Top 16 Best Movies Like Interstellar On Netflix In 2023 [Ranked]

 

For all science-fiction geeks and enthusiasts, Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan, is undoubtedly one of the best films in the genre, which earned a cult following and became the critics' choice.

 

Nolan, famous for his time-bending plots and grand-scale production, brings a story with a heavy emotional core. Starring a stellar cast including Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Michael Caine, the film is set in a dystopian future where mankind needs a new home, so a group of astronauts travelling to space close to Saturn becomes the ray of hope.

 

Science-Fiction films challenge the concept of reality humans know and present various alternative living conditions that determine the strength of human survival needed for themselves and their loved ones. If you wish to discover further, we have listed movies like Interstellar readily available on Netflix to help new fans watch them easily without missing anyone.

 

 

1. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

 

 

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which hit the screens in 1982, has cemented its place as a pioneering visual effects-driven feature.

 

Its immersive environment helped it in providing an all-inclusive cinematic experience; all while elevating its other technical aspects to a certain degree as well. Noted for its spectacular visual effects, the motion picture went on to win Academy Awards, USA, BAFTA Awards, and Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA.

 

A group of extraterrestrial botanists visit Earth for research but have to flee in a hurry resulting in one of them being left behind. A lonely 10-year-old, Elliott, crosses paths with the harmless alien, and after his initial shock, they develop a bond and a strong friendship.

 

Elliott names his new pal, E. T., who is adapting to the new environment but still wishes to go home. Now, it is up to Elliott and his team of rescuers to make it happen.

 

 

 

2. Dune (2021)

 

 

Actors Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya have delivered stellar performances in Dune. Thanks to them, the feature film was able to receive various nominations and wins, including Academy Awards, USA, BAFTA Awards, and AACTA International Awards.

 

Duke Leto is summoned by the Emperor to come and take over the stewardship of Arrakis, the only source of Spice, a sacred hallucinogen. Once there, the Duke's son Paul Atreides finds himself stuck between two worlds, while the monstrous Baron Vladimir begins to plot an act of revenge.

 

Plagued with visions of a dark future, can Paul fulfil what destiny has in store for him in Dune?

 

 

 

3. Serenity (2005)

 

 

Headlined by Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, Serenity is an action-adventure that hit the screens in 2005.

 

Joss Whedon brought the story to life with the help of competent crew members such as Joss Whedon (screenplay), Jack N. Green (cinematography), and many others.

 

Based on a TV series, Firefly, the story continues when Serenity's crew find themselves in danger with the Alliance sending their best assassin to reclaim River Tam. It's been a year since their tussle began as the team attempts to stay ahead of the enemy, but time has strengthened their foe's intentions.

 

Unaware of her secret, River Tam is sought ruthlessly by Alliance, which leads to several deaths. Serenity must find out the secret to stand a chance at winning.

 

 

 

4. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

 

 

Star Trek Into Darkness premiered in theatres in 2013. Directed by J.J. Abrams, this movie features Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldana in the lead. If you have a particular liking for action-adventure movies, then you can try this title.

 

Star Trek Into Darkness received a score of 7.7 on IMDb and 72 on Metacritic.

 

The USS Enterprise is on a mission, travelling into deep space to save an endangered species from danger. But, Captain Kirk's recklessness affected the outcome of the mission costing him his job position and being demoted to cadet to start over.

 

However, when his mentor gets into trouble, Kirk gets his act together and takes over the commands. A savage warlord is enticing the on-mission crew into war, but he needs to be stopped before it's too late.

 

 

 

5. Gattaca (1997)

 

 

Featuring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, and Jude Law in the lead, Gattaca is a drama-sci-fi movie that was released in 1997. It comprises a talented team of crew members Andrew Niccol (director), Andrew Niccol (screenplay), Slawomir Idziak (cinematography), and others.

 

The motion picture received a score of 7.8 on IMDb, while it received 64 out of 100 on Metacritic.

 

In the future, when genetically-enhanced beings are rapidly replacing 'natural' babies, Vincent is one of the last remaining, a 'normal-born'. When he gets an opportunity to experience his life-long dream of space exploration, Vincent is ready to do whatever it takes.

