Best movies like Returner
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
After an alien invasion threatens to annihilate the human race, a young Japanese girl, named Milly (Anne Suzuki), travels back in time from 2084 to October 2002, and enlists the reluctant aid of skilled Tokyo gunman, named Miyamoto (Takeshi Kaneshiro), to discover and prevent the start of the war. However, trouble ensues when the two protagonists are forced to deal with a Japanese mafia boss, named Mizoguchi (Goro Kishitani), who is somehow involved in the start of the war by keeping the first alien spaceship and its alien pilot captive, while our two heroes race against the clock to find a way to stop the oncoming destruction from the vengeance-seeking alien invasion fleet on its way to Earth.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, cult classic, stylized, futuristic, exciting, apocalyptic, scenic, cyber, serious, fast
Best tv shows and movies like Returner (2002):
Similar in 78%
The Day the Earth Stopped (2008)
Plot Summary:
Hundreds of massive intergalactic robots appear in all of the world's major capitals with an ultimatum: Prove the value of human civilization or be destroyed.
IMDB Rating: 2.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: rough, suspenseful, bleak, mockbuster, apocalyptic, serious, disaster movie
Similar in 76%
Alien Apocalypse (2005)
Plot Summary:
An astronaut doctor Ivan Hood and his fellow astronaut Kelly return from their mission in space to find the world has been taken over by aliens. Now Dr. Ivan Hood and Kelly must lead a revolution to free the human slaves from their alien masters.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: suspense, futuristic, suspenseful, apocalyptic, exciting, captivating, grindhouse, offbeat, humorous, semi serious
Similar in 85%
Gangland (2001)
Plot Summary:
In post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, an evil pack of outlaws is systematically turning civilians into prisoners and slaves. Worse yet, the spread of a terrifying deadly flesh-eating virus threatens to destroy all of humanity. As good and evil ferociously battle for power and control, three heroes race against time to find the cure for the virus... before it's too late.
IMDB Rating: 2.9
IMDB Votes: 638
Genere: Action, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: rough, bleak, serious, independent film, fast, futuristic
Similar in 75%
Cherry 2000 (1987)
Plot Summary:
When successful businessman Sam Treadwell finds that his android wife, Cherry model 2000 has blown a fuse, he hires sexy renegade tracker E. Johnson to find her exact duplicate. But as their journey to replace his perfect mate leads them into the treacherous and lawless region of 'The Zone', Treadwell learns the hard way that the perfect woman is made not of computer chips and diodes.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: exciting, cult classic, apocalyptic, grindhouse, futuristic, road movie, psychotronic, tech noir, cyber, serious
Similar in 78%
The Gene Generation (2007)
Plot Summary:
In a futuristic world, Michelle lives everyday battling with DNA Hackers who use their skills to hack into people's bodies and kill them. She is an assassin, trying to keep her younger brother, Jackie, out of trouble. When Jackie gets involved in a petty crime of robbery, he propels himself into the world of DNA Hackers, Shylocks (Loan Sharks) and Gangs.
IMDB Rating: 4.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Sci-Fi
Country: Singapore, South Korea, USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, stylized, bleak, cyber, futuristic, apocalyptic, action adventure, neo noir
Similar in 77%
Ultra Warrior (1990)
Plot Summary:
After the nuclear holocaust, one man rises from the ashes to become the leader of a ragged gang of survivors. They soon discover that their greatest challenge is yet to come; they must fight a battle for the ages against the evil minions of The Bishop.
IMDB Rating: 1.9
IMDB Votes: 866
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: Peru, USA
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: apocalyptic, independent film, tense, bleak, serious, futuristic
Similar in 83%
Nemesis 2: Nebula (1995)
Plot Summary:
It has been 73 years since Alex failed and the Humans lost the Cyborg Wars. Since then, the Humans have been enslaved. Scientists have developed a new DNA strain, which could signal the end of the Cyborgs, and they inject it into a volunteer. When the Cyborgs learn of the woman and the baby they list both for termination.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: futuristic, apocalyptic, psychotronic, independent film, exciting, bleak, serious, suspenseful, fast, surprise ending
Similar in 88%
A.P.E.X. (1994)
Plot Summary:
A time-travel experiment in which a robot probe is sent from the year 2073 to the year 1973 goes terribly wrong thrusting one of the project scientists,into a plague ravaged alternate time-line whose war weary inhabitants are locked in a constant battle with killer robots from the future.
