Best Movies like Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Blade Runner, the predecessor to Blade Runner 2049, explores the investigation of artificial beings in a future Los Angeles, focusing on a blade runner tasked with finding missing replicants. Both films delve into questions of identity, humanity, and the social implications of advanced technology within dystopian urban landscapes.

In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans. Blade Runner is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 58m runtime, released in 1982 with an average rating of 7.9 by 15,201 people. The movie made an estimated total of $41,722,424 in the box office.

Children of Men imagines a bleak future where human society faces collapse amid existential threats, paralleling the societal decay and introspection found in Blade Runner 2049. Each film's protagonist becomes entangled in the search for hope within harsh, oppressive worlds, questioning humanity's fate and future.

In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind. Children of Men is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 49m runtime, released in 2006 with an average rating of 7.6 by 7,984 people. The movie made an estimated total of $70,595,464 in the box office.

Ghost in the Shell centers on a law enforcement officer navigating a futuristic city and confronting artificial life, echoing Blade Runner 2049’s exploration of what defines consciousness. Both films blend science fiction with philosophical themes about identity and technology's impact on society’s structure.

In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster' begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster. Ghost in the Shell is a movie from Japan in Japanese, with a total 1h 23m runtime, released in 1995 with an average rating of 7.9 by 3,972 people. The movie made an estimated total of $10,000,000 in the box office.

Her examines a near-future society through the relationship between a human and an artificial intelligence, much like Blade Runner 2049’s interest in boundaries between human and synthetic beings. Both films focus on personal journeys, emotional isolation, and evolving connections in technologically advanced settings.

In the not so distant future, Theodore, a lonely writer, purchases a newly developed operating system designed to meet the user's every need. To Theodore's surprise, a romantic relationship develops between him and his operating system. This unconventional love story blends science fiction and romance in a sweet tale that explores the nature of love and the ways that technology isolates and connects us all. Her is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 6m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 7.8 by 15,470 people. The movie made an estimated total of $47,351,251 in the box office.

Minority Report depicts a future police officer whose discoveries put him at odds with a powerful system. Its protagonist’s investigation into hidden truths and the implications of technology-driven law enforcement closely align with the investigative structure and ethical dilemmas present in Blade Runner 2049.

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. Minority Report is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 25m runtime, released in 2002 with an average rating of 7.4 by 9,787 people. The movie made an estimated total of $358,372,926 in the box office.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence explores artificial beings seeking purpose in a dystopian landscape, paralleling the android characters of Blade Runner 2049. Both films consider the nature of sentience, the pursuit of acceptance, and the societal ramifications of human-like creations navigating modern civilization.

David, a robotic boy—the first of his kind programmed to love—is adopted as a test case by a Cybertronics employee and his wife. Though he gradually becomes their child, a series of unexpected circumstances make this life impossible for David. A.I. Artificial Intelligence is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 26m runtime, released in 2001 with an average rating of 7.1 by 6,763 people. The movie made an estimated total of $235,926,552 in the box office.

Never Let Me Go contemplates the existential plight of artificially engineered individuals, echoing Blade Runner 2049's examination of identity and purpose among non-human life forms. Both films use character-driven drama to reflect on mortality and the emotional costs of technological advancement.

As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy spend their childhood at an idyllic and secluded English boarding school. As they grow into adults, they must come to terms with the complexity and strength of their love for one another while also preparing for the haunting reality awaiting them. Never Let Me Go is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 44m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 6.9 by 2,509 people. The movie made an estimated total of $9,918,093 in the box office.

THX 1138 sets its narrative within an oppressive, future society tightly regulated by authority. Similar to Blade Runner 2049’s exploration of freedom and control, it features a protagonist compelled to question his environment and search for individuality in a technologically governed world.

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 start a secret relationship. THX 1138 is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 26m runtime, released in 1971 with an average rating of 6.4 by 1,082 people. The movie made an estimated total of $2,437,000 in the box office.

Ex Machina scrutinizes the blurred line between humans and artificial intelligence, with a focus on interrogation, creation, and manipulation. Blade Runner 2049 shares these philosophical questions, centering its plot and characters around the emergence of self-awareness in synthetic life forms.

