Best Sci-Fi Films on KLM Flights (July 2026): Critic-Ranked

Best Sci-Fi Films on KLM Flights — July 2026

Long-haul flights are where science fiction earns its keep. The isolation, the darkness, the hum of engines at cruising altitude — something about the physical experience of being in a pressurised tube at 39,000 feet makes films about space, survival, and the unknown land differently. KLM's July sci-fi catalog is exceptional: Blade Runner through Blade Runner 2049, both Alien films, the complete Avatar trilogy, and Project Hail Mary as the major new arrival.

→ Browse the full KLM sci-fi catalog with critic scores — inflight.guide

Why Sci-Fi Works at 35,000 Feet

There's something fitting about watching space exploration films while travelling at altitude in a pressurised tube at 900 km/h. Project Hail Mary — a film about a lone astronaut millions of miles from Earth — hits differently when you're 11,000 metres above the Atlantic. Blade Runner 2049's slow, deliberately vast compositions fill even a 10-inch screen with a sense of scale that compels attention. The sci-fi genre rewards the focused, sustained viewing that a flight enforces.

The Best Sci-Fi Films on KLM in July 2026

1. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) — 94%

Runtime: 2 hr | RT Score: 97% | Metacritic: 90/100

The greatest action film of the past decade is also, at its core, a science fiction film — a post-apocalyptic world, exhausted resources, human societies organised around scarcity. George Miller builds that world in 120 minutes of near-continuous kinetic spectacle. Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. If you haven't seen it, rectify that immediately.

2. Alien (1979) — 91%

Runtime: 1 hr 57 min | RT Score: 93% | Metacritic: 89/100

Ridley Scott's original remains the finest science fiction horror film ever made. The Nostromo's crew, the distress signal, the cargo hold. Sigourney Weaver's Ripley is one of cinema's great protagonists. At 91% combined and 89 on Metacritic, it's the second-highest-rated sci-fi film in KLM's July catalog. Watch it on a night flight with the cabin dark. Then watch Alien: Romulus (72%) immediately after.

3. Project Hail Mary (2025) — 86%

RT Score: 94% | Metacritic: 77/100

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's adaptation of Andy Weir's bestselling novel stars Ryan Gosling as an astronaut who wakes up alone on a spacecraft millions of miles from Earth with no memory of how he got there. The novel was praised for making orbital mechanics and biology genuinely compelling; the film translates that quality into a deeply entertaining piece of big-screen science fiction. A 94% on Rotten Tomatoes — the highest of any sci-fi release in 2025. The essential new sci-fi watch on KLM this month.

4. Blade Runner (1982) — 86%

Runtime: 1 hr 57 min | RT Score: 89% | Metacritic: 84/100

Ridley Scott's rain-soaked Los Angeles, 2019. Harrison Ford hunting synthetic humans. Rutger Hauer's Roy Batty. The film has been discussed more than almost any other science fiction release — its ideas about consciousness, memory, and what makes someone human haven't dated because they were never really about 2019. They're about now, and whenever you watch it.

5. Blade Runner 2049 (2017) — 84%

Runtime: 2 hr 44 min | RT Score: 88% | Metacritic: 81/100

Denis Villeneuve's sequel — Ryan Gosling as a new-model blade runner uncovering a secret that could destabilise society — is the rare sequel that stands completely beside its predecessor rather than in its shadow. At 2 hr 44 min it's the longest film on this list, and worth every minute. Watch it the flight after Blade Runner if you have consecutive long-hauls. The payoff accumulates.

6. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) — 84%

Runtime: 2 hr 28 min | RT Score: 90% | Metacritic: 79/100

George Miller's Mad Max prequel is less a sequel to Fury Road and more a companion piece — longer, more episodic, Anya Taylor-Joy as a younger Furiosa tracing the origin of who she became. Chris Hemsworth as the villain Dementus is genuinely unexpected. Watch Fury Road first.

7. Companion (2025) — 82%

Runtime: 1 hr 37 min | RT Score: 93% | Metacritic: 70/100

Drew Hancock's debut feature — Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid in a sci-fi thriller about a couple on a remote weekend getaway that turns genuinely dangerous — is the kind of film that is best entered knowing as little as possible. A 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. Tightly constructed, inventive, and short enough (97 minutes) to fit into almost any flight window.

