It’s all about Chris Pratt this month. If you love the actor and you’re looking for a gritty sci-fi movie to sit back, relax, and enjoy, he stars in two of the three sci-fi movies on Amazon Prime Video you need to watch in September. The three films, including an alternate option if Pratt is not your cup of tea (and if you love a good Christopher Walken classic!), are streaming with a base Amazon Prime or standalone Prime Video subscription — no add-on channels needed.
Some of these movies fall into the bubble gum entertainment category. But you’ll enjoy every minute of the sci-fi action and intrigue combined with romance, horror, or thrills, depending on which flick you choose.
The Dead Zone (1983)
David Cronenberg directed this sci-fi thriller based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. The Dead Zone is a fascinating story about Johnny Smith (Dune: Part Two‘s Christopher Walken), an average Joe schoolteacher who awakens from a five-year coma to discover that he can see someone’s past, present, and even future just by touching them. From their trauma to triumphs, burdens to imminent danger, secrets, lies, and truths, it’s a heavy burden to bear.
The dead zone refers to a part of his visions that Johnny can’t completely understand, with outcomes that seemingly aren’t yet determined. The suggestion is that he can possibly change what happens before a situation plays out. A compelling story of psychic abilities with an incredible performance from a young Walken, The Dead Zone allows you to fully appreciate both Walken’s acting and King’s writing. Brian Eggert of Deep Focus Review describes The Dead Zone as “one of Cronenberg’s most perceptive and complex dramas.”
Stream The Dead Zone on Amazon Prime Video.
The Tomorrow War (2021)
A Chris Pratt movie that critics are divided on but fans love, The Tomorrow War stars the rising 21st century action hero as Dan Forester, a biology teacher who formerly served as a Green Beret. He’s visited by soldiers from the year 2051 who travel back in time to warn society that an alien invasion is coming. There’s a global draft to bring more soldiers to the future to help in the fight, and Dan is one of those chosen.
Also starring Yvonne Strahovski, J.K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, and Sam Richardson, The Tomorrow War has a clever premise, not to mention a massive budget. Cory Woodruff of For the Win/USA Today compares the film to something Arnold Schwarzenegger might have done in the ’90s. Given the positive viewer perception, it’s no surprise that a sequel is reportedly in development.
Stream The Tomorrow War on Amazon Prime Video.
Passengers (2016)
Chris Pratt stars alongside Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, and Andy García in Passengers, a star-packed sci-fi romance movie about travelers aboard an interstellar spacecraft. Everyone is supposed to be in a state of induced hibernation in the 120 years it takes to travel from Earth to the destination colony. But when mechanical engineer Jim (Pratt) awaken 90 years ahead of schedule, he’s forced to live in isolation with just an android barman named Arthur (Sheen). Desperate for human companionship, he reluctantly awakens a beautiful young woman named Aurora (Lawrence), pretending it was a malfunction that caused her premature rousing.
A love story about two people literally trapped in space, the truth threatens their bond, and it all hinges on Arthur keeping the secret. Pratt and Lawrence carry much of the plot of Passengers on their own, and that’s a good thing. Critics like Rachel Wagner of rachelsreviews.net praise the chemistry between the pair. Passengers combines sci-fi with sappy romance, making for a great compromise movie when you just can’t decide.
Stream Passengers on Amazon Prime Video.