Movies like Brighter Days Ahead (2025)
The best movies like Brighter Days Ahead (2025) are Heavy Metal (1981), Press Play (2022) and Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003). If Brighter Days Ahead hooked you with its fantasy and science fiction, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSoul (2020)8.1/10 from 11,903 votes
- NewestZ-O-M-B-I-E-S 4: Dawn of the Vampires (2025)Released 2025
Heavy Metal (1981)
The embodiment of ultimate evil, a glowing orb terrorizes a young girl with bizarre stories of dark fantasy, eroticism and horror.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPress Play (2022)
Laura and Harrison have the picture-perfect romance built on the foundation of a shared love of music. After a deadly accident, Laura gets the chance to save the love of her life when she discovers that their mixtape can transport her back in time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInterstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003)
Four talented alien musicians are kidnapped by a record producer who disguises them as humans. Shep, a space pilot in love with bass player Stella, follows them to Earth. Reprogrammed to forget their real identities and renamed The Crescendolls, the group quickly becomes a huge success playing soulless corporate pop. At a concert, Shep manages to free all the musicians except Stella, and the band sets out to rediscover who they really are — and to rescue Stella.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Greatest Hits (2024)
Harriet finds art imitating life when she discovers certain songs can transport her back in time – literally. While she relives the past through romantic memories of her former boyfriend, her time travelling collides with a burgeoning new love interest in the present. As she takes her journey through the hypnotic connection between music and memory, she wonders – even if she could change the past, should she?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCaptain EO (1986)
Captain EO and his crew journey to a dark, mechanical world to deliver a gift to the tyrannical Supreme Leader, using the power of music and dance to transform her realm from darkness into light.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
Yet to fulfill their rock and roll destiny, the stakes are higher than ever for the now middle-aged Bill and Ted who set out on a new adventure when a visitor from the future warns them that only their song can save life as we know it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisSing: Thriller (2024)
Buster Moon dreams up a star-studded spectacle set to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in this animated short featuring characters from the hit "Sing" films.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Zero Theorem (2013)
A computer hacker's goal to discover the reason for human existence continually finds his work interrupted thanks to the Management; this time, they send a teenager and lusty love interest to distract him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMagical Mystery Tour (1967)
While on a coach tour, The Beatles and a few dozen friends experience strange happenings caused by magicians.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTeen Beach Movie (2013)
Life's a beach for surfers Brady and McKenzie – until a rogue wave magically transports them inside the classic '60s beach party flick, "Wet Side Story," where a full-blown rivalry between bikers and surfers threatens to erupt. There, amidst a sea of surfing, singing and dancing, Brady and Mack accidentally change the storyline, and the film’s dreamy hero and heroine fall for them instead of for each other!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUpside Down (2012)
In an alternate universe where twinned worlds have opposite gravities, a young man battles interplanetary prejudice and the laws of physics in his quest to reunite with the long-lost girl of his dreams in this visually stunning romantic adventure that poses the question: what if love was stronger than gravity?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnder the Sea: A Descendants Story (2018)
Mal emerges from the shadows of a mystical forest onto a dark coastline where she crosses paths with Dizzy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe American Astronaut (2001)
Samual Curtis's first mission in this bizarre science fiction musical comedy requires him to take a cat to a saloon on an asteroid. There, he meets his former dance partner (the Blueberry Pirate) and collects his payment: a device capable of producing a Real Live Girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZ-O-M-B-I-E-S 4: Dawn of the Vampires (2025)
A new adventure dawns for Zed and Addison when their summer road trip takes an unexpected detour, landing them in the middle of yet another monster rivalry: Daywalkers vs. Vampires. Tensions flare when Zed and Addison find themselves acting as camp counselors between the two opposing supernatural factions. With the help of Eliza and Willa, they must convince sworn enemies Nova and Victor to try to unite their warring worlds before an even greater threat endangers them all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Goddess of Spring (1934)
The goddess is greeted by dancing flowers and fairies. The devil comes and takes her away to be his queen. She's despondent, as winter settles in above ground. But the devil isn't happy either, and offers anything to make her happy. They reach an agreement: she'll spend six months above ground and six below. Thus we have seasons.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMoonwalker (1988)
