Movies like Avatar allow us to escape into a dazzling world of wonder and amazement. From the moment that James Cameron’s masterpiece first hit cinema screens nearly fourteen years ago, it became a roaring success. The phenomenal sci-fi film smashed records to quickly become one of the highest-grossing movies of all time earning a whopping $2,922,917,914 throughout its lifetime. The only film that ever came close to it was Avengers: Endgame, with $2,797,501,328. With a budget of $237,000,000, it is no wonder the movie’s stunning alien scenery and ground-breaking visuals was nothing short of amazing, leaving critics and viewers in awe! Winning three of its nine Oscar nominations.
Avatar tells the story of Jake Sully, a disabled former Marine who falls in love with Neytiri, a female Na’vi. Jake arrives on the alien planet of Pandora as a replacement for his twin brother, becoming part of a program to mine materials to help solve the Earth’s energy crisis. Pandora’s atmosphere is toxic to humans but the team is able to explore the planet and interact with the Na’vi using an artificially created Na’vi body that is operated by a person’s mind. As Jake becomes immersed in the world and ways of the Na’Vi people, his loyalty begins to waver as he sees the harm that his own people are causing.
Now with the sequel, Avatar: The Way of the Water recently released, with other subsequent entries to the franchise in the works, we understand why you may be searching for some movies similar to Avatar that are equally futuristic, breath-taking and exciting. So here are 15 Movies like Avatar we guarantee are well worth your time.
List of Movies like Avatar
1. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
There can literally be nothing more similar to movies like Avatar than this. The much anticipated sequel has been a long time in the making. Set fifteen years after exploring Pandora and joining the Na’vi, Avatar: The Way of Water follows the journey of Jake Sully. Jake has since raised a family of five children with Neytiri and established himself as the head of the Omaticaya clan of the new world.
Avatar: The Way of Water continues to deliver breath-taking visuals and state-of-the-art special effects and though the family is the center focus in this film, it is also an extension of the themes of environmentalism, indigenous rights, and the interconnectedness of all living things we have seen in the prequel. In the words of James Cameron “If you loved the first movie, you’re gonna love this!”
2. John Carter (2012)
John Carter is a 2012 science fiction movie that tells the story of a U.S. Civil War veteran John Carter, who gets transported to Barsoom, only to discover a seemingly barren planet inhabited by massive, 12-foot-tall barbarian natives. Carter must not only save himself, but also save Princess Dea Toris of Helium.
John Carter is worth watching for its stunning visuals and action-packed scenes. John Carter is similar to movies like Avatar in that it features a world where aliens are invading and humans drive to survive. Again, you just have to watch this.
3. Prometheus (2012)
Taking place in the same universe as the famous Ridley Scott’s Alien series, Prometheus actually acts as a prequel for the sci-fi film franchise. Prometheus takes you to a whole new world just like in movies like Avatar. In the year 2089, scientists deduce that they and all life on Earth were created by another race of beings which they called the Engineers. If you’ve already seen it, check out our list of films like Prometheus.
Finding ancient star maps among old cave paintings, archaeologist Elizabeth Shaw and her team are aboard the spaceship Prometheus charting their way to a distant planet known as LV-223. Unfortunately, soon upon arrival, things start to go badly for the crew bumping upon a forgotten species that could not only jeopardize their mission but also wipe out the entire earth.
4. Ready Player One (2018)
What makes this movie similar to movies like Avatar is the absolutely phenomenal plot and the jaw dropping visuals. In Avatar, humans have found a way to transfer their minds into an artificially created body of a Na’vi, a native being of the planet Pandora. In Ready Player One, they use a technology known as OASIS to transfer their minds into an entire virtual reality.
OASIS was created to help people to escape the horrors of the real world, but the technology is left for grabs after the creator of the software dies. However, when the creator passed away, a video was released that said technology is up for grabs. He states that whoever manages to obtain the easter egg hidden within the game will inherit his vast fortune and gain complete control over the OASIS.
5. Dune (2021)
A movie much similar to the films like Avatar, with worlds deadly to humans and conflicts over rare resources in the form of the spice melange and unobtainium, Dune is a powerful and captivating fantasy film with its brilliant visuals and thematic. The otherworldly landscapes in Dune are breathtakingly beautiful.
Timothée Chalamet stars as Paul Atreides, a gifted young man with a great destiny, who embarks on a dangerous journey to the most deadly planet in the universe, fighting to ensure the future of his family and his people. Set in the distant future, Dune boasts of complex and captivating characters that viewers will find relatable in their struggles against impossible odds.
6. Interstellar (2014)
In Avatar, you find a whole new planet and species. Interstellar is similar to films like Avatar in that regard except that it tells of the journey of humans to find a new habitable planet for humanity. This becomes necessary when Earth is depleted of almost all of its natural resources, with huge dust storms and famines occurring frequently.
These astronauts journey to the other side of the galaxy, which in all probability will be a one-way trip, through a wormhole near Saturn that was created by unknown beings in the past. On the way they encounter many difficulties. Interstellar is a tale of human emotions and science bending together in a package of entertainment and thrill.
7. Pacific Rim (2013)
Pacific Rim is a sci-fi action adventure movie much similar to films like Avatar that is filled with action scenes and massive battles with creatures that dwell in the depths. When hordes of monsters known as Kaiju rose from the depths of the sea, humanity’s population was decimated to almost nothing in just a few years. To fight the aliens, a special weapon was created: huge robots called Jaegers, whose weapons are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are connected by a neural link.
