feelsalike.comSign in
Watchmen poster

Movies that feel likeWatchmen (2009)

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.

If you loved Watchmen, the closest films we have are What Happened to Monday (2017), Dark City (1998) and The Bourne Identity (2002). All three share Watchmen'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 Gone Baby Gone (2007).

🍅 64% Rotten Tomatoes★ 7.6 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Zack Snydertwistykineticcerebralparanoid
9 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video

Can't choose? Answer three questions and get one movie for tonight.

Stream it:HBO Max ↗
See it on the Mood Map

When is Watchmen streaming? →

If Watchmen hit the spot, these will too

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

An investigation into a missing person peels back a much larger conspiracy

The difference: A dystopian population-control thriller, not costumed vigilantes and Cold War dread

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.

Dark City poster
Dark City
1998 · dir. Alex Proyas
★ 7.5mystery · science fiction

Hidden, manipulative forces are revealed to be steering the world from the shadows

The difference: A memory-noir mystery, not a masked-vigilante murder investigation

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.

The Bourne Identity poster
The Bourne Identity
2002 · dir. Doug Liman
🍅 84%★ 7.8action · mystery · thrillerNetflix

Common ground: a secret identity

The difference: Takes it somewhere less paranoid than Watchmen does

Wounded to the brink of death and suffering from amnesia, Jason Bourne is rescued at sea by a fisherman. With nothing to go on but a Swiss bank account number, he starts to reconstruct his life, but finds that many people he encounters want him dead. However, Bourne realizes that he has the combat and mental skills of a world-class spy—but who does he work for?

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

Twisty and cerebral in the same breath

The difference: Trades the momentum of Watchmen for an angle of its own

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.

Gone Baby Gone poster
Gone Baby Gone
2007 · dir. Ben Affleck
🍅 94%★ 7.6crime · drama · mysteryParamount+

An investigation uncovers uncomfortable truths nobody involved wanted found

The difference: A grounded child-kidnapping procedural, not a masked-hero conspiracy epic

When 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl's aunt, Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The detectives freely admit that they have little experience with this type of case, but the family wants them for two reasons—they're not cops and they know the tough neighborhood in which they all live.

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

A trusted system's hidden rot gets exposed once someone digs too deep

The difference: A precognitive-crime thriller, not a Cold War costumed-hero conspiracy

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.

Inferno poster
Inferno
2016 · dir. Ron Howard
🍅 23%★ 6.2mystery · thriller · actionNetflix

A race against time unravels a conspiracy with world-altering stakes

The difference: A globe-trotting symbology chase, not masked vigilantes confronting their past

After waking up in a hospital with amnesia, professor Robert Langdon and a doctor must race against time to foil a deadly global plot.

The Commuter poster
The Commuter
2018 · dir. Jaume Collet-Serra
🍅 55%★ 6.3action · thriller · mysteryHulu

An ordinary person gets pulled into a conspiracy bigger than they realize

The difference: A single-train ticking-clock thriller, not a sprawling alternate-history mystery

A businessman, on his daily commute home, gets unwittingly caught up in a criminal conspiracy that threatens not only his life but the lives of those around him.

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

A hidden authority's true agenda surfaces once its walls finally come down

The difference: A YA dystopian sequel, not a grim alternate-history superhero mystery

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.

Assassin's Creed poster
Assassin's Creed
2016 · dir. Justin Kurzel
🍅 18%★ 5.6action · adventure · science fiction

A secret order's hidden agenda spans centuries of manipulation and control

The difference: A genetic-memory action epic, not a Cold War costumed-hero murder mystery

Through a technology that unlocks the genetic memories of his ancestor in 15th century Spain, Callum Lynch discovers he is a descendant of an ancient line of Assassins and amasses lethal skills to take on the oppressive Templar Order.

Justice League poster
Justice League
2017 · dir. Zack Snyder
🍅 39%★ 6action · adventure · science fictionMax

Zack Snyder working the same nerve twice

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

Fuelled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince assemble a team of metahumans consisting of Barry Allen, Arthur Curry and Victor Stone to face the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and the Parademons who are on the hunt for three Mother Boxes on Earth.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation poster
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
2013 · dir. Jon M. Chu
🍅 29%★ 5.7action · science fiction · adventureParamount+

A team framed by their own government fights a conspiracy from the inside

The difference: A blockbuster team-versus-government romp, not a bleak Cold War mystery

Framed for crimes against the country, the G.I. Joe team is terminated by Presidential order. This forces the G.I. Joes into not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.

In the mood for more twisty?

all twisty movies →

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