 

He steals the identity of Jerome and deceit all the important tests by using Jerome's samples without his knowledge. But, when the project director dies, Vincent's lies fall under threat of being exposed.

 

 

 

6. Contact (1997)

 

 

Actors Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, and Tom Skerritt have delivered stellar performances in Contact. Thanks to them, the feature film was able to receive various nominations and wins, including Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA, ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards, and Hugo Awards.

 

Dr Ellie Arroway has long been guided by her father on science and communication and now working for the SETI program, she's hoping to find evidence suggesting the existence of alien life.

 

David Drumlin, the president's science advisor decides to pull the funding from SETI, thinking the endeavour is futile. Meanwhile, Arroway gains financial backing from a secretive billionaire industrialist and manages to discover a signal repeating a sequence of prime numbers from a star system 26 light years away.

 

 

 

7. Total Recall (1990)

 

 

Bankrolled by Carolco Pictures, Total Recall is an action-adventure starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, and Michael Ironside in prominent roles.

 

Helmed by Paul Verhoeven, the motion picture became a box-office success as it amassed $119,412,921 in the United States of America and Canada. Its worldwide total was $261,317,921 against a production budget of $65,000,000.

 

Douglas Quaid, a construction worker, often dreams about Mars. To quench his desire to experience viewing the red planet, Quaid visits Rekall, a company that promises to implant false memories.

 

The procedure, however, goes wrong in ways the desired results are changed completely. Quaid discovers the life he has known is already an implanted fabricated memory, and some people are out there to kill him.

 

The solution to his problems is on Mars, but Quaid can't differentiate reality from dream.

 

 

 

8. Transformers (2007)

 

 

The success of Transformers at the box office is a testament to its brilliance. With a staggering $709,709,780 gross, this movie is a must-see for all movie lovers.

 

Directed by Michael Bay and featuring an incredible cast led by Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, and Josh Duhamel, it is no surprise that it was so well-received by audiences.

 

Sam Witwicky gets his first car, an old Camaro. The car is Autobot Bumblebee and has an objective to protect Sam. When more Autobots start arriving on Earth, Sam learns about the AllSpark, a cube-shaped artefact that fills normal electronic and mechanical objects up with life.

 

On the other hand, Decepticon attacks the US office to steal some data and kill several officers in the process. Both Autobots and Decepticon want AllSpark, but who will win it?

 

 

 

9. The Fifth Element (1997)

 

 

Looking for a movie to watch? The Fifth Element could be a good option. With a runtime of 2 hours and 6 min and released in 1997, it stars Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, and Gary Oldman and was directed by Luc Besson.

 

Set in the ultra-futuristic 23rd century, this story captures the challenges faced by Leeloo, who doesn't completely understand what it means to be the 'Fifth Element.' Coming to Earth once every five thousand years, the Fifth Element apparently merges with the other four elements (fire, air, earth, water) to create a force that protects humankind.

 

Leeloo is being brought to Earth on a Mondoshawan spacecraft when the ruthless Mangalores destroy the vessel in an attempt to stop her from fulfilling her goal. Using her DNA remains, a small group of scientists transfer the Element's consciousness into a female body.

 

Unable to grasp her new identity, Leeloo escapes the lab and inadvertently receives support from Korben Dallas, a former commando turned taxi driver. They make their way to Father Vito Cornelius to see the mission through, but their progress is threatened by the heartless Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg.

 

 

 

10. Man of Steel (2013)

 

 

Helmed for the screen by Zack Snyder, Man of Steel is an action-adventure that hit the screens in 2013.

 

Its crew members include David S. Goyer (screenplay), Amir Mokri (cinematography), and James Acheson, and Michael Wilkinson (costume), among others. The full-length feature was able to amass over $668,045,518 at the box office and received ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards, Golden Schmoes Awards, and Golden Trailer Awards.

 

Jor-El decides to send his only infant son Kal-El to Earth in a spacecraft, hoping to save him, as he is a naturally born child and not genetically engineered, something that's not happened for centuries on planet Krypton.

 

On Earth, Kal-El takes the identity of Clark Kent and tries to figure out his identity and where he came from, only to realise that his main purpose is to help protect the Earth.

