49 Movies Like The Darkest Minds (2018) You Need to Watch Next
Updated August 2026
View The Darkest Minds details →If you loved The Darkest Minds (2018) by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, here are 49 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 The Road, Gladiator II, King Kong. 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 The Darkest Minds
Selected for their real similarity in content, these are the movies that share the most with The Darkest Minds 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.
The Road
2009 · John Hillcoat
A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind and water. It is cold enough to crack stones and, when the snow falls, it is gra
In common: Adventure · Drama
Gladiator II
2024 · Ridley Scott
Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
King Kong
2005 · Peter Jackson
In 1933 New York, an overly ambitious movie producer coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull Island, where they encounter Kong, a giant ape who is immediately smitten with t
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
The Count of Monte Cristo
2024 · Alexandre de La Patellière
Edmond Dantès becomes the target of a sinister plot and is arrested on his wedding day for a crime he did not commit. After 14 years in the island prison of Château d’If, he manages a daring escape. N
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Twister
1996 · Jan de Bont
An unprecedented series of violent tornadoes is sweeping across Oklahoma. Tornado chasers, headed by Dr. Jo Harding, attempt to release a groundbreaking device that will allow them to track them and c
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Exodus: Gods and Kings
2014 · Ridley Scott
The defiant leader Moses rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 400,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
1991 · Kevin Reynolds
Nobleman crusader Robin of Locksley breaks out of a Jerusalem prison with the help of Moorish fellow prisoner Azeem and travels back home to England. But upon arrival he discovers his dead father in t
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Robin Hood
2010 · Ridley Scott
When soldier Robin happens upon the dying Robert of Loxley, he promises to return the man's sword to his family in Nottingham. There, he assumes Robert's identity; romances his widow, Marion; and draw
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
The Perfect Storm
2000 · Wolfgang Petersen
In October 1991, a confluence of weather conditions combined to form a killer storm in the North Atlantic. Caught in the storm was the sword-fishing boat Andrea Gail.
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan
2023 · Martin Bourboulon
D'Artagnan, a spirited young Gascon, is left for dead after trying to save a noblewoman from being kidnapped. Once in Paris, he tries by all means to find his attackers, unaware that his quest will le
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
The Guardian
2006 · Andrew Davis
A high school swim champion with a troubled past enrolls in the U.S. Coast Guard's 'A' School, where legendary rescue swimmer Ben Randall teaches him some hard lessons about loss, love, and self-sacri
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
The Edge
1997 · Lee Tamahori
The plane carrying wealthy Charles Morse crashes down in the Alaskan wilderness. Together with the two other passengers, photographer Robert and assistant Stephen, Charles devises a plan to help them
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Planet of the Apes
1968 · Franklin J. Schaffner
Astronaut Taylor crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted, his life in the hands of a
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Snowpiercer
2013 · Bong Joon Ho
In a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet, a class system evolves aboard the Snowpiercer; a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engi
In common: Action · Drama
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
2024 · Wes Ball
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 emp
In common: Action · Adventure
Ready Player One
2018 · Steven Spielberg
When the creator of a popular video game system dies, a virtual contest is created to compete for his fortune.
In common: Action · Adventure
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
2013 · Francis Lawrence
After surviving the Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta struggle with the consequences of their victory as unrest spreads across Panem. Forced back into the spotlight, they become symbols of hope and resi
In common: Action · Adventure
Divergent
2014 · Neil Burger
In a world divided into factions based on personality types, Tris learns that she's been classified as Divergent and won't fit in. When she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents, Tris and the mysteri
In common: Action · Adventure
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
2015 · Francis Lawrence
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
In common: Action · Adventure
TRON: Legacy
2010 · Joseph Kosinski
Sam Flynn, the tech-savvy and daring son of Kevin Flynn, investigates his father's disappearance and is pulled into The Grid. With the help of a mysterious program named Quorra, Sam quests to stop evi
In common: Action · Adventure
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
1985 · George Miller
Mad Max becomes a pawn in a decadent oasis of a technological society, and when exiled, becomes the deliverer of a colony of children.
In common: Action · Adventure
Tron
1982 · Steven Lisberger
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
In common: Action · Adventure
The Great Escape
1963 · John Sturges
The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocate them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out the remainder
In common: Adventure · Drama
Gran Turismo
2023 · Neill Blomkamp
The ultimate wish-fulfillment tale of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won him a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional racecar driver.
