The Five Best Sci-Fi Movie Quotes of the 2020s So Far

The 2020s has proven to be a strong decade for science fiction movies. Denis Villeneuve brought the scale of Frank Herbert’s 1960s novels to life with his Dune adaptations. While the 2010s saw the peak of superhero cinema, particularly from Marvel Studios, the current decade has delivered standouts such as Deadpool & Wolverine, Superman, and three separate Spider-Man releases. Original and standalone stories have also thrived, including Project Hail Mary.

Memorable writing drives the success of these films. While future releases will certainly add more lines to the cultural lexicon, five particular science fiction quotes from the 2020s stand out for their impact and characterization.

5. Mickey 17

Written and directed by Bong Joon Ho, the 2025 film Mickey 17 presents a darkly comedic vision of the year 2050. In this future, hazardous tasks fall to expendables, workers who agree to be repeatedly cloned whenever they die on the job. After an expendable dies, a new clone is generated at the same physical age and loaded with a backup of the predecessor’s memories. Robert Pattinson portrays Mickey Barnes and his successive clones, with the plot following the seventeenth iteration.

The movie delivers sharp satire, highlighted when Mickey remarks during a voiceover:

“Even on my 17th go-around, I hate dying.”

Pattinson’s casual, understated delivery turns an absurd premise into an everyday workplace grievance.

4. 28 Years Later

Arriving 23 years after the 2002 release of 28 Days Later, director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland reunited for 28 Years Later. The production introduced a new figure to the post-apocalyptic landscape: Dr. Ian Kelson, played by Ralph Fiennes.

Dr. Kelson worked as a general practitioner before societal collapse. Nearly three decades into the outbreak, he lives in isolation studying the victims of the rage virus. He constructs the Bone Temple, an intricate monument made from thousands of collected human skulls. While speaking to a young boy named Spike, played by Alfie Williams, Dr. Kelson explains the philosophy behind his creation.

“There were so many dead, infected and non-infected alike. Because they are alike. Every skull is a set of thoughts. These sockets saw and these jaws spoke and swallowed. This is a monument to them, a temple.”

3. Superman

James Gunn wrote and directed 2025’s Superman, casting David Corenswet as the title hero to bring renewed warmth and vulnerability to the character. Corenswet balances immense power with emotional accessibility, grounding the Man of Steel in everyday human feelings.

This grounding is highlighted during a climactic exchange with Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor. When Luthor dismisses the hero as merely an alien outsider, Superman counters by embracing his internal flaws as his defining innate goodness.

“That is where you’ve always been wrong about me, Lex. I am as human as anyone. I love, I get scared. I wake up every morning, and despite not knowing what to do, I put one foot in front of the other, and I try to make the best choices I can. I screw up all the time, but that is being human, and that’s my greatest strength. And someday, I hope, for the sake of the world, you understand that it’s yours too.”

2. Dune

Frank Herbert introduced the Litany Against Fear in his 1965 novel, and Denis Villeneuve adapted the text alongside screenwriters Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth for the 2021 film Dune.

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.”

Members of House Atreides recite this mantra while fighting for survival on Arrakis, the dangerous desert planet harboring the universe’s spice supply. Characters speak the lines to maintain psychological control during moments of extreme trial, making it one of the most enduring passages in modern science fiction cinema.

1. Project Hail Mary

Adapted from the novel of the same name, Project Hail Mary centers on scientist Ryland Grace, played by Ryan Gosling. Grace travels across the galaxy to find a solution to a solar organism threatening to destroy Earth. Early on, Grace struggles with self-doubt and views himself as ill-suited for the mission’s life-or-death responsibilities.

During an exchange with mission commander Yao Li-Jie, played by Ken Leung, Grace claims he lacks the bravery gene shared by the rest of the crew. Commander Yao rejects the premise immediately.

“It’s not a gene. You just need someone to be brave for.”

This simple response anchors Grace’s character arc throughout the voyage, providing the emotional motivation he needs to face the unknown on behalf of humanity.

 

Source: Polygon