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: futuristic, psychotronic, tech noir, independent film, serious
Similar in 75%
Philadelphia Experiment II (1993)
Plot Summary:
It is several years after the events of the first movie, and David Herdeg (the survivor of the Philadelphia Experiment from the first film) and Allison (the woman from 1984 he fell in love with) have married and have a child. David awakes, in agony, to a changed world. Germany won World War II and the United States is now about to mark 50 years as a Nazi conquest.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: independent film, dark, mind bending, offbeat, serious, futuristic, stylized
Similar in 90%
Ben 10: Race Against Time (2007)
Plot Summary:
"Ben 10: Race Against Time" has Ben back in his hometown of Bellwood. Even though he's back in school and leaving his hero adventures behind him, it seems that Ben will be facing his greatest challenge yet.
IMDB Rating: 4.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 67 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, exciting, captivating, scenic, action adventure, independent film, fast, surprise ending, psychotronic
Similar in 82%
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)
Plot Summary:
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired. The film and series were developed by Glen A. Larson and Leslie Stevens, based upon the character Buck Rogers created in 1928 by Philip Francis Nowlan that had previously been featured in comic strips, novellas, a serial film, and on television and radio.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, exciting, semi serious, touching, saga, tense, captivating, uplifting, epic, apocalyptic
Similar in 90%
Time Runner (1993)
Plot Summary:
During the alien invasion of 2022, one man flees through a wormhole to 1992, where attempt after attempt is made to catch and kill him.
IMDB Rating: 4.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, tense, psychotronic, independent film, fast, surprise ending, weird
Similar in 83%
Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
Plot Summary:
A young farmer assembles a band of diverse mercenaries to defend his peaceful planet from an evil tyrant.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: futuristic, humorous, independent film, stylized, exciting, psychotronic, grindhouse, cult classic, art house, offbeat
Similar in 86%
Space Battleship Yamato (2010)
Plot Summary:
In 2199, five years after the Gamilons began an invasion of Earth, the planet has been ravaged by the aliens' bombs. The remnants of humanity have fled underground to escape the irradiated surface. One day, former pilot Susumu Kodai discovers a capsule sent from the planet Iscandar that tells of a device that can remove the radiation from the Earth's surface. The Earth Defense Force rebuilds the battleship Yamato with a new type of propulsion system to make the 148,000 light year trip to Iscandar in hopes of saving the Earth. Within one year, the radiation will drive the rest of humanity to extinction.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, futuristic, suspenseful, captivating, stylized, anime, mecha
Similar in 90%
Godzilla 2000 (1999)
Plot Summary:
Godzilla saves Tokyo from a flying saucer that transforms into the beast Orga.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: exciting, stylized, suspense, serious, suspenseful, daikaiju, natural horror, psychotronic, light, humorous
Similar in 75%
Natural City (2003)
Plot Summary:
Two cops, R and Noma, hunt down renegade cyborgs. Cyborgs are used as commandos by the military, as lust objects and for companionship. Normaly they have a limited lifespan of three years but black market technology is being developed to be able to transfer a cyborg's artificial intelligence into human host. This drives R to find a suitable host for his expiring cyborg Ria.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, cyber, exciting, bleak, serious, stylized, intellectual, experimental, apocalyptic, grindhouse
Similar in 75%
Defense Condition 4 (1985)
Plot Summary:
Two men and a woman circle the globe in a satellite armed with a nuclear device. The third world war breaks out, and a few months later the satellite crashes. They survive the crash but one man gets killed by survivors and the other man gets caught. The woman stays by the remains of the the satellite but is soon caught by evil punks who have taken power.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Sci-Fi
Country: Canada
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: apocalyptic, suspense, action adventure, independent film, exciting, bleak, serious, futuristic, suspenseful, unusual plot structure
Similar in 90%
Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008)
Plot Summary:
The war against the Bugs continues! A Federation Starship crash-lands on the distant Alien planet OM-1, stranding beloved leader Sky Marshal Anoke and several others, including comely but tough pilot Lola Beck. It's up to Colonel/General Johnny Rico, reluctant hero of the original Bug Invasion on Planet P, to lead a team of Troopers on a daring rescue mission.
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, South Africa, Germany
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: futuristic, absurd, exciting, semi serious, psychotronic, action adventure, suspense, epic, saga, lovecraft
Similar in 76%
Retrograde (2004)
Plot Summary:
Two time travelers with opposing views are sent back to the present aboard a research ship in the Antarctic to prevent a global biological disaster from occuring.
