Movies like Timeliner
The best movies like Timeliner are Afterburn (2025), Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers - To Live and Die in Starlight (2002) and The 5th Wave (2016). If Timeliner hooked you with its science fiction and action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Timeliner
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDoctor Who: The Day of the Doctor (2013)8.2/10 from 794 votes
- NewestAfterburn (2025)Released 2025
Afterburn (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 action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBabylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers - To Live and Die in Starlight (2002)
After being punished for retreat from combat, Ranger David Martel is given command of the Liandra, a haunted 20-year old Minbari fighting ship. He's escorting ambassadors to a secret archaeological site, the oldest city on record and a clue to a dangerous ancient race.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 5th Wave (2016)
16-year-old Cassie Sullivan tries to survive in a world devastated by the waves of an alien invasion that has already decimated the population and knocked mankind back to the Stone Age.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Plagued by strange memories, Neo's life takes an unexpected turn when he finds himself back inside the Matrix.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTerminator Salvation (2009)
All grown up in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor must lead the resistance of humans against the increasingly dominating militaristic robots. But when Marcus Wright appears, his existence confuses the mission as Connor tries to determine whether Wright has come from the future or the past -- and whether he's friend or foe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDivergent (2014)
In a world divided into factions based on personality types, Tris learns that she's been classified as Divergent and won't fit in. When she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents, Tris and the mysterious Four must find out what makes Divergents dangerous before it's too late.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisValerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
In the 28th century, Valerian and Laureline are special operatives charged with keeping order throughout the human territories. On assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two undertake a mission to Alpha, an ever-expanding metropolis where species from across the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence, and cultures. At the center of Alpha is a mysterious dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Time Machine (2002)
Hoping to alter the events of the past, a 19th-century inventor instead travels 800,000 years into the future, where he finds mankind divided into two warring races.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBatman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013)
Batman has stopped the reign of terror that The Mutants had cast upon his city. Now an old foe wants a reunion and the government wants The Man of Steel to put a stop to Batman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisRobotech: The Shadow Chronicles (2006)
In the year 2044 AD, the human race has amped-up its space exploration and reached out to the stars through the miracle of ROBOTECHNOLOGY, but not without bringing intergalactic war upon the Earth itself. Heroes will die and allegiances will shift. But in the midst of combat, perhaps peace will spring up through the charred remains of battered history. One of the greatest science fiction sagas of all time continues...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonsters of Man (2020)
A robotics company vying to win a lucrative military contract team up with a corrupt CIA agent to conduct an illegal live field test. They deploy four weaponized prototype robots into a suspected drug manufacturing camp in the Golden Triangle, assuming they'd be killing drug runners that no one would miss. Six doctors on a humanitarian mission witness the brutal slaughter and become prime targets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSuperman: Man of Tomorrow (2020)
It’s the dawn of a new age of heroes, and Metropolis has just met its first. But as Daily Planet intern Clark Kent – working alongside reporter Lois Lane – secretly wields his alien powers of flight, super-strength and x-ray vision in the battle for good, there’s even greater trouble on the horizon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTurbo Kid (2015)
In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, an orphaned teen must battle a ruthless warlord to save the girl of his dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Host (2013)
A parasitic alien soul is injected into the body of Melanie Stryder. Instead of carrying out her race's mission of taking over the Earth, "Wanda" (as she comes to be called) forms a bond with her host and sets out to aid other free humans.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBatman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (2012)
Batman has not been seen for ten years. A new breed of criminal ravages Gotham City, forcing 55-year-old Bruce Wayne back into the cape and cowl. But, does he still have what it takes to fight crime in a new era?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJourney 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)
Sean Anderson partners with his mom's boyfriend on a mission to find his grandfather, who is thought to be missing on a mythical island.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDoctor Who: The Day of the Doctor (2013)
In 2013, something terrible is awakening in London's National Gallery; in 1562, a murderous plot is afoot in Elizabethan England; and somewhere in space an ancient battle reaches its devastating conclusion. All of reality is at stake as the Doctor's own dangerous past comes back to haunt him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Adam Project (2022)
After accidentally crash-landing in 2022, time-traveling fighter pilot Adam Reed teams up with his 12-year-old self on a mission to save the future.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTimescape (1992)
Before they can complete renovations on their new country inn, a widowed father and his young daughter are visited by a strange group of tourists. He soon makes a chilling discovery: they are disaster junkies from the future who visit the past to witness history's greatest catastrophes—and his small town is their next stop.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisARQ (2016)
Two old friends living in a dystopic future become trapped in a mysterious time loop — one that may have something to do with an ongoing battle between an omnipotent corporation and a ragtag band of rebels.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKamen Rider Kabuto: God Speed Love (2006)
In 1999, an enormous meteor crashed onto Earth carrying extraterrestrial creatures known as Worms within it. These creatures took on the identities of real humans and then killed them. In order to counter this new threat, ZECT was formed, who in turn created the Masked Rider System to combat the Worms. The battles lasts over seven years, depleting Earth's resources and turning it into a barren wasteland. By present time, power struggles in ZECT have caused a new group, known as Neo-ZECT, to be created. Souji Tendou, a man weilding the Kabuto Zector, decides to sell his power to either ZECT or Neo-Zect for unkown reasons.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & action
Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks (1993)
It has been thirteen years since the Androids began their killing rampage and Son Gohan is the only person fighting back. He takes Bulma's son Trunks as a student and even gives his own life to save Trunks's. Now Trunks must figure out a way to change this apocalyptic future
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Sound of Thunder (2005)
When a hunter sent back to the prehistoric era runs off the path he must not leave, he causes a chain reaction that alters history in disastrous ways.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisDéjà Vu (2006)
Called in to recover evidence in the aftermath of a horrific explosion on a New Orleans ferry, Federal agent Doug Carlin gets pulled away from the scene and taken to a top-secret government lab that uses a time-shifting surveillance device to help prevent crime.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMagical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 1st (2010)
Takamachi Nanoha is a normal third-grader who feels a little useless and out-of-place with no purpose. Then one day, she saves a ferret, who turns out to be a mage from another planet who came to this planet to search for the jewel seeds. Nanoha agrees to help, but this task gets complicated when another girl arrives to steal them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisTrancers III (1992)
A time traveling cop, Jack Deth, from the future is taken back to the past to be given the task of destroying the Trancer program before it has a chance to get out of control, sending the world into a state of chaos and war.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisTerminator Genisys (2015)
The year is 2029. John Connor, leader of the resistance continues the war against the machines. At the Los Angeles offensive, John's fears of the unknown future begin to emerge when TECOM spies reveal a new plot by SkyNet that will attack him from both fronts; past and future, and will ultimately change warfare forever.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStar Trek: Section 31 (2025)
Emperor Philippa Georgiou joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisMagical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Detonation (2018)
As the conflict that began in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Reflection continues to escalate, Nanoha and her allies soon find out the troubled history between Iris and Yuri, which is related to the tragedy of Eltoria's "Planet Reclamation Committee".
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Timeliner?
The closest matches to Timeliner are Afterburn (2025), Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers - To Live and Die in Starlight (2002) and The 5th Wave (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Timeliner?
Start with Afterburn (2025), the closest match to Timeliner.
What is the highest-rated movie like Timeliner?
Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor (2013), rated 8.2/10 by 794 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Timeliner?
Afterburn (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Timeliner?
Yes: Afterburn (2025), Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers - To Live and Die in Starlight (2002) and The 5th Wave (2016).
How are movies similar to Timeliner chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Timeliner, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.