Movies like The Complete Story of Film (2023)
The best movies like The Complete Story of Film (2023) are Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013), The Untold History Of The United States (2012) and Live Aid (1985). If The Complete Story of Film hooked you with its documentary, these 24 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedO.J.: Made in America (2016)8.4/10 from 271 votes
- NewestThe Big Picture (2025)Released 2025
Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013)
Taking inspiration from Peter M. Bracke's definitive book of the same name, this seven-hour documentary dives into the making of all twelve Friday the 13th films, with all-new interviews from the cast and the crew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Untold History Of The United States (2012)
Oliver Stone charts the history of the United States from the Second World War to the present.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLive Aid (1985)
Live Aid was held on 13 July 1985, simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, and the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, United States. It was one of the largest scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time: watched live by an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion, across 150 nations. "It's twelve noon in London, seven AM in Philadelphia, and around the world it's time for Live Aid...!"
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisO.J.: Made in America (2016)
A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisStar Trek: The Captain's Summit (2009)
The Captains' Summit documents the first time in Star Trek history that four stars who at some point have played Captains in Star Trek (William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Leonard Nimoy, Jonathan Frakes) have been brought together for a 70-minute rare and unprecedented round table event. Whoopi Goldberg, star of Star Trek: The Next Generation, hosts the event.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th (2010)
A retrospective documentary about the groundbreaking horror series, Friday the 13th, featuring interviews with cast and crew from the twelve films spanning 3 decades.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRescuing a Fantasy Classic (2021)
A comprehensive and fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the restoration process of restoring 3-strip Cinerama for the 1962 film "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm".
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Not Quite Hollywood (2008)
As Australian cinema broke through to international audiences in the 1970s through respected art house films like Peter Weir's "Picnic At Hanging Rock," a new underground of low-budget exploitation filmmakers were turning out considerably less highbrow fare. Documentary filmmaker Mark Hartley explores this unbridled era of sex and violence, complete with clips from some of the scene's most outrageous flicks and interviews with the renegade filmmakers themselves.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeep Throat: When Porn Makes Its Premiere (2022)
Deep Throat, a pornographic film directed by Gerard Damiano, a film-loving hairdresser, and starring Linda Lovelace, a shy girl manipulated by a controlling husband, was released in 1972 and divided audiences, who began to talk openly about sex, desire and female pleasure; but also about violence and abuse; and about pornography, until then an almost clandestine industry, as a revolutionary cultural phenomenon.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
At the Coliseum Deluxe (2019)
A feature length documentary about Australian popular entertainment across 150 years; of Skating and Dancing, Vaudeville and Moving Pictures.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
E. T., an Emotional Blockbuster (2022)
E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Steven Spielberg's endearing movie released in 1982, achieved the triple feat of bringing to life one of the most iconic characters in pop culture, revolutionizing science fiction cinema and establishing itself as one of the highest-grossing family movies in the history of cinema, capable of making the whole world laugh and cry.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Dark Glamour: The Blood and Guts of Hammer Productions (2017)
The greatness, fall and renaissance of Hammer, the flagship company of British popular cinema, mainly from 1955 to 1968. Tortured women and sadistic monsters populated oppressive scenarios in provocative productions that shocked censorship and disgusted critics but fascinated the public. Movies in which horror was shown in offensive colors: dreadful stories, told without prejudices, that offered fear, blood, sex and stunning performances.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Django & Django: Sergio Corbucci Unchained (2021)
A tribute to Italian filmmaker Sergio Corbucci (1926-90), presented by American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisElectric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)
A documentary about the rise and fall of the Cannon Film Group, the legendary independent film company helmed by Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Pervert's Guide to Cinema (2006)
A hilarious introduction, using as examples some of the best films ever made, to some of Slovenian philosopher and psychoanalyst Slavoj Žižek's most exciting ideas on personal subjectivity, fantasy and reality, desire and sexuality.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGodzilla Story Development! (2006)
The story of how the original Godzilla went from idea to script to screen.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Clouzot Scandal (2017)
Great filmmakers claim the artistic influence of French director Henri-Georges Clouzot (1907-1977), a master of suspense, with a unique vision of the world, who knew how to offer both great shows and subtle studies of characters. Beyond the myth of the tyrannical director, a contrasting portrait of a visionary, an agitator, an artist against the system.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream (2006)
From 1970-1977, six low budget films shown at midnight transformed the way we make and watch films.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMagician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014)
The extraordinary life of Orson Welles (1915-85), an enigma of Hollywood, an irreducible independent creator: a musical prodigy, an excellent painter, a master of theater and radio, a modern Shakespeare, a magician who was always searching for a new trick to surprise his audience, a romantic and legendary figure who lived only for cinema.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Done the Impossible (2006)
A documentary covering Firefly's birth, death and rebirth from the perspective of both the fans and the cast and crew of both productions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Big Picture (2025)
The Big Picture uncovers the untold story of a state-of-the-art cinema quietly forgotten in the center of Bristol, a vibrant UK city known for its countercultural spirit. Once a cutting-edge IMAX theatre, the building was abandoned for over a decade—until a collective of cinephiles reclaimed it. Blending DIY ingenuity with punk ethos, they’ve transformed a forgotten relic into the beating heart of a grassroots cinema movement—reviving not just a building, but a shared vision of what cinema can be.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Meaning of Monty Python (2013)
A discussion between John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones about their film The Meaning of Life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Zombiemania (2008)
The evolution of the zombie from its roots in Haitian voodoo to its coveted role as the world's most popular monster: from being a clumsy corpse to becoming a cannibal killer and the main agent of every infectious pandemic, the zombie has come a long way in seventy years. A look at the rising tide of zombie culture examining why something so dead has so much life in viewers' nightmares and at the box office.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Alien: Terror in Space (2025)
A retrospective look at the global impact of Alien, the science fiction and horror masterpiece directed by British filmmaker Ridley Scott in 1979, exploring the origins of its unique aesthetic and the audacity of its screenplay.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Like The Complete Story of Film and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Complete Story of Film?
The closest matches to The Complete Story of Film are Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013), The Untold History Of The United States (2012) and Live Aid (1985). Below are 21 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Complete Story of Film?
Start with Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013), the closest match to The Complete Story of Film.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Complete Story of Film?
O.J.: Made in America (2016), rated 8.4/10 by 271 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Complete Story of Film?
The Big Picture (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Complete Story of Film?
Yes: Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013), The Untold History Of The United States (2012) and Live Aid (1985).
How are movies similar to The Complete Story of Film chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Complete Story of Film, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.