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Movies that feel likeReturn (2008)

Polish animator Anna Błaszczyk’s humorous short—a collage of drawing, cut-out, and computer animation—was inspired by Stanisław Lem’s 1961 novel Return from the Stars, a time-paradox tale of an astronaut who returns to Earth after many years away.

If you loved Return, the closest films we have are Summer Wars (2009), Prospect (2018) and The Congress (2013). All three share Return's cerebral feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is LFO (2013).

★ 6.7 IMDbTMDB ↗dir. Anna Błaszczykcerebral
8 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video

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See it on the Mood Map

If Return hit the spot, these will too

Summer Wars poster
Summer Wars
2009 · dir. Mamoru Hosoda
🍅 81%★ 7.4animation · science fictionMax

Both lean on ideas more than on animation

Teenage math whiz Kenji Koiso agrees to take a summer job at the Nagano hometown of his crush, Natsuki. When he arrives, he finds that her family have reunited to celebrate the 90th birthday of their matriarch. His job: pretend to be Natsuki's fiancé. Meanwhile, his attempt to solve a mathematical equation causes a parallel world's collision with Earth.

Prospect poster
Prospect
2018 · dir. Zeek Earl
🍅 89%★ 6.3science fictionHulu

Cerebral science fiction in both cases

A teenage girl and her father travel to a remote alien moon, aiming to strike it rich. They've secured a contract to harvest a large deposit of the elusive gems hidden in the depths of the moon's toxic forest. But there are others roving the wilderness and the job quickly devolves into a fight to survive.

The Congress poster
The Congress
2013 · dir. Ari Folman
🍅 71%★ 6.4drama · science fiction · animationRent or buy

Animation with a pulse of ideas, in both cases

The difference: Leans harder into drama than Return does

An aging, out-of-work actress accepts one last job, though the consequences of her decision affect her in ways she didn't consider.

LFO poster
LFO
2013 · dir. Antonio Tublén
🍅 100%★ 6.6drama · science fiction

Both working the same science fiction territory

LFO is a dark comedy/drama/Sci-Fi about a man who realizes that he can hypnotise with sound. He starts experimenting on his neighbors, where the abuse of power takes over and, eventually, severe consequences for mankind are at stake.

Little Joe poster
Little Joe
2019 · dir. Jessica Hausner
🍅 66%★ 5.8drama · science fiction

Science fiction of the same temperament

Alice, a single mother who is more dedicated to her work as a genetic engineer than to her teenage son Joe, develops a new variety of flower that is supposed to have the ability to make its owner happy thanks to its special chemical properties.

Krrish poster
Krrish
2006 · dir. Rakesh Roshan
🍅 88%★ 6.5action · science fiction

Both are science fiction through and through

In Singapore, Krishna is forced by circumstances to use his superpowers and become a masked superhero named Krrish, before getting drawn towards his lost legacy.

Born in Flames poster
Born in Flames
1983 · dir. Lizzie Borden
🍅 89%★ 6.6drama · science fiction

Both know what they want from science fiction

The difference: 25 years apart, and the 1980s show

In near-future New York, ten years after the “social-democratic war of liberation,” diverse groups of women organize a feminist uprising as equality remains unfulfilled.

Another Earth poster
Another Earth
2011 · dir. Mike Cahill
🍅 66%★ 6.9drama · science fiction

The science fiction is handled with the same confidence

On the night a duplicate Earth is discovered in the solar system, the lives of a young woman and an accomplished composer become tragically connected after a fatal accident.

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods poster
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
2013 · dir. Masahiro Hosoda
🍅 89%★ 7.1animation · action · science fictionNetflixHulu

Animation in the same key

After the defeat of Majin Buu, a powerful God of Destruction known as Beerus searches for the Saiyan warrior who defeated Frieza. Realizing the threat Beerus poses to Earth, the Z-fighters must stop him. Only Goku, humanity’s last hope, can ascend to the level of a legendary Super Saiyan God and save the planet, and possibly the entire universe!

The Man from Earth poster
The Man from Earth
2007 · dir. Richard Schenkman
🍅 100%★ 7.8science fiction · dramaPrime Video

Both play science fiction straight

A departing professor gathers his closest colleagues for an intimate farewell, but the night takes an unexpected turn when he shares a stunning secret about his past. As the conversation unfolds, skepticism and curiosity collide, challenging everything they thought they knew about history, science, and belief.

Paradise poster
Paradise
2023 · dir. Boris Kunz
🍅 100%★ 6.3science fiction · thrillerNetflix

The same science fiction instincts

A man sees the dark side of the time-manipulating biotech company he works for when a crushing debt forces his wife to give up 40 years of her own life.

I Origins poster
I Origins
2014 · dir. Mike Cahill
🍅 51%★ 7.3science fiction · drama

Cut from the same science fiction cloth

A molecular biologist's study of the human eye has far-reaching implications about humanity's scientific and spiritual beliefs.

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The best-reviewed films that share Return’s defining feeling.