12 Sci-Fi Movies Just as Action-Packed and Visually Incredible as Dune

Blade Runner is a sci-fi movie based on a book, just like Dune. It’s a dystopian story about a man hunting down dangerous rogue androids who have come to Earth in an attempt to extend their lifespan.

Set in a dystopian future where the world has become a desert wasteland and people must fight for resources, Mad Max: Fury Road follows a man named Max who flees from a tyrant named Immortan Joe with the help of Joe’s rogue lieutenant Imperator Furiosa. It’s similar to Dune in that it’s about fighting for your people against forces dead set on stopping you. Plus, both movies feature gorgeous cinematography highlighting beautiful shots of the desert.

Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve is also the director behind Arrival. This movie is about a linguist (Amy Adams) tasked with working as a communicator between humans and alien visitors to avoid a global war with the extraterrestrials. Both movies have great twist endings and strong leads.

Powerful sons, adventure, death, power, and locations with sprawling landscapes are all commonalities between Dune and Gladiator. Filled with action, Gladiator is about a former Roman general seeking vengeance against a corrupt emperor who killed his family and sent him to be a slave.

If you loved the 2021 version of Dune, why not watch the 1984 version? The two movies are fairly different – the recent version reveals less of the plot and expands upon some characters – but they’re both about the same book. Like the 2021 version, the original movie version of Dune is about Paul leading warriors and saving his world.

Like Paul in Dune, 2067‘s Ethan (Kodi Smit-McPhee) goes on an adventure to save other people. He’s headed to the future because his current world is living on synthetic oxygen that’s slowly killing them.

With impressive special effects on a large scale, Prometheus will amaze you as much as Dune did. This movie is about a space crew searching for the origin of humankind in another world.

Full of suspense and action, Extinction is another sci-fi movie about someone saving their family and planet amid an alien invasion. With stars like Michael Peña and Lizzy Caplan, it’s sure to be an exciting watch!

Based on a book, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is like Dune in that it’s about a quest and has gorgeous, scenic cinematography of mountains, rivers, and more. In Dune, the emphasis is on a precious resource worth saving, but in this early-2000s movie, you’ll see Frodo search for the ring of Sauron so he can destroy it.

Are you looking for another movie with complex characters, a scarce, valuable resource, and a plot about battling evil? Look no further than The Fifth Element. This movie is about a cab driver in an apocalyptic future who searches for a unique element that can save the world from evil forces.

Stargate is about men who unlock the powers of an Egyptian artifact. If you love how Dune includes themes such as religion, politics, and power, this is a great next movie for you.

Dune isn’t the only story set in space that’s been made over time and time again. The 2009 movie adaptation of the wildly popular ’60s television series Star Trek sees the original characters board the USS Enterprise for its maiden voyage. They cross paths with an evil commander named Nero, who is on a mission to take revenge on those he holds responsible for destroying his home planet. Paul Atreides and the crew of the USS Enterprise have one major thing in common: they’re fish out of water with the fate of the known universe on their shoulders.