Movies like A Message from Mars (1913)
The best movies like A Message from Mars (1913) are Mars Attacks! (1996), Home (2015) and Relax, I'm from the Future (2023). If A Message from Mars hooked you with its comedy and fantasy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedLifted (2006)7.5/10 from 854 votes
- NewestAfterburn (2025)Released 2025
Mars Attacks! (1996)
A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world's major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim, "come in peace." U.S. President James Dale receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler that the Martians' mission is a friendly one. But when a peaceful exchange ends in the total annihilation of the U.S. Congress, military men call for a full-scale nuclear retaliation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHome (2015)
When Earth is taken over by the overly-confident Boov, an alien race in search of a new place to call home, all humans are promptly relocated, while all Boov get busy reorganizing the planet. But when one resourceful girl, Tip, manages to avoid capture, she finds herself the accidental accomplice of a banished Boov named Oh. The two fugitives realize there’s a lot more at stake than intergalactic relations as they embark on the road trip of a lifetime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & comedy
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 thisRim of the World (2019)
Stranded at a summer camp when aliens attack the planet, four teens with nothing in common embark on a perilous mission to save the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisMy Stepmother Is an Alien (1988)
Trying to rescue her home planet from destruction, a gorgeous extraterrestrial named Celeste arrives on Earth and begins her scientific research. She woos quirky scientist Dr. Steve Mills, a widower with a young daughter. Before long, Celeste finds herself in love with Steve and her new life on Earth, where she experiences true intimacy for the first time. But when she loses sight of her mission, she begins to question where she belongs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisBarbarella (1968)
In the far future, a highly sexual woman is tasked with finding and stopping the evil Durand-Durand. Along the way she encounters various unusual people.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDark Star (1974)
A group of scientists are sent on a mission to destroy unstable planets. Twenty years into their mission, they have to battle their alien mascot as well as a "sensitive" and intelligent bombing device that starts to question the meaning of its existence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPlanet 51 (2009)
When Earth astronaut Capt. Chuck Baker arrives on Planet 51 -- a world reminiscent of American suburbia circa 1950 -- he tries to avoid capture, recover his spaceship and make it home safely, all with the help of an empathetic little green being.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisMickey 17 (2025)
Unlikely hero Mickey Barnes finds himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisThe History of Future Folk (2012)
An alien intending to claim Earth for his people before their homeworld is destroyed by a comet decides not to eliminate humanity when he hears their music. Instead, he lives among them until another alien is sent to find and kill him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLong Distance (2024)
After crash-landing on an alien planet, an asteroid miner must contend with the challenges of his new surroundings, while making his way across the harsh terrain to the only other survivor – a woman who is trapped in her escape pod.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Adventurer/surgeon/rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his band of men, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, take on evil alien invaders from the 8th dimension.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFamily Guy Presents: Blue Harvest (2007)
With the Griffins stuck at home during a blackout, Peter tells the story of "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisElio (2025)
Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination, finds himself on a cosmic misadventure where he must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions and somehow discover who he is truly meant to be.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRobot & Frank (2012)
Curmudgeonly old Frank lives by himself. His routine involves daily visits to his local library, where he has a twinkle in his eye for the librarian. His grown children are concerned about their father’s well-being and buy him a caretaker robot. Initially resistant to the idea, Frank soon appreciates the benefits of robotic support – like nutritious meals and a clean house – and eventually begins to treat his robot like a true companion. With his robot’s assistance, Frank’s passion for his old, unlawful profession is reignited, for better or worse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this*batteries not included (1987)
In a soon to be demolished block of apartments, the residents resist the criminal methods used to force them to leave so a greedy tycoon can build his new skyscraper. When tiny mechanical aliens land for a recharge, they decide to stay and help out.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy (1981)
Don't Panic! The story of Arthur Dent, an average Englishman whose life was spared by his friend, who turned out to be an alien, while the planet Earth is destroyed. His friend tells him about the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a guide with anything you ever needed, and wanted to know. They travel across the galaxy, meeting friendly, and not so friendly characters in order to find the great question (the answer being 42).
