A unique Alien race, gorgeous planets, underlying messages about real-world problems, and fighting for good – these all helped make Avatar and its sequel Avatar: The Way of Water not just successful movies, but two of the highest-grossing movies of all time. In fact, Avatar is the highest-grossing movie ever, with The Way of Water taking the #3 spot at the time of writing.
If you loved the Avatar movies and are looking for other films with a similar vibe and style, check out our guide below to find out where you can stream the best movies like Avatar online right now!
Pocahontas
In a nutshell, the first Avatar movie is basically Disney’s Pocahontas on a different planet – A group of settlers arrive in a new world and cautiously befriend the natives…all while secretly plotting to take their land and resources. There’s a reason Avatar was often called “Pocahontas in space”. But with great music, stunning colors, and a real message about humanity, Disney’s Pocahontas is a great movie, so Avatar should wear that title as a badge of honor.
The Time Machine
In The Time Machine, an inventor goes so far forward in time that he watches society crumble and later rebuild, with a new race of forest-dwelling humans called Eloi now inhabiting the Earth’s surface. Fans will definitely notice a similar visual style and vibe between the Eloi and the Na’vi from Avatar.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
One of the closest movies to Avatar is Disney’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Set in the 1910s with an awesome steampunk and Jules Verne aesthetic, the movie follows an expedition under the sea to uncover the lost city of Atlantis. Once there, they meet the Atlantians who harness an incredible power thanks to their symbiotic relationship with their environment. As always…the visitors then become invaders when it’s revealed they actually came for resources and treasures.
District 9
One of the themes Avatar touches on is the way that humans don’t value the Na’vi or their land because they’re perceived as the “other” and thus not worthy of any rights. Taking this idea to the extreme was District 9, where an alien race is held captive in South African internment camps. The movie was heavily inspired by the apartheid and if you loved Avatar’s underlying messages, you will appreciate the way District 9 comments on race, colonialism, and the abuse of civil liberties.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
In Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, the Empire has invaded the remote moon of Endor to build a shield generator – taking over the Ewoks’ home planet and destroying the environment in the process. Luckily, the Rebellion teams up with the Ewoks to reclaim their planet and save the galaxy. Just like the Na’vi must save their planet from humans, viewers will find lots of similarities in the Battle of Endor.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
At its core, Avatar is a first-contact film, where humans work to navigate their encounter with the Na’vi. For one of the most iconic first-contact movies ever, you need to watch Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The movie is suspenseful, but compelling, and even kind of scary because for much of the film, the audience is left unaware of the aliens’ intentions. There’s a reason it was nominated for 9 Oscars.
FernGully: The Last Rainforest
In FernGully, a group of fairies and woodland creatures are suddenly disturbed by loggers who have come to chop down the rainforest. You can probably already see how this is similar to Avatar, and being an animated movie, it’s also loaded with lush colors and a great larger-than-life rainforest setting, making it feel even more similar to James Cameron’s epic films.
The Fountain
Just as humans arrive on Pandora in search of “unobtanium” in Avatar, The Fountain tells of humanity’s search for The Tree of Life, echoing the way Europeans used to believe the Fountain of Youth was hidden somewhere in the Americas. Like the humans in Avatar, who are desperate for power and resources, The Fountain tells of the search for something even greater: Immortality.
Tarzan
In a lot of ways, Tarzan is kind of like the Na’vi in Avatar. He’s grown up living with nature, utilizing it as his home, instead of just as a place that can be mined and logged. When he finally makes human contact, many of the same scenarios in Avatar happen, and the movie ultimately asks who is the true savage – the person living with nature, or the people who wish to destroy it.
Strange World
If you loved Avatar for its stunning colors and exotic planetary landscape, you’ll love Strange World. Heavily inspired by Journey to the Center of the Earth, the movie follows a family who must search for a new energy source… but in the process, they learn about the fragile balance that holds the environment in equilibrium. It’s a great and colorful adventure that has sadly and unfairly been overlooked.
Where to watch movies like Avatar online
Check out our list below to find out where all these movies like Avatar are streaming online in the United States!
