Mind-bending sci-fi films exploring dreams, reality, and perception — Inception vibes.
Movies Like Inception — 39 entries in the movies category, sortable by Title, Year, Director. Every row is ranked by community votes, giving you a crowd-sourced perspective you won't find on Wikipedia or IMDb.
Browse the full list below, cast your own votes, or download the raw data as CSV, JSON, or Excel.
Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.
The Matrix
1999
Lana Wachowski
8.2
Action, Science Fiction
United States of America
136
Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.
The Prestige
2006
Christopher Nolan
8.2
Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction
United Kingdom
130
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2004
Michel Gondry
8.1
Science Fiction, Drama, Romance
United States of America
108
Joel Barish, heartbroken that his girlfriend underwent a procedure to erase him from her memory, decides to do the same. However, as he watches his memories of her fade away, he realises that he still loves her, and may be too late to correct his mistake.
Paprika
2006
Satoshi Kon
7.8
Animation, Science Fiction, Thriller
Japan
90
When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patient's dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist can stop it and recover it before damage is done: Paprika.
Solaris
1972
Andrei Tarkovsky
7.8
Drama, Science Fiction, Mystery
Soviet Union
167
A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out repressed memories and obsessions.
Brazil
1985
Terry Gilliam
7.7
Comedy, Science Fiction
United Kingdom
143
Low-level bureaucrat Sam Lowry escapes the monotony of his day-to-day life through a recurring daydream of himself as a virtuous hero saving a beautiful damsel. Investigating a case that led to the wrongful arrest and eventual death of an innocent man instead of wanted terrorist Harry Tuttle, he ...
Twelve Monkeys
1995
Terry Gilliam
7.6
Science Fiction, Thriller, Mystery
United States of America
129
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 ar...
The Butterfly Effect
2004
J. Mackye Gruber
7.6
Science Fiction, Thriller
Canada
113
A young man struggles to access sublimated childhood memories. He finds a technique that allows him to travel back into the past, to occupy his childhood body and change history. However, he soon finds that every change he makes has unexpected consequences.
Open Your Eyes
1997
Alejandro Amenábar
7.4
Drama, Thriller, Science Fiction
Spain
117
Handsome 25-year-old Cesar had it all -- a successful career, expensive cars, a swank bachelor's pad, and an endless string of beautiful and willing women -- until he is thrown into a strange psychological mystery after a car accident scars his face and lands him in prison.
Source Code
2011
Duncan Jones
7.3
Thriller, Science Fiction, Mystery
United States of America
93
When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.
Dark City
1998
Alex Proyas
7.3
Mystery, Science Fiction
Australia
101
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.
Videodrome
1983
David Cronenberg
7.3
Horror, Science Fiction, Mystery
Canada
88
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 auditi...
Limitless
2011
Neil Burger
7.2
Thriller, Mystery, Science Fiction
United States of America
106
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.
Coherence
2014
James Ward Byrkit
7.2
Thriller, Science Fiction
United Kingdom
89
Four couples gather for dinner the night a mysterious and powerful comet passes overhead.
K-PAX
2001
Iain Softley
7.2
Science Fiction, Drama, Mystery
Germany
120
Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations.
The Animatrix
2003
Yoshiaki Kawajiri
7.2
Animation, Science Fiction
Japan
102
Straight from the creators of the groundbreaking Matrix trilogy, this collection of short animated films from the world's leading anime directors fuses computer graphics and Japanese anime to provide the background of the Matrix universe and the conflict between man and machines. The shorts inclu...
The City of Lost Children
1995
Jean-Pierre Jeunet
7.2
Fantasy, Science Fiction, Adventure
France
112
A scientist in a surrealist society kidnaps children to steal their dreams, hoping that they slow his aging process.
The Matrix Reloaded
2003
Lana Wachowski
7.1
Adventure, Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
United States of America
138
The Resistance builds in numbers as humans are freed from the Matrix and brought to the city of Zion. Neo discovers his superpowers, including the ability to see the code inside the Matrix. With machine sentinels digging to Zion in 72 hours, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity must find the Keymaker to ult...
What Happened to Monday
2017
Tommy Wirkola
7.1
Science Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Action
Belgium
123
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.
Strange Days
1995
Kathryn Bigelow
7
Crime, Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller
United States of America
145
In the last days of 1999, ex-cop turned street hustler Lenny Nero receives a disc which contains the memories of the murder of a prostitute. With the help of bodyguard Mace, he starts to investigate and is pulled deeper and deeper in a whirl of murder, blackmail and intrigue.
The Thirteenth Floor
1999
Josef Rusnak
7
Thriller, Science Fiction, Mystery
United States of America
100
In Los Angeles, a wealthy man, known as Mr. Fuller, discovers a shocking secret about the world he lives in. Fearing for his life, he leaves a desperate message for a friend of his in the most unexpected place.
