Movies Like Inception That Are Definitely Worth Watching

Christopher Nolan's love for metaphysical themes transcends his whole filmography. His movies question reality and identity and dive deep into complicated existential tales built around memories, dreams and time. He's also known for his sleek images and larger-than-life soundscapes.

If the Dark Knight Trilogy put Christopher Nolan on the map as a film director who could work with big studios, the blockbuster "Inception" (2010) that cemented his storytelling style in the general public's eye. "Inception" blends genres as a sci-fi thriller heist movie, and its star-studded cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio as tormented hustler Dom, who's joined by a rag-tag crew with A-list actors such as Elliot Page, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Sir Michael Caine, Tom Hardy and Marion Cotillard.

"Inception" was a hit for a multitude of reasons, ranging from its striking visual effects to its mind-boggling story, in which Dom and his crew infiltrate multiple, interconnected layers of people's dreams. Its ambiguous ending, with Dom's spinning top seemingly spinning forever, left the public hungry for more. Whether you were blown away by its plot, its trippy visuals, or the performances of its excellent cast, there are many more movies to add to your watch list if you're looking for that "Inception"-type thrill.

Based on Dennis Lehane's 2003 novel by the same name, "Shutter Island" (2010) is a psychological thriller directed by Martin Scorsese. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Deputy U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and Mark Ruffalo as his partner Chuck, who are both tasked with investigating a mental institution on Shutter Island following the escape of a patient. From the beginning of "Shutter Island," things do not seem to be as they appear: The hospital staff is not cooperative with the investigation, and Teddy seemingly starts to lose his mind.

DiCaprio offers a stunning performance as a tormented World War II veteran going mad on the moody, stormy island. Filled with unexpected turns, "Shutter Island," much like "Inception," is the kind of movie that you want to watch a second time. Scorsese's skillful direction shines, and the plot twist at the end will make you see the movie from a whole new perspective. The performances also benefit from a re-watch.

"Donnie Darko" (2001) was Richard Kelly's first feature film, an indie psychological thriller — and, almost instantly, a cult classic – that debuted at Sundance alongside another Nolan classic, "Memento." Set in 1988, the movie follows Donnie, a deranged, sleepwalking teenager played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who has visions of a character wearing a creepy rabbit costume named Frank. Frank manipulates Donnie into committing a series of crimes, such as setting fire to a motivational speaker's house, by telling him that the end of the world is coming in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds.

"Donnie Darko" marries the horror-like pacing of a psychological thriller with the awkwardness of teenage love and friendships. A director's cut was released in 2004, which adds about 20 minutes of material; it doesn't change the plot, but adds some richness to an already intriguing thriller.

Featuring a similar body-hacking technology as "Inception," "Self/less" (2015) is a sci-fi transhumanist thriller directed by Tarsem Singh. It centers around an old real estate tycoon and billionaire named Damian Hale (Ben Kingsley) who is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Seeking immortality, Damian seeks the services of a secret biogenic start-up led by a man named Albright (Matthew Goode). They grow a brand new body in a tank, then fake their client's death and transfer their consciousness into the new, younger body.

Damian's new identity is Edward Kidner, played by Ryan Reynolds, and while he enjoys his newfound freedom in New Orleans for a time, not everything is as great as it appears to be. Edward has several seizure-like episodes, during which he suffers hallucinations, which end up being old memories from Edward's original consciousness — his body is not, in fact, as new and fresh as advertised. At that point, "Self/less" rapidly changes gears and becomes an action pursuit movie, in which Damian searches for the truth about where his new body really came from.

A classic movie for many, David Fincher's "Fight Club" (1999) is a must-see thriller if you love "Inception." Based on Chuck Palahniuk's novel of the same name , "Fight Club" follows an unnamed narrator, played by Edward Norton, who's alienated by his office job and suffers from insomnia. He fakes illnesses to attend support groups, where he meets another fraud, Marla (Helena Bonham Carter). After the narrator's apartment is destroyed in an explosion, he moves in with a soap salesman named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), whom he just met on a plane.

The narrator and Tyler start a fight club in a bar basement in a rebellious act against capitalism, which eventually devolves into a terrorist organization called Project Mayhem. Meanwhile, the narrator starts questioning his reality and mental integrity. While it was critiqued for inciting violence back when it came out, "Fight Club" actually reads more like a social critique of toxic masculinity and white supremacy. In 2021, it feels more relevant than ever.

If you've ever wondered what a dramatic performance from Jim Carrey looks like, then "The Truman Show" (1998), by Peter Weir, is maybe the example. The psychological dramedy follows Truman Burbank (Carrey), who is, unbeknownst to him, the star of a reality show that is broadcast twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. In addition to the drama of Truman's day-to-day life, "The Truman Show" also offers glimpses behind the scenes, detailing how showrunner Christof (Ed Harris) manipulates everything, from the weather to the traffic to the lines spoken by the extras, in Truman's town.

Truman starts questioning his reality when things go awry around his 30th birthday, including his wife Meryl (Laura Linney) going off-script. Truman's descent into madness, and his search for the truth, result in a movie strongly related to Plato's cave allegory, as well as a beautiful commentary on human perception and reality TV.

More fantasy than science-fiction, "Being John Malkovich" (1999) is a smart and psychedelic movie that takes the audience on a wild ride inside John Malkovich's body. It's the feature film debut of both director Spike Jonze and writer Charlie Kaufman, and it has an all-star cast, starting with Malkovich himself, who's joined by John Cusack, Cameron Diaz and Charlie Sheen.

In "Being John Malkovich," a depressed puppeteer named Craig (Cusack) discovers a portal in an office building that leads to John Malkovich's body, which the occupant can inhabit for 15 minutes. Craig soon shares his discovery with his wife Lotte (Diaz) and his co-worker Maxine (Catherine Keener), on whom he has a crush, and the trio begin to rent out the portal to whoever is willing to pay to take control of the famous actor's body. Before long, Malkovich figures out that something is wrong, while the relationships between Craig, Lotte, and Maxine grow increasingly convoluted. "Being John Malkovich" is tongue-in-cheek, playful, glum, and, ultimately, a wonderfully mind-bending experience.

Memories are malleable, and in Michel Gondry's romantic science-fiction drama "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004), even erasable. This film features another great dramatic performance from comedy genius Jim Carrey, who plays Joel, a man who's heartbroken after breaking up with his manic-pixie ex-girlfriend Clementine, played brilliantly by Kate Winslet. After Joel learns that Clementine has had her memories of him erased, Joel decides to undergo the same procedure to forget her in turn. 

The memory-erasing procedure is done at night and forces the patient to re-experience their memories through dreams. With a cast that also includes Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, and Elijah Wood as employees of Lacuna Inc., the clinic responsible for the procedure, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is a wonderful reimagination of the romantic comedy genre. It's a labyrinthine story woven out of Joel's memories, with reality-bending practical effects in addition to a rich, non-linear narrative.