20 Movies Like Interstellar to Watch Next


It has almost been a decade since Interstellar hit theaters. The sci-fi epic has been remembered as one of director Christopher Nolan's best works, among an impressive filmography that includes The Dark Knight and Oppenheimer. Much like Inception and Tenet, Interstellar explored the concept of time, which Nolan has described as "the most fundamental part of our human experience."







Interstellar has remained the only Christopher Nolan film to feature space travel. Set in the not-so-distant future, farmer and NASA pilot Joseph Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) travels through a wormhole in search of a new home for humankind. Cooper's journey was thought-provoking, intense, and emotional, transporting audiences to another world and showcasing the power of film. If you enjoyed Interstellar, here are 15 movies to add to your watch list.




Updated October 12, 2024: This list has been updated to include even more movies to watch when you're in the Interstellar mood.




20 Moon (2009)




2009's Moon used the backdrop of outer space to explore themes of isolation and identity. Sam Rockwell starred as Sam Bell, a man nearing completion of a contract that had him work alone on a space station for three years. Unfortunately for Sam, he experienced sudden health issues before he could return home to his wife.



In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream (or Cry)


It was a hidden gem that made the most of its modest budget, presenting the audience with many twists and turns. Moon deserved more attention than it got, and it was never going to be a blockbuster, but it was destined for low-budget sci-fi greatness. It resembles Interstellar in its exploration of existentialism-related themes.






19 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)




This list would not be complete without 2001: A Space Odyssey. The 1968 film was Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece and has been hailed as one of the greatest films of all time. In the film, humankind faces several challenges throughout its evolution, represented by the rise of what can only be described as alien intelligence.



The Most Important Science Fiction Film of All Time


Despite being released in the late '60s, the film had plenty to say about AI, technology, extraterrestrial life, and human evolution. 2001: A Space Odyssey was a visual marvel, masterfully using color, featuring groundbreaking visual effects, and utilizing many incredible camera techniques. It's safe to say that Nolan took things from 2001 and put them in Interstellar (for example, that creepy robot thing is reminiscent of HAL).






18 The Martian (2015)




The Martian was released a year after Interstellar and, like Nolan's film, featured Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain in key roles. Set in the year 2035, The Martian followed astronaut Mark Watney after surviving a dust storm on Mars. Mark is presumed dead and left behind by his crew. But upon learning of his survival, NASA launches a mission to bring him back home.



Science Fiction Gets Realistic. Well, Sort Of


The 2015 film was a survival story focused on perseverance and the need for connection. It also established itself as one of the more scientifically accurate sci-fi films in Hollywood. While they are two different films, if a space version of Tom Hanks' Cast Away interests you (which is also a variation of Interstellar's "lonely dude gets stranded" theme), then The Martian might be what you're looking for.






17 Solaris (1972)




In Solaris, a psychologist by the name of Kris Kelvin is sent to outer space to explore a space station whose residents have decided to stop communicating. Kelvin arrives at the desolate ship, and while there are strangely behaving survivors, one of his friends has committed suicide. When he starts seeing impossible things, he realizes it may have to do with the planet that the station is orbiting around: Solaris.



Tarkovsky's Concept of Space


Andrei Tarkovsky's brilliant science fiction film is an unforgettable piece that explores human themes with a backdrop of space, technology, and infinite possibilities. It's the Soviet director's response to Hollywood and films like 2001. The theme of humankind's role in the universe was further explored in his other sci-fi epic, Stalker.






16 Arrival (2016)




Before Dune and Blade Runner 2049, Denis Villeneuve directed the fantastic sci-fi drama Arrival. Amy Adams starred as Louise Banks, a linguistics expert tasked with finding a way to communicate with a mysterious alien race. While the aliens remain a bit cryptic, it's revealed they have arrived for a very honorable reason.



They Really Do Come in Peace


Arrival moved away from the conventions of the standard alien invasion film, attracting a different audience than that of a film such as Independence Day: Resurgence. Arrival and Interstellar shared thematic similarities in their exploration of the human concept of time. Like Villeneuve's other films, this one asked deeper questions and left audiences with a lot to think about following the end of its two-hour runtime.




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15 High Life (2018)




High Life follows a group of astronauts who aren't exactly seen as the fancy innovators of our species. Instead, they're criminals, sent to outer space to extract energy from a black hole. Dibs, a scientist aboard, performs all kinds of experiments in the crew, and her goal is to make humans reproduce in the vastness of space, in a ship where sexual contact is forbidden.






Instinct Is Primal


Claire Denis' riveting sci-fi thriller stars Mia Goth, Juliette Binoche, and Robert Pattinson in one of his best roles. The existentialist themes that are present in the film are no match for Denis' capacity to design what can only be described as an organic nightmare that will flood your senses halfway through. Like Interstellar, it's one of the essential sci-fi films you must see at some point.



Stream High Life on Max.





14 Looper (2012)




A sci-fi action thriller, Looper was directed by Rian Johnson before he worked on Star Wars and the Knives Out franchise. In the 2070s, crime syndicates send people into the past, where they are killed by "Loopers." This allows the syndicates to avoid being traced and get someone else to do their dirty work. A young Looper named Joe executes his targets without hesitation until he realizes his latest target is a future version of himself.




