Saagar Kote
‘Inception’ unfolds in a world where a specialized device allows people to enter and share dreams. This technology turns Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) into a master extractor, someone who slips into another person’s subconscious to uncover hidden information for powerful, wealthy clients. Cobb relies on this skill for corporate espionage, yet unresolved circumstances keep him from returning to the US and seeing his family. His only chance at redemption comes from Saito (Ken Watanabe), a wealthy businessman who offers Cobb a way home, but only if he completes a task no extractor has ever achieved.
Instead of stealing an idea, Cobb must plant one inside the mind of Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), heir to a powerful corporation. Cobb assembles a team to attempt the dangerous mission, and as they move deeper into shared dreams, each member faces challenges that push their abilities to the limit. Stuck in multiple levels of dreams, Cobb and the team must find a way to succeed, even if it means altering the rules of dream-sharing. Penned and helmed by the visionary Christopher Nolan, the sci-fi action film is often considered a pathbreaking work in the genre. These movies on Netflix, similar to ‘Inception,’ intricately navigate mind-bending concepts, technological advancements, and futuristic scenarios.
12. iBoy (2017)
Directed by Adam Randall, ‘iBoy’ is based on Kevin Brooks’ novel of the same name. It follows Tom (Bill Milner), a shy teenager living in a rough part of London, who is caught in a violent gang attack while trying to protect his friend Lucy (Maisie Williams). Shot during the chaos, he awakens from a coma to discover fragments of his smartphone embedded in his brain. What begins as static noise in his head soon evolves into extraordinary powers. Tom can now hack into digital networks, control electronic systems, and manipulate devices with his mind.
Struggling to adjust to his new life, he adopts the name “iBoy” and turns his abilities against the gang responsible for the assault and seeks justice for Lucy and himself. The movie’s technological aspects, combined with its futuristic concepts and intrigue about the human brain, connect it to the world and characters of ‘Inception.’ The British sci-fi film is streaming on Netflix.
11. The Adam Project (2022)
‘The Adam Project’ deals with the journey of Adam Reed (Ryan Reynolds), a seasoned pilot carrying the weight of grief. He travels back in time on a mission that could risk altering the future. Wounded and hiding in a garage, he crosses paths with his 12‑year‑old self (Walker Scobell), a boy still grieving the loss of their father. Reluctantly, the older Adam realizes that to succeed, he must work alongside the younger one, despite their clashing personalities. Together, they journey further into the past, where they reunite with their father, Louis Reed (Mark Ruffalo), and confront a powerful adversary intent on exploiting time travel.
For the older Adam, the mission is not only about saving the world but also offering both versions of himself a chance to heal. Crafted by Shawn Levy, the sci‑fi action film, much like ‘Inception,’ explores how technological advancement and manipulation of temporal laws can change human destiny while delving into the deeply held emotions of characters in crisis. Enjoy it here.
10. See You Yesterday (2019)
‘See You Yesterday‘ centers on Brooklyn teenagers Claudette Walker, AKA C.J. (Eden Duncan-Smith), and Sebastian Thomas (Danté Crichlow), two gifted science prodigies, who spend their free time developing homemade backpacks that make time travel possible. After C.J.’s brother Calvin is wrongfully killed by a police officer, she refuses to accept his fate and uses her invention to travel back in time with Sebastian in an attempt to save him. While they repeatedly try to change the events surrounding Calvin’s death, they discover that altering the past comes at a price.
What begins as a desperate effort to prevent a tragic loss soon becomes a race against the unpredictable and dangerous consequences of time travel. Shaped by the vision of Stefon Bristol, the sci‑fi film is an adaptation of his eponymous short film. While ‘Inception’ is about planting an idea to ensure that future events take place, ‘See You Yesterday’ offers a twist on this idea and depicts a scenario where a past tragedy plays a pivotal role in affecting the actions of characters during a sensitive time-travel mission. The story unfolds here.
9. Lucy (2014)
In ‘Lucy,’ what begins as a simple delivery job takes a terrifying turn when Lucy (Scarlett Johansson), a young American living in Taipei, is forced to deliver a locked briefcase to a drug kingpin. The kingpin’s gang makes her a mule for a powerful synthetic drug called CPH4. When the package hidden inside her body accidentally leaks, Lucy undergoes extraordinary physical and mental changes, unlocking abilities beyond anything she could have imagined. Her powers continue to grow, and she sets out to take revenge on those who exploited and tortured her while searching for the remaining drugs.
