By Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer ranking, The Mitchells vs. the Machines leads its 2021 science-fiction guide, followed by A Quiet Place Part II. That is a critic-score ranking, not a definitive verdict: an individual critic may value a film’s romance, ideas, or emotional impact differently. The picks below distinguish those perspectives and show how widely sci-fi ranged in 2021.
How this ranking works
The main order here follows Rotten Tomatoes’ guide, which labels its list “Ranked by Tomatometer” and features Fresh and Certified Fresh genre films. The page was updated July 2, 2024, so its scores are a snapshot that may change as reviews or the guide change. It is not the same as Rotten Tomatoes’ separate 2021 Golden Tomato Awards order, which uses scores as of December 31, 2021, adjusted for variation in review counts.
“Best” also depends on what a viewer wants from science fiction. Rotten Tomatoes offers an aggregate critic-score lens; WIRED critic Jason Kehe’s December 2021 year-end selection instead named Little Fish the year’s best sci-fi film, foregrounding romance. These are different kinds of judgment, not competing measurements of one fixed truth.
Rotten Tomatoes’ highest-ranked science-fiction films
The following are the displayed leaders in Rotten Tomatoes’ 2021 guide, rather than a newly calculated ranking. The percentages are the page’s Tomatometer scores as reported in its July 2, 2024 update.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
#1 Best Overall
- 50 high-grade non-rewritable BD-R discs with a one hundred year archival life and OEM drive certified
- Verbatim Blu-ray discs are treated with a super hard coat to prevent scratches, resist fingerprints and reduce dust build-up
- Single-layer Blu-ray discs offers up to 25GB of storage space to back-up your video, music, photos and can work on any writers up to 16X
- Compatible with the latest Blu-ray hardware including Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, Dell, Lenovo, HP, and LG
- Verbatim has been a leader in data storage technology since 1969 and guarantees this product with a limited lifetime warranty and technical support
| Guide position | Film | Tomatometer | Why it stands out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Mitchells vs. the Machines | 97% | Animated family comedy that pairs energetic visuals with a family story. |
| 2 | A Quiet Place Part II | 91% | A horror-inflected science-fiction sequel built around survival in a world of sound-sensitive threats. |
| 4 | The Suicide Squad | 90% | A superhero and science-fiction hybrid with a deliberately unruly, comic-book tone. |
| 5 | Oxygen | 90% | A contained thriller about a woman trapped in a cryogenic pod and dependent on an AI-controlled life-support system. |
The guide’s displayed examples skip position 3 in the source details summarized here; the table preserves the reported positions rather than implying that the four films are consecutive. Rotten Tomatoes’ consensus describes Oxygen as making “the white-knuckle maximum out of its claustrophobic setting,” crediting director Alexandre Aja and star Mélanie Laurent.
More 2021 picks across the genre
Rotten Tomatoes’ guide also includes films that illustrate how broadly the category can stretch beyond space epics. Its other named entries include Free Guy, In the Earth, Black Widow, The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, Godzilla vs. Kong, Stowaway, and Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time. The guide ranges across animation, kaiju battles, superhero stories, time loops, and horror hybrids; check the linked page for its current ordering and scores.
Rank #2
- 10 high-grade, non-rewritable BD-R discs, OEM certified, with a one hundred year archival life
- Verbatim Blu-ray discs are treated with Hard Coat to prevent scratches, resist fingerprints and reduce dust build-up
- Single-layer discs with up to 25GB of storage space to back-up your HD video, music and photos with superb resolution and amazing sound quality.
- Up to 6x write speed. Compatible with the latest Blu-ray hardware including Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, Dell, Lenovo, HP, and LG.
- Verbatim has been a leader in data storage technology since 1969, and guarantees this product with a limited lifetime warranty and technical support
A different critical view: stories and ideas over score order
In WIRED’s December 14, 2021 essay, Jason Kehe chose Little Fish as the year’s best sci-fi film. Its romance is shaped by a disease that erases memories, a premise that makes intimacy and shared history central rather than treating science-fiction spectacle as the main attraction. The Rotten Tomatoes guide places Little Fish under 2020, illustrating how release-year classifications can differ between lists.