8. Ad Astra (2019) — 82%

Runtime: 2 hr 3 min | RT Score: 83% | Metacritic: 80/100

James Gray's near-future space drama — Brad Pitt travelling through the solar system to find his father — is a deliberately quiet, interior film: more 2001: A Space Odyssey than Interstellar in its pacing. Some viewers find it too slow; at altitude, in a darkened cabin, it becomes genuinely meditative. One of the most underrated sci-fi films of recent years.

9. Edge of Tomorrow (2014) — 81%

Runtime: 1 hr 53 min | RT Score: 91% | Metacritic: 71/100

Tom Cruise in a time-loop alien invasion film — he dies, he resets, he dies again, he gets better each time. Emily Blunt is his exasperated guide to this purgatory. The screenplay is more inventive than any marketing made it appear; the film's reputation has grown steadily since release. At 81% it's the most underrated film on this list.

10. The Matrix (1999) — 78%

Runtime: 2 hr 16 min | RT Score: 83% | Metacritic: 73/100

The film that launched a thousand philosophy seminars. Keanu Reeves' Neo, the red pill and blue pill choice, the bullet-time sequence. The Matrix is 27 years old and still holds up as both a visual spectacle and a thought experiment. The two sequels (Reloaded and Resurrections) are also on KLM's July lineup if you want the full run — though the original remains the one worth prioritising.

Spotlight: The Complete Avatar Trilogy on KLM

For the first time, all three Avatar films are available simultaneously on KLM:

Film Year RT Metacritic Combined
Avatar 2009 — — —
Avatar: The Way of Water 2022 76% 67 72%
Avatar: Fire and Ash 2025 66% 61 64%

The original Avatar's scores aren't in the database, but its cultural impact is unquestioned. The Way of Water and Fire and Ash are both available with critic scores. The trilogy together represents over 8 hours of viewing — enough to fill a Mumbai or Cape Town flight almost entirely.

Sci-Fi Rankings — July 2026

Rank Title Year Runtime RT Metacritic Combined
1 Mad Max: Fury Road 2015 2h 00m 97% 90 94%
2 Alien 1979 1h 57m 93% 89 91%
3 Project Hail Mary 2025 — 94% 77 86%
4 Blade Runner 1982 1h 57m 89% 84 86%
5 Furiosa 2024 2h 28m 90% 79 84%
6 Blade Runner 2049 2017 2h 44m 88% 81 84%
7 Companion 2025 1h 37m 93% 70 82%
8 Ad Astra 2019 2h 03m 83% 80 82%
9 Edge of Tomorrow 2014 1h 53m 91% 71 81%
10 Alien: Romulus 2024 1h 59m 80% 64 72%
11 Avatar: The Way of Water 2022 — 76% 67 72%
12 The Matrix 1999 2h 16m 83% 73 78%
13 Superman 2025 2h 09m 83% 68 76%
14 Mickey 17 2025 2h 17m 78% 72 75%
15 Pacific Rim 2013 2h 11m 72% 65 68%

→ Filter all KLM sci-fi films by score on inflight.guide

Sci-Fi Viewing Tip

KLM's 787-10 has the largest seatback screens in the fleet — 12 inches in Economy on the newest aircraft. For visually dense films like Blade Runner 2049 and the Avatar trilogy, it's worth checking your flight's aircraft type before boarding. The KLM route finder at klm.com shows which aircraft operates each route. AMS–JFK (KL641), AMS–LAX, and AMS–NRT all operate on 787-10 — giving you the full screen experience for these films.

If You Liked Alien, Also Try...

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Project Hail Mary on KLM in July 2026? Yes — Project Hail Mary (2025), directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and starring Ryan Gosling, is available on KLM's July 2026 inflight entertainment with a combined critic score of 86% (RT: 94%, Metacritic: 77).

Does KLM have all three Avatar films in July 2026? Yes — all three Avatar films (Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Avatar: Fire and Ash) are available on KLM's July 2026 IFE catalog simultaneously for the first time.

How often does KLM's sci-fi selection change? Monthly. This article reflects July 2026. For current availability, visit inflight.guide.

Internal Links