Along the way, she is aided by Professor Samuel Norman (Morgan Freeman), a leading expert on the human mind, and French police captain Pierre Del Rio (Amr Waked), while she pursues a goal that soon becomes greater than revenge. Penned and helmed by Luc Besson, the English-language French sci-fi action film is a riveting ride. The overwhelming capacities of the human brain are at the very heart of the narrative, which echoes the themes of ‘Inception.’ Characters in both films face unprecedented scenarios in which mental balance and psychological factors become decisive for their survival. The engaging movie is available on Netflix.
8. Upgrade (2018)
‘Upgrade’ is set in a near future where technology dominates every aspect of daily life. Grey Trace (Logan Marshall‑Green), a traditional mechanic resistant to modern machines, finds himself increasingly out of place in this digital world. His life shatters when a late‑night drive with his wife, Asha, ends tragically after an attack. The self‑driving car crashes, and Grey watches Asha die. Left a quadriplegic and consumed by grief, Grey struggles while the police fail to identify the attackers. This is when tech mogul Eron Keen (Harrison Gilbertson) offers him a microchip implant, which can reconnect his brain and body.
Grey reluctantly agrees, and the procedure restores his mobility, but the cure comes with consequences. Grey hunts those responsible for Asha’s death and soon discovers that the microchip’s power may be far more dangerous than his loss. Written and directed by Leigh Whannell, the US-Australian action thriller film is a mind-bending story. A grieving husband, a nearly impossible technology, corporate interests, futuristic settings, chases, and a sense of unpredictability are common between ‘Upgrade’ and ‘Inception.’ It can be streamed here.
7. Paradise (2023)
‘Paradise’ chronicles the struggles of Max (Kostja Ullmann), an employee at AEON, the biotech company that has revolutionized society by enabling people to transfer years of their lifespan to others. His loyalty to the corporation is shattered when his wife Elena (Marlene Tanczik) is forced to surrender forty years of her life to settle an insurance debt. Max’s life becomes a desperate struggle to reclaim what was stolen, as he uncovers that AEON’s powerful CEO harbors a personal interest in Elena. Max and Elena are thrust into a perilous pursuit that challenges not only their survival but also the morality of a system built on commodifying time.
Boris Kunz is at the creative helm of this German sci-fi thriller film. Time and its relation to human life are central to the plot in this film, akin to ‘Inception.’ The films comment on the power of technology to dictate the fate of unassuming individuals, while also delving into the hidden insecurities and emotions of the complex characters. The journey unfolds on Netflix.
6. In the Shadow of the Moon (2019)
Crafted by Jim Mickle, ‘In the Shadow of the Moon’ follows Philadelphia police officer Thomas Lockhart (Boyd Holbrook), whose desire to be promoted to detective entangles him in a case that defies reason. In 1988, he pursues a mysterious woman tied to a string of bizarre murders, only for the investigation to seemingly close with her death. Nearly a decade later, the killings happen again with the same pattern, and Lockhart is stunned to find that the suspect is the same one from the past. The murders happen in the same way every nine years, which deepens Lockhart’s obsession as he becomes convinced that the killer is moving through time.
For the cop, the pursuit becomes a journey of attempting to prove the impossible. When the murderer reappears, he seizes his final chance to confront her and solve the case for good. The sci-fi thriller film, through its harrowing portrayal of obsession, mind games, inexplicable scenarios, and enigmatic characters, is spiritually related to ‘Inception.’ The films also feature impressive visual aesthetics, which make them more engaging. You may watch it here.
5. Homunculus (2021)
‘Homunculus’ or ‘Homunkurusu’ is a Japanese mystery drama film brought to life by Takashi Shimizu and adapted from the eponymous manga written and illustrated by Hideo Yamamoto. It follows Susumu Nokoshi (Go Ayano), a man who once thrived in the corporate world but now drifts through life as an unhoused man in Shinjuku. His mundane reality takes a disturbing turn when a medical student, Manabu Ito (Ryu Ito), persuades him to undergo trepanation, a radical procedure that drills into the skull, in exchange for money. After the surgery, he discovers that closing his right eye allows him to see distorted forms hidden within the people around him.
