This week, Amazon Studios’ sci-fi thriller, Foe, is in limited release, and it will come to Amazon Prime Video at a later date. Iain Reid, the author of the original novel, co-wrote the script with director Garth Davis. The film takes place at some point in the future, and it features Saoirse Ronan as Henrietta, with Paul Mescal as her husband, Junior.
While Henrietta and Junior live a quiet life on their farm, a stranger, Terrance (Aaron Pierre), offers Junior the chance of a lifetime to live and work on a farming space station for two years. Terrance even promises a companion for Henrietta who will keep her safe during Junior’s absence. However, Junior soon suspects that his replacement will be none other than Terrance himself.
Once you’ve seen this, or perhaps if you can’t wait for the streaming debut, there are five sci-fi movies like Foe that you should watch. They all share certain elements with Foe, especially the first choice on our list.
Z for Zachariah (2015)
The film adaptation of Z for Zachariah is the first movie that comes to mind after watching Foe. Although the star power is considerably higher for this movie, with Barbie‘s Margot Robbie in the lead as Ann Burden, and Chiwetel Ejiofor and Chris Pine as the two men who want to win her heart.
In a post-apocalyptic world, Ann lives a solitary life on her farm free from radiation and harm. John Loomis (Ejiofor) stumbles upon her sanctuary, and Ann nurses him back to health. Before their deepening relationship can become romantic, a third survivor, Caleb (Pine), joins them as well. And when Ann’s feelings for Caleb appear to be greater than those she has for John, the stage is set for heartbreak.
Rent or buy Z for Zachariah on Google Play, Prime Video, YouTube, and Apple TV+.
Jonathan (2018)
There are only a few sci-fi elements to be found in Jonathan, specifically within the title character himself. Jonathan (Ansel Elgort) and John (Elgort) are two men who share the same body. Jonathan gets most of the day, while John takes over in the evening. They even have a good rapport with each other via video messages while living entirely different lives.
However, things drastically change when John gets a girlfriend, Elena (Suki Waterhouse), who doesn’t have any idea about his true nature. This angers Jonathan, which in turn, alienates John as well. And without the agreed-upon balance between the two “brothers,” there may be only a single survivor.
Watch Jonathan on Kanopy.
The 6th Day (2000)
Despite what you may expect from the image above, The 6th Day is not about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character, Adam Gibson, fighting his own clone. If anything, Adam and his clone need each other to survive a deadly conspiracy that may claim the lives of their wife, Natalie (Wendy Crewson), and their daughter Clara (Taylor Anne Reid).
In this world, human cloning is illegal, but it’s perfectly fine to clone animals. Adam only learns the truth about cloning when he comes home one day to discover his own duplicate has taken over his life. It’s a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But since the original Adam could expose the existence of human cloning, he finds himself marked for death by assassins who work for Replacement Technologies.
Rent or buy The 6th Day on Google Play, Prime Video, YouTube, and Apple TV+.
Oblivion (2013)
Like The 6th Day, Oblivion is more action-oriented than Foe. It also happens to be the first collaboration between Tom Cruise and director Joseph Kosinski a decade before their next film, Top Gun: Maverick, became a blockbuster hit. This film is based on Kosinski’s unpublished graphic novel which depicts a bleak future on Earth. Humanity survived an alien invasion, but only Jack Harper (Cruise) and his partner, Victoria “Vika” Olsen (Andrea Riseborough) remain on the planet to repair combat drones.
Jack’s worldview is rocked by the arrival of Julia (Olga Kurylenko), a woman whose face he had only previously seen in his dreams. Julia may be the only one who can show Jack what really happened during the end of the world, and what came after.
Watch Oblivion on Hulu.
Significant Other (2022)
It’s hard to talk about Significant Other without spoiling some of the film’s big surprises. So instead of giving it all away, we can confirm that this is a sci-fi story and that there is something otherworldly going on. That may not be apparent right away because the focus is on a couple: Ruth (as played by It Follows star Maika Monroe) and Harry (Jake Lacy).
After Ruth angrily turns down Harry’s marriage proposal, there’s newfound tension in their relationship. But what they find in the woods is going to change their lives forever, and not in a good way.
Watch Significant Other on Paramount+.
