50 Movies Like Tenet (2020) You Need to Watch Next
Updated August 2026
View Tenet details →Christopher Nolan's 2020 thriller sends its unnamed Protagonist into a twilight world of international espionage, armed with a single word and the survival of the entire world at stake. As the mission unfolds in something beyond ordinary time, the film turns physics itself into a plot mechanism, demanding close attention and rewarding a second viewing. It's cold, cerebral and relentlessly kinetic, prioritizing structure and spectacle over easy emotion. Best for viewers who relish a puzzle-box narrative and don't mind holding questions until the pieces click. Come for the audacious set pieces and inverted action; stay for a globe-trotting brainteaser that never slows down.
If you loved Tenet (2020) by Christopher Nolan, here are 50 movies that share its content DNA. iRankMovies measures real similarity using cosine similarity across eight weighted dimensions — genre (50%), tone (12%), pace (10%), structure (8%), era (7%), theme (6%), audience (4%) and narrative perspective (3%) — not just the rating. The closest matches according to our analysis are Déjà Vu, Next, 57 Seconds. Every title is ranked by how closely it matches and backed by the iRank Score, a composite of IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and TMDb across 12,000+ analysed titles.
The Best Movies Similar to Tenet
Selected for their real similarity in content, these are the movies that share the most with Tenet in terms of theme, narrative tone, and cinematic style. Every recommendation goes beyond genre — we evaluate the type of conflict, pacing, dramatic context, and the experience they create for viewers.
Déjà Vu
2006 · Tony Scott
Called in to recover evidence in the aftermath of a horrific explosion on a New Orleans ferry, Federal agent Doug Carlin gets pulled away from the scene and taken to a top-secret government lab that u
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
Next
2007 · Lee Tamahori
Las Vegas showroom magician Cris Johnson has a secret which torments him: he can see a few minutes into the future. Sick of the examinations he underwent as a child and the interest of the government
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
57 Seconds
2023 · Rusty Cundieff
When a tech blogger lands an interview with a tech guru and stops an attack on him, he finds a mysterious ring that takes him back 57 seconds into the past.
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
The One
2001 · James Wong
A sheriff's deputy fights an alternate universe version of himself who grows stronger with each alternate self he kills.
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
2003 · Jonathan Mostow
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
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
The Terminator
1984 · James Cameron
In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgen
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
The Butterfly Effect
2004 · J. Mackye Gruber
A young man struggles to access sublimated childhood memories. He finds a technique that allows him to travel back into the past, to occupy his childhood body and change history. However, he soon find
In common: Science Fiction · Thriller
Predestination
2014 · Michael Spierig
Predestination chronicles the life of a Temporal Agent sent on an intricate series of time-travel journeys designed to prevent future killers from committing their crimes. Now, on his final assignment
In common: Science Fiction · Thriller
Lucy
2014 · Luc Besson
A woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.
In common: Action · Science Fiction
Godzilla
1998 · Roland Emmerich
French nuclear tests irradiate an iguana into a giant monster that viciously attacks freighter ships in the Pacific Ocean. A team of experts, including Niko Tatopoulos, conclude that the oversized rep
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
Self/less
2015 · Tarsem Singh
An extremely wealthy elderly man dying from cancer undergoes a radical medical procedure that transfers his consciousness to the body of a healthy young man but everything may not be as good as it see
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
Spectral
2016 · Nic Mathieu
A special-ops team is dispatched to fight supernatural beings that have taken over a European city.
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
Left Behind
2014 · Vic Armstrong
A small group of survivors are left behind after millions of people suddenly vanish during the rapture and the world is plunged into chaos and destruction.
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
Apex
2021 · Edward Drake
Ex-cop Thomas Malone is serving a life sentence for a crime he didn’t commit. He is offered a chance at freedom if he can survive a deadly game of Apex, in which six hunters pay for the pleasure of hu
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
Outside the Wire
2021 · Mikael Håfström
In the near future, a drone pilot is sent into a deadly militarized zone and must work with an android officer to locate a doomsday device.
