Movies like Aelita (1980)
The best movies like Aelita (1980) are Moonshot (2022), Space Oddity (2023) and Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017). If Aelita hooked you with its science fiction, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest rated2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)8.0/10 from 13,142 votes
- NewestAfterburn (2025)Released 2025
Moonshot (2022)
In a future where Mars is terraformed and colonized by the best humanity has to offer, two very different college students wind up joining forces and sneak onboard a space shuttle to the red planet in order to be united with their significant others.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpace Oddity (2023)
A space-obsessed man gets the opportunity of a lifetime thanks to a Mars colonization program but finds his plans compromised by his feelings for a woman who brings him down to Earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStarship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017)
Federation trooper Johnny Rico is ordered to work with a group of new recruits on a satellite station on Mars, where giant bugs have decided to target their next attack.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisJohn Carter (2012)
John Carter is a war-weary, former military captain who's inexplicably transported to the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars) and reluctantly becomes embroiled in an epic conflict. It's a world on the brink of collapse, and Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStowaway (2021)
A three-person crew on a mission to Mars faces an impossible choice when an unplanned passenger jeopardizes the lives of everyone on board.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMission to Mars (2000)
When the first manned mission to Mars meets with a catastrophic and mysterious disaster after reporting an unidentified structure, a rescue mission is launched to investigate the tragedy and bring back any survivors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe War of the Worlds (1953)
The residents of a small town are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills, until they discover it is the first of many transport devices from Mars bringing an army of invaders invincible to any man-made weapon, even the atomic bomb.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBabylon 5: The Lost Tales - Voices in the Dark (2007)
This instalment of Babylon 5 is in two parts: the first is about an entity that has possessed a worker. Colonel Lochley prevents a priest from performing an exorcism. The host is returned to Earth. The second has Galen trying to dupe President Sheridan into assassinating the future Centauri emperor to stop him from attacking Earth in around 30 years time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
Thomas Jerome Newton is an alien who has come to Earth in search of water to save his home planet. Aided by lawyer Oliver Farnsworth, Thomas uses his knowledge of advanced technology to create profitable inventions. While developing a method to transport water, Thomas meets Mary-Lou, a quiet hotel clerk, and begins to fall in love with her. Just as he is ready to leave Earth, Thomas is intercepted by the U.S. government, and his entire plan is threatened.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)
The first manned expedition to Mars is invaded by an unknown life form, which stows away on the rescue ship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once again as the journey of Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron continues. With the power and knowledge of generations behind them, the final battle begins.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisExtinction (2018)
A chief mechanic at a factory, haunted by apocalyptic nightmares, becomes a hero when Earth is invaded by a mysterious army bent on destruction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChaos Walking (2021)
Two unlikely companions embark on a perilous adventure through the badlands of an unexplored planet as they try to escape a dangerous and disorienting reality, where all inner thoughts are seen and heard by everyone.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHarrison Bergeron (1995)
"All men are not created equal. It is the purpose of the Government to make them so." This is the premise of the Showtime film adaption of Kurt Vonnegut's futuristic short story Harrison Bergeron. The film centers around a young man (Harrison) who is smarter than his peers, and is not affected by the usual "Handicapping" which is used to train all Americans so everyone is of equal intelligence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGray Matter (2023)
All her life, Aurora has been taught by her mother that the superhuman abilities they possess, the abilities that make them unique, also make them dangerous. Now, on one fateful and deadly night, Aurora will find out if her mother was telling the truth and just what consequences the use of her powers might have.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Martian (2015)
During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisArrival (2016)
Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like this2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisStar Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
When an unidentified alien destroys three powerful Klingon cruisers, Captain James T. Kirk returns to the newly transformed U.S.S. Enterprise to take command.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisParadox Mary (2008)
Mary has a problem. And it’s right in front of her. It’s in front of everyone else too, only they haven’t recognized it yet.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Würfels Stern (1999)
Due to a small malfunction, the rulers of the planet are briefly distracted from the final catastrophe. Nevertheless, it arrives. We plan to film on location in the universe and elsewhere, and to rebuild the entire planet in its original size. We categorically reject special effects: We intend to interfere as little as possible.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
The Cure to Loneliness (2022)
Netty is feeling lost in life following the abrupt end of her relationship with Liam. Luckily, there's a quick fix found in pill marketed as "the cure to loneliness".
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
The Return of the Näcken (2024)
The Return of the Näcken is a gothic horror tale about a lonely water demon and her quest for human souls focusing on the existential anguish of being an enchanted creature doomed to an immortal life filled with grief, isolation, and loss.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Frankenstein Punk (1986)
The story of Frank, a different creature, born to the song "Singing in the rain", that goes in search of happiness.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Newton's Third Law (2024)
On Christmas day, Nico (Max Bourke) discovers he's in a sandwich-initiated time loop - to what extremes will he take this new opportunity?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Burnt Toast (2025)
A seedy virus is spreadding... is a digital epidemic closer than we think?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Ghosts of Mars (2001)
In 2176, a Martian police unit is sent to pick up a highly dangerous criminal at a remote mining post. Upon arrival, the cops find the post deserted and something far more dangerous than any criminal — the original inhabitants of Mars, hellbent on getting their planet back.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisPwyll (2015)
Sometime in the not so distant future, where everyone speaks through emojis, lives a 13-year-old boy called Pwyll.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Rakka (2017)
A story of broken humanity following the invasion of a technologically superior alien species. Bleak, harrowing, and unrelenting, the humans must find enough courage to go on fighting.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Aelita?
The closest matches to Aelita are Moonshot (2022), Space Oddity (2023) and Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Aelita?
Start with Moonshot (2022), the closest match to Aelita.
What is the highest-rated movie like Aelita?
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), rated 8.0/10 by 13,142 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Aelita?
Afterburn (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Aelita chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Aelita, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.