Almost everyone has either an inquisitive or an imaginative mind or both. Sci-fi movies set in a post-apocalyptic or dystopian world are made for such people. Dune is one of such movies, and if you loved it, here are other similar movies that will boggle your mind. Open your hearts to get the best out of these movies.
What Should You Know About Dune?
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, titled on-screen as Dune: Part One, is the second film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s popular sci-fi novel of 1965. The movie features the first half of the novel. The second half is expected to be continued in a sequel whose release date has been announced as October 20, 2023.
The movie begins with a backdrop story about the desert planet and home of the Fremen called Arrakis. It is also known to be the only source of spice, the most sought-after commodity in the universe, used in traveling between worlds. As a result, the Fremen faced hardship under the rulership of the House Harkonnen until Emperor Shaddam IV ended it.
Later in 10191, another homeworld called Caladan, ruled by House Atreides, comes on the scene. As ordered by the Emperor, their head, Duke Leto Atreides, accepts the responsibility of stewarding the Arrakis, even though he knows very well that the Emperor merely set him up for his doom.
His son, Paul Atreides, pleads with one of his mentors, Duncan Idaho, to let him come along with them to Arrakis the following day, but he is denied. Paul has the same discussion with his father, but he also denies him, foreshadowing that Paul is the future of House Caladan. Consequently, Leto is murdered, and the plot unfolds to reveal Paul Atreides’ journey to self-discovery.
Dune is a movie about a gifted young man, Paul Atreides, who shoulders a great destiny and responsibility and must discover himself to ensure that he protects his family and people’s future. If you love movies about fantasy, the post-apocalyptic world, and sci-fi, then here are the 11 best movies like Dune that you should check out.
2067 (2020)
Director: Seth Larney
Stars: Aaron Glenane, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ryan Kwanten
This movie is set in the year its title states and is in a dystopian world. The official trailer alone would have you at the edge of your seat. Humanity is about to go extinct. Trees have disappeared, and natural oxygen doesn’t exist any longer. A synthetic variation is made, but it is costly, and the poor cannot afford it.
The lead character, Ethan, lost his parents early, but he was brought up by a man called Jude. Ethan’s wife, Xanthe, has a condition called The Sickness, which gradually makes one unable to process the artificial oxygen.
Ethan works at the only nuclear power plant in this new world and has his boring life interrupted when the corporation tells him he is needed to save the world. Between traveling to the future to save his planet, Ethan discovers some hidden truths about his past. According to critics, it is full of suspense, making you wonder what happens next.
Ender’s Game (2013)
English 1h 54m IMDb
Director: Gavin Hood
Stars: Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld
Ender’s Game is a movie adaptation of a book by the same title, written by Orson Scott Card in 1985. It is a science fiction set in a not-too-distant future. Start with the official trailer on YouTube to prepare yourself for the movie’s awesomeness.
In this future, planet Earth has been attacked by some aliens known as the Formics, but they are saved by International Fleet Commander Mazer Rackham, who sacrifices himself in the process.
However, Colonel Hyrum Graff knows that the Formics will return, so he begins to find and train young people as potential heroes who can save them from the inevitable invasion. Ender’s Game is the story of the eponymous character, Ender Wiggin.
The movie chronicles his training from Battle School to Command School in preparation for the aliens’ invasion of the planet Earth. According to Critics, even though the movie is not as thought-provoking as the book, it is commendable and well-acted.
Avatar (2009)
English 2h 42m IMDb
Director: James Cameron
Stars: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver
Set in the future and outside planet Earth, Avatar is another movie similar to Dune. The story is set in the future, in the year 2154. U. S. Armed Forces journey to an earth-sized moon around a star called Pandora because it has a mineral that Earth desperately needs.
Pandora has a forest inhabited by the Na’vi, blue-skinned giants with golden eyes. The atmosphere is unfit for humans to breathe, so they create avatars grown organically and then mind-controlled by humans wired up and left in a trance-like state on the ship.
Jake Sully goes in as an Avatar. The brave female Na’vi, Neytiri, saves him. One common thing that critics praised about the movie is its CGI work and innovative 3D graphics.
Even after the progress that has been made, it is still impressive for a movie released far back in 2009. The movie Avatar was a masterpiece, and you can confirm in the official trailer.
The Martian (2015)
English 2h 24m IMDb
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig
If you liked Dune, then this is another sci-fi movie you would love. The tagline at the end of the official trailer hits home and tells you the gravity of what’s happening. Mark Watney is an astronaut who goes on a manned mission with some crew members to Mars.
There is a fierce storm and after a projectile hits, leading to a rupture in his space suit, Watney’s crew members assume that he is dead and leave him behind. However, Watney survives and finds himself alone on a planet unfit for human life.
The movie follows how Mark tries to make the most of his resources to sustain himself and find a way of reaching out to his crew members back on Earth to send help and bring him back home. The movie received much praise for good directing and casting the lead role.
Arrival (2016)
English 1h 56m IMDb
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Stars: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker
Unlike Dune, Arrival is set on the planet Earth, but both belong to the same genre and are directed by Denis Villeneuve. It is a science fiction thriller inspired by an award-winning short story by Ted Chiang titled “Story of Your Life.”
