Sci-fi movies come in many forms, from psychological thrillers to horror and even comedy. There’s always a new selection of movies to check out on Amazon Prime Video and a few sci-fi options are usually in the mix.
The three sci-fi movies on Prime Video you need to watch in January were all released over the last four years, with the latest being an interesting documentary about one of the most iconic TV series ever made. Have a look and pick which one (or more) you want to add to your watch list this month.
Doctor Who is a British sci-fi series that aired from 1963 through 1989, then was revived in 2005 and continues to air to this day. The story centers around a Time Lord named The Doctor who travels through space and time. In 1996, during the lull in production of the series, there was a movie called Doctor Who: The Movie, which was developed as a continuation. This documentary explores the legacy of that movie.
Doctor Who Am I doesn’t just examine the movie itself, but also its’ writer, Matthew Jacobs, and the entire concept of the Doctor Who fandom. Initially conceptualized in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the series, this documentary wasn’t released until nine years later. It’s a wonderful look at a series that has touched so many and has had a massive influence on the sci-fi TV genre.
Stream Doctor Who Am I on Prime Video.
Space and time travel is a popular trope within the sci-fi genre, and it’s explored in a different way in The Alternate. Jake (Ed Gonzalez Moreno) is a struggling filmmaker who discovers a portal that takes him to an alternate dimension. In this version of the universe, he is successful and happy. He has the job he wants, a gorgeous wife he loves, and a wonderful daughter. But not everything is as it seems, and he doesn’t know the price this version of him had to pay to get there.
As Jake travels back-and-forth between the “real” world and the alternate one, he learns more and more about what his supposed ideal self is really like. Reviews are varied for The Alternate, but those who love it use words like “wicked good and smart” and “imaginative and impressive.” The movie begs the question: What truly is the best version of you?
Stream The Alternate on Prime Video.
Looking for something more comedic? Mondo Hollywoodland was created by Oscar-nominated character actor and activist James Cromwell (best known for 1995’s Babe, Star Trek: First Contact, and The Green Mile, and more recently as Ewan Roy in Succession) as an homage to counter-culture movies of the 1960s. The protagonist is a mushrooms dealer (the edible, trippy kind) who sells to everyone from people who work in the movie industry to political fringe groups and those who just love to partake and party.
While Mondo Hollywoodland was not a blockbuster hit, the film has been praised by those who watched it. Many refer to it as an experimental film that may only appeal to a certain subset of viewers. If you love movies that travel to the fringes of weirdness, Mondo Hollywoodland is an artsy, psychedelic sci-fi flick that will have you laughing and feeding off its energy.
Stream Mondo Hollywoodland on Prime Video.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
What is AV2, and why should viewers care?
YouTube is changing how its Home page works, giving viewers more control over what shows up there and making some of the app’s most-used sections easier to reach. Custom Feeds are now replacing the existing topic chips for eligible users, while YouTube is also testing a redesigned top bar on mobile that moves Subscriptions closer to the Home feed.
YouTube first started experimenting with Custom Feeds earlier this year, letting you type out what you wanted to watch and turning that request into its own stream of recommendations. Now, the feature is starting to look less like a side experiment and more like something YouTube actually wants people to use as part of their everyday Home page.