Movies like The World's First Time Machine (2003)
The best movies like The World's First Time Machine (2003) are Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022), S4: The Bob Lazar Story (2026) and Come See Me in the Good Light (2025). If The World's First 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 ratedBeyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022)7.0/10 from 246 votes
- NewestElsewhere (2026)Released 2026
Beyond 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 thisS4: The Bob Lazar Story (2026)
Over 35 years after Bob Lazar's revelations, this documentary exposes secrets of a facility the government still denies. Featuring Lazar's testimony, recreations, and new evidence, it reopens a case that continues to spark global curiosity
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisCome See Me in the Good Light (2025)
In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAvatar: 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 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 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 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 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 thisAquaman: Heroines of Atlantis (2019)
Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman discuss their characters Mera and Atlanna.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAvatar: Creating the World of Pandora (2010)
The Making-of James Cameron's Avatar. It shows interesting parts of the work on the set.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisHarmontown (2014)
A comedic, brutally honest documentary following self-destructive TV writer Dan Harmon as he takes his live podcast on a national tour.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 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 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 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 thisOur Planet: Behind the Scenes (2019)
Years spent recording footage of creatures from every corner of the globe is bound to produce a bit of drama. Here's a behind-the-scenes look.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this180° South (2010)
The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe September Issue (2009)
A documentary chronicling Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour's preparations for the 2007 fall-fashion issue.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChronos (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 · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDalekmania (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
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 thisHow to Build a Time Machine (2016)
Focuses on two subjects in particular: Rob Niosi, who has spent many years building a full-scale replica of the prop from the 1960 film The Time Machine, and physicist Ronald L. Mallett, who has dedicated his life to researching the scientific possibility of time travel.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Timetravel_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
Time Machine: The Journey Back (1993)
Documentary/Sequel to 1960 adaptation of "The Time Machine"
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Montauk Chronicles (2015)
A study of the dark legends that surround the Camp Hero Air Force Base in Montauk, Long Island.
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
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
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
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The World's First Time Machine?
The closest matches to The World's First Time Machine are Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022), S4: The Bob Lazar Story (2026) and Come See Me in the Good Light (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The World's First Time Machine?
Start with Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022), the closest match to The World's First Time Machine.
What is the highest-rated movie like The World's First Time Machine?
Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022), rated 7.0/10 by 246 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The World's First Time Machine?
Elsewhere (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The World's First Time Machine?
Yes: Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022), S4: The Bob Lazar Story (2026) and Come See Me in the Good Light (2025).
How are movies similar to The World's First Time Machine chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The World's First Time Machine, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.