Caleb, a coder at the world's largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world's first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl. Ex Machina is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 48m runtime, released in 2015 with an average rating of 7.6 by 14,436 people. The movie made an estimated total of $36,869,414 in the box office.

Gattaca presents a future where genetic engineering shapes personal destiny, mirroring Blade Runner 2049's investigation of identity and societal hierarchy. Both films follow a protagonist who challenges the system’s expectations, framing questions about humanity, self-determination, and the ethical bounds of technology.

Vincent is an all-too-human man who dares to defy a system obsessed with genetic perfection. He is an "In-Valid" who assumes the identity of a member of the genetic elite to pursue his goal of traveling into space with the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation. Gattaca is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 47m runtime, released in 1997 with an average rating of 7.6 by 7,030 people. The movie made an estimated total of $12,532,777 in the box office.

Solaris offers a meditative science fiction narrative about confronting the unknown and the search for meaning, paralleling the introspective character arcs and philosophical approach of Blade Runner 2049. Both use speculative settings to probe memory, reality, and personal identity.

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. Solaris is a movie from Soviet Union in Russian, with a total 2h 47m runtime, released in 1972 with an average rating of 7.8 by 1,868 people.

Annihilation centers on an investigative journey into a mysterious, altered environment threatening societal norms. Like Blade Runner 2049, it features a protagonist piecing together hidden truths, using science fiction to ask what it means to be human amid radical transformation.

A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply. Annihilation is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 55m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 6.4 by 9,489 people. The movie made an estimated total of $43,070,915 in the box office.

Brazil depicts an oppressive future society organized by bureaucratic control and surveillance, resonating with Blade Runner 2049’s themes of dehumanization and individual struggle against systemic forces. Both films employ striking visual styles to critique technology’s role in shaping dystopian realities.

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 meets the woman from his daydream, and in trying to help her gets caught in a web of mistaken identities, mindless bureaucracy and lies. Brazil is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 2h 23m runtime, released in 1985 with an average rating of 7.7 by 3,772 people. The movie made an estimated total of $9,953,708 in the box office.

Akira is set in a futuristic metropolis grappling with societal upheaval, mutated identities, and disruptive technological power. Shared setting elements and explorations of personal transformation link it to Blade Runner 2049's world, where the consequences of scientific advances drive both narrative and character fate.

A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath that only two teenagers and a group of psychics can stop. Akira is a movie from Japan in Japanese, with a total 2h 4m runtime, released in 1988 with an average rating of 7.9 by 4,874 people. The movie made an estimated total of $49,000,000 in the box office.

Under the Skin focuses on an otherworldly being assuming human form and coming to terms with its existence among people, paralleling the introspective exploration of artificial identity in Blade Runner 2049. Both films rely on atmospheric storytelling and probe what it means to be an outsider.

Man and Woman are reunited after a long time. Sorrow and desire cannot break the silence. But that's okay: when words don't come, it's the body that speaks. Under the Skin is a movie from Brazil in Portuguese, with a total 19m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 6.2 by 19 people.

Stalker involves a journey through a strange, forbidden zone in search of deeper truths, featuring characters driven by existential questions. Its use of a dystopian backdrop to facilitate philosophical exploration is closely aligned with the approach and tone of Blade Runner 2049.

Near a gray and unnamed city is the Zone, a place guarded by barbed wire and soldiers, and where the normal laws of physics are victim to frequent anomalies. A stalker guides two men into the Zone, specifically to an area in which deep-seated desires are granted. Stalker is a movie from Soviet Union in Russian, with a total 2h 42m runtime, released in 1979 with an average rating of 8.1 by 2,545 people.

The Road, although not science fiction, examines a post-apocalyptic society through the personal journey of its protagonists, echoing the bleak societal collapse and quest for hope found in Blade Runner 2049. Both stories use dystopian settings to spotlight endurance and meaning amid ruin.

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind and water. It is cold enough to crack stones and, when the snow falls, it is gray. Their destination is the warmer south, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. The Road is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 51m runtime, released in 2009 with an average rating of 7.0 by 4,350 people. The movie made an estimated total of $27,635,305 in the box office.