IMDB Rating: 3.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Sci-Fi
Country: Luxembourg, Italy, UK, USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: serious, futuristic, suspenseful, stylized, suspense, apocalyptic, cult classic, fast, surprise ending, independent film
Similar in 78%
Battlefield Earth (2000)
Plot Summary:
In the year 3000, man is no match for the Psychlos, a greedy, manipulative race of aliens on a quest for ultimate profit. Led by the powerful Terl, the Psychlos are stripping Earth clean of its natural resources, using the broken remnants of humanity as slaves. What is left of the human race has descended into a near primitive state. After being captured, it is up to Tyler to save mankind.
IMDB Rating: 2.5
IMDB Votes: 82000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: futuristic, exciting, suspenseful, stylized, apocalyptic, cult classic, controversial, serious, psychotronic, suspense
Similar in 81%
Stargate SG-1 (1997)
Plot Summary:
The story of Stargate SG-1 begins about a year after the events of the feature film, when the United States government learns that an ancient alien device called the Stargate can access a network of such devices on a multitude of planets. SG-1 is an elite Air Force special operations team, one of more than two dozen teams from Earth who explore the galaxy and defend against alien threats such as the Goa'uld, Replicators, and the Ori.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 99000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, atmospheric, serious, epic, captivating, funny, retro, uplifting, saga
Similar in 80%
Lost in Space (1998)
Plot Summary:
The prospects for continuing life on Earth in the year 2058 are grim. So the Robinsons are launched into space to colonize Alpha Prime, the only other inhabitable planet in the galaxy. But when a stowaway sabotages the mission, the Robinsons find themselves hurtling through uncharted space.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 74000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: exciting, surreal, stylized, surprise ending, entertaining, futuristic, uplifting, epic, suspense, saga
Similar in 82%
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)
Plot Summary:
Capt. William "Buck" Rogers is a jovial space cowboy who is accidentally time-warped from 1987 to 2491. Earth is engaged in interplanetary war following a global holocaust, and Buck's piloting skills make him an ideal starfighter recruit for the Earth Defense Directorate, where his closest colleagues are Dr. Huer (Tim O'Connor), squadron leader Col. Wilma Deering (former model Erin Gray, looking oh-so-foxy), the wisecracking robot Twiki (voiced by cartoon legend Mel Blanc), and a portable computer-brain named Dr. Theopolis, who's carried by Twiki like oversized bling-bling.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: psychotronic, uplifting, saga, cult classic, futuristic, exciting, atmospheric, serious, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 76%
Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers (2002)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: light, futuristic, stylized, bleak, serious, suspenseful, exciting, intellectual, epic, saga
Similar in 89%
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Plot Summary:
It's been 10 years since John Connor saved Earth from Judgment Day, and he's now living under the radar, steering clear of using anything Skynet can trace. That is, until he encounters T-X, a robotic assassin ordered to finish what T-1000 started. Good thing Connor's former nemesis, the Terminator, is back to aid the now-adult Connor … just like he promised.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 415000
Genere: Action, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Germany, UK
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: futuristic, exciting, suspense, apocalyptic, action packed, serious, suspenseful, intense, action adventure, saga
Similar in 88%
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 374000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Germany, UK, Italy
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: futuristic, intense, serious, apocalyptic, action packed, exciting, suspense, rough, bleak, suspenseful
Similar in 90%
The Time Machine (2002)
Plot Summary:
Hoping to alter the events of the past, a 19th century inventor instead travels 800,000 years into the future, where he finds humankind divided into two warring races.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 129000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, United Arab Emirates
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: futuristic, exciting, atmospheric, serious, stylized, psychotronic, thought provoking, suspense, apocalyptic, smart
Similar in 89%
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Plot Summary:
The Borg, a relentless race of cyborgs, are on a direct course for Earth. Violating orders to stay away from the battle, Captain Picard and the crew of the newly-commissioned USS Enterprise E pursue the Borg back in time to prevent the invaders from changing Federation history and assimilating the galaxy.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 131000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: futuristic, epic, saga, exciting, apocalyptic, anamorphic, sentimental, intellectual, cult classic, action adventure
Similar in 79%
Oblivion (2013)
Plot Summary:
Jack Harper is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete. His existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 547000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: futuristic, mind bending, captivating, suspense, visually appealing, apocalyptic, exciting, mindfuck, visually stunning, tense
Similar in 84%
The Fifth Element (1997)
Plot Summary:
In 2257, a taxi driver is unintentionally given the task of saving a young girl who is part of the key that will ensure the survival of humanity.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 497000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: France, UK
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: futuristic, visually stunning, breathtaking, exciting, cult classic, colorful, entertaining, visual, cyber, surreal