A Complex Yet Fun Action Sci-fi Movie


Looper was not a space-based film like Interstellar, but it was driven by its examination of the relationship between the past, present, and future. An intriguing premise, strong performances from Levitt, Willis, and Emily Blunt, and stylish action sequences made Looper a film to remember. It's a bit complex, and it may require a rewatch, but at least, it makes you think.





13 The Fountain (2006)




In The Fountain, a man and a woman are represented by three different characters in three periods of time. The film goes from New Spain (16th century) to what can only be defined as a distant future. Both the man and the woman, played by the same actors, navigate their lives without the knowledge that their fates may be part of something greater.




An Extremely Underrated Sci-Fi Approach


Directed by Darren Aronofsky, The Fountain was a complicated film that not many people liked when it was released in theaters. It was just too darn complex for mainstream audiences who thought they would be having a fun time at the movies, and the film isn't exactly conventional. Its study about human mortality and the transcendence of love is only clear after you see it.





12 Stalker (1979)


Stalker
Release Date
April 17, 1980
Director
Andrei Tarkovsky
Cast
Alisa Freyndlikh , Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy , Anatoliy Solonitsyn , Nikolay Grinko
Main Genre
Sci-Fi


In Stalker, two men seek the help of another one who will lead them on a journey to the Zone. The "stalker" has the ability to lead them through a vast territory where the human mind may fall prey to its fragility. Ultimately, the man leads the writer and the professor to the area where extraterrestrials have landed in the past, and where they left a room that makes all their wishes come true.




No Sci-Fi List Would Be Complete Without Tarkovsky's Classic


Based on the novel from 1972, Roadside Picnic, Stalker doesn't need the fancy Hollywood elements to make its story pretty relevant and its characters quite compelling. You won't find any fancy visual effects in this film, as most of the story revolves around the men contemplating ideas that aren't necessarily true. It's quite possibly the best sci-fi film of all time, and the way it explores human philosophy is simply fascinating.








Contact was based on a novel by Carl Sagan and directed by Back to the Future co-creator Rob Zemeckis. In the film, a brilliant scientist (Jodie Foster) finds evidence of extraterrestrial life and is chosen to make first contact. Contact did not portray the discovery as having a warm reception, suggesting that such an event would dramatically heighten conflicts between religion and science.




A Divisive but Friendly Sci-Fi Film


While some critics have considered this great 1990s sci-fi film to be "anti-religion," others have viewed it as a story about finding faith. However, Zemeckis revealed that the intended message was that science and religion can coexist. Contact has been one of the few films to explore both the relationship between science and religion as well as the social implications of discovering extraterrestrial life. It's not as directly related to Interstellar, but Cooper does rely on faith at some point.





10 Gravity (2013)







No modern film has captured the vast, isolating emptiness of deep space, like 2013's Gravity. With their shuttle destroyed, Dr. Ryan Stone and Matt Kowalski are left stranded in space with no chance of rescue due to space debris obliterating their ship. The odds are definitely not in her favor, but Stone summons all her inner strength to find a way back to Earth.



A "Before and After" of Movies Set in Space


Although there were some scientific inaccuracies, Gravity received critical acclaim for its direction (it won an Academy Award for Best Director, as well as six others), score, cinematography, and Bullock's performance. The film was released before Interstellar and strengthened audiences' appetite for space-based films that were no longer the same after Gravity. It was amazing what the film achieved with a single character during most of its runtime.





9 Sunshine (2007)







In Sunshine, a group of brave astronauts head into outer space in order to save the species: the Sun is dying, and if humankind doesn't do something about it, then Earth will freeze. The team of astronauts tries to use a massive bomb in order to basically reset the dying star, but soon they find out why the first iteration of the mission failed.



Humankind Depends on a Fragile State of Mind


Danny Boyle's masterful execution of the Alex Garland script is an incredibly underrated sci-fi epic that takes a turn into a psychological thriller that you won't ever forget. The film, a box office bomb with a decent score of 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, is supported by an implausible plot, but its great ensemble cast will make you stay: Chris Evans, Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh, Benedict Wong, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Mark Strong, among others.








8 Inception (2010)




Aside from The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, and Oppenheimer, Inception was Nolan's most popular film. Inception obviously did not center on a group of astronauts, but like Interstellar, featured time as one of its central themes. Leonardo DiCaprio played Dom Cobb, a thief with the ability to infiltrate people's dreams and obtain secrets from their subconscious. Cobb is given the seemingly impossible challenge of planting an idea in someone's mind and executing a heist.



A Fan Favorite Nolan Movie


From the breathtaking visuals to the music by Hans Zimmer, Inception succeeded on virtually every front. The film further proved that modern action movies can be smart and tell a compelling story. four Academy Awards were proof that Inception is one of Nolan's best films, but he wasn't mentioned in the Best Director for some reason. It's a great example of sci-fi cleverly blending with several other genres.