Moon follows a single character wrestling with personal identity and the implications of artificial life on a desolate outpost. Its narrative of discovery and emotional isolation parallels Blade Runner 2049’s focus on what defines humanity and the ethical dimensions of technological innovation.

With only three weeks left in his three-year contract, Sam Bell is eager to return to Earth. Stationed alone at a Moon-based facility with his computer assistant GERTY, an unexpected accident sets off a series of unsettling events that shake his isolation. Moon is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 37m runtime, released in 2009 with an average rating of 7.6 by 6,388 people. The movie made an estimated total of $9,760,104 in the box office.

Metropolis introduces a vast, divided futuristic city where technology determines class and purpose, themes that Blade Runner 2049 inherits and transforms. Both classics critique social stratification and question the cost of technological advancement on individual destiny.

In a futuristic city sharply divided between the rich and the poor, the son of the city's mastermind meets a prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences. Metropolis is a movie from Germany in German, with a total 2h 28m runtime, released in 1927 with an average rating of 8.1 by 3,148 people. The movie made an estimated total of $1,350,322 in the box office.

Paprika delves into altered realities and blurred boundaries between consciousness and simulation, reflecting Blade Runner 2049’s interest in perception, artificial experience, and the ramifications of technology on identity. Both employ visually inventive storytelling within speculative future worlds.

Dr. Atsuko Chiba is a research psychologist who uses a device called the DC Mini to enter her patients' dreams, wherein she adopts the alter-ego "Paprika". When the device is stolen, she must stop rogue elements from merging the dream and waking worlds. Paprika is a movie from Japan in Japanese, with a total 1h 30m runtime, released in 2006 with an average rating of 7.8 by 2,936 people. The movie made an estimated total of $946,590 in the box office.

The Matrix uses a future where reality is simulated, centering on a protagonist who questions his world and seeks hidden truths—an arc similar to Blade Runner 2049's. Both combine action with philosophical themes around artificial existence and self-discovery.

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 Matrix is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 16m runtime, released in 1999 with an average rating of 8.3 by 28,355 people. The movie made an estimated total of $463,517,383 in the box office.

The Fountain weaves together existential questions about mortality, love, and the human drive for transcendence. Its meditative investigation of identity aligns with Blade Runner 2049’s introspective themes, using visually ambitious storytelling to explore connections across time and far-reaching futures.

Spanning over one thousand years, and three parallel stories, The Fountain is a story of love, death, spirituality, and the fragility of our existence in this world. The Fountain is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 36m runtime, released in 2006 with an average rating of 6.9 by 3,155 people. The movie made an estimated total of $15,304,890 in the box office.

The Machine examines the creation of sentient artificial intelligence within a near-future defense context. Like Blade Runner 2049, it explores ethical dilemmas, emotional bonds, and the potential consequences of advances in human-like technology, using science fiction as a lens on contemporary questions.

Already deep into a second Cold War, Britain’s Ministry of Defense seeks a game-changing weapon. Programmer Vincent McCarthy unwittingly provides an answer in The Machine, a super-strong human cyborg. When a programming bug causes the prototype to decimate his lab, McCarthy takes his obsessive efforts underground, far away from inquisitive eyes. The Machine is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 32m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 5.9 by 879 people. The movie made an estimated total of $314,131 in the box office.

2046 contemplates memory, longing, and how technology shapes human relationships, set within a future context. It complements Blade Runner 2049’s exploration of personal history, emotional isolation, and the search for connection in a technologically complex society.

Women enter and exit a science fiction author's life over the course of a few years after the author loses the woman he considers his one true love. 2046 is a movie from Hong Kong in Mandarin, with a total 2h 8m runtime, released in 2004 with an average rating of 7.2 by 1,094 people. The movie made an estimated total of $20,205,757 in the box office.

Automata presents a world dependent on robots, raising questions about autonomy and societal collapse. Blade Runner 2049 shares its focus on synthetic life and the shifting boundaries between creator and creation, with both narratives built on evolving mysteries in futuristic landscapes.

Jacq Vaucan, an insurance agent of ROC robotics corporation, routinely investigates the case of manipulating a robot. What he discovers will have profound consequences for the future of humanity. Automata is a movie from Spain in English, with a total 1h 50m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 5.9 by 1,828 people. The movie made an estimated total of $6,237,990 in the box office.