Susumu begins interacting with those carrying trauma and darkness within their subconscious, and the line between truth and illusion gradually starts to blur. Both ‘Homunculus’ and ‘Inception’ explore the hidden workings of the human mind as characters gain access to possibilities that only a few can truly perceive. The characters of the films are forced to confront psychological truths and uncover secrets at the same time. It can be found on Netflix.
4. Archive (2020)
‘Archive’ is set in 2038, where human consciousness can be preserved after death. George Almore (Theo James), a research engineer, secretly develops a human‑equivalent android with the hidden purpose of reuniting with his late wife Jules, whose memories are now preserved. As his prototype nears completion, George conceals his project from the corporation that employs him. But the closer he comes to success, the greater the risk that the company will shut him down. Torn between forbidden love and scientific ambition, George races against time to perfect his creation, confronting the ethical and emotional consequences of resurrecting the past through machines.
Penned and brought to life by Gavin Rothery, the British sci-fi film is an examination of the consequences of meddling with time and fate. This theme, along with the presence of a grieving husband, hidden motives, and inexplicable technological advancements, connects the narrative to the world and characters of ‘Inception.’ You can enjoy it here.
3. Anon (2018)
‘Anon’ is set in the near future, where everyone has a biosynthetic chip that records everything they see and experience. The recordings are stored in a digital network that police can access, allowing detective Sal Frieland (Clive Owen) to solve crimes by viewing events through the eyes of victims and witnesses. But when a series of murders leaves behind recordings that have been tampered with, Sal finds himself investigating a case unlike any he has faced before. His search leads him to Anon (Amanda Seyfried), a mysterious hacker who helps people hide their digital identities and erase evidence of their actions. When Sal closes in on the truth, he becomes caught in a dangerous game of deception. After his own vision is hacked, he can no longer tell what is real, forcing him to uncover the killer before he loses everything.
Written and helmed by Andrew Niccol, the thriller film is engaging and unpredictable. The movie captures the essence of ‘Inception’ by navigating how human memories and perceptions can be altered and interfered with through the power of technology. In both films, characters are relentlessly driven to succeed in their missions while also facing scarred memories and struggling to come to terms with reality. The movie can be watched on Netflix.
2. Mirage (2018)
With Oriol Paulo behind the lens, ‘Mirage’ or ‘Durante la tormenta’ is a Spanish mystery-drama film that intertwines two timelines shaped by a mysterious electrical storm. In 1989, twelve‑year‑old Nico Lasarte (Julio Bohigas‑Couto) witnesses his neighbor’s murder, but dies in a car accident while fleeing. Twenty‑five years later, nurse Vera Roy (Adriana Ugarte) moves with her husband David (Álvaro Morte) and their daughter into Nico’s former home. When another similar electrical storm hits, Vera connects with Nico through an old TV and warns him of his fate.
Saving him alters history, and she awakens in a reality where her daughter no longer exists, and her life is unrecognizable. The storm continues, and Vera races to uncover the truth and restore her family before time runs out. While ‘Inception’ relies on technology and futuristic settings to place its characters in seemingly impossible temporal scenarios, ‘Mirage’ does the same through the connection of souls, time, natural phenomena, and destiny. It is available to stream here.
1. Lucid Dream (2017)
‘Lucid Dream’ or ‘Loosideu deurim’ revolves around Choi Dae-ho (Go Soo), an investigative journalist whose young son is kidnapped at a theme park. After spending three years searching without success and giving up his career in the process, Dae-ho turns to an unusual method suggested by his psychiatrist and friend, So-hyun (Kang Hye-jung). Through lucid dreaming, Dae-ho learns to enter and control his dreams, hoping to recover memories buried deep in his mind. Joined by a detective and So-hyun, Dae-ho follows a trail of clues hidden within his dreams, piecing together the truth behind his son’s disappearance.
The investigation unfolds, and he encounters unexpected challenges that may alter his life. Much like ‘Inception,’ the movie delves deeply into the concept of entering the dreamspace and witnessing the events within it to achieve a specific objective. The characters in both films, while in dreams, face unprecedented psychological challenges that threaten the success of their missions. Written and directed by Kim Joon-sung, the Korean sci-fi mystery thriller film is available on Netflix.
Read More: Inception Ending Explained
You must be logged in to post a comment.