Movies like The Stranger (1973)
The best movies like The Stranger (1973) are Doctor Who: Deep Breath (2014), Meltdown: Days of Destruction (2006) and Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods (2009). If The Stranger hooked you with its tv movie and science fiction, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest rated2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)8.0/10 from 13,124 votes
- NewestSignal One (2026)Released 2026
Doctor Who: Deep Breath (2014)
The newly-regenerated Doctor arrives in Victorian London, and Clara Oswald struggles to embrace the man he has become. All the while, they reunite with the Paternoster Gang to investigate a series of combustions that have been occurring all around the city.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMeltdown: Days of Destruction (2006)
Despite scientist Nathan's warnings, his boss continues an experiment meant as publicity for his satellite firm: exploding an asteroid. Instead it splits, and the major piece, the size of Iceland, changes course to earth. It is deflected but so close that it shift our course closer to the sun, causing rapid extreme heating, hopefully only mid-term. Nathan warns his sister, TV journalist Carly, and she her lover, police detective Tom. He brings his unruly daughter Kim, her ex-con lover C.J. and her mother, nurse Bonnie, when Nathan offers a flight to a friend's Arctic weather station. Tom takes charge of a dangerous trip to the airport, as everywhere on earth things catch fire and people fight for water, transport and sheer looting.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStargate SG-1: Children of the Gods (2009)
An alien similar to Ra appears out of the Stargate, killing five soldiers and kidnapping another, a year after the original Stargate mission. A new team is assembled, including some old members, and they go in search of the missing soldier in order to find out how Ra could still be alive. Meanwhile, the alien Goa'uld kidnap Sha're and Skaara, implanting them with symbiotes and making them Goa'uld hosts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDoctor Who: The Snowmen (2012)
The Doctor has retired to 1892 London. Despite the protests of his allies, he is determined to keep out of mankind's affairs. However, a governess named Clara has stumbled upon a plot which only the Doctor can unravel, involving the death of her predecessor in ice and the sinister Dr. Simeon, who controls monsters made of sentient snow. And there is another mystery afoot: Clara is the spitting image of Oswin Oswald, whom the Doctor saw die in the Dalek asylum...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBattlestar Galactica: Razor (2007)
The history and adventures of the Battlestar Pegasus, from shortly before the Cylon invasion to shortly after Lee Adama is made commander. The story is told through the eyes of and largely focuses on one particular member of Pegasus's crew, Kendra Shaw.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAttack on Titan (2022)
As viable water is depleted on Earth, a mission is sent to Saturn's moon Titan to retrieve sustainable H2O reserves from its alien inhabitants. But just as the humans acquire the precious resource, they are attacked by Titan rebels, who don't trust that the Earthlings will leave in peace.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisStowaway (2021)
A three-person crew on a mission to Mars faces an impossible choice when an unplanned passenger jeopardizes the lives of everyone on board.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDoctor Who: Planet of the Dead (2009)
A meeting in a London bus with jewel thief Lady Christina takes a turn for the worse for the Doctor when the bus takes a detour to a desert-like planet, where the deadly Swarm awaits.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRoswell (1994)
Based on the book "UFO Crash at Roswell" by Kevin Randle and Donald Schmitt, Roswell follows the attempts of Major Jesse Marcel to discover the truth about strange debris found on a local rancher's field in July of 1947. Told by his superiors that what he has found is nothing more than a downed weather balloon, Marcel maintains his military duty until the weight of the truth, however out of this world it may be, forces him to piece together what really occurred.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
Thomas Jerome Newton is an alien who has come to Earth in search of water to save his home planet. Aided by lawyer Oliver Farnsworth, Thomas uses his knowledge of advanced technology to create profitable inventions. While developing a method to transport water, Thomas meets Mary-Lou, a quiet hotel clerk, and begins to fall in love with her. Just as he is ready to leave Earth, Thomas is intercepted by the U.S. government, and his entire plan is threatened.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHarrison Bergeron (1995)
"All men are not created equal. It is the purpose of the Government to make them so." This is the premise of the Showtime film adaption of Kurt Vonnegut's futuristic short story Harrison Bergeron. The film centers around a young man (Harrison) who is smarter than his peers, and is not affected by the usual "Handicapping" which is used to train all Americans so everyone is of equal intelligence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDoctor Who (1996)
The Seventh Doctor becomes the Eighth. And on the streets of San Francisco – alongside new ally Grace Holloway - he battles the Master.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGravity (2013)
Dr Ryan Stone, an engineer on her first space mission, and Matt Kowalski, an astronaut on his final expedition, have to survive in space after they are hit by debris while spacewalking.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSignal One (2026)
A computer scientist is invited by a tech billionaire to join his private facility on a Caribbean island to investigate extraterrestrial matter on Earth. When they make contact beyond our world, chaos erupts as we’re left to wonder: do they come in peace?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBen 10: Secret of the Omnitrix (2007)
