Science fiction is a genre that has been capturing the collective imagination of millions ever since it was first conceived. The combination of scientific thinking with speculative elements to deliver bold narrative themes and thought-provoking stories has made sci-fi one of the most consistently popular genres in wider pop culture. Modern cinema has certainly helped with this success, as many of the best sci-fi movies have themselves become iconic, and have become forever etched into the genre’s rich tapestry of stories. One element that sci-fi seems to do better than almost any other genre is the plot twist: many sci-fi movies deliver memorable and intelligent twists that stick with the audience forever.

What separates the worst sci-fi movie plot twists from the best is a combination of important elements. A good twist is organic to the story yet still unexpected, and often features some component that makes the audience want to immediately rewatch the entire movie. Delivering twists that completely reframe their movie’s whole narrative is something that sci-fi does exceptionally well, as evidenced by some of the best examples in the genre’s history.

7) Matthew is a Pod Person – Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

As well as being one of the most terrifying sci-fi movies of all time, 1978’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers delivered one of the best twist endings in the genre. As a remake of the 1956 movie of the same name, Invasion of the Body Snatchers‘ story seemed another clear-cut adaptation of Jack Finney’s 1955 novel. However, the movie’s final reveal that Matthew has himself been replaced with a pod person is a shocking revelation, and one that proved a chilling way to end the sci-fi film that helped make it a classic of the genre.

6) There’s Only One Character – Predestination (2014)

Based on Robert A. Heinlein’s short story All You Zombies, 2014’s Predestination is one of the more mind-bending sci-fi movies in modern history. Starring Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook, Predestination follows a man who is enlisted as an agent of a temporal agency, where his time-travelling exploits lead him to a shocking revelation. Throughout the movie, it’s revealed that the protagonist is actually every main character in Predestination‘s plot, including his own father, mother, kidnapper, mentor, and the terrorist he has been obsessed with catching. It’s a twist that requires careful examination of the plot, and one that continues to stand out as one of the most imaginative in the history of the genre.

5) Soylent Green is People – Soylent Green (1973)

Soylent Green is one of countless sci-fi movies to eerily predict the future, and although some elements of its narrative proved to be remarkably prescient, thankfully its final twist did not. In the movie, mysterious titular foodstuff has become a staple of humanity’s collective diet, as the Earth is plagued by issues caused by overpopulation, deforestation, and climate change. The big and now iconic twist is that soylent green is, in fact, people, and that humanity has been duped into widespread cannibalism. It’s a twist as memorable as it is shocking, and one that has cemented Soylent Green‘s place in pop culture history.

4) The Flashbacks Were Actually the Future – Arrival (2016)

Widely considered one of the best sci-fi movie twists in recent history, Arrival‘s finale is one of the best-executed narrative turns in the genre. Denis Villeneuve’s 2016 movie follows Amy Adams’ Louise, a linguist brought in to decipher the language of heptapod aliens who have arrived on Earth. The movie’s story is interspersed with flashback scenes depicting the death of Louise’s child, something which seems to color her actions throughout. However, Arrival‘s final twist involves the nature of the heptapods’ language: that it is non-linear, and that Louise’s understanding of it has been causing premonitions. The reveal that the supposed flashbacks had not yet happened but instead depicted Louise’s future was perfectly executed, and helped establish Arrival as one of the best sci-fi movies in modern history.

3) Help Arrives Too Late – The Mist (2007)

Based on Stephen King’s 1980 novella of the same name, 2007’s The Mist is one of the most memorable sci-fi movies of recent years. The film’s story follows David and a group of other survivors who attempt to survive in the sudden onset of a mysterious mist filled with deadly creatures. The movie’s final twist sees David perform a mercy killing on his fellow survivors, including his son Billy, before stepping out into the mist. The final twist is one of the most horrifying developments of all time: the mist isn’t as deadly as it appeared, and the US Army had already arrived to rescue the survivors. It’s a terrible, heartbreaking twist, and one that is remembered as one of the best in the genre.

2) Darth Vader is Luke’s Father – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Shortly after one of Star Wars‘ best lightsaber duels, The Empire Strikes Back delivered a twist that both forever shaped the Star Wars franchise and left a lasting impression on pop culture. After spending the duration of two movies wanting revenge on Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker is finally told the truth by the villain: that Vader is, in fact, Luke’s father. While the twist has since become a well-known element of Star Wars‘ wider story, it was, at the time, a shocking revelation that reframed how audiences interacted with the franchise.

1) It Was Earth All Along – Planet of the Apes (1968)

There are only a handful of sci-fi movies with genuinely perfect endings, and Planet of the Apes is more than worthy of being named among them. After crash landing on a seemingly alien planet in which humans are subjugated by intelligent apes, Charlton Heston’s George Taylor rebels against his simian captors and eventually escapes. The movie’s final scene sees Taylor uncover the truth when he encounters a destroyed Statue of Liberty, realizing that the planet was Earth all along, and that he had simply travelled into the future. It’s a twist that has been imitated and parodied countless times since, and one of the best in the history of sci-fi movies.

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