The Double uses an existential and surreal approach to identity crises within an alienating urban environment. This echoes Blade Runner 2049’s preoccupation with selfhood, alienation, and the navigation of impersonal, technology-driven worlds.

Igor Uspensky's popularity is growing faster than he can find time for social events, parties, photo shoots, and interacting with the public. At the same time, in one of the small beauty salons, a local masseur named Seva, who looks exactly like Uspensky, is filming a commercial. Igor finds a solution to his problem and offers Seva a partnership. The Double is a movie from Russia in Russian, with a total 1h 25m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 4.5 by 31 people.

Perfect Sense imagines a gradual societal breakdown and characters responding to unprecedented change, similar to Blade Runner 2049’s concern with survival, adaptation, and emotional resilience in the face of existential threats within a disrupted civilization.

In Glasgow, Scotland, while a mysterious pandemic begins to spread around the world, Susan, a brilliant epidemiologist, falls in love with Michael, a skillful cook. Perfect Sense is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 33m runtime, released in 2011 with an average rating of 6.9 by 1,270 people. The movie made an estimated total of $138,868 in the box office.

Kin-dza-dza! delivers a dystopian atmosphere alongside dark social commentary about collapsed or unfamiliar societies, aligning with the societal decay and philosophical skepticism found in Blade Runner 2049’s depiction of a fractured future world.

Two Soviet humans previously unknown to each other are transported to the planet Pluke in the Kin-dza-dza galaxy due to a chance encounter with an alien teleportation device. They must come to grips with a language barrier and Plukian social norms (not to mention the laws of space and time) if they ever hope to return to Earth. Kin-dza-dza! is a movie from Soviet Union in Russian, with a total 2h 15m runtime, released in 1986 with an average rating of 7.7 by 296 people.

The Congress merges futuristic technology with the dissolution of personal identity, paralleling Blade Runner 2049’s investigation of authenticity and humanity in altered realities. Both utilize science fiction elements to reflect on memory, perception, and the costs of embracing advanced innovations.

An aging, out-of-work actress accepts one last job, though the consequences of her decision affect her in ways she didn't consider. The Congress is a movie from France in English, with a total 2h 3m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 6.4 by 589 people. The movie made an estimated total of $455,815 in the box office.

Upgrade builds its story on human enhancement and technological augmentation, as well as the unforeseen societal impacts of advanced cybernetics. Like Blade Runner 2049, it features characters whose paths intersect with powerful new technologies that challenge conventional ideas of agency and self.

A brutal mugging leaves Grey Trace paralyzed in the hospital and his beloved wife dead. A billionaire inventor soon offers Trace a cure — an artificial intelligence implant called STEM that will enhance his body. Now able to walk, Grey finds that he also has superhuman strength and agility — skills he uses to seek revenge against the thugs who destroyed his life. Upgrade is a movie from Australia in English, with a total 1h 40m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 7.5 by 5,127 people. The movie made an estimated total of $16,976,561 in the box office.

Alphaville sets its detective narrative within a futuristic authoritarian city, featuring a protagonist unraveling mysteries in a technologized, emotionally detached society. Blade Runner 2049’s themes of personal search and dystopian order find clear resonance in this genre classic.

Lemmy Caution is on a mission to eliminate Professor Von Braun, the creator of a malevolent computer that rules the city of Alphaville. Befriended by the scientist’s daughter Natasha, Lemmy must unravel the mysteries of the strictly logical Alpha 60 and teach Natasha the meaning of the word “love.” Alphaville is a movie from France in French, with a total 1h 39m runtime, released in 1965 with an average rating of 6.9 by 625 people. The movie made an estimated total of $46,585 in the box office.

Mad God presents a vividly realized, often nightmarish dystopian landscape, echoing Blade Runner 2049’s atmospheric world-building and exploration of civilization in decline. Both films use detailed settings to probe the consequences of humanity’s ambitions and technological detritus.