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPhineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe (2020)
Phineas and Ferb travel across the galaxy to rescue their older sister Candace, who has been abducted by aliens and taken to a utopia in a far-off planet, free of her pesky little brothers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShadoevision (1986)
West Coast radio and TV personality Shadoe Stevens created and stars in this surrealistic, sci-fi satire highlighted by animation, hyperspeed editing and special effects. TV stations throughout the world become jammed and the image of mild-mannered accountant Norm Jones suddenly appears on every screen. Shortly thereafter, the bewildered man is thrust into an alternate dimension and falls into the Shadoevision Worldview Auditorium where he finds himself strapped into a chair before a live audience. Held captive, Norm is at the mercy of the enigmatic, charismatic master of ceremonies, Djony Dakota. This bizarre host constantly subjects the assembled throng to an "evolutionary I.Q." test, a dazzling montage of visuals.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & science fiction
Critters 4 (1992)
A super strain of genetically engineered mutants are designed to take over the universe, hungry to conquer the galaxy, with an appetite for mankind.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisFuturama: The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008)
Fresh off ripping space-time a new one at the end of "Bender's Big Score," the Planet Express crew is back to mend the tear in reality, or (hopefully) at least not make it worse. Beyond the tear, though, lurks a being of inconceivable...tentacularity. What will become of Earth, and indeed, our universe, when faced with the Beast with a Billion Backs?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLifted (2006)
When an overconfident teen alien gets behind the controls of a spaceship, he must attempt to abduct a slumbering farmer under the watchful eye of a critical instructor. But abducting humans requires precision and a gentle touch, and within a few missteps it's painfully clear why more humans don't go missing every year.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCritters 3 (1991)
As fanged, furious furballs viciously invade an L.A. apartment building and sink their teeth into the low-rent tenants, Josh leads the battle to beat back the conniving critters and save the planet.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisAliens vs. Titanic (2017)
Offering only the finest amenities, the ‘TITAN 1C’ space-cruiser is considered the most luxurious star-liner ever built. Future spring-breakers on board are excited to be touring through space with some of the world’s elite. However, a sudden meteor storm smashes into the hull, and a deadly biological alien life form is let loose on the ship. Seeking a suitable host, the retrovirus successfully merges with some the passengers, transforming them into seemingly invincible predators with the “touch of death”. As the ship is destroyed, the surviving passengers crash on a remote planet, and they learn that one of them is “infected”. They must quickly band together before it has a chance to slaughter them all.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & comedy
Here On Earth (2018)
Every morning at school, when girls and boys stand in their lines, Sam, an alien boy, is confronted with his situation: he doesn't fit into this society where everything has to be classified. However, thanks to a teacher he will find his place in the world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Lifeforce (1985)
A race of space vampires arrives in London and infects the populace, commencing an apocalyptic descent into chaos.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGodzilla vs. Gigan Rex (2022)
When army of Gigans tries to invade and destroy the Earth, the only one who can stop them is Godzilla.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
The Substitute (2007)
6th Grade gets a new substitute teacher. She wants to train the class for an international competition in Paris. But something isn't right. How is she able read kids' minds? Why is she so mean? And how does she manage to convince everyone's parents she is so great when the whole class knows she is really an alien?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like this
Like A Message from Mars and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like A Message from Mars?
The closest matches to A Message from Mars are Mars Attacks! (1996), Home (2015) and Relax, I'm from the Future (2023). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after A Message from Mars?
Start with Mars Attacks! (1996), the closest match to A Message from Mars.
What is the highest-rated movie like A Message from Mars?
Lifted (2006), rated 7.5/10 by 854 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like A Message from Mars?
Afterburn (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like A Message from Mars?
Yes: Mars Attacks! (1996), Home (2015) and Relax, I'm from the Future (2023).
How are movies similar to A Message from Mars chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A Message from Mars, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.