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
Boss Level
2021 · Joe Carnahan
A former special forces agent is trapped in a time loop and relives his death over and over again. To escape the terrible situation, he must track down those responsible and stop them.
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
Universal Soldier
1992 · Roland Emmerich
An American soldier who had been killed during the Vietnam War is revived 25 years later by the military as a semi-android, UniSols, a high-tech soldier of the future. After the failure of the initiat
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
War Machine
2026 · Patrick Hughes
On one last grueling mission during Army Ranger training, a combat engineer must lead his unit in a fight against a giant otherworldly killing machine.
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
The Running Man
2025 · Edgar Wright
Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards is convinced by The Running Man's charming but ruthless producer to enter the deadly competition game as a last resort. But Ben's defian
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
True Lies
1994 · James Cameron
A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used car salesman while terrorists smuggle nucle
In common: Action · Thriller
The Bourne Legacy
2012 · Tony Gilroy
New CIA operative Aaron Cross experiences life-or-death stakes that have been triggered by the previous actions of Jason Bourne.
In common: Action · Thriller
Atomic Blonde
2017 · David Leitch
An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents.
In common: Action · Thriller
Diamonds Are Forever
1971 · Guy Hamilton
Diamonds are stolen only to be sold again in the international market. James Bond infiltrates a smuggling mission to find out who's guilty. The mission takes him to Las Vegas where Bond meets his arch
In common: Action · Thriller
Star Trek: First Contact
1996 · Jonathan Frakes
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 t
In common: Action · Science Fiction
Terminator Genisys
2015 · Alan Taylor
The year is 2029. John Connor, leader of the resistance continues the war against the machines. At the Los Angeles offensive, John's fears of the unknown future begin to emerge when TECOM spies reveal
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
Looper
2012 · Rian Johnson
In the year 2044, time travel has not yet been invented but in 30 years it will have been. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target into the past where a looper, a hired g
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
Planet of the Apes
2001 · Tim Burton
After a spectacular crash-landing on an uncharted planet, brash astronaut Leo Davidson finds himself trapped in a savage world where talking apes dominate the human race. Desperate to find a way home,
In common: Action · Science Fiction
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
1991 · James Cameron
Ten years after the events of the original, a reprogrammed T-800 is sent back in time to protect young John Connor from the shape-shifting T-1000. Together with his mother Sarah, he fights to stop Sky
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
Terminator: Dark Fate
2019 · Tim Miller
Decades after Sarah Connor prevented Judgment Day, a lethal new Terminator is sent to eliminate the future leader of the resistance. In a fight to save mankind, battle-hardened Sarah Connor teams up w
In common: Action · Science Fiction
The Tuxedo
2002 · Kevin Donovan
Cabbie-turned-chauffeur Jimmy Tong learns there is really only one rule when you work for playboy millionaire Clark Devlin : Never touch Devlin's prized tuxedo. But when Devlin is temporarily put out
In common: Action · Science Fiction
The Time Machine
2002 · Simon Wells
Hoping to alter the events of the past, a 19th-century inventor instead travels 800,000 years into the future, where he finds mankind divided into two warring races.
In common: Action · Science Fiction
The Flu
2013 · Kim Sung-soo
A case of the flu quickly morphs into a pandemic. As the death toll mounts and the living panic, the government plans extreme measures to contain it.
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
Masters of the Universe
1987 · Gary Goddard
When the evil Skeletor finds a mysterious power called the Cosmic Key, he becomes nearly invincible, seizing Castle Grayskull and the surrounding city. The Sorceress is now Skeletor's prisoner and he
In common: Action
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
2013 · Jay Oliva
The Flash finds himself in a war-torn alternate timeline and teams up with alternate versions of his fellow heroes to restore the timeline.