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Days of Thunder
1990 · Tony Scott
Talented but unproven stock car driver Cole Trickle gets a break and with the guidance of veteran Harry Hogge turns heads on the track. The young hotshot develops a rivalry with a fellow racer that th
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Gladiator
2000 · Ridley Scott
After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiat
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
RRR
2022 · S. S. Rajamouli
A fictional history of two legendary revolutionaries' journey away from home before they began fighting for their country in the 1920s.
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
The Huntsman: Winter's War
2016 · Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
As two evil sisters prepare to conquer the land, two renegades—Eric the Huntsman, who aided Snow White in defeating Ravenna in Snowwhite and the Huntsman, and his forbidden lover, Sara—set out to stop
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
The Man in the Iron Mask
1998 · Randall Wallace
Years have passed since the Three Musketeers, Aramis, Athos and Porthos, have fought together with their friend, D'Artagnan. But with the tyrannical King Louis using his power to wreak havoc in the ki
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Kingdom of Heaven
2005 · Ridley Scott
After his wife dies, a blacksmith named Balian is thrust into royalty, political intrigue and bloody holy wars during the Crusades.
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
The Karate Kid
2010 · Harald Zwart
12-year-old Dre Parker could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying but the cultural dif
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Hero
2002 · Zhang Yimou
During China's Warring States period, a district prefect arrives at the palace of Qin Shi Huang, claiming to have killed the three assassins who had made an attempt on the king's life three years ago.
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Karate Kid: Legends
2025 · Jonathan Entwistle
After a family tragedy, kung fu prodigy Li Fong is uprooted from his home in Beijing and forced to move to New York City with his mother. When a new friend needs his help, Li enters a karate competiti
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Jack the Giant Slayer
2013 · Bryan Singer
The story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries,
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
A Knight's Tale
2001 · Brian Helgeland
William Thatcher, a knight's peasant apprentice, gets a chance at glory when the knight dies suddenly mid-tournament. Posing as a knight himself, William won't stop until he's crowned tournament champ
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Rurouni Kenshin: The Final
2021 · Keishi Otomo
In 1879, Kenshin and his allies face their strongest enemy yet: his former brother-in-law Enishi Yukishiro and his minions, who've vowed their revenge.
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
King Arthur
2004 · Antoine Fuqua
The story of the Arthurian legend, based on the 'Sarmatian hypothesis' which contends that the legend has a historical nucleus in the Sarmatian heavy cavalry troops stationed in Britain, and that the
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning
2021 · Keishi Otomo
Before he was a protector, Kenshin was a fearsome assassin known as Battosai. But when he meets gentle Tomoe Yukishiro, a beautiful young woman who carries a huge burden in her heart, his life will ch
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Dante's Peak
1997 · Roger Donaldson
Volcanologist Harry Dalton comes to the sleepy town of Dante's Peak to investigate the recent rumblings of the dormant volcano the burg is named for. Before long, his worst fears are realized when a m
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
House of Flying Daggers
2004 · Zhang Yimou
In 9th century China, a corrupt government wages war against a rebel army called the Flying Daggers. A romantic warrior breaks a beautiful rebel out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but thing
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny
2016 · Yuen Woo-Ping
A story of lost love, young love, a legendary sword and one last opportunity at redemption.
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Poseidon
2006 · Wolfgang Petersen
A packed cruise ship traveling the Atlantic is hit and overturned by a massive wave, compelling the passengers to begin a dramatic fight for their lives.
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
In the Heart of the Sea
2015 · Ron Howard
In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex is assaulted by something no one could believe—a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance.
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
10,000 BC
2008 · Roland Emmerich
A prehistoric epic that follows a young mammoth hunter's journey through uncharted territory to secure the future of his tribe.
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Pompeii
2014 · Paul W. S. Anderson
In 79 A.D., Milo, a slave turned gladiator, finds himself in a race against time to save his true love Cassia, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant who has been unwillingly betrothed to a corr
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
The Karate Kid Part III
1989 · John G. Avildsen
Despondent over the closing of his karate school, Cobra Kai teacher John Kreese joins a ruthless businessman and martial artist to get revenge on Daniel and Mr. Miyagi.
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
The Guns of Navarone
1961 · J. Lee Thompson
A team of allied saboteurs are assigned an impossible mission: infiltrate an impregnable Nazi-held island and destroy the two enormous long-range field guns that prevent the rescue of 2,000 trapped Br
In common: Action · Adventure · Drama
Battle Royale
2000 · Kinji Fukasaku
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
In common: Action · Drama
Civil War
2024 · Alex Garland
In the near future, a group of war journalists attempt to survive while reporting the truth as the United States stands on the brink of civil war.
In common: Action · Drama
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.
