small budget sci fi movies list
list and reviews of super low to low budget sci fi movies but these have no published production costs
links of the titles in the reviewed films go to video streaming site so you can watch them instantly
potential low budget sci fi movies list
each project varies in acting/visuals – dont judge a film by its cover budget
turbo kid (action, post apocolyptic)
violet city (steampunk)
enemy empire (action)
spanners (special powers)
the reconstruction of william zero (thriller)
subject 0: shattered memories (thriller)
night of the alien (comedy)
apocalypse kiss (thriller)
scintilla (action)
moontrap: target earth (advance technology on earth)
jackrabbit (post apocalyptic and technology)
vs: apocalyptic the tsunami war (action not sci fi?)
as there is no known figure of how much they cost to produce they can not be put on the up to $50,000 budget list or the up to $500,000 budget
turbo kid
turbo kid (2015) – bloody awesome! if you love low budget lo fi sci fi films, splatter science fiction movies and the whole kick ass super not super heros thing then this movie is for you. completely awesome looking/acting/humour/story with so much blood/guts like the 1970s/1980s horror splatstick flicks like peter jacksons bad taste and others like the evil dead, scanners.
this is a bloody superb movie as its got lots of baddies/goodies on bmx bikes. watch this film now before your friends do as you get to tell them about it. going to be a cult classic.
turbo kid is bloody brilliant if you like new zealand combined with canada dark splatter humour/blood/guts/gore
turbo kid is a post apocalyptic world set in the 1990s with the look/sound/gear from the 80s/90s – where a kid dreams and sort of becomes a kick ass not so super super hero
violet city
violet city movie (2015) – you will not have seen anything like this. the director/producers have used the low budget to create a visually stunning/unique/unusual feast for the eyes – a bit like sin city or a tim burton film but way above the look of that.
its one of those films where they start off not explaining anything about a strange fantasy world they have created – so dont expect to understand the names they give to things – all will be explained. violet city could also be known as violent city as its full of blood/death/fights – its a proper gore fest.
there is science fiction in the violet city movie but its more of a steampunk film with a great soundtrack. if you like alternative movies/experiences and fantasy worlds based on ours then this is perfect.
spanners
spanners movie (2013) is all about the films idea with virtually no cgi/effects it really is a low fi sci fi movie. a great idea/plot/acting carries it along. if you like a good science fiction plot – the revelation of our world but as a new world – and happy to not have explosions/action then spanners will deliver
even if your lifespan is going to be shorter than a mayfly or you are a trog/slomo/carnie/random/suicidal/reverser – you will want to watch this. excellent low budget sci fi film making. there is also a spanners book
and if you like this science fiction film enough and you are in the tv/movie business or have lots of spare money to invest then the film team have already got a franchise series written and waiting for you
enemy empire
enemy empire movie (2013) or furious road is a low budget looking fighting/action plot with lots of humour that mostly works well
are you in the mood for a dessert location indie movie with a few good characters and science fiction ideas?
do you like – can you handle – the lo fi high amateur fighting/beatings of turbo kid? you might enjoy enemy empire but it is not half as good but it never tried to be
the reconstruction of william zero
the reconstruction of william zero (2014) is a real lo fi and low budget science fiction movie where the story /ideas really carry the film/you along. it has a good mixture of sci fi ideas/tech with enough splatter gore to keep things interesting and you not knowing what is/could happen next.
if you like no special effects film making where its all about the unravelling/revealing of the plot then this could be for you. you dont really want to know/read anything about the movie as that will ruin it. the reconstruction of william zero movie is more like the small financed genre of primer/coherence than turbo kid
subject 0: shattered memories
subject 0: shattered memories movie (2015) is an italian thriller that is well made and produced for what has to be a very low budget movie. a bit of science fiction, a bit of gore, a bit of physiological thriller, what happens at the end? decent stuff. some quite brutal imagery
night of the alien
night of the alien movie (2011) is a hilarious tiny budget comedy with a bit of sci fi road trip init. if you like the whole cheech and chong up in smoke, harold and kumar, clerks drug/crazy/comedy/slackers movies then this is great. really good natural acting with some bizarre sequences/stories. not much sci fi story but sort of based on it.
apocalypse kiss
apocalypse kiss movie (2014) is a great fun low budget science fiction thriller with a similar look to blade runner and some twisted action
lesbian action, crazed killers, blood/gore, good story, some great cheap special effects, decent but varied acting skills and the apocalypse in all its glory but dont think about the feasibility …
scintilla
no budget amount known for the hybrid movie (2014) also known as scintilla. the hybrid film still has that low budget aliens type grunt grind darkness that you will want. starts off with a mercenary being tortured and does not get any less gore all the way through. vaguely like sci fi dog soldiers – not as good as that excellent film though and not with the humour.
aliens/soldiers/death … its not a high brow intellectual science fiction film but good dark fun. there are surprising surprises during the film – dr who style men dressed in plastic aliens when film production/look seems to be above that – changes in peoples morals – ending – but ignore these or just enjoy them as its only a lowish budget movie.
moontrap: target earth
moontrap: target earth movie (2017) is a decent smaller budget production with not quite professional level effects/cgi – story line is about ancient technology found in a quarry and bilderberger or x files cancer man type organisations control
some good acting with charles shaughnessy – as richard kontral – steals the show – the film passes the time but adds nothing new or special
jackrabbit
jackrabbit (2015) movie looks like what it costs and certainly qualifies in the mumblecore genre. the film and people use 80s and 90s style software and technology in a post apocalyptic world – making it very low fi science fiction
will you think it is perfectly long running time for what it wants to be/do as it gives the film time to develop its feel/look/pace or is it 20 minutes longer than it should be?
vs: apocalyptic the tsunami war
vs: apocalyptic the tsunami war (2011) or also known as vs: the movie with an seo title. vs: apocalyptic is not really a sci fi film as its only based on a sort of science fiction idea – it is a good looking and return on investment of a micro budget movie
if you can not handle amateur cant acting then avoid. there are some surprisingly good action scenes for an ultra low budget – lots of fighting including a mass brawl in a pub while a heavy metal band plays and a couple of decent martial arts fights
if you need a good plot/story to keep you interested then avoid this but if you want to see what you and your friends could produce with a super low budget then this is for you