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Movies that feel like Dark Star (1974)

If you loved Dark Star, the closest films we have are The Man in the White Suit (1951), Men in Black II (2002) and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005). All three share Dark Star's witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 10 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on FlixFling, Hulu and YouTube TV and others, checked against today's data.

A group of scientists are sent on a mission to destroy unstable planets. Twenty years into their mission, they have to battle their alien mascot as well as a "sensitive" and intelligent bombing device that starts to question the meaning of its existence.

πŸ… 74% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.1 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. John Carpenterwittyplayfulcerebralawe

When is Dark Star streaming? β†’

If Dark Star hit the spot, these will too

The Man in the White Suit poster
The Man in the White Suit
1951 Β· dir. Alexander Mackendrick
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.2comedy Β· science fiction

Witty and playful in the same breath

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

The unassuming, nebbishy inventor Sidney Stratton creates a miraculous fabric that will never be dirty or worn out. Clearly he can make a fortune selling clothes made of the material, but may cause a crisis in the process. After all, once someone buys one of his suits they won't ever have to fix them or buy another one, and the clothing industry will collapse overnight. Nevertheless, Sidney is determined to put his invention on the market, forcing the clothing factory bigwigs to resort to more desperate measures...

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Men in Black II poster
Men in Black II
2002 Β· dir. Barry Sonnenfeld
πŸ… 38%β˜… 6.2action Β· comedy Β· science fiction

Both land ideas and awe at once

The difference: Plays it as action more than Dark Star does

Kay and Jay reunite to provide our best, last and only line of defense against a sinister seductress who levels the toughest challenge yet to the MIB's untarnished mission statement – protecting Earth from the scum of the universe. It's been four years since the alien-seeking agents averted an intergalactic disaster of epic proportions. Now it's a race against the clock as Jay must convince Kay – who not only has absolutely no memory of his time spent with the MIB, but is also the only living person left with the expertise to save the galaxy – to reunite with the MIB before the earth submits to ultimate destruction.

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy poster
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
2005 Β· dir. Garth Jennings
πŸ… 60%β˜… 6.7adventure Β· comedy Β· science fiction

Both built around space travel

The difference: Leans adventure where Dark Star does not

Mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher penning a new edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

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Paul poster
Paul
2011 Β· dir. Greg Mottola
πŸ… 70%β˜… 6.9adventure Β· comedy Β· science fiction

Witty comedy in both cases

The difference: A 2010s film, from a different era of filmmaking

For the past 60 years, a space-traveling smart-ass named Paul has been locked up in a top-secret military base, advising world leaders about his kind. But when he worries he’s outlived his usefulness and the dissection table is drawing uncomfortably close, Paul escapes on the first RV that passes by his compound in Area 51. Fortunately, it contains the two earthlings who are most likely to rescue and harbor an alien on the run.

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Deadpool & Wolverine poster
Deadpool & Wolverine
2024 Β· dir. Shawn Levy
πŸ… 77%β˜… 7.5action Β· comedy Β· science fiction

Science fiction with a pulse of play, in both cases

A listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life with his days as the morally flexible mercenary, Deadpool, behind him. But when his homeworld faces an existential threat, Wade must reluctantly suit-up again with an even more reluctant Wolverine.

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Repo Man poster
Repo Man
1984 Β· dir. Alex Cox
πŸ… 93%β˜… 6.8comedy Β· science fiction

Both trade on ideas more than on being comedy

The difference: Missing the awe of Dark Star

A down and out young punk gets a job working with a seasoned repo man, but what awaits him in his new career is a series of outlandish adventures revolving around aliens, the CIA, and a most wanted '64 Chevy.

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Back to the Future poster
Back to the Future
1985 Β· dir. Robert Zemeckis
πŸ… 93%β˜… 8.5adventure Β· comedy Β· science fiction

Science fiction built on wit, twice over

The difference: None of the awe that defines Dark Star

Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.

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Back to the Future Part III poster
Back to the Future Part III
1990 Β· dir. Robert Zemeckis
πŸ… 79%β˜… 7.5adventure Β· comedy Β· science fiction

Playful comedy, and it commits to that

The final installment finds Marty digging the trusty DeLorean out of a mineshaft and looking for Doc in the Wild West of 1885. But when their time machine breaks down, the travelers are stranded in a land of spurs. More problems arise when Doc falls for pretty schoolteacher Clara Clayton, and Marty tangles with Buford Tannen.

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Mickey 17 poster
Mickey 17
2025 Β· dir. Bong Joon Ho
πŸ… 77%β˜… 6.7science fiction Β· comedy Β· adventure

Space travel sits at the heart of each

Unlikely hero Mickey Barnes finds himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.

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Back to the Future Part II poster
Back to the Future Part II
1989 Β· dir. Robert Zemeckis
πŸ… 63%β˜… 7.8adventure Β· comedy Β· science fiction

Both trade on ideas more than on being science fiction

Marty and Doc are at it again as the time-traveling duo head to 2015 to nip some McFly family woes in the bud. But things go awry thanks to bully Biff Tannen and a pesky sports almanac. In a last-ditch attempt to set things straight, Marty finds himself bound for 1955 and face to face with his teenage parents -- again.

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A Boy and His Dog poster
A Boy and His Dog
1975 Β· dir. L.Q. Jones
πŸ… 80%β˜… 6.4drama Β· science fiction Β· comedy

Comedy approached the same way

Set in the year 2024 in post-apocalyptic America, 18-year old Vic and his telepathic dog, Blood, are scavengers in the desolate wilderness ravaged by World War IV, where survivors must battle for food and shelter in the desert-like wasteland. Vic and Blood eke out a meager existence, foraging for food and fighting gangs of cutthroats.

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Men in Black poster
Men in Black
1997 Β· dir. Barry Sonnenfeld
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.3action Β· adventure Β· comedy

Awe is the shared currency

After a police chase with an otherworldly being, a New York City cop is recruited as an agent in a top-secret organization established to monitor and police alien activity on Earth: the Men in Black. Agent K and new recruit Agent J find themselves in the middle of a deadly plot by an intergalactic terrorist who has arrived on Earth to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies.

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