Movies like How to Build a Time Machine (2016)
The best movies like How to Build a Time Machine (2016) are Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022), As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000) and 42 Up (1999). If How to Build a Time Machine hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedI Am Heath Ledger (2017)7.4/10 from 233 votes
- NewestElsewhere (2026)Released 2026
Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022)
An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAs I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000)
A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this42 Up (1999)
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStar Wars: The Legacy Revealed (2007)
The special focuses on how Star Wars is relevant today and the history that inspired it, and also makes various connections to Greek mythology. It consists of several interviews with well-known politicians, journalists, and critics, along with historical content and clips from all six of the Star Wars movies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this35 Up (1991)
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAbove Majestic (2018)
A look at the origins, history and conspiracies behind the "Majestic 12", a clandestine group of military and corporate figureheads charged with reverse-engineering extraterrestrial technology.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMarvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Hawkeye (2022)
Join the likes of Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Florence Pugh, and Vincent D’Onofrio as they reveal how Marvel Studios’ “Hawkeye” was conceived and created. Witness firsthand what it took to pull off the show’s pulse-pounding action set pieces, and discover how iconic characters from the pages of Marvel Comics such as Kate Bishop were adapted and brought to life for the six-episode series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStruggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018)
Artists in LA discover the work of forgotten Polish sculptor Stanislav Szukalski, a mad genius whose true story unfolds chapter by astounding chapter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDavid Bowie: Five Years (2013)
Featuring a wealth of previously unseen archive, this film looks at how Bowie continually evolved: from Ziggy Stardust to the Soul Star of Young Americans, to the ‘Thin White Duke’. It explores his regeneration in Berlin with the critically acclaimed album Heroes, his triumph with Scary Monsters and his global success with Let’s Dance. With interviews with all his closest collaborators, David Bowie - Five Years presents a unique account of why Bowie has become an ‘icon of our times’.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDirected by John Ford (1971)
A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022)
Explore the evolution of Buzz Lightyear from toy to human in the making of Pixar’s Lightyear. Dive into the origin and cultural impact of everyone’s favorite Space Ranger, the art of designing a new “human Buzz,” and the challenges faced by the Lightyear crew along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Am Heath Ledger (2017)
The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFor the Love of Spock (2016)
The life of Mr. Spock, as well as that of Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played him for almost fifty years, written and directed by his son: Adam.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHalloween: 25 Years of Terror (2006)
Follow the evolution of the 'Halloween' movies over the past twenty-five years. It examines why the films are so popular and revisits many of the original locations used in the films - seeing the effects on the local community. For the first time, cast, crew, critics and fans join together in the ultimate 'Halloween' retrospective.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)
Go behind the scenes with stars, puppeteers and creators as they bring Jim Henson's magical world of Thra back to life in a sweeping fantasy series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNo Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad (2013)
A documentary about the making of season five of the acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWhat We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2018)
A documentary exploring the legacy of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the reasons it went from the black sheep of Star Trek to a beloved mainstay of the franchise, and a brainstorm with the original writers on what a theoretical eighth season of the show could look like.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGuillermo del Toro's Pinocchio: Handcarved Cinema (2022)
With mesmerizing footage and time lapses of animators at work, this behind-the-scenes special captures the artistry of a unique tale years in the making.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Making of 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' (1991)
Documentary of the making of the sequel to the popular Schwarzenegger film, The Terminator.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisObi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return (2022)
This special explores the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to the screen, as well as Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen to their classic roles. Director Deborah Chow leads the cast and crew as they create new heroes and villains that live alongside new incarnations of beloved Star Wars characters, and an epic story that dramatically bridges the saga films.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTimetravel_0 (2009)
TIMETRAVEL_0 is an extraordinary docudrama that follows Cris McCarthy as she explores the urban web legend of John Titor, the man that came from the future. Cris searches for evidence of Timetravel and John Titor's predictions of a massive civil war. In the process of her filming, her work was investigated by authorities and eventually confiscated by the government. Its recent release has allowed it to be edited and produced.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Dalekmania (1995)
1995 documentary film that examines that 60's craze and focuses in particular on the two 1960's Doctor Who films starring Peter Cushing (the Cushing Doctor) -- Doctor Who and the Daleks and Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD which both feature the Daleks. Interviews cover the making of the films and their fans.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Circus: Premiere (1928)
Footage from the premiere of Charlie Chaplin's 1928 film 'The Circus'.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Confessions of a Time Traveler: The Man from 3036 (2020)
A main claiming to be from the future explains what we can expect from the next decades, in a frightening glimpse of what's to come.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Was ist Zeit? - Das ewige Rätsel (2024)
From prehistoric times to our technologically accelerated present, this exciting and entertaining journey through time explores the thousands of ways in which mankind has perceived, measured and passed time over the course of its history.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Elsewhere (2026)
Guided by an omniscient narrator, a time-traveller from the future travels back to the present in search of ghosts from the past.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The World's First Time Machine (2003)
Time travel is one of mankind's favorite fantasies. But what if it were possible to build a real time machine? To travel into the future, or the past? Scientists are now teetering on making that impossible dream, reality.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Un día por Málaga (2024)
Emilio Pascual, a historical figure of Andalusian cinema from the early 1900s, appears in today's Malaga with the mission of bringing the first documentary filmed in Andalusia to its first screening.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Noise of Time (2024)
In the town of Xoco, the spirit of an old villager awakens in search of its lost home. Along its journey, the ghost discovers that the town still celebrates its most important festivities, but also learns that the construction of a new commercial complex called Mítikah will threaten the existence of both the traditions and the town itself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Goodbye Uncle Tom (1971)
Two documentary filmmakers go back in time to the pre-Civil War American South, to film the slave trade.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like How to Build a Time Machine and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like How to Build a Time Machine?
The closest matches to How to Build a Time Machine are Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022), As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000) and 42 Up (1999). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after How to Build a Time Machine?
Start with Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022), the closest match to How to Build a Time Machine.
What is the highest-rated movie like How to Build a Time Machine?
I Am Heath Ledger (2017), rated 7.4/10 by 233 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like How to Build a Time Machine?
Elsewhere (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like How to Build a Time Machine?
Yes: Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022), As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000) and 42 Up (1999).
How are movies similar to How to Build a Time Machine chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside How to Build a Time Machine, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.