Movies like Lyrical School's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (2016)
The best movies like Lyrical School's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (2016) are Funky Forest: The First Contact (2005), Relax, I'm from the Future (2023) and Afterburn (2025). If Lyrical School's Close Encounters of the Third Kind hooked you with its comedy and science fiction, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBeyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2020)7.2/10 from 334 votes
- NewestYellow Mirror (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseFunky Forest: The First Contact (2005)Also in Japanese
Funky Forest: The First Contact (2005)
An outrageous collection of surreal, short attention span non-sequiturs largely revolving around Guitar Brother, his randy older sibling, and the pair's portly Caucasian brother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRelax, I'm from the Future (2023)
Casper is a time traveller who arrives in the 2020s in an attempt to prevent a major future catastrophe. He meets Holly, a queer black woman he befriends and draws into his plan by giving her his knowledge of the future so that she can make quick money. However, they unwittingly alter the future themselves with their actions, until Doris, another time traveller, arrives to stop them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisAfterburn (2025)
Set against the backdrop of a postapocalyptic Earth whose Eastern Hemisphere was destroyed by a massive solar flare, leaving what life remains mutated from radiation and fallout. The story revolves around a group of treasure hunters who extract such objects as the Mona Lisa, the Rosetta Stone and the Crown Jewels while facing rival hunters, mutants and pirates.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSleeper (1973)
Miles Monroe, a clarinet-playing health food store proprietor, is revived out of cryostasis 200 years into a future world in order to help rebels fight an oppressive government regime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSummer Time Machine Blues (2005)
The members of a sci-fi club accidentally spill Coke on the remote controller of an air-conditioner during summer and suddenly a time machine appears in their sweating bath-like clubroom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmazon Women on the Moon (1987)
Centered on a television station which features a 1950s-style sci-fi movie interspersed with a series of wild commercials, wacky shorts and weird specials, this lampoon of contemporary life and pop culture skewers some of the silliest spectacles ever created in the name of entertainment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisReal Men (1987)
A womanizing CIA agent and an insecure insurance agent are paired together to make sure a deal goes through with aliens for the future of mankind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPower Rangers Samurai: Clash of the Red Rangers - The Movie (2011)
The Samurai Rangers team up with the mysterious RPM Ranger Red to fight off Master Xandred's Mooger army and a robotic supervillain from the RPM Ranger's dimension. But when both Red Rangers get struck with hypnobolts, they turn against one another.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA.R.C.H.I.E. (2016)
A recently orphaned 15-year-old who has moved to a small town to live with her uncle befriends a robotic canine with super strength, x-ray vision and the ability to talk and the pair take on a military complex, bullies, kidnappers, romance and the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Meteor Man (1993)
One night Jefferson Reed gets hit in the chest by a souped-up chunk of meteor. So he can fly, but he's scared of heights. He can master the information in any book ... for about thirty seconds. Now his friends and family want him to protect their community from the dreaded Golden Lords.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisAssassination Classroom: Graduation (2016)
A mysterious creature destroys part of the moon and then warns that if it is not destroyed before March of the following year, Earth will be next. It also demands to become the homeroom teacher of Class E, a third-year class at Kunugigaoka High School. As the deadline for the assassination and the date of the end of the world approach, the students discover their true abilities and Koro-sensei's shocking identity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2020)
A cafe owner discovers that the TV in his cafe suddenly shows images from the future, but only two minutes into the future.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Man in the White Suit (1951)
The unassuming, nebbishy inventor Sidney Stratton creates a miraculous fabric that will never be dirty or worn out. Clearly he can make a fortune selling clothes made of the material, but may cause a crisis in the process. After all, once someone buys one of his suits they won't ever have to fix them or buy another one, and the clothing industry will collapse overnight. Nevertheless, Sidney is determined to put his invention on the market, forcing the clothing factory bigwigs to resort to more desperate measures...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBritannia Hospital (1982)
Britannia Hospital, an esteemed English institution, is marking its gala anniversary with a visit by the Queen Mother herself. But when investigative reporter Mick Travis arrives to cover the celebration, he finds the hospital under siege by striking workers, ruthless unions, violent demonstrators, racist aristocrats, an African cannibal dictator, and sinister human experiments.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYellow Mirror (2026)
A defective lamp reveals a heartbreaking truth about what Homer believes is reality, and an AI-powered tablet befriends and controls Maggie. The Simpsons struggle to find the light through two dark tales of the curious and bizarre.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Bed Sitting Room (1969)
In the hazy aftermath of World War III, the fallout from a 'nuclear misunderstanding' is producing strange mutations amongst the survivors, and the noble Lord Fortnum finds himself transforming into a bed sitting room.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisCode 8 Part II (2024)
In a world where superpowered people are heavily policed by robots, an ex-con teams up with a drug lord he despises to protect a teen from a corrupt cop.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1997)
When Toaster and the gang spark friendships with the playful animals at the veterinary hospital, they soon discover their new pals are about to be sent to a testing laboratory.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSecret Society of Second-Born Royals (2020)
A rebellious teenage princess discovers she has superhuman abilities and joins a secret society of extraordinary second-born royals tasked with protecting the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRocko's Modern Life: Static Cling (2019)
After 20 years in space, Rocko returns to a technologically advanced O-Town and makes it his mission to get his favorite show back on the air.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Lyrical School's Close Encounters of the Third Kind?
The closest matches to Lyrical School's Close Encounters of the Third Kind are Funky Forest: The First Contact (2005), Relax, I'm from the Future (2023) and Afterburn (2025). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Lyrical School's Close Encounters of the Third Kind?
Start with Funky Forest: The First Contact (2005), the closest match to Lyrical School's Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
What is the highest-rated movie like Lyrical School's Close Encounters of the Third Kind?
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2020), rated 7.2/10 by 334 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Lyrical School's Close Encounters of the Third Kind?
Yellow Mirror (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Lyrical School's Close Encounters of the Third Kind?
Yes: Funky Forest: The First Contact (2005), Summer Time Machine Blues (2005) and Assassination Classroom: Graduation (2016).
How are movies similar to Lyrical School's Close Encounters of the Third Kind chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Lyrical School's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.