In common: Action · Science Fiction
M3GAN 2.0
2025 · Gerard Johnstone
After the underlying tech for M3GAN is stolen and misused by a powerful defense contractor to create a military-grade weapon known as Amelia, M3GAN's creator Gemma realizes that the only option is to
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
Geostorm
2017 · Dean Devlin
After an unprecedented series of natural disasters threatened the planet, the world's leaders came together to create an intricate network of satellites to control the global climate and keep everyone
In common: Action · Science Fiction · Thriller
Maze Runner: The Death Cure
2018 · Wes Ball
Thomas leads his group of escaped Gladers on their final and most dangerous mission yet. To save their friends, they must break into the legendary Last City, a WCKD-controlled labyrinth that may turn
In common: Action · Science Fiction
Source Code
2011 · Duncan Jones
When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.
In common: Science Fiction · Thriller
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
2009 · Stephen Sommers
From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite G.I. JOE team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing
In common: Action · Science Fiction
Outbreak
1995 · Wolfgang Petersen
A deadly airborne virus finds its way into the USA and starts killing off people at an epidemic rate. Col. Sam Daniels' job is to stop the virus spreading from a small town, which must be quarantined,
In common: Action · Science Fiction
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
2013 · Jon M. Chu
Framed for crimes against the country, the G.I. Joe team is terminated by Presidential order. This forces the G.I. Joes into not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with
In common: Action · Science Fiction
Coherence
2014 · James Ward Byrkit
Four couples gather for dinner the night a mysterious and powerful comet passes overhead.
In common: Science Fiction · Thriller
Push
2009 · Paul McGuigan
After his father, an assassin, is brutally murdered, Nick Gant vows revenge on Division, the covert government agency that dabbles in psychic warfare and experimental drugs. Hiding in Hong Kong's unde
In common: Action · Science Fiction
Moonraker
1979 · Lewis Gilbert
After Drax Industries' Moonraker space shuttle is hijacked, secret agent James Bond is assigned to investigate, traveling to California to meet the company's owner, the mysterious Hugo Drax. With the
In common: Action · Science Fiction
Bleeding Steel
2017 · Leo Zhang
A hardened special forces agent fights to protect a young woman from a sinister criminal gang. At the same time, he feels a special connection to the young woman, like they have met in a different lif
In common: Action · Science Fiction
Project Almanac
2015 · Dean Israelite
A group of teens discover secret plans of a time machine, and construct one. However, things start to get out of control.
In common: Science Fiction · Thriller
Escape from the Planet of the Apes
1971 · Don Taylor
The world is shocked by the appearance of three talking chimpanzees, who arrived mysteriously in a spacecraft. Intrigued by their intelligence, humans use them for research - until the apes attempt to
In common: Action · Science Fiction
Greenland
2020 · Ric Roman Waugh
John Garrity, his estranged wife and their young son embark on a perilous journey to find sanctuary as a planet-killing comet hurtles toward Earth. Amid terrifying accounts of cities getting levelled,
In common: Action · Science Fiction
Battleship
2012 · Peter Berg
When mankind beams a radio signal into space, a reply comes from ‘Planet G’, in the form of several alien crafts that splash down in the waters off Hawaii. Lieutenant Alex Hopper is a weapons officer
In common: Action · Science Fiction
Predator: Killer of Killers
2025 · Dan Trachtenberg
While three of the fiercest warriors in human history—a Viking raider, a ninja in feudal Japan, and a WWII pilot—are killers in their own right, they are merely prey for their new opponent: the ultima
In common: Action · Science Fiction
Popular series
Breaking Bad
2008 · Michelle MacLaren
Walter White, a New Mexico chemistry teacher, is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of only two years left to live. He becomes filled with a sense of fearlessness and an unrelenting
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
2023 · Kazutaka Yamanaka
After the party of heroes defeated the Demon King, they restored peace to the land and returned to lives of solitude. Generations pass, and the elven mage Frieren comes face to face with humanity’s m
Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005 · Michael Dante DiMartino
In a war-torn world of elemental magic, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.