 

Meanwhile, General Zod from Krypton is looking to alter the fate of the Earth completely.

 

 

 

11. Men in Black 3 (2012)

 

 

Men in Black 3 is an action-adventure film that has been helmed for the screen by Barry Sonnenfeld. It features actors Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and Josh Brolin in pivotal roles. The motion picture was released in 2012 with a 1 hour and 46 min runtime.

 

Agent J has been in the Men in Black Intelligence Agency for fourteen years, and he and Agent K have seen J experience some really inexplicable things. An alien assassin, Boris the Animal, is on the run and looking for the creator of time travel, which makes him travel back in 1969 when Agent K shot off his arm and Boris' race was wiped off.

 

Agent J discovers the revelation of some secrets can change time and space forever.

 

 

 

12. Starship Troopers (1997)

 

 

Helmed for the screen by Paul Verhoeven, Starship Troopers is an action-adventure that hit the screens in 1997.

 

Its crew members include Edward Neumeier (screenplay), Jost Vacano (cinematography), and Ellen Mirojnick (costume), among others. The full-length feature was able to amass over $121,214,377 at the box office and received Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA and Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.

 

In a world governed by the militaristic United Citizen Federation, high school athlete Rico joins the military after graduation. However, a few days into training, Rico realises his mistake and calls it quits.

 

When an asteroid coming from the orbit of the planet Klendathu hits his hometown, Rico loses his parents. The alien planet further poses a threat to which Rico and his colleagues join forces to fight all possible dangers, but their conventional strategies aren't proving to be enough.

 

 

 

13. Oblivion (2013)

 

 

Oblivion is an action-adventure which has been helmed for the screen by Joseph Kosinski.

 

Toplined by actors such as Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, and Andrea Riseborough (main characters), the film was released in 2013 with a runtime of 2 hours and 4 min.

 

It's 2077, and Jack Harper and Victoria Olsen are the only surviving humans on Earth. After scavenger aliens decimate the Moon and invade the Earth using nuclear weapons to render the Earth inhabitable, humans shift to Titan, Saturn's Moon.

 

The two remained to repair combat drones and guard the conversion of seawater into fusion energy to provide energy to Titan. With their memories wiped clean, Jack has a recurring dream of a pre-war life and a mysterious woman.

 

 

 

14. Don't Look Up (2021)

 

 

Headlined by Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and Meryl Streep, Don't Look Up is a comedy-drama that hit the screens in 2021.

 

Adam McKay brought the story to life with the help of competent crew members such as Adam McKay (screenplay), Linus Sandgren (cinematography), and many others.

 

This satire features two astronomers, Kate and Randall, trying to warn the world about an imminent extinction-event asteroid heading toward Earth. Even though they gain an audience with the U. S. President, their words are unfortunately given little attention.

 

They also embark on a media tour to warn everyone to prepare and take action before it is too late. However, whatever the astronomers say makes their efforts look like publicity stunts.

 

 

 

15. Passengers (2016)

 

 

Bankrolled by Columbia Pictures and helmed by Morten Tyldum, Passengers is a drama-romance that hit the screens in 2016.

 

A sleeper ship, Avalon, is making a 120-year journey by travelling from Earth to the planet Homestead II and transporting 5,000 colonists and 258 crew members in hibernation pods. However, only after 30 years, the ship has issues of malfunctions due to an asteroid collision damaging the ship's defence system.

 

When one of the hibernation pods opens prematurely, a mechanical engineer, Jim, gets awakened with 90 years still left for him to reach his destination.

 

 

 

16. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

 

 

With a budget of $195,000,000, this blockbuster film raked in an impressive $1,123,794,079 at the box office. Directed by Michael Bay and featuring a star-studded cast including Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Tyrese Gibson, this movie is a must-watch for all movie fans.

 

A lost piece of Cybertronian technology was part of an Autobot spacecraft, the one that crashed on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission, which carries a special technology and the legendary Sentinel Prime, who was the old mentor of Optimus Prime.

 

The Autobots, with their human allies, find the artefact in human possession. Sam learns about Decepticons wanting to have it and use it for wicked intentions. With human lives on the line, Decepticons must be stopped.