day when the Angels would come back to finish the job.

    Stream onNetflixCriterion Channel

  3. 3. The Prisoner1967

    Series · 1 seasonDrama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery★ 7.7

    After resigning, a secret agent is abducted and taken to what looks like an idyllic village, but is really a bizarre Kafkaesque prison. His warders demand information. He gives them nothing, but only tries to escape.

    Stream onPrime VideofuboTVCriterion ChannelNight Flight Plus+8

  4. 4. Godzilla1954

    Film · 1h 36mThriller, Horror, Science Fiction★ 7.6

    Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. An expedition to the island led by Dr. Kyohei Yamane soon discover something far more devastating than imagined in the form of a 50 meter tall monster whom the…

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelCinemaxTCM+1

  5. 5. Fantastic Planet1973

    Film · 1h 12mAnimation, Science Fiction★ 7.6

    On the planet Ygam, the Draags, extremely technologically and spiritually advanced blue humanoids, consider the tiny Oms, human beings descendants of Terra's inhabitants, as ignorant animals.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelCinemaxDarkroom (free)+2

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  7. 6. The Exterminating Angel1962

    Film · 1h 33mComedy, Drama, Fantasy★ 7.9

    After a lavish dinner party, the guests find themselves unable to depart... and, over the next few days, all of their elaborate societal pretenses and façades deteriorate as they are reduced to living like animals.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelCultpixPlex (free)Mometu (free)

  8. 7. Resurrection2025

    Film · 2h 39mScience Fiction, Fantasy, Drama★ 7.1

    In a world where humanity has lost the ability to dream in exchange for eternal life, one creature remains entranced by the fading illusions of the dreamworld.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelKanopy (free)

  9. 8. The Double Life of Véronique1991

    Film · 1h 38mDrama, Fantasy★ 7.5

    Véronique is a beautiful young French woman who aspires to be a renowned singer; Weronika lives in Poland, has a similar career goal and looks identical to Véronique, though the two are not related.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  10. 9. The Thief of Bagdad1940

    Film · 1h 47mAdventure, Fantasy, Romance★ 7.1

    When Prince Ahmad is blinded and cast out of Bagdad by the nefarious Jaffar, he joins forces with the scrappy thief Abu to win back his royal place, as well as the heart of a beautiful princess.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelMometu (free)Tubi (free)

  11. 10. Kwaidan1965

    Film · 3h 3mHorror, Fantasy, Drama★ 7.7

    Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelTCM

  12. 11. House1977

    Film · 1h 28mComedy, Fantasy, Horror★ 7.3

    Hoping to find a sense of connection to her late mother, Gorgeous takes a trip with her friends to visit her aunt's ancestral house in the countryside. The girls soon discover that there is more to the old house than meets the eye.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelTCMKanopy (free)+3

  13. 12. Godzilla, King of the Monsters!1956

    Film · 1h 21mScience Fiction, Horror★ 6.5

    During an assignment, foreign correspondent Steve Martin spends a layover in Tokyo and is caught amid the rampage of an unstoppable prehistoric monster the Japanese call 'Godzilla'.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelCinemaxDarkroom (free)

  14. 13. The Red Balloon1956

    Film · 34mComedy, Drama, Family★ 7.7

    A young boy discovers a stray balloon, which seems to have a mind of its own, on the streets of Paris. The two become inseparable, yet the world’s harsh realities finally interfere.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelFlixFlingIndieFlix Shorts+3

  15. 14. Altered States1980

    Film · 1h 43mHorror, Science Fiction, Thriller★ 6.7

    A research scientist explores the boundaries and frontiers of human consciousness. Using sensory deprivation and hallucinogenic mixtures from Native American shamans, he explores these altered states of cognizance and finds that memory,…

    Stream onPrime VideoCriterion ChannelHowdyHoopla (free)+1

  16. 15. The Spirit of the Beehive1973

    Film · 1h 39mDrama, Fantasy★ 7.6

    In 1940, in the immediate aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, a young girl living on the Castilian plain is haunted after attending a screening of James Whale's 1931 film Frankenstein and hearing from her sister that the monster is not…

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  17. 16. Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion1997

    Film · 1h 27mAnimation, Science Fiction, Drama★ 8.3

    SEELE orders an all-out attack on NERV, aiming to destroy the Evas before Gendo can advance his own plans for the Human Instrumentality Project. Shinji is pushed to the limits of his sanity as he is forced to decide the fate of humanity.

    Stream onNetflixCriterion Channel

  18. 17. The Face of Another1966

    Film · 2h 2mDrama, Science Fiction★ 7.8

    A businessman with a disfigured face obtains a lifelike mask from his new doctor, but the mask starts altering his personality and causing him to question his identity.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelMometu (free)

  19. 18. Orpheus1950

    Film · 1h 35mRomance, Fantasy, Drama★ 7.7

    A famous poet in postwar Paris, scorned by the Left Bank youth, is in love with both his wife Eurydice and a mysterious princess.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelArtifyMometu (free)

  20. 19. A Chinese Ghost Story1987

    Film · 1h 35mFantasy, Action★ 7.3

    A naïve young tax collector for the imperial government winds up spending the night in a haunted temple. There he falls in love with a beautiful woman who, unfortunately, is dead.

    Stream onPrime VideoPhiloAMC+Criterion Channel+6

  21. 20. The Phantom Carriage1921

    Film · 1h 48mDrama, Fantasy, Horror★ 7.7

    An alcoholic, abusive ne'er-do-well is shown the error of his ways through a legend that dooms the last person to die on New Year's Eve before the clock strikes twelve to take the reins of Death's chariot and work tirelessly collecting…

    Stream onCriterion ChannelIndieFlixIndieFlix ShortsFawesome (free)+1

  22. 21. Time Bandits1981

    Film · 1h 56mFamily, Fantasy, Science Fiction★ 6.6

    Young history buff Kevin can scarcely believe it when six dwarfs emerge from his closet one night. Former employees of the Supreme Being, they've purloined a map charting all of the holes in the fabric of time and are using it to steal…

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelCinemax

  23. 22. Three Wishes for Cinderella1973

    Film · 1h 22mFantasy, Family, Romance★ 7.5

    Popelka, a resourceful and independent young girl, is a servant in her stepmother's house and confides in her closest friend the owl. When she comes across three magical acorns, she's granted a single wish for each one of them.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  24. 23. World on a Wire1973

    Series · 1 seasonDrama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery★ 7.3

    In the future, Simulacron, a computer project simulating reality, encounters strange occurrences after its leader's death. Dr. Stiller questions the sudden disappearance of a friend and wonders if Simulacron holds the answers.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  25. 24. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex2002

    Series · 2 seasonsAnimation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy★ 8.2

    In the future when technological enhancements and robotics are a way of life, Major Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9 take care of the jobs that are too difficult for the police.

    Stream onYouTube TVCriterion ChannelSpectrum On Demand (free)Roku Channel (free)+3

Questions

What are the best sci-fi & fantasy films and series on Criterion Channel right now?
In the United States, as of November 10, 2026: Flow (2024), rated 8.1 out of 10 on TMDB, then Neon Genesis Evangelion and The Prisoner.
How is this list made?
Watchwalla asks TMDB for everything of this kind that streams in your country today, ranks it by rating (pulled toward the middle until enough people have rated a title), with a nudge for what's new and what people are watching now, and refreshes the list every day. Streaming availability comes from JustWatch, through TMDB.
Can it pick something for me?
Yes. The picker at watchwalla.com/tonight asks who's watching, how much time you have and what you're in the mood for, and gives three picks streaming where you are. Sign in and every title also gets a match score for your own taste.

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