After a battle with Dr. Animo in a power plant, Ben notices something strange is happening with the Omnitrix but doesn't tell anyone. Tetrax arrives and tells them the Omnitrix is broadcasting a self-destruct signal. Tetrax and Ben go to find the creator of the Omnitrix to fix it before it destroys itself and the universe along with it. Gwen stows away to help her cousin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStargate: Continuum (2008)
Ba'al travels back in time and prevents the Stargate program from being started. SG-1 must somehow restore history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisElysium (2013)
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.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBen 10: Race Against Time (2008)
Ben, Gwen, and Max must stop an extraterrestrial who plans to open a gateway that leads to an alien invasion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisMoon (2009)
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.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Six Million Dollar Man (1973)
Colonel Steve Austin, astronaut and test pilot, is badly injured when he crashes while testing an experimental aircraft. A covert government agency (OSI) is willing to pay for special prosthetics to replace the eye, arm and both legs he lost in the crash. Highly advanced technology (bionics) built into them will make him faster, stronger and more resilient than normal. In return they want him to become a covert agent for the OSI. It will cost $6,000,000 to rebuild Steve Austin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCargo (2019)
Aboard a spaceship where souls of the deceased are readied for reincarnation, a lone crew member's rigid existence is disrupted by a spry new assistant.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & drama
Mission to Mars (2000)
When the first manned mission to Mars meets with a catastrophic and mysterious disaster after reporting an unidentified structure, a rescue mission is launched to investigate the tragedy and bring back any survivors.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBetween Waves (2020)
Professional photographer Jamie's quantum physicist boyfriend Isaac has gone missing, and is presumed dead. Haunted by his disappearance while attempting to continue with life as normal, Jamie gets more and more wrapped up in figuring out exactly what happened, and is convinced that his disappearance has something to do with Isaac’s research into parallel dimensions. She continues to pursue him until she collides with a shattering revelation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & science fiction
Armageddon (1998)
When an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth, NASA honcho Dan Truman determines the only way to stop it is to drill into its surface and detonate a nuclear bomb. This leads him to renowned driller Harry Stamper, who agrees to helm the dangerous space mission provided he can bring along his own hotshot crew. Among them is the cocksure A.J. who Harry thinks isn't good enough for his daughter, until the mission proves otherwise.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like this2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDonnie Darko (2001)
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlackout (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
The Noah's Ark Principle (1984)
The year is 1997, and World Peace seems to have come, with most classic weapons of mass destruction having been abandoned. However, orbiting the Earth there is the European/American space station FLORIDA ARKLAB, capable of controlling the weather at any location on the planet underneath. A civil project by nature, it might be abused as an offensive weapon, since it could deliver devastation to any potential adversary simply by creating natural disasters such as storms and floods. No wonder the space station soon becomes the central point in rising political tensions between East and West, next stop World War 3 (as indicated by the tagline "The end of our future has already begun"). We follow the main protagonist Billy Hayes, an astronaut aboard the station, as he wades through a plot of secrecy and sabotage trying to tell friend from foe in the process.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
The Finger Food Cafe Show: A Christmas Gift (2004)
Dress rehearsal for the annual show runs smoothly until a disgruntled deaf girl named Meghan storms into the cafe pursued by her frustrated and furious hearing father, Jim. Meghan has just learned that, instead of spending time with her similarly deaf friends in Indianapolis, she and her family are all going to Colorado for Christmas vacation! But no one there is deaf, and she feels left out. Carlo, Mark and Rebecca offer some valuable and timely advice that results in an unusual and heartwarming Christmas gift.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Terms of Endearment (1983)
Aurora, a finicky woman, is in search of true love while her daughter faces marital issues. Together, they help each other deal with problems and find reasons to live a joyful life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like this
Like The Stranger and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Stranger?
The closest matches to The Stranger are Doctor Who: Deep Breath (2014), Meltdown: Days of Destruction (2006) and Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods (2009). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Stranger?
Start with Doctor Who: Deep Breath (2014), the closest match to The Stranger.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Stranger?
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), rated 8.0/10 by 13,124 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Stranger?
Signal One (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Stranger?
Yes: Doctor Who: Deep Breath (2014), Meltdown: Days of Destruction (2006) and Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods (2009).
How are movies similar to The Stranger chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Stranger, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.