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Dark City poster

Movies that feel likeDark City (1998)

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.

If you loved Dark City, the closest films we have are Twelve Monkeys (1995), Soylent Green (1973) and What Happened to Monday (2017). All three share Dark City's twisty and cerebral feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Pi (1998).

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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

Two things both keep coming back to: paranoia and dystopia

The difference: Sits closer to thriller 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.

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

Common ground: paranoia

The difference: Leans harder into crime than Dark City does

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.

What Happened to Monday poster
What Happened to Monday
2017 · dir. Tommy Wirkola
🍅 62%★ 6.8science fiction · thriller · mysteryNetflix

The same preoccupation in both: 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.

I, Robot poster
I, Robot
2004 · dir. Alex Proyas
★ 7.1action · science fictionApple TV+

The same hand behind both of them: Alex Proyas

The difference: Easier on the twists than 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.

Minority Report poster
Minority Report
2002 · dir. Steven Spielberg
🍅 89%★ 7.6science fiction · action · thrillerPrime VideoParamount+

One thread runs through both: cyberpunk

The difference: Takes it somewhere less twisty than Dark City does

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.

Watchmen poster
Watchmen
2009 · dir. Zack Snyder
🍅 64%★ 7.6mystery · action · science fictionMax

Both land twists and ideas at once

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.

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.

Pi poster
Pi
1998 · dir. Darren Aronofsky
🍅 88%★ 7.3mystery · drama · thrillerPrime Video

Both lean on twists more than on mystery

A mathematical genius discovers a link between numbers and reality, and thus believes he can predict the future.

Disturbia poster
Disturbia
2007 · dir. D.J. Caruso
🍅 69%★ 6.8thriller · drama · mysteryParamount+

Both are built on the same subject: serial killer

Kale has a life most teenagers would envy. He spends his days endlessly playing video games, surfing the net, eating junk food and watching cable. He has complete free reign of the house, and a beautiful young hottie named Ashley has just moved in next door. There’s only one problem—he’s not allowed to leave the house. Kale’s under court-ordered house arrest for three months, and if he takes one step beyond a 100-foot perimeter of the house, his next confinement will be in a real prison.

Red Eye poster
Red Eye
2005 · dir. Wes Craven
🍅 80%★ 6.4thriller · mysteryParamount+

Paranoid science fiction in both cases

An overnight flight to Miami quickly becomes a battle for survival when Lisa realizes her seatmate plans to use her as part of a chilling assassination plot against the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. If she refuses to cooperate, her own father will be killed. As the miles tick by, she's in a race against time to find a way to warn the potential victims before it's too late.

The Game poster
The Game
1997 · dir. David Fincher
🍅 77%★ 7.7drama · thriller · mystery

Both keep coming back to the same thing: manipulation

In honor of his birthday, San Francisco banker Nicholas Van Orton, a financial genius and a cold-hearted loner, receives an unusual present from his younger brother, Conrad: a gift certificate to play a unique kind of game. In nary a nanosecond, Nicholas finds himself consumed by a dangerous set of ever-changing rules, unable to distinguish where the charade ends and reality begins.

The Island poster
The Island
2005 · dir. Michael Bay
★ 6.8action · thriller · science fictionParamount+

Science fiction with a pulse of ideas, in both cases

In 2019, Lincoln Six-Echo is a resident of a seemingly "Utopian" but contained facility. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully-controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to The Island — reportedly the last uncontaminated location on the planet. But Lincoln soon discovers that everything about his existence is a lie.

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