Vanilla Sky
2001
Cameron Crowe
6.8
Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction
United States of America
136
David Aames has it all: wealth, good looks and gorgeous women on his arm. But just as he begins falling for the warmhearted Sofia, his face is horribly disfigured in a car accident. That's just the beginning of his troubles as the lines between illusion and reality, between life and death, are bl...
eXistenZ
1999
David Cronenberg
6.8
Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
Canada
97
A game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.
A Scanner Darkly
2006
Richard Linklater
6.8
Animation, Science Fiction, Thriller
United States of America
100
An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.
The Matrix Revolutions
2003
Lilly Wachowski
6.7
Adventure, Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
United States of America
129
The human city of Zion defends itself against the massive invasion of the machines as Neo fights to end the war at another front while also opposing the rogue Agent Smith.
Tron
1982
Steven Lisberger
6.6
Science Fiction, Action, Adventure
United States of America
96
When brilliant video game maker Flynn hacks the mainframe of his ex-employer, he is beamed inside an astonishing digital world and becomes part of the very game he is designing. In his mission through cyberspace, Flynn matches wits with a maniacal Master Control Program and teams up with Tron, a ...
Self/less
2015
Tarsem Singh
6.4
Science Fiction, Action, Thriller
United States of America
117
An extremely wealthy elderly man dying from cancer undergoes a radical medical procedure that transfers his consciousness to the body of a healthy young man but everything may not be as good as it seems when he starts to uncover the mystery of the body's origins and the secret organization that w...
THX 1138
1971
George Lucas
6.4
Science Fiction, Drama
United States of America
86
People in the future live in a totalitarian society. A technician named THX 1138 lives a mundane life between work and taking a controlled consumption of drugs that the government uses to make puppets out of people. As THX is without drugs for the first time he has feelings for a woman and they s...
Possessor
2020
Brandon Cronenberg
6.4
Horror, Thriller, Science Fiction
Australia
103
Tasya Vos, an elite corporate assassin, uses brain-implant technology to take control of other people’s bodies to terminate high profile targets. As she sinks deeper into her latest assignment, Vos becomes trapped inside a mind that threatens to obliterate her.
The Room
2019
Christian Volckman
6.4
Horror, Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction
Belgium
99
Kate and Matt discover that a part of their house can grant wishes. In the wake of two miscarriages, what they want most is a child.
The Cell
2000
Tarsem Singh
6.3
Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
United States of America
107
A psychotherapist journeys inside a comatose serial killer in the hopes of saving his latest victim.
In the near future, due to a breakthrough scientific discovery by Dr. Thomas Harbor, there is now definitive proof of an afterlife. While countless people have chosen suicide to reset their existence, others try to decide what it all means. Among them is Dr. Harbor's son Will, who has arrived at ...
Transcendence
2014
Wally Pfister
6.1
Thriller, Science Fiction, Drama, Mystery
United States of America
119
Two leading computer scientists work toward their goal of Technological Singularity, as a radical anti-technology organization fights to prevent them from creating a world where computers can transcend the abilities of the human brain.
The Zero Theorem
2013
Terry Gilliam
6.1
Drama, Fantasy, Science Fiction
France
107
A computer hacker's goal to discover the reason for human existence continually finds his work interrupted thanks to the Management; this time, they send a teenager and lusty love interest to distract him.
The Signal
2014
William Eubank
6
Thriller, Science Fiction
United States of America
97
On a road trip, Nic and two friends are drawn to an isolated area by a computer genius. When everything suddenly goes dark, Nic regains consciousness – only to find himself in a waking nightmare.
Anon
2018
Andrew Niccol
6
Science Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
United States of America
100
Set in a near-future world where there is no privacy, ignorance or anonymity, our private memories are recorded and crime almost ceases to exist. In trying to solve a series of unsolved murders, Sal Frieland stumbles onto a young woman who appears to have subverted the system and disappeared. She...
Solaris
2002
Steven Soderbergh
5.9
Drama, Science Fiction, Mystery
United States of America
99
A troubled psychologist is sent to investigate the crew of an isolated research station orbiting a bizarre planet.
The Forgotten
2004
Joseph Ruben
5.9
Thriller, Mystery, Science Fiction
United States of America
91
Telly Paretta is a grieving mother struggling to cope with the loss of her 9-year-old son. She is stunned when her psychiatrist reveals that she has created nine years of memories about a son she never had. But when she remembers a man who had a similar experience, Telly embarks on a search to pr...
Free to explore · No signup needed
Loading community rankings...
Frequently asked questions
How is the Movies Like Inception list ranked?
The Movies Like Inception list is ranked by community votes. Every visitor can pick one option over another in head-to-head matchups, and the running totals determine the order you see. No editors or algorithms — just real people voting.
How many entries are in this Movies Like Inception dataset?
This dataset contains 39 entries, each with multiple sortable, filterable columns. The full table is visible on this page and can be downloaded as a CSV, JSON, or Excel file.
Can I download the Movies Like Inception data?
Yes. The download buttons at the top of the page give you the full 39-row dataset as CSV, JSON, or Excel. Use of the data is permitted under a Creative Commons Attribution license — credit dtbse.com when you republish.
