5 science fiction-y movies you can watch on Christmas

FLORENCE, ITALY - DECEMBER 18: A robot of the project Robot-Era is displayed near the Chrismas Tree at nursing residence San Lorenzo on December 19, 2015 in Florence, Italy. In the Residenza Sanitaria Assistenziale San Lorenzo ('nursing residence') a robot acts as a perfect caregiver or butler for the 20 elderly guests. Robots developed within the project Robot-Era coordinated by Robotics Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa are designed and programmed to perform functions in the house, outside and in the condominium. The EU supported project Robot-Era is the world's largest experiment ever done on service Robotics, involving 160 people in real-world environments with a duration of 4 years. The project is coordinated by the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa with tests inside the residence until December 21. (Photo by Laura Lezza/Getty Images)
FLORENCE, ITALY - DECEMBER 18: A robot of the project Robot-Era is displayed near the Chrismas Tree at nursing residence San Lorenzo on December 19, 2015 in Florence, Italy. In the Residenza Sanitaria Assistenziale San Lorenzo ('nursing residence') a robot acts as a perfect caregiver or butler for the 20 elderly guests. Robots developed within the project Robot-Era coordinated by Robotics Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa are designed and programmed to perform functions in the house, outside and in the condominium. The EU supported project Robot-Era is the world's largest experiment ever done on service Robotics, involving 160 people in real-world environments with a duration of 4 years. The project is coordinated by the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa with tests inside the residence until December 21. (Photo by Laura Lezza/Getty Images)
3 of 6

The Faculty

The Faculty is not a movie for anyone but a movie for everyone. It’s one of those films that just hit right. All the characters have depth and sincerity but are complicated and a bit angsty. It’s a star-studded cast that should appeal to anyone if you give it a chance.

It’s a story of an alien invasion happening in a small town in Ohio, and only the students of a local high school have any clue what’s going on. It’s a story of self-discovery built into the backdrop of a potential world-ending event.

The cast is one of the standout reasons to give it a watch. The film features Jordana Brewster, Clea Duvall, Laura Harriss, josh Harnet, Shawn Hatosy, Salma Hayek, Famke Janssen, Piper Laurie, Christopher McDonald, Robert Patrick, Usher, Jon Stewart, Elijah Wood, and Summer Phoenix, among many others.

You might be asking how the alien invasion meets high school angst meets the criteria for being a Christmas film. In truth, it doesn’t. There’s nothing remotely Christmasy about it. Not the plot, the setting, or the time of the year.

So why does this make the list for good Christmas movies to watch?

Because it was released on Dec. 25, 1998. Nothing screams Christmas movie more than being a movie released on Christmas.