Movies like A Scanner Darkly (2006)
The best movies like A Scanner Darkly (2006) are Ray Gunn (2026), Strange Days (1995) and Blade Runner (1982). If A Scanner Darkly hooked you with its animation and science fiction, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Matrix (1999)8.3/10 from 29,205 votes
- NewestWatchmen: Chapter I (2024)Released 2024
Ray Gunn (2026)
In Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future as seen from 1939, private eye Raymond Gunn is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder and a multimedia star named Venus Nova.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & science fiction
Coming SoonMovies like thisStrange Days (1995)
In the last days of 1999, ex-cop turned street hustler Lenny Nero receives a disc which contains the memories of the murder of a prostitute. With the help of bodyguard Mace, he starts to investigate and is pulled deeper and deeper in a whirl of murder, blackmail and intrigue.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlade Runner (1982)
In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & thriller
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Animatrix (2003)
Straight from the creators of the groundbreaking Matrix trilogy, this collection of short animated films from the world's leading anime directors fuses computer graphics and Japanese anime to provide the background of the Matrix universe and the conflict between man and machines. The shorts include Final Flight of the Osiris, The Second Renaissance, Kid's Story, Program, World Record, Beyond, A Detective Story and Matriculated.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlade Runner: Black Out 2022 (2017)
This animated short revolves around the events causing an electrical systems failure on the west coast of the US. According to Blade Runner 2049’s official timeline, this failure leads to cities shutting down, financial and trade markets being thrown into chaos, and food supplies dwindling. There’s no proof as to what caused the blackouts, but Replicants — the bio-engineered robots featured in the original Blade Runner, are blamed.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMars Express (2023)
In 2200, private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner Carlos Rivera are hired by a wealthy businessman to track down a notorious hacker. On Mars, they descend deep into the underbelly of the planet's capital city where they uncover a darker story of brain farms, political corruption, and a missing girl who holds a secret about the robots that threatens to change the face of the universe.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMetropia (2009)
In the near future, oil reserves are nearly depleted and Europe is connected by series of underground tunnels. While navigating these tunnels, Roger hears voices, one in particular. Seeking a way to rid himself of the voice only leads Roger deeper into a bizarre conspiracy of control - mind and body.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like this2036: Nexus Dawn (2017)
Niander Wallace introduces a new line of "perfected" replicants called the Nexus 9, seeking to get the prohibition on replicants repealed.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDark City (1998)
A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMinority Report (2002)
John Anderton is a top 'Precrime' cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they're committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thiseXistenZ (1999)
A game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWaking Life (2001)
Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Thirteenth Floor (1999)
In Los Angeles, a wealthy man, known as Mr. Fuller, discovers a shocking secret about the world he lives in. Fearing for his life, he leaves a desperate message for a friend of his in the most unexpected place.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRenaissance (2006)
To find Ilona and unlock the secrets of her disappearance, Karas must plunge deep into the parallel worlds of corporate espionage, organized crime and genetic research - where the truth imprisons whoever finds it first and miracles can be bought but at a great price.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPaprika (2006)
Dr. Atsuko Chiba is a research psychologist who uses a device called the DC Mini to enter her patients' dreams, wherein she adopts the alter-ego "Paprika". When the device is stolen, she must stop rogue elements from merging the dream and waking worlds.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRepo Men (2010)
In the future, medical technology has advanced to the point where people can buy artificial organs to extend their lives. But if they default on payments, an organization known as the Union sends agents to repossess the organs. Remy is one of the best agents in the business, but when he becomes the recipient of an artificial heart, he finds himself in the same dire straits as his many victims.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Matrix (1999)
Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Congress (2013)
An aging, out-of-work actress accepts one last job, though the consequences of her decision affect her in ways she didn't consider.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Matrix Revolutions (2003)
