Movies like Four Shadows (1978)
The best movies like Four Shadows (1978) are Chronos (1985), Koyaanisqatsi (1983) and When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970). If Four Shadows hooked you, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedGhosts (1997)8.1/10 from 304 votes
- NewestEPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (2026)Released 2026
Chronos (1985)
Carefully picked scenes of nature and civilization are viewed at high speed using time-lapse cinematography in an effort to demonstrate the history of various regions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKoyaanisqatsi (1983)
Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and the exceptional music by Philip Glass.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWhen Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970)
An ancient tribe attempts to sacrifice Sanna as an offering to the Sun god to save their tribe from dinosaurs. Tara, a young man from another tribe, saves Sanna and takes her along with him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMelody Time (1948)
In the grand tradition of Disney's great musical classics, Melody Time features seven timeless stories, each enhanced with high-spirited music and unforgettable characters. You'll be sure to tap your toes and clap your hands in this witty feast for the eyes and ears.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLake Mungo (2009)
After 16-year-old Alice Palmer drowns at a local dam, her family experiences a series of strange, inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of a psychic and parapsychologist, who discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. At Lake Mungo, Alice's secret past emerges.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPhase IV (1974)
Arizona ants mock the food chain on their way to a desert lab to get two scientists and a woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPelé: Birth of a Legend (2016)
The life story of Brazilian football legend, Pele.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGeronimo: An American Legend (1993)
The Apache Indians have reluctantly agreed to settle on a US Government approved reservation. Not all the Apaches are able to adapt to the life of corn farmers. One in particular, Geronimo, is restless. Pushed over the edge by broken promises and necessary actions by the government, Geronimo and thirty or so other warriors form an attack team which humiliates the government by evading capture, while reclaiming what is rightfully theirs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight at the Museum (2006)
Chaos reigns at the natural history museum when night watchman Larry Daley accidentally stirs up an ancient curse, awakening Attila the Hun, an army of gladiators, a Tyrannosaurus rex and other exhibits.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSaludos Amigos (1942)
A whimsical blend of live action and animation, "Saludos Amigos" is a colorful kaleidoscope of art, adventure and music set to a toe-tapping samba beat. From high Andes peaks and Argentina's pampas to the sights and sounds of Rio de Janeiro, your international traveling companions are none other than those famous funny friends, Donald Duck and Goofy. They keep things lively as Donald encounters a stubborn llama and "El Gaucho" Goofy tries on the cowboy way of life....South American-style.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisPowaqqatsi (1988)
An exploration of technologically developing nations and the effect the transition to Western-style modernization has had on them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Vignettes weaving together the stories of six individuals in the old West at the end of the Civil War. Following the tales of a sharp-shooting songster, a wannabe bank robber, two weary traveling performers, a lone gold prospector, a woman traveling the West to an uncertain future, and a motley crew of strangers undertaking a carriage ride.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAfrican Cats (2011)
African Cats captures the real-life love, humor and determination of the majestic kings of the savanna. The story features Mara, an endearing lion cub who strives to grow up with her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom; Sita, a fearless cheetah and single mother of five mischievous newborns; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a once banished lion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGhosts (1997)
In the town of Normal Valley, an eccentric magician named Maestro entertains the local children every day in his spooky mansion. One stormy night, the town's mayor leads a group of angry citizens to the mansion in an attempt to run Maestro out of town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDistant Drums (1951)
After destroying a Seminole fort, American soldiers and their rescued companions must face the dangerous Everglades and hostile Indians in order to reach safety
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHondo (1953)
Army despatch rider Hondo Lane discovers a woman and her son living in the midst of warring Apaches, and he becomes their protector.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWakefield (2017)
A man's nervous breakdown causes him to leave his wife and live in his attic for several months.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBombshell (2019)
Bombshell is a revealing look inside the most powerful and controversial media empire of all time; and the explosive story of the women who brought down the infamous man who created it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (2026)
Long-lost footage from Elvis Presley's legendary Las Vegas residency in the 1970s woven together with rare 16mm footage from Elvis on Tour, and 8mm from the Graceland archive, plus recordings of Elvis telling "his side of the story" rediscovered during Baz Luhrmann's research for his 2022 film, Elvis.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisEvery Wall is a Door (2017)
Drawing on VHS tapes of a programme hosted by her mother on Bulgaria’s national television, the filmmaker gives a pop-style and in-depth chronicle of the gentle – even “over-gentle” – 1989 revolution.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Chinese Viola (1975)
The rare short film presents a curious dialogue between filmmaker Julio Bressane and actor Grande Otelo, where, in a mixture of decorated and improvised text, we discover a little manifesto to the Brazilian experimental cinema. Also called "Belair's last film," Chinese Viola reveals the first partnership between photographer Walter Carvalho and Bressane.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Your New Pig Is Down the Road (1999)
"Filmed in 16mm and hand processed in a week at Phil Hoffman's Film Farm in Canada, this film was a treasure map to lead my husband to his gift, a little pet pig." — Helen Hill
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Above the Lake (1995)
Avant-garde homage to pre-revolution Russian silent movies, and to the poet Aleksandr Blok.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Dropout (1970)
Disillusioned English banker's wife Mary meets troubled Italian immigrant Bruno, with whom she is captivated by and they set off on a voyage on which they meet a variety of society's dropouts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Mangúe-Bangúe (1971)
The quasi-fictional story of transgender sex workers living in Rio de Janeiro's swampy red light district, who are joined by a group of hippies and a runaway stockbroker, "Mangue-Bangue" is the paradigmatic expression of the post-1968 spirit of desbunde, the Brazilian slang catchword for "sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll".
Why it matches: Similar story and style
This Cacophony Runs Over Me (2017)
This cacophony runs over me, over everything I see, everything I want to see: it's me.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
What Was It Supposed to Be Like? (2017)
Rather pointless, rather stilted, fetid; not what we want us going after.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Crash! (1971)
A surreal, moody short about the fetishisation of automobiles and auto accidents.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Like Four Shadows and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Four Shadows?
The closest matches to Four Shadows are Chronos (1985), Koyaanisqatsi (1983) and When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Four Shadows?
Start with Chronos (1985), the closest match to Four Shadows.
What is the highest-rated movie like Four Shadows?
Ghosts (1997), rated 8.1/10 by 304 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Four Shadows?
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Four Shadows?
Yes: Chronos (1985), Koyaanisqatsi (1983) and When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970).
How are movies similar to Four Shadows chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Four Shadows, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.