From iconic openings to genre-defining classics, these sci-fi films signaled greatness within minutes and spent the rest of their runtime proving it.

The Fifth Element once aimed to replace Star Wars. Nearly 30 years later, it has aged better than expected, and it’s free to watch now.

Shrishty is a decade-old journalist covering a variety of beats between politics to pop culture, but movies are her first love, which led her to study Film and TV Development at UCLAx. She lives and ...