The human city of Zion defends itself against the massive invasion of the machines as Neo fights to end the war at another front while also opposing the rogue Agent Smith.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCypher (2002)
An unsuspecting, disenchanted man finds himself working as a spy in the dangerous, high-stakes world of corporate espionage. Quickly getting way over-his-head, he teams up with a mysterious femme fatale.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCode 46 (2003)
In a dystopian future, insurance fraud investigator William Gold arrives in Shanghai to investigate a forgery ring for "papelles", futuristic passports that record people's identities and genetics. Gold falls for Maria Gonzalez, the woman in charge of the forgeries. After a passionate affair, Gold returns home, having named a coworker as the culprit. But when one of Gonzalez's customers is found dead, Gold is sent back to Shanghai to complete the investigation.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Matrix Reloaded (2003)
The Resistance builds in numbers as humans are freed from the Matrix and brought to the city of Zion. Neo discovers his superpowers, including the ability to see the code inside the Matrix. With machine sentinels digging to Zion in 72 hours, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity must find the Keymaker to ultimately reach the Source.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlade Runner 2049 (2017)
Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBrazil (1985)
Low-level bureaucrat Sam Lowry escapes the monotony of his day-to-day life through a recurring daydream of himself as a virtuous hero saving a beautiful damsel. Investigating a case that led to the wrongful arrest and eventual death of an innocent man instead of wanted terrorist Harry Tuttle, he meets the woman from his daydream, and in trying to help her gets caught in a web of mistaken identities, mindless bureaucracy and lies.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTwelve Monkeys (1995)
In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly and the son of a famous virus expert who may hold the key to the Army of the 12 Monkeys; thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPsycho-Pass: Providence (2023)
While attending a meeting as a Chief Inspector of the Public Security Bureau, Akane Tsunemori received a report that an incident had occurred on a foreign vessel , and this was the beginning of a big and unexpected case.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTechnotise: Edit and I (2009)
Belgrade, 2074. Edit Stefanović, a psychology student, after failing the same university exam for the sixth time, decides to visit a dealer on the black market who installs a stolen military chip in her body that will record everything she sees to help her pass the exam. Edit also has a job at a scientific and social research company, in taking care of Abel Mustafov, an autistic math genius who discovered a formula that connects all forces in the world, but no computer was able to calculate it fully without becoming self-aware and shutting down immediately after that. After Edit sees the formula graph, the chip calculates the formula, and becomes able to "survive" thanks to its connection to Edit. It develops a parallel personality and affords her abilities greater than she ever imagined.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNarcopolis (2015)
In the near future, Frank, a police officer, discovers that the legalization of all recreational drugs comes with a price.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisWatchmen: Chapter I (2024)
In 1985, the murder of a government-sponsored superhero draws his outlawed colleagues out of retirement and into a mystery that threatens to upend their personal lives and the world itself.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPsycho-Pass: Sinners of the System - Case.1 Crime and Punishment (2019)
In the winter of 2117, a runaway vehicle crashes into the Public Safety Bureau Building. The driver is identified as Izumi Yasaka, a psychological counselor at the Sanctuary, a Latent Criminal Isolation Facility in Aomori Prefecture. But right before her interrogation, Inspector Mika Shimotsuki and Enforcer Nobuchika Ginoza are tasked with promptly escorting Yasaka back to Aomori. What awaits them there is a False Paradise.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like A Scanner Darkly?
The closest matches to A Scanner Darkly are Ray Gunn (2026), Strange Days (1995) and Blade Runner (1982). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after A Scanner Darkly?
People who watched A Scanner Darkly most often go on to Ray Gunn (2026), Strange Days (1995) and Blade Runner (1982).
What is the highest-rated movie like A Scanner Darkly?
The Matrix (1999), rated 8.3/10 by 29,205 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like A Scanner Darkly?
Watchmen: Chapter I (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like A Scanner Darkly?
Yes: Ray Gunn (2026), Strange Days (1995) and Blade Runner (1982).
How are movies similar to A Scanner Darkly chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A Scanner Darkly, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.