However, the Jaegers cannot withstand the ruthless sea monsters. Not to suffer defeat, the defenders of humanity make the unwilling choice of turning to two highly questionable people for help, a former pilot and an inexperienced trainee. They team up to lead the once legendary but now old gamekeeper into battle. Together they prove to be humanity’s only hope, the last obstacle before the impending apocalypse.
8. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
This movie will leave you just as awestruck as movies similar to Avatar, especially with its incredible visuals! Its very believable world is the reason that it is so beautiful! Plus, action sequences that are nothing short of entertaining. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets trails two agents named Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) as they fight to maintain peace throughout human-occupied territories.
The two partners are the last hope for Alpha, a vast metropolis home to species from over one thousand planets. A dark force threatens this immense city of light and life; though Valerian has faced countless dangers in his lifetime as an elite space agent, he knows that never before have they been so close to extinction and it’s up to him and Laureline to identify the force behind all these attacks.
9. Passengers (2016)
What will you do if you are left alone in the depths of space without any company? Passengers share a similar tone to films like Avatar as both films are about colonization efforts on other planets. In Avatar, humans are trying to mine a valuable mineral on the planet Pandora, while in Passengers, humans are trying to start a new life on a distant planet called Homestead II.
Jim Preston, played by Chris Pratt, is part of the 5000 passengers in cryogenic sleep pods aboard the Avalon on its way to a planet that will become their new home. Due to a system malfunction in Jim’s hibernation pod, he wakes up 90 years too early and finds himself alone making him a sitting duck in space. The lonely days where the closest he comes to human contact is an android, start taking their toll on him until he decides to wake up another passenger, Aurora.
10. Alita Battle Angel (2019)
Fans of movies like Avatar will totally enjoy Alita Battle Angel for the superb special effects, the star-studded cast, and the intense action scenes. Alita Battle Angel follows the story of the cyborg Alita after she is revived when she is found in a scrapyard. Alita wakes up to face the problem of having no recollection of her past or any knowledge of the world she has woken up in. Alita explores the hostile environment of Iron City with Dr. Ido, the man who revived her, attempts to shield her from the dangers of Iron City and of Alita’s past.
The movie successfully takes viewers to the futuristic environment of Iron City’s setting. With a bit of realism and an incredible dose of computer animation, the whole visual of the movie is a masterpiece. With top stars Rosa Salazar, Christof Waltz, and Jennifer Connely, Alita Battle Angel creates a memorable viewing experience.
11. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
In the not-too-distant future, the world is populated by humans and replicants created to do the hardest work. Police officer Kay’s job is to keep the replicants under control amid growing tensions. Check out our list of movies like Blade Runner 2049.
Until he accidentally becomes in possession of secret information that threatens the existence of all mankind. Wanting to find a clue, Kay decides to track down Rick Deckard, a former LAPD Special Branch officer who disappeared without a trace years ago.
12. The Fifth Element (1997)
Another film much like Avatar that features high-octane action scenes and a quest for special items. In Avatar it is a rare mineral called unobtanium while In The Fifth Element, the items are the four elemental stones that must be brought together to save the world.
The Fifth Element is set in the year 2263, and it follows a New York cab driver named Korben Dallas, played by Bruce Willis, who becomes involved in the quest to save the world. He teams up with a mysterious being named Leeloo, played by Milla Jovovich, together they must find four elemental stones and add to them the mysterious fifth element to put a stop to the impending evil that threatens to end all humanity.
13. Arrival (2016)
Arrival is a movie quite similar in premise to films like Avatar, as both movies see humans attempting to communicate and negotiate with alien species while the possibility of war breaking out hangs ahead. Much of the film focuses on the attempts of language specialist Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) as she helps the U.S. Government decipher a way to communicate with the just arrived aliens, who they have no way to establish contact with.
However, while doing so, she starts speaking and even thinking in their strange language. With the clock ticking down to a possible confrontation between humanity and the otherworldly visitors, they must work fast to find a solution.
14. After Earth (2013)
After Earth is a film similar to Avatar with both movies touching on environmental themes. In Avatar, the Na’vi people live in harmony with their natural environment and fight against a corporation that seeks to exploit their world’s resources. In After Earth, humans have abandoned Earth due to environmental collapse, and the planet has evolved into a dangerous and deadly place.
One thousand years after cataclysmic events that forced humanity to leave Earth to a planet called Nova Prime. We follow General Cypher Raige (Will Smith) and his son Kitai (Jaden Smith) During an asteroid storm, the flying machine with dad and son aboard crashes on Earth, which has now evolved to become a deadly and hostile environment. With his father injured, 13-year-old Kitai must venture out into the dangerous wilderness to retrieve a rescue beacon and save them both.
15. Tron Legacy (2010)
Tron Legacy, like movies like Avatar, is known for their ground-breaking visual effects that bring their respective worlds to life. Avatar pioneered the use of motion capture technology, while Tron Legacy used extensive CGI and cutting-edge 3D effects. Sam Flynn, a 27-year old tech-savvy cyber warrior and son of Kevin Flynn goes on an adventure through the digital world to find his father.
Together, they embark on a dangerous journey to escape the Grid encountering Quorra, a powerful ally who holds the key to their escape. They embark on a life or death journey across this advanced technological universe that is full of fierce programs just waiting to kill them in their own games.
Honorable Mentions
Here are some movies like Avatar with stunning visuals that didn’t quite make the list but you can watch regardless:
- Ender’s Game (2013)
- Oblivion (2013)
- Jupiter Ascending (2015)
- Divergent (2014)
- Annihilation (2018)
