10 movies to watch for lovers of 'Blade Runner' (2024)

There’s no worthwhile list of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made that doesn’t include Blade Runner, with Ridley Scott’s dystopian thriller fully meriting every single superlative that gets thrown in its direction.

It may have taken longer than expected to reach that status, seeing as the film initially underperformed at the box office and was immediately lauded as an incredible work of cinema, but it got there in the end. Even the stars weren’t sold at first, with Harrison Ford’s opinion of his iconic performance as Rick Deckard gradually softening over time.

Blade Runner may have launched an entire shared universe that incorporates additional movies, TV shows of both the live-action and animated variety, sequel novels, and video games, but Scott’s masterpiece remains a truly one-of-kind classic that holds up as well as ever, even if the futuristic setting of 2019 is in the rear-view mirror.

If there’s a Blade Runner-shaped void in the viewing schedule that needs to be filled, though, then fear not. The original may be in a class of its own, but there are plenty of other features that share spiritual, aesthetic, or thematic DNA that are well worth a watch.

Thrilling dystopian sci-fi movies like Blade Runner

The most obvious place to start for anyone seeking more movies like Blade Runner is with Denis Villeneuve’s sequel, which suffered much the same fate as its predecessor by failing to make much of a dent at the box office despite going toe-to-toe with its illustrious forebear and coming mighty close to matching it.

As well as being a Philip K. Dick adaptation, Minority Report also ticks the same box by having a major director and A-list star partner up in a dystopian sci-fi, which in this case means Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise. Along similar lines, Paul Verhoeven and Arnold Schwarzenegger worked wonders with the bonkers Total Recall, which is yet another spectacular big-screen translation of Dick’s influential writings.

For those who find themselves longing for the neon-drenched aesthetic of Blade Runner with even more high-concept sci-fi action thrown into the mix, then James Cameron’s long-gestating passion project Alita: Battle Angel brings together a top-notch cast for a stylish story trading in similar themes of genetic engineering, and the precarious work/life balance between man and machine, this time with much more sh*t going boom.

Then again, for folks who seek some dystopian sci-fi that’s masterfully shot and relentlessly gripping while still remaining grounded, then look no further than Children of Men. It asks many of the same existential questions on what it means to be human and how that sentiment fits into a rapidly advancing society without resorting to far-fetched fantasy.

Sci-fi movies that question reality like Blade Runner

Ex Machina might seem like the obvious choice, given it hinges on lifelike robotics running amok, but to throw a curveball into the mix, why not follow up Blade Runner with Alex Garland’s Annihilation instead? After all, the phantasmagorical sci-fi body horror carries plenty of religious and philosophical undertones, toys with the nature of what it means to be alive, and self-destruction, all of which can be found in Scott’s classic.

Not a million miles away from Deckard, Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days finds Ralph Fiennes’ former police officer getting caught up in a citywide conspiracy involving the very organisation he used to work for, this time rooted in VR devices that allow users to experience the lives of others. Vincenzo Natali’s Cypher is heavily indebted to the Dick back catalogue, too, and even offers mind-bending and reality-altering corporate espionage to make it a worthwhile companion piece.

It might be more understated and contemplative, but Gattaca‘s recurring motifs of discrimination based on genetic origin, how an entity’s origins define its place – or lack thereof – in society, and the dichotomy between humanity’s desire for perfection and its inherent flaws may as well have been lifted straight from Blade Runner.

The fight for individuality in a repressed society, the dehumanising effects of bureaucracy, the dangers of mass media, socio-political forces, and technology, the differing definitions of terrorism depending on which group commits which act, and the bleakness of an oppressive reality. Blade Runner, or Terry Gilliam’s Brazil? The answer is either, or, and both, which is what makes them go so well together, even if the latter is exponentially stranger.

10 movies for fans of Blade Runner:

• Blade Runner 2049 (Denis Villeneuve, 2017)
• Minority Report (Steven Spielberg, 2002)
• Total Recall (Paul Verhoeven, 1990)
• Alita: Battle Angel (Robert Rodriguez, 2019)
• Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2006)
• Annihilation (Alex Garland, 2018)
• Strange Days (Kathryn Bigelow, 1995)
• Gattaca (Andrew Niccol, 1997)
• Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1995)
• Cypher (Vincenzo Natali, 2002)

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