A silent figure known as The Assassin travels through a nightmare underworld of tortured souls, ruined cities and wretched monstrosities forged from the primordial horrors of the unconscious mind of Phil Tippett, the world's preeminent stop-motion animator. Mad God is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 24m runtime, released in 2021 with an average rating of 6.8 by 577 people. The movie made an estimated total of $322,619 in the box office.

Dark City follows a protagonist piecing together altered memories and reality within a strange metropolis. The interplay of mystery, manipulated identity, and urban dystopia strongly connects with the central motifs and setting of Blade Runner 2049.

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. Dark City is a movie from Australia in English, with a total 1h 41m runtime, released in 1998 with an average rating of 7.3 by 3,270 people. The movie made an estimated total of $27,200,000 in the box office.

Limitless examines the transformative effects of enhancement technology on a single individual, paralleling Blade Runner 2049’s interest in self-discovery amid rapidly shifting social and technological environments. Both stories question the nature of personal potential and the costs of progress.

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. Limitless is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 46m runtime, released in 2011 with an average rating of 7.2 by 11,597 people. The movie made an estimated total of $161,900,000 in the box office.

Enemy centers on a protagonist’s psychological journey amid doppelgängers and reality’s uncertainties, mirroring the existential and identity-driven explorations present in Blade Runner 2049. Both films are led by characters confronting personal mysteries within enigmatic, impersonal cityscapes.

A mild-mannered college professor discovers a look-alike actor and delves into the other man's private affairs. Enemy is a movie from Canada in English, with a total 1h 31m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 6.8 by 6,523 people. The movie made an estimated total of $3,396,726 in the box office.

Elysium sets its social conflict within a clear class-divided future, using science fiction to critique inequality and technological disparity. These themes parallel Blade Runner 2049’s focus on societal stratification and the moral consequences of advanced technology on marginalized populations.

In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Rhodes, a hard line government official, will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium. That doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in, by any means they can. When unlucky Max is backed into a corner, he agrees to take on a daunting mission that, if successful, will not only save his life, but could bring equality to these polarized worlds. Elysium is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 49m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 6.5 by 9,694 people. The movie made an estimated total of $286,140,700 in the box office.

S1m0ne’s narrative involves artificial life created for human consumption, engaging with the implications of simulated humans in society. This connects to Blade Runner 2049’s key motifs surrounding artificial identity, creator-creation relationships, and the impact of technology on authenticity.

The career of a disillusioned producer, who is desperate for a hit, is endangered when his star walks off the film set. Forced to think fast, the producer decides to digitally create an actress "Simone" to sub for the star — the first totally believable synthetic actress. S1m0ne is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 57m runtime, released in 2002 with an average rating of 6.0 by 1,017 people. The movie made an estimated total of $19,576,023 in the box office.

I Origins uses speculative science to probe ideas of human identity, memory, and destiny, drawing on philosophy and technology similarly to Blade Runner 2049. Both stories follow protagonists searching for meaning in a world transformed by scientific discovery.

A molecular biologist's study of the human eye has far-reaching implications about humanity's scientific and spiritual beliefs. I Origins is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 46m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 7.6 by 3,500 people. The movie made an estimated total of $481,234 in the box office.

Silent Running centers on preservation and survival in a future shaped by ecological collapse. The film's focus on humanity’s dwindling hope and the consequences of technological stewardship aligns with Blade Runner 2049’s dystopian vision and the broader struggle to find purpose amid disorder.

After the entire flora goes extinct, ecologist Lowell maintains a greenhouse aboard a space station for the future with his android companions. However, he rebels after being ordered to destroy the greenhouse in favor of carrying cargo, a decision that puts him at odds with everyone but his mechanical companions. Silent Running is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 29m runtime, released in 1972 with an average rating of 6.4 by 649 people.

Another Earth explores themes of parallel identities and the search for redemption set against the backdrop of a speculative science fiction premise. Its intimate, character-focused narrative resonates with Blade Runner 2049’s emphasis on internal journeys amid monumental societal transformation.

On the night a duplicate Earth is discovered in the solar system, the lives of a young woman and an accomplished composer become tragically connected after a fatal accident. Another Earth is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 32m runtime, released in 2011 with an average rating of 6.7 by 1,838 people. The movie made an estimated total of $1,938,783 in the box office.