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Movies that feel like Dark City (1998)

If you loved Dark City, the closest films we have are Twelve Monkeys (1995), Soylent Green (1973) and Watchmen (2009). All three share Dark City's twisty and cerebral feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 9 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on TCM, HBO Max Amazon Channel and HBO Max and others, checked against today's data.

A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans.

7.6 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Alex Proyastwistycerebralbleakparanoid

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If Dark City hit the spot, these will too

Twelve Monkeys poster
Twelve Monkeys
1995 · dir. Terry Gilliam
🍅 88%8science fiction · thriller · mystery

Both circle paranoia and dystopia

The difference: Plays it as thriller more than Dark City does

In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly and the son of a famous virus expert who may hold the key to the Army of the 12 Monkeys; thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.

Feels alike?
Soylent Green poster
Soylent Green
1973 · dir. Richard Fleischer
🍅 73%7science fiction · crime · mystery

Both keep circling back to paranoia

The difference: Leans crime where Dark City does not

In the year 2022, overcrowding, pollution, and resource depletion have reduced society’s leaders to finding food for the teeming masses. The answer is Soylent Green.

Feels alike?
Watchmen poster
Watchmen
2009 · dir. Zack Snyder
🍅 64%7.6mystery · action · science fiction

Both land twists and ideas at once

The difference: None of the bleakness that defines Dark City

In a gritty and alternate 1985, the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown. But after one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered, an investigation into the killer is initiated. The reunited heroes set out to prevent their own destruction, but in doing so they uncover a sinister plot that puts all of humanity in grave danger.

Feels alike?
I, Robot poster
I, Robot
2004 · dir. Alex Proyas
7.1action · science fiction

The same hand behind both of them: Alex Proyas

The difference: Not nearly as twisty as Dark City

In 2035, where robots are commonplace and abide by the three laws of robotics, a technophobic cop investigates an apparent suicide. Suspecting that a robot may be responsible for the death, his investigation leads him to believe that humanity may be in danger.

Feels alike?
What Happened to Monday poster
What Happened to Monday
2017 · dir. Tommy Wirkola
🍅 62%6.8science fiction · thriller · mystery

Both built around dystopia

In a world where families are limited to one child due to overpopulation, a set of identical septuplets must avoid being put to a long sleep by the government and dangerous infighting while investigating the disappearance of one of their own.

Feels alike?
Allegiant poster
Allegiant
2016 · dir. Robert Schwentke
🍅 11%5.7adventure · science fiction · action

The same mix in both: bleakness, then paranoia

Beatrice Prior and Tobias Eaton venture into the world outside of the fence and are taken into protective custody by a mysterious agency known as the Bureau of Genetic Welfare.

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Super 8 poster
Super 8
2011 · dir. J.J. Abrams
🍅 81%7thriller · science fiction · mystery

Twisty mystery in both cases

In late 1970s Ohio, a group of friends filming a homemade zombie movie witness a devastating train derailment. Soon after, their quiet town is gripped by unexplained disappearances, strange phenomena, and a growing sense of fear, as they uncover that something terrifying has been set loose.

Feels alike?
Cube poster
Cube
1998 · dir. Vincenzo Natali
🍅 61%7.1thriller · science fiction · mystery

Science fiction built on ideas, twice over

A group of strangers find themselves trapped in a maze-like prison. It soon becomes clear that each of them possesses the peculiar skills necessary to escape, if they don't wind up dead first.

Feels alike?
Videodrome poster
Videodrome
1983 · dir. David Cronenberg
🍅 83%7.2horror · science fiction · mystery

Bleak mystery, and it commits to that

As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon "Videodrome," a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit and broadcasts the show on his channel. However, after his girlfriend auditions for the show and never returns, Max investigates the truth behind Videodrome and discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought.

Feels alike?
The Thing poster
The Thing
1982 · dir. John Carpenter
🍅 85%8.2horror · mystery · science fiction

Science fiction with a pulse of paranoia, in both cases

A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.

Feels alike?
Limitless poster
Limitless
2011 · dir. Neil Burger
🍅 68%7.4thriller · mystery · science fiction

Both trade on twists more than on being mystery

The life of an unsuccessful writer is transformed by a top-secret 'smart drug' that allows him to use 100% of his brain and become a perfect version of himself. His enhanced abilities soon attract shadowy forces that threaten his new life.

Feels alike?
Minority Report poster
Minority Report
2002 · dir. Steven Spielberg
🍅 89%7.6science fiction · action · thriller

Cyberpunk sits at the heart of each

John Anderton is a top 'Precrime' cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they're committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge.

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The best-reviewed films that share Dark City's defining feeling.