At the opening of the movie’s plot, twelve egg-shaped spacecraft land at different locations around the world. The US military then recruits a linguist, Louise Banks, and a physicist, Ian Donnelly, to help find out what the visitors are about and whether they threaten humanity.
Some describe this movie as an emotional movie and one of the best sci-fi movies of the year it was released in. This movie is incredible, and even the wonderful official trailer doesn’t do it justice.
Interstellar (2014)
English 2h 49m IMDb
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain
Though the official trailer of Interstellar had a soothing aura, it still sends the message of how much thrill you’d get from the movie itself. Interstellar did not receive great reviews when it was first released, but it has since gained great acclaim and frequently appears on lists of the best sci-fi movies, and this is no exception.
It is set in the not-so-distant future and is about Earth’s last chance to be a habitable planet before the human race goes extinct. Cooper is a former NASA pilot now tasked with the role of leading a mission to find a habitable planet in another galaxy. Dr. Brand explains that NASA previously sent another group, Lazarus, to do this, but they went silent.
The mission then requires Cooper to either find a way to see that humans can be transported in spaceships to the other galaxy or that they find the lost crew and establish another colony in another world.
Prometheus (2012)
English 2h 4m IMDb
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender
Prometheus is a science fiction film that asks the old age question of where man came from and how he originated. But interestingly, this movie doesn’t answer the question. It is set in the year 2093. A trillion-dollar ship called Prometheus is en route to a distant world from which they believe human life may have originated.
It is a moon about the size of Earth and orbits a giant planet. At first glance, nothing seems special about it, but the crew notices straight lines on the surface. These lines lead to a dome, and it is there and on Prometheus that the film mostly takes place.
In the pyramid, they find Alien humanoids with DNA that perfectly match our own. It makes them wonder if they could somehow have brought life to Earth, how they did, and why.
You’d surely get goosebumps by merely watching the official trailer of Prometheus. According to critics, it is a movie “that combines high-tech science, primal beginnings, human frailty, and sheer horror.”
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
English 2h 16m IMDb
Director: Luc Besson
Stars: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen
Just like Dune is a movie adaptation of a book by the same title, so is this movie. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is based on the French sci-fi comics by Pierre Christin.
If alternate dimensions are your thing, this is for you. It is set in the 28th century and follows Major Valerian and Sergeant Laureline, special operatives responsible for maintaining order throughout the human territories. After Valerian’s dream, the two go on a mission to the city of Alpha.
Alpha is a peaceful place also known as the City of a Thousand Planets, where species all over the universe coexist for centuries.
And just like in Dune, a certain dark force threatens the peace and good here, and Major Valerian and Sergeant Laureline must first identify this evil and then work to save the universe and its future. Only the official trailer is enough to show just how phenomenal the movie is.
Snowpiercer (2013)
English 2h 6m IMDb
Director: Bong Joon Ho
Stars: Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Tilda Swinton
Looking for a movie similar to Dune but with a different version of tomorrow and a unique setting, check out the Snowpiercer. Adapted from the dystopian novel “Le Transperceneige” written by French creator Jacques Lob. The setting is in 2031 on a train that continually circles the globe.
An apocalyptic disaster that immerses the world in ice and snow takes place, and all humanity is left to remain aboard this endless train. You’d want to watch the official trailer again until you eventually watch the movie.
The train is divided into different sections: the upper class and wealthy sit at the front, while the back is for the poor, with deteriorating conditions at the end of the said train.
In the last part of the train are the characters Gilliam Curtis and Edgar, who spearhead a revolt against the wealthy and make their way to the front to unseat Minister Mason. The movie received great reviews and was made into a television series.
Ad Astra (2019)
English 2h 3m IMDb
Director: James Gray
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga
Watch the official trailer to get some thrill you’d get while watching the movie. If you don’t mind your science fiction with a bit of heart, then Ad Astra is the one for you. It follows the story of an astronaut, Roy McBride, who gets word of a signal from a station near Neptune.
It coincides with his father’s last known coordinates, who got lost years before on another mission. Roy’s mission is now to find his father and stop a possible attack on Earth. Although it did not initially receive due praise upon its release, Ad Astra is considered one of Brad Pitt’s finest performances.
Children of Men (2006)
English 1h 49m IMDb
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Stars: Julianne Moore, Clive Owen, Chiwetel Ejiofor
If you loved Dune, Children of Men is another movie you will love. Although this film was released in 2006, the post-apocalyptic story will take place in 2027. Women happen to have become infertile and unable to have kids any longer. To crown it up, the world’s youngest person has just died.
Humanity is on the brink of extinction, and Theo Faron, a former activist, tries to change this. By some miracle, he finds a pregnant woman and immediately whisks her way to a safe place at sea, far away from the chaos that is now taking over the streets.
Children Of Men is considered one of the best post-apocalyptic stories in the genre of science fiction. The official trailer starts on a low tempo but quickly escalates to show the amount of action you’d be in for.
Summary
There are many sci-fi movies out there, but picking a good one from the myriad can be stressful. Instead of going through that stress, above is a curated list of other best movies like Dune. And while you wait for the release of the second part of Dune, you can get busy with them!
