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Tron poster

Movies that feel likeTron (1982)

When brilliant video game maker Flynn hacks the mainframe of his ex-employer, he is beamed inside an astonishing digital world and becomes part of the very game he is designing. In his mission through cyberspace, Flynn matches wits with a maniacal Master Control Program and teams up with Tron, a security measure created to bring balance to the digital environment.

If you loved Tron, the closest films we have are Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Logan's Run (1976) and eXistenZ (1999). All three share Tron's cerebral and kinetic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024).

πŸ… 61% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.7 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Steven Lisbergercerebralkineticepicbleak
8 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Hulu

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If Tron hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: TRON: Legacy (2010)

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome poster
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
1985 Β· dir. George Miller
πŸ… 80%β˜… 6.2action Β· adventure Β· science fiction

Both are built on the same subject: dystopia

Mad Max becomes a pawn in a decadent oasis of a technological society, and when exiled, becomes the deliverer of a colony of children.

Logan's Run poster
Logan's Run
1976 Β· dir. Michael Anderson
πŸ… 58%β˜… 6.8action Β· science fiction

The same preoccupation in both: utopia

The difference: Takes it somewhere less epic than Tron does

In the 23rd century, inhabitants of a domed city freely experience all of life's pleasures β€” but no one is allowed to live past 30. Citizens can try for a chance at being "renewed" in a civic ceremony on their 30th birthday. Escape is the only other option.

eXistenZ poster
eXistenZ
1999 Β· dir. David Cronenberg
πŸ… 77%β˜… 6.8action Β· thriller Β· science fiction

Two things both keep coming back to: hacker and video game

The difference: Trades the scale of Tron for an angle of its own

A game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes poster
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
2024 Β· dir. Wes Ball
πŸ… 80%β˜… 6.8science fiction Β· adventure Β· actionPrime Video

Common ground: dystopia

The difference: 42 years apart, and the 2020s show

Several generations following Caesar's reign, apes – now the dominant species – live harmoniously while humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all he's known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.

Eastern Condors poster
Eastern Condors
1987 Β· dir. Sammo Hung
β˜… 7.1action Β· adventure Β· war

Both land momentum and scale at once

The difference: Leans harder into war than Tron does

A motley group of Chinese prisoners held in the US is sent on a covert mission with the promise of a pardon: to go deep into Vietnam and destroy a secret depot of missiles that the US left behind during the pull-out.

The War of the Worlds poster
The War of the Worlds
1953 Β· dir. Byron Haskin
β˜… 7science fiction Β· action

The same mix in both: ideas, then bleakness

The residents of a small town are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills, until they discover it is the first of many transport devices from Mars bringing an army of invaders invincible to any man-made weapon, even the atomic bomb.

The 5th Wave poster
The 5th Wave
2016 Β· dir. J Blakeson
πŸ… 16%β˜… 5.2science fiction Β· adventure Β· actionNetflix

Cerebral science fiction in both cases

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

16-year-old Cassie Sullivan tries to survive in a world devastated by the waves of an alien invasion that has already decimated the population and knocked mankind back to the Stone Age.

The Running Man poster
The Running Man
1987 Β· dir. Paul Michael Glaser
πŸ… 59%β˜… 6.6action Β· thriller Β· science fictionParamount+Starz

Both lean on momentum more than on action

By 2017, the global economy has collapsed and U.S. society has become a totalitarian police state, censoring all cultural activity. The government pacifies the populace by broadcasting a number of game shows in which convicted criminals fight for their lives, including the gladiator-style The Running Man, hosted by the ruthless Damon Killian, where β€œrunners” attempt to evade β€œstalkers” and certain death for a chance to be pardoned and set free.

JUNG_E poster
JUNG_E
2023 Β· dir. Yeon Sang-ho
πŸ… 52%β˜… 5.5science fiction Β· action Β· adventureNetflix

Adventure built on scale, twice over

On an uninhabitable 22nd-century Earth, the outcome of a civil war hinges on cloning the brain of an elite soldier to create a robot mercenary.

Escape from New York poster
Escape from New York
1981 Β· dir. John Carpenter
πŸ… 70%β˜… 7.1action Β· thriller Β· science fiction

Science fiction with a pulse of bleakness, in both cases

In a world ravaged by crime, the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a walled prison where brutal prisoners roam free. After the US president crash-lands inside, war hero Snake Plissken has 24 hours to bring him back.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 poster
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
2015 Β· dir. Francis Lawrence
πŸ… 70%β˜… 6.6action Β· adventure Β· science fictionHulu

Cerebral action, and it commits to that

As the war between the Capitol and the districts reaches its peak, Katniss Everdeen embarks on a perilous mission to liberate Panem and confront President Snow. Joined by a team of trusted allies, she navigates deadly traps, shifting loyalties, and the heavy cost of rebellion, determined to bring freedom to her people and end the Hunger Games once and for all.

Pacific Rim poster
Pacific Rim
2013 Β· dir. Guillermo del Toro
πŸ… 72%β˜… 6.9action Β· science fiction Β· adventure

Kinetic adventure, and it commits to that

Using massive piloted robots to combat the alien threat, Earth's survivors take the fight to the invading alien force lurking in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless enemy, the forces of mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes who now stand as Earth's final hope against the mounting apocalypse.

In the mood for more cerebral?

all cerebral movies β†’

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