Films like Avatar
11 picks with a similar feel
What defines Avatar, going by its Boxlist taste profile: Expect an otherworldly, stylish sci-fi film, fresh rather than familiar. Best if you like polish over grit. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of culture clash, social commentary and love against the odds, plus tags such as marine, space war and tribe.
Here are 11 films with a similar feel, ranked by how closely they match that profile. Treat them as picks to try, not a definitive list.
Based on Avatar (2009).
- 1
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Film7.3
Why it's like Avatar: Also heightened and inventive. Common ground: futuristic, space opera, space.
- 2
The Fifth Element (1997)
Film7.5Faster-paced
Why it's like Avatar: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of social commentary and love against the odds. Common ground: space travel, space opera, future.
- 3
Interstellar (2014)
Film8.3More intricate
Why it's like Avatar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of culture clash and social commentary. Common ground: space travel, space, future.
- 4
In Time (2011)
Film6.9Faster-paced
Why it's like Avatar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of culture clash and social commentary. Common ground: future.
- 5
Aliens (1986)
Film7.9More intricate
Why it's like Avatar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of social commentary. Common ground: space colony, space travel, space.
- 6
The Space Between Us (2017)
Film7.1Slower burn
Why it's like Avatar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of culture clash and love against the odds. Common ground: space colony, future.
- 7
Divergent (2014)
Film6.9More intricate
Why it's like Avatar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of social commentary. Common ground: futuristic, future.
- 8
Total Recall (1990)
Film7.3More intricate
Why it's like Avatar: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of culture clash and social commentary. Common ground: space colony, futuristic, space travel.
- 9
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Film7.1
Why it's like Avatar: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of culture clash and love against the odds.
- 10
Dune (2021)
Film8.1More intricate
Why it's like Avatar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of social commentary. Common ground: space opera, space.
- 11
Pacific Rim (2013)
Film6.8Darker
Why it's like Avatar: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of social commentary.
Boxlist compares Avatar with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point. Ratings are TMDB audience scores out of 10.
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Take the taste testQuestions
- What should I watch if I like Avatar?
- Picks with a similar feel include Star Trek Into Darkness, The Fifth Element, Interstellar and In Time. Each shares part of Avatar's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 11 films.
- How are these films like Avatar chosen?
- Boxlist compares Avatar with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point.