Kehe’s essay also offers a useful thematic map of the year’s films:
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteRank #3
- 25 high-grade, non-rewritable BD-R discs, OEM certified, with a one hundred year archival life
- Verbatim Blu-ray discs are treated with Hard Coat to prevent scratches, resist fingerprints and reduce dust build-up
- Single-layer discs with up to 25GB of storage space to back-up your HD video, music and photos with superb resolution and amazing sound quality.
- Up to 16x write speed. Compatible with the latest Blu-ray hardware including Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, Dell, Lenovo, HP, and LG.
- Verbatim has been a leader in data storage technology since 1969, and guarantees this product with a limited lifetime warranty and technical support
- Dune combines expansive world-building with what Kehe frames as an epic romance.
- Free Guy follows a non-player character becoming aware within a video-game world.
- The Map of Tiny Perfect Things and Boss Level use time-loop premises for different blends of comedy and action.
- Oxygen turns confinement and life support into a tense AI-centered survival story.
- Finch, Voyagers, and Reminiscence add further takes on technology, survival, and memory.
For a distinct critic-selected alternative to the aggregate score order, the Rotten Tomatoes Golden Tomato Awards page explains its own 2021 methodology and points to Dune, Lapsis, Mandibles, Fried Barry, and Nine Days. That page’s order should be read on its own terms, not merged with the guide’s positions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choosing what to watch
Use the ranking as a starting point, then choose by mood and premise. For animated family comedy, start with The Mitchells vs. the Machines. For a tense, enclosed thriller, try Oxygen; for a broader horror-survival experience, consider A Quiet Place Part II. If you want a time-loop story or a simulated game world, look to The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, Boss Level, or Free Guy. For romance built around memory, Kehe’s Little Fish is his personal pick, even though its release-year placement differs from Rotten Tomatoes’ guide.
Rank #4
- 100GB STORAGE CAPACITY: Each BDXL disc provides high-capacity storage for scientific images, HD video, music, backups, and other large files.
- UP TO 6X WRITE SPEED: Supports recording speeds up to 6X for efficient archival storage with compatible BDXL optical drives.
- BDXL DRIVE COMPATIBILITY: Designed for recording and playback with compatible BDXL burners and optical drives.
- LONG-TERM ARCHIVAL STORAGE: Data is engraved onto a patented inorganic layer that resists light, temperature, and humidity, with a projected lifetime of several hundred years.
- 5-PACK WITH JEWEL CASES: Includes five individually protected M DISC BDXL discs and a Verbatim 10-Year Limited Warranty.
Warner Bros. confirms that Dune (2021) was released on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray; its November 22, 2021 announcement gave January 11, 2022 as the start date for 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD availability. That establishes the editions existed, not current stock or price. Streaming availability varies by country and is not established here, so check the services available in your region before choosing where to watch.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 50 high-grade non-rewritable BD-R discs with rapid-dry ink absorption for clear text and high quality images
- Verbatim Blu-ray discs are treated with a super hard coat to prevent scratches, resist fingerprints and reduce dust build-up
- Single-layer Blu-ray discs offers up to 25GB of storage space to back-up your video, music, photos and can work on any writers up to 16X
- Compatible with the latest Blu-ray hardware including Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, Dell, Lenovo, HP, and LG
- Verbatim has been a leader in data storage technology since 1969, and guarantees this product with a limited lifetime warranty and technical support
Sources
- Rotten Tomatoes: Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy Movies of 2021
- Rotten Tomatoes: Golden Tomato Awards — Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movies of 2021
- WIRED: Jason Kehe’s best sci-fi films of 2021
- Warner Bros.: Dune home-entertainment announcement
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