7 Ad Astra (2019)




In Ad Astra, Clifford McBride ventures into deep space and goes missing during his search for extraterrestrial life. His son Roy grows up to become an astronaut, tasked with investigating mysterious power surges linked to Clifford's crew. The investigation takes Roy to Neptune, where he learns some secrets about his dad and his vanishing.



A Beautiful-Looking and Relevant Modern Sci-Fi Film


Space was depicted in Ad Astra as a hostile environment that wreaked havoc on the human psyche. And while the film does take its time to deliver the truth about its premise, it's still an entertaining and often contemplative film about human relationships in dire circumstances. Ad Astra featured cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema, who collaborated with Nolan on Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet, and Oppenheimer.






6 First Man (2018)




From the director of Whiplash and La La Land came First Man, a biopic that showed how Neil Armstrong came to be the first man to walk on the moon. The film began in the early 1960s, covering the astronaut's test flights, family life, and intensive astronaut training. Eventually, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon, but at what cost?



A Solid Adaptation of the True Story


Armstrong's story was a natural fit for the big screen, with the film building toward an incredible moon landing sequence. Gosling brought a quiet stoicism to Armstrong and delivered one of the finest performances of his entire career. First Man underperformed at the box office, but, of course, its commercial performance was not indicative of the film's quality.






5 Oblivion (2013)




Oblivion was the first film collaboration between Tom Cruise and Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski. In the world of Oblivion, Earth is left devastated following decades of war between humans and a mysterious group of scavengers. The planet is mostly abandoned, leaving Jack completely alone to repair combat drones for five years. As he approaches the end of his work term, Jack uncovers the secret truth behind his mission.



An Underrated Tom Cruise Film


The 2013 sci-fi adventure film shared Interstellar's themes of love, exploration, and sacrifice. Oblivion, like Kosinski's Tron: Legacy and Top Gun: Maverick, was beautifully shot and constantly kept viewers on the edge of their seats. The film has relatively been overlooked despite being one of the best sci-fi films of the early 2010s.






4 Annihilation (2018)




"The Shimmer" in Annihilation is a mysterious, quarantined zone that only Kane enters one day. Kane's time in the zone dramatically changes him, returning home to his wife Lena, a very different man. Lena, a cellular biology professor and former soldier, joins a scientific expedition to discover the Shimmer's secrets and what happened to her husband.



A Perfect Mix of Horror and Sci-Fi


Annihilation crafted an unsettling atmosphere that firmly planted the underrated film in the genre of psychological horror. The visual imagery was designed to convey a sense of dread in addition to something distinctly alien. It has always been difficult to discuss Annihilation without veering into spoiler territory, but the film provided a thoughtful reflection on the human capacity for self-destruction.




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3 Aniara (2018)




Aniara is a late 2010s Swedish-Danish film set in a dystopian future where humans flee an uninhabitable Earth. Aniara centers on a large spacecraft headed for Mars, whose interior was designed to resemble a cruise ship. An incident knocks the Aniara off-course, leaving the passengers stranded in space with no fuel.






An Overlooked Sci-Fi Gem


The straightforward premise of Aniara made it fairly accessible to viewers usually alienated by complex sci-fi. With that being said, the film had plenty for audiences to chew on, encouraging them to ponder humanity's place in the universe. Aniara is strongly recommended for those gravitating toward the more existential aspects of space-based films. You can stream Aniara on Tubi or Hulu.





2 Tenet (2020)




Nolan made another film exploring the concept of time with Tenet, which has arguably been his most confusing film to date. John David Washington portrays a CIA agent known as the "Protagonist" who becomes involved with the mysterious phenomenon of time inversion. The Protagonist joins forces with Neil to save the entire world by using time to their advantage.






Nolan's Most Confusing and Divisive Film


Tenet was an ambitious film that refrained from leaning into traditional time travel. The time inversion in the film positioned it as arguably the most confusing Nolan film to date. In fact, both leads have said that even they do not fully understand the film. As such, Tenet did not work for everyone, considered to be needlessly convoluted by many critics. Others, however, were pleased with the multilayered plot and Nolan's creative time-bending.





1 Edge of Tomorrow (2014)


edge-of-tomorrow-poster.jpg
Release Date
June 6, 2014
Cast
Tom Cruise , Emily Blunt , Bill Paxton , Brendan Gleeson , Noah Taylor , Kick Gurry , Dragomir Mrsic , Charlotte Riley , Jonas Armstrong , Franz Drameh , Masayoshi Haneda , Tony Way
Runtime
1h 53m


Somewhat forgotten and still woefully underrated, Edge of Tomorrow was the perfect summer action blockbuster. A mix of Groundhog Day and an alien invasion film, William Cage restarted his day each time he died. He starts as a coward and is transformed into an efficient leader after several iterations. The time loop united him with war hero Rita Vrataski, giving him a chance to defeat the alien enemies.




A Change of Tone Never Hurts


To the surprise of many viewers, Edge of Tomorrow found a balance between world-ending stakes and humor. The humor never stopped the film in its tracks to dip into the meta-comedy that has been commonplace in modern superhero films. Edge of Tomorrow succeeded in conveying the importance of holding on to hope in a world where all hope was seemingly lost. Now, where's that sequel?



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