5 Best Sci-Fi Movies To Watch On Netflix Like Scarlett Johansson’s Lucy

Scarlett Johansson’s sci-fi action thriller Lucy is one-of-a-kind, but these five movies that are all streaming on Netflix replicate some of Lucy‘s best qualities. Lucy reached Netflix’s top 10 list in early April 2025, over 11 years after it was initially released. While many older movies do see a resurgence in popularity upon being added to Netflix, it’s still proof that Lucy is a popular film with a lot of advantages going for it. In fact, Lucy‘s popularity is also proof that viewers may want other, newer films that can recreate some parts of Lucy, like its high-octane action, existential questions, and intriguing protagonist.

Luckily, some of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix are quite similar to Lucy. Many of them deal with questions about humanity’s role in the future, the way drugs interact with the human brain, and people who go into uncharted waters that give them unheard of powers and abilities. Many of them also feature intense action scenes and incredible visuals in the same style as Lucy, and while they can’t completely replace Johansson’s film, they are well worth watching. These five movies, all streaming on Netflix, are great to watch after Lucy.

5

Upgrade

Upgrade Is An Even Darker Version Of Lucy’s High-Octane Sci-Fi Action

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Upgrade

R

Horror

Sci-Fi

Action

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8/10

10/10

Release Date

June 1, 2018

Runtime

100 minutes

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Betty Gabriel

    Betty Gabriel

  • Headshot O FLogan Marshall-Green

    Logan Marshall-Green

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One of Lucy‘s biggest and best concepts was the idea of expanding the limits of the human body and mind, and no other movie blended that with intense sci-fi action quite like Upgrade did. Upgrade follows Grey (Logan Marshal-Greene), a man who submits his body to an advanced AI program to avenge his wife’s murder. There are plenty of beautifully shot and choreographed fights in Upgrade that evoke the style of Lucy, though it does take a grittier, darker tone. That darker tone extends all the way to the twist end of the film, which is just as thought-provoking as the ending of Lucy.

4

Spiderhead

Spiderhead’s Futuristic Drugs Are Just As Intriguing As Lucy’s

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Spiderhead

R

Action

Drama

Crime

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6/10

Release Date

June 17, 2022

Runtime

106 minutes

Cast

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    Nathan Jones

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    Sam Delich

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Lucy largely centers around CPH-4, a drug that can unleash the full power of the human mind. Spiderhead, however, proposes a world in which drugs can cause the body to overpower the mind. Like Lucy, Spiderhead centers around some dubious pharmaceuticals and the effect they have on fundamental parts of the human experience. Unlike Lucy, Spiderhead‘s drugs are mainly used to torment Jeff (Miles Teller), and they’re part of a massive and sinister conspiracy. There’s not as much action in Spiderhead, but the ethical questions and psychological thrills more than make up for that.

3

Project Power

Project Power Is Perfect For Lucy Fans Who Want More Straightforward But Still Thrilling Action

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Project Power

R

Action

Sci-Fi

Crime

ScreenRant logo

5/10

Release Date

August 14, 2020

Runtime

113 minutes

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Rodrigo Santoro

    Rodrigo Santoro

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Tait Fletcher

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Project Power may not have the same mind-bending visuals and existential questions as Lucy, but it may actually do a better job of showcasing high-energy superpowered fights. Project Power once again focusing on a sci-fi drug that grants its users superpowers for five minutes, but they don’t know which power they’ll get. That leads to some truly awesome fight scenes and action sequences in Project Power that were probably at least partially inspired by Lucy. It’s a more straightforward movie than Lucy, but for anyone who enjoys action over thoughtful hypotheticals, Project Power is a great flick.

2

Dune: Part Two

Dune: Part Two Follows A Reluctantly Power-Hungry Protagonist Like Lucy

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Dune: Part Two

PG-13

Science Fiction

Adventure

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9/10

131

8.9/10

Release Date

February 27, 2024

Runtime

167 minutes

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Timothée Chalamet

    Timothée Chalamet

    Paul Atreides

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    Zendaya

    Chani

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It’s hard to talk about science fiction in general without talking about Frank Herbert’s seminal work, Dune, which was adapted to the screen by Denis Villeneuve in the form of Dune: Part Two. The biggest similarity between Dune and Lucy is their protagonists: like Lucy, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) is on a quest for power regular humans scarcely dream of. While he doesn’t dematerialize, Paul’s journey from an ordinary boy into the legendary Kwisatz Haderach gives him telepathic powers to rival Lucy. That, and the incredible action of Dune: Part Two, make it a wonderful companion to Lucy.

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A sequel to this sci-fi thriller starring Scarlett Johansson would be possible if it kept one critical element used in the original movie.

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2

1

Tau

Tau Is Scarier Than Lucy, But Its Questions About AI Are Just As Interesting

Tau - Poster

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Tau

R

Horror

Sci-Fi

Thriller

Release Date

June 29, 2018

Runtime

97 Minutes

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Maika Monroe In The PUMA x Balmain Launch Event

    Maika Monroe

    Julia

  • Headshot Of Ed Skrein In The Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix's 'Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child Of Fire

    Ed Skrein

    Alex Upton

  • Headshot Of Gary Oldman In The 77th Cannes Film Festival

    Gary Oldman

    Tau

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Fiston Barek

    Subject 2

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Tau isn’t, strictly speaking, very similar to Lucy on the surface, but it has a lot of things fans of Scarlett Johansson’s movie will appreciate. Tau is a psychological horror thriller that focuses on Julia (Maika Monroe), a woman abducted by a villainous inventor to work out the bugs in an advanced artificial intelligence. There is also action to be had, but Tau is more interested in posing deep questions about AI that are just as fun to chew on as the questions Lucy had about the human brain. Even if Tau isn’t your cup of tea, however, there are plenty of films like Lucy on Netflix.

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Lucy

R

Action

Sci-Fi

Thriller

ScreenRant logo

5/10

8.7/10

Release Date

July 25, 2014

Runtime

90minutes

Director

Luc Besson

Writers

Luc Besson

Franchise(s)

Lucy

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Scarlett Johansson In The ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ Premiere

    Scarlett Johansson

  • Headshot Of Morgan Freeman In The 63rd International Television Festival - 'The Gray House'

    Morgan Freeman

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