Films like Interstellar

15 picks with a similar feel

What defines Interstellar, going by its Boxlist taste profile: Otherworldly and original: a heavy sci-fi film, dark rather than wholesome. Best if you like surprises over comfort. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of culture clash, social commentary and underdogs, plus tags such as famine, wormhole and black hole.

Here are 15 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 Interstellar (2014).

  1. 1

    I, Robot (2004)

    Film6.9

    Why it's like Interstellar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of social commentary and underdogs. Common ground: artificial intelligence, robot, future.

  2. 2

    Star Trek (2009)

    Film7.4Lighter option

    Why it's like Interstellar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of culture clash. Common ground: black hole, spacecraft, space.

  3. 3

    The Martian (2015)

    Film7.7Slower burn

    Why it's like Interstellar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of underdogs and resilience and survival. Common ground: nasa, astronaut, spacecraft.

  4. 4

    Gravity (2013)

    Film7.2Slower burn

    Why it's like Interstellar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of resilience and survival. Common ground: space station, astronaut, space.

  5. 5

    Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

    Film7.5

    Why it's like Interstellar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of social commentary and an all-consuming quest. Common ground: artificial intelligence, future, dystopia.

  6. 6

    Project Hail Mary (2026)

    Film8.7Lighter option

    Why it's like Interstellar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of resilience and survival. Common ground: astronaut, space travel, scientist.

  7. 7

    A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

    Film7.0More intricate

    Why it's like Interstellar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of social commentary and resilience and survival. Common ground: artificial intelligence, robot, dystopia.

  8. 8

    Avengers: Endgame (2019)

    Film8.3Lighter option

    Why it's like Interstellar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of culture clash and underdogs. Common ground: space travel, father daughter relationship, time travel.

  9. 9

    Chappie (2015)

    Film6.8

    Why it's like Interstellar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of social commentary. Common ground: artificial intelligence, robot, future.

  10. 10

    Alien (1979)

    Film8.1

    Why it's like Interstellar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of social commentary and resilience and survival. Common ground: space travel, spacecraft, space.

  11. 11

    Planet of the Apes (1968)

    Film7.7

    Why it's like Interstellar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of culture clash and social commentary. Common ground: astronaut, space travel, time travel.

  12. 12

    Moon (2009)

    Film7.6Slower burn

    Why it's like Interstellar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of social commentary. Common ground: artificial intelligence, space, future.

  13. 13

    Cloud Atlas (2012)

    Film6.9More intricate

    Why it's like Interstellar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of culture clash and social commentary. Common ground: future, time travel, dystopia.

  14. 14

    I Am Mother (2019)

    Film6.7More intricate

    Why it's like Interstellar: Also heightened and inventive. Common ground: artificial intelligence, robot.

  15. 15

    Avatar (2009)

    Film7.5Easier to follow

    Why it's like Interstellar: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of culture clash and social commentary. Common ground: space travel, space, future.

Boxlist compares Interstellar 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.

Which of these suit you?

Take the taste test and every pick shows how well it matches you.

Take the taste test

Questions

What should I watch if I like Interstellar?
Picks with a similar feel include I, Robot, Star Trek, The Martian and Gravity. Each shares part of Interstellar's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 15 films.
How are these films like Interstellar chosen?
Boxlist compares Interstellar 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.
Is there a lighter film like Interstellar?
Star Trek has a similar feel but scores lighter on Boxlist's weightiness scale.

More like this

All shows and films like your favourites