This fantastical movie inspired by the music of Michael Jackson features imaginative interpretations of hit tracks from the iconic 1987 album “Bad”.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnimaniacs: Wakko's Wish (1999)
The Warner Brothers (and the Warner Sister) go on a quest to find a fallen wishing star to help Dot with her illness. Unfortunately the rest of the town, including an evil king, also hear about the star and want to get to it first to have their own wishes come true. It's a race against time and it's up to the three zany siblings to get there first.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTrolls World Tour (2020)
Queen Poppy and Branch make a surprising discovery — there are other Troll worlds beyond their own, and their distinct differences create big clashes between these various tribes. When a mysterious threat puts all of the Trolls across the land in danger, Poppy, Branch, and their band of friends must embark on an epic quest to create harmony among the feuding Trolls to unite them against certain doom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Tales of Hoffmann (1951)
A melancholy poet reflects on three women he loved and lost in the past: a mechanical performing doll, a Venetian courtesan, and the consumptive daughter of a celebrated composer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSoul (2020)
Joe Gardner is a middle school teacher with a love for jazz music. After a successful audition at the Half Note Club, he suddenly gets into an accident that separates his soul from his body and is transported to the You Seminar, a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child. Joe must enlist help from the other souls-in-training, like 22, a soul who has spent eons in the You Seminar, in order to get back to Earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisCicatrices (2025)
An invisible barrier separates Vicky and Dani, two beings from another universe who are in a private gig at Vinilo Pintao’. While the band is performing, Dani gives glimpses of the imminent end of their relationship, while a tremor shakes the venue and she disappears.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & fantasy
Palacio Egipcio (2023)
Music Video for colombian band 'Pirineos en Llamas', regarding the mystical egyptian palace hidden in the streets of Prado, Medellín.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & fantasy
Susie Sunshine (2016)
An alternate world void of pollution exists, thanks to Martin Energy, a power plant that runs on the strength of women. 'Energy Makers' are highly trained women that can convert their emotions into renewable resources such as electricity, sunshine, and fire. The men in suits that run Martin Energy push the girls to supply energy in amounts that are sure to burn them out. But Susie, the company's star sunshine maker, threatens the imposed order when she learns she can do more than supply sunshine.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & science fiction
The Myth of the Water Goddess (2022)
A little girl will have to sing to the mythical goddess of water so that this valuable liquid can reach her community.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Mickey's Safety Club: Street Safe, Street Smart (1989)
Mickey and his friends take a close look at important street safety situations and tips.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
The 69 Eyes: Helsinki Vampires - Live at Tavastia (2002)
Live at Tavastia Club in Helsinki, Finland, 23 November, 2002 - LIVE: 01. Crashing High 02. Angel On My Shoulder 03. Forever More 04. Gothic Girl 05. Velvet Touch 06. Don t Turn Your Back On Fear 07. Stolen Season 08. Sleeping With Lions 09. Betty Blue 10. Radical 11. Still Waters Run Deep 12. The Chair 13. Wasting The Dawn 14. Dance D Amour 15. Framed In Blood 16. Stigmata 17. Brandon Lee PROMO VIDEOS: 01. Betty Blue 02. Dance D Amour 03. The Chair 04. Brandon Lee 05. Gothic Girl 06. Wasting The Dawn 07. Call Me 08. Mr. Pain BONUS: * Beyond The Dawn (Director s Cuts by Sökö Kaukoranta) * From Russia With Goth (The 69 Eyes In Moscow, March 2003) * The 69 Eyes Over Germany (Photo Gallery) * Interviews With The Vampires * Discography
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
6-Crowd (TBA)
6-Crowd, an all girl British pop group, is followed by cameras while staying in Los Angeles during the summer of ‘96. Money, egos, and bad luck strip the world of getting a chance to ever fall in love with them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
MutantLand (2010)
As the sun goes down in the dark and terrifying Mutantland, hunters are lured into a forbidden zone in their quest for food only to find themselves candidates for the main course.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Blackout (2021)
While on a routine mission, an astronaut soon finds herself battling for command, facing forces known -- and unknown -- intent on destroying her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Brighter Days Ahead?
The closest matches to Brighter Days Ahead are Heavy Metal (1981), Press Play (2022) and Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Brighter Days Ahead?
Start with Heavy Metal (1981), the closest match to Brighter Days Ahead.
What is the highest-rated movie like Brighter Days Ahead?
Soul (2020), rated 8.1/10 by 11,903 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Brighter Days Ahead?
Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 4: Dawn of the Vampires (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Brighter Days Ahead?
Yes: Heavy Metal (1981), Press Play (2022) and Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003).
How are movies similar to Brighter Days Ahead chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Brighter Days Ahead, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.