10 Classic Sci-Fi Epic World-Building Movies Like Dune

Upon viewing the video for Denis Villeneuve’s epic 2021 movie, which is based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 book of the same name, one thing becomes evident: it’s massive. That’s the first thing that everyone will notice when they see how big the sci-fi story was constructed. It’s very big. Don’t get us wrong—filming on location and combining practical and special effects makes for a big visual spectacle—but the movie also tells the first part of its story in a fitting, but again, epic, way.

We wouldn’t blame you if, after that, you started to want more of what you just got. We might have to wait a little while longer for the Movies like Dune sequel or spinoff, but there are plenty of other movies and TV shows that are also set in the same kind of world.

There are many other space and sci-fi epics you can read. There are also general epics that you can look for. Telling a hero’s story on a big scale is not just something that happens in space. You could compare Movies like Dune to other have been made, or you could watch films about movies that tried to adapt Dune but failed. There is a lot of past. You might even just want some sci-fi and want to tone things down a bit.

There are many good movies that come after Villeneuve’s 2021 Movies like Dune, no matter what mood you’re in. We have put together a list of some of the best.

10 Best Lists of Movies Like Dune:

1. Stalker:

The Soviet director Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker is by far one of his best movies. It is one of the best foreign arthouse movies of all time and one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. There’s a strange area called the Zone in a small country called the Zone. There’s a room there called the Room that people say can grant their deepest wishes. They are led by a “stalker,” who is a guide, through this dangerous area to get to the “mythical Room.”

While Stalker takes a very different method than Dune, it still deals with religious and high-level philosophical issues. Anyone who likes movies should see it, but Dune fans should see it even more. Like Villeneuve’s most recent epics, Stalker takes great care with its complicated plot, giving us beautiful visuals and a lot of memorable set pieces.

2. Star Wars:

This is a suggestion for not only Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, which is like Dune: Part One in Galaxy Far, Far Away, but also for the whole franchise, which was highly influenced by Herbert’s 1965 book from the start. So it’s funny that Star Wars, with 11 movies, a hit live-action show, and an entire animated universe, eventually became something that the world of Dune had to recognize.

“Finding this identity in a world where the giant elephant of Star Wars was present in the room was a very long process,” Villeneuve said. “George Lucas got ideas for Star Wars from the book Dune.

Then, while we were making a movie about Dune, we had to deal with why Star Wars was important. It comes full circle. “There’s only one place to start if you haven’t seen Star Wars yet.

3. Dune:

For as long as people thought Dune couldn’t be adapted, it was mostly (if not entirely) because of David Lynch’s terrible attempt. The director, who is known for bringing strangeness to movies, shortened Herbert’s important book into a movie that runs for almost two and a half hours. The end result is a strange, badly put together, and not very close to the source material misfire.

Still, Lynch’s Dune has held up pretty well over the years. Even though it doesn’t have the style that made Lynch famous (which makes you scratch your head), it’s still a good addition to his resume and has a lot of interesting things for fans and moviegoers alike. Fans of the modern duology should read the first book to see how it varies from how Villeneuve’s imagination worked with Herbert’s. Warning: it’s not the same at all. Each person can decide for themselves if that’s a good or bad thing.

4. Blade Runner 2049:

Another big movie by Denis Villeneuve was Blade Runner 2049, which was a 25-years-later follow-up to Ridley Scott’s original Blade Runner in 1982. Harrison Ford is back as Rick Deckard, but Ryan Gosling takes the major role this time. The whole movie, Ryan Gosling plays a sad guy convincingly, and he wears a really cool coat. Ana de Armas, Robin Wright, Dave Bautista, and Jared Leto all have great supporting parts. But, just like Dune, what makes Blade Runner 2049 stand out is how it looks and how big it is. Watching this movie is amazing. Try to get the biggest screen you can. Then press “play.”

5. The Matrix:

In The Matrix by The Wachowski Brothers, Neo is a computer hacker who is taken by a beautiful stranger into a world below. There, he decides to find out the shocking truth: the life he thinks he lives is a complex lie made up by a bad cyber-intelligence. It’s both a lot of fun to watch and a lot to think about. It has some of the most exciting action scenes and one of the most deceptively deep sci-fi stories of the 20th century.

The Matrix is another one of the most important sci-fi movies ever made. It has some of the most groundbreaking special effects since CGI came along. People who like sci-fi stories with a bit of philosophical depth will love this. It’s the kind of sci-fi that can both amaze them with action and make them think with deep stories. So, the similarities to Dune become clear.

6. Interstellar:

A lot of different Christopher Nolan movies could have been on this list, but we’re going to include his space drama because, well, why not? There’s a good chance that Nolan’s most complex movie yet is Interstellar. It’s a story about space travel that tries to help people stay alive. It stars Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, and more. A bonus for Dune fans? A young Timothée Chalamet plays the son of Matthew McConuaghey in the movie.

7. 2001: A Space Odyssey:

Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey undoubtedly ranks among the most significant science fiction films ever produced. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, since many people think Kubrick is the best American director ever. His philosophical space epic is about a spaceship with two people and a supercomputer on board that is sent to Jupiter to find out where a strange object that landed on the Moon came from.

To say that 2001 has had a clear impact on almost every space adventure movie made in the 21st century would be an understatement. This includes Villeneuve’s Dune movies, of course. This 1960s masterpiece has amazing colour and visual effects that were ahead of their time, as well as interesting ideas, a gripping story, famous music, and a famous ending that everyone should see before they die.

8. Arrival:

9. Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope:

Tolkien’s work and George Lucas’s work are both so well-known now that it would be hard to find someone who hasn’t heard of them. The first Star Wars movie, which came out in 1977 and is now known as Episode IV: A New Hope. In it, Luke Skywalker, a young farmer, is called out of his quiet life to save the world from the Galactic Empire’s weapon that can destroy planets.

The Hero’s Journey is one of the most famous story types in history, and it has been used as a model for many sci-fi and fiction stories over the years. That covers both Dune and A New Hope, with A New Hope being the most directly about the monomyth. By showing that following a tried-and-true structure isn’t always the opposite of being original, Villeneuve and Lucas both showed that imagination is the best thing that exists. There’s a reason why A New Hope is an iconic movie: it has great visuals, a great story, and one of the best scores ever.

10. Mad Max: Fury Road:

A barren, desert-like area with very little water and no resources? Where else have we heard that? It’s clear that Dune had an effect on Mad Max: Fury Road, which is now the most exciting and beautiful action movie of the last 20 years.

Conclusion:

These movies will not let you down if Denis Villeneuve’s Dune made you want more big, intense sci-fi adventures. Each movie is different, whether it’s the intellectual depth of Stalker, the visual spectacle of Blade Runner 2049, the ground-breaking action of The Matrix, or the cosmic mystery of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Epic movies that build worlds, Movies like Dune, take viewers to rich, carefully made worlds full of adventure, existential themes, and beautiful visuals. Some, like Star Wars and Mad Max: Fury Road, were directly influenced by Dune. Others, like Arrival and Interstellar, look at fate, survival, and the great unknown in similar ways.

So, if you want to keep exploring the vast world of sci-fi Movies like Dune, these movies will take you past Arrakis and into new, fascinating places. It’s time to go on a trip through space, time, and your mind. So grab some popcorn or spice.

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