The article 10 Thought-Provoking Films Like Interstellar first published on Ready, Steady Cut.
We talk about the Top 10 Must-See Thought-Provoking Films, including Interstellar. Add these films to your watch list to stimulate your thoughts.
Filmmakers have utilised the medium to tell great stories and display breathtaking spectacles since the invention of the motion picture camera, but many have also tried to broaden the audience’s perspectives on life in general.
One such movie is Interstellar by Christopher Nolan. The sci-fi film entertains the audience while presenting ideas that call for closer examination to fully understand what is happening.
Because Nolan like surreal imagery and ideas that defy reality, we began to consider other movies that may fit this description. Here is our list of 10 thought-provoking films that are similar to Interstellar without focusing on science fiction.
10 Best Thought-Provoking Movies Like Interstellar
10. Bladerunner (1982)
Bladerunner by Ridley Scott has long been regarded as a great sci-fi detective noir thriller, and there is no shortage of commentary on the movie, its making, and its various facets. Oddly, there have been several various releases of the movie since its initial release in 1982.
If you’re prepared to watch it, you should probably look for Scott’s final cut, which took a long time to do. It is mind-blowing to consider the complicated morality of creating life, using it as slaves with a finite lifespan, and the impact that would have on humanity. However, when you add in a cast of characters who we later learn may or may not be contributing to the issue, the story transforms into a moral minefield.
This must-see film is gorgeous, magnificent, complex, and thought-provoking.
9. Memento (2000)
In Christopher Nolan’s heady masterclass in nonlinear storytelling, Guy Pierce plays the lead role. Pierce is looking for his wife’s killer, but he is having problems because of a medical issue that prevents him from creating new memories.
Our protagonist inks information that he is aware is accurate on his body in order to keep track of his deeds. While we watch the movie, the colour segments move the plot forward while the black-and-white sections move it back. The viewer must see the film several times and give it a lot of attention in order to put everything together. Nonetheless, it’s a meticulous and immaculate production that must be seen, and if you’re having trouble, there’s a video of Nolan on YouTube that describes his planning for the shooting.
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8. 12 Monkeys (1995)
Time travel theories can be both extremely difficult and extremely satisfying, but they only work when they are fully understood. The fact that Terry Gilliam, a member of the Monty Python gang, has produced several thought-provoking films may surprise some readers.
The Bruce Willis-led drama follows a prisoner sent back in time to discover the cause of a terrible sickness that eventually annihilates humanity. You are kept guessing until the very end of this thriller, which raises a lot of issues regarding fate and our choices, thanks to different time zones and dream sequences.
7. The Game (1997)
This underappreciated thriller from David Fincher stars Michael Douglas. This director enjoys playing pranks on his viewers, and despite being a touch more grounded, this intricate psychological stunner keeps you guessing while still delighting you. This is a relentless braintwister that features dangerous conspiracies, a secret puppet master, murder, and a thrilling journey. The Game is the gift you didn’t even realise you needed.
6. Primer (2004)
Another article that centres on time travel is found here. But, you might have missed this little independent film when it first came out.
Unlike to Interstellar, this is a low-budget—some may even say no budget—production that mainly depends on its plot and cast of characters to move it along. But as far as theories about how time travel might operate, this is pure genius. You almost believe the science behind the story because of how well the presentation is done.
This movie is also tightly plotted and put together, and every time you watch it again, you always notice something you missed the first time. Your curiosity about what transpired next will keep you up all night long in this dark third act that is left unresolved and unclear.
5. Solaris (2002)
This 2002 movie, which was directed by Steven Soderbergh and produced by James Cameron, promised to adhere closely to the Stanislaw Lem novel on which it was primarily based.
Dr. Chris Kelvin is tasked with figuring out what’s going on in a scene that takes place on a space station that appears to be under the control of an unidentified force that is causing the crew to act in strange ways. This puzzle box, despite not being a huge box office hit, offers a lot to enjoy with its strange and twisted plot that makes the viewer wonder what is real and what is imagined.
4, Donnie Darko (2001)
As far as this entry is concerned, I am biased because I have fond memories of watching it and experiencing its impact. I spent a lot of time doing research to try to understand the tale of the end of the world and Donnie’s unwitting superhero path to redemption.
I had no idea that the information I required was so meticulously concealed that it was practically undetectable. A third film that appears to be an odd mash-up of sci-fi, horror, and high school drama is actually an eye-opening puzzle that offers concepts that are much larger than my limited human understanding can handle. In a small universe is a famous movie.
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3. Cube (1997)
Having a limited budget has several benefits because the creative team must work twice as hard to convey their message. The twisted sci-fi horror film Cube is scary and thought-provoking at the same time.
You get trapped like the characters when a bunch of strangers are put in a physical puzzle box that substitutes one death trap for another and leaves you wondering who will survive. The actual query, though, ought to be, “Why?” This is about as thought-provoking as it gets because the audience is left with a lot of unanswered questions.
2. Inception (2010)
Nolan enters the list once more, this time with a strange and complicated deep dive into the principles of dream manipulation and sharing. This is a contemporary masterpiece that would leave viewers speechless and perplexed. It features dreams inside dreams and a fast-paced sci-fi adventure.
1. 2001 A Space Odyssey (1968)
The best Stanley Kubrick film for this list is 2001: A Space Odyssey, yet every one of his works has been studied more thoroughly than I ever could. This is a gem of a movie that still looks as fantastic today as it did in the 1960s, from the hypnotic opening shots of early man and the monolith to the exquisitely designed sets and the recurring motifs of circles, beginnings, and endings. In fact, this film served as inspiration for Interstellar; if you only watch one from this list, make it this on
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