When it comes to binging-watching a mind-bending anthology like Black Mirror, it’s hard to compare it to any other show or movie out right now. Black Mirror stands on its own for its dark and twisted storytelling of the consequences technology has on the characters in the series. From the award-winning episode of “San Junipero” to the intergalactic episode of “USS Callister,” there’s bound to be a favorite amongst the various seasons for practically anyone. Black Mirror has five seasons thus far and hopefully, there isn’t an end in sight. Each episode immerses viewers into another world of something they could only dream of; so while fans wait for another season to emerge, there are quite a few movies that can stand-in as a backup.
Throughout the years, filmmakers have been bringing stories to life on the big screen about the future, technological advances and worlds beyond earth.
Cam (2018)
When people go online and pretend to be someone else, who is to say that someone else won’t take over if they aren’t careful? In Cam, a woman named Alice wakes up one day to find out that she’s been replaced on her own erotic cam show with a doppelgänger of herself. Once this happens, the Alice replica pushes the boundaries of R-rated activities further and destroys all that Alice has worked for.
Is this a hacker playing a terrible joke on an innocent woman or is there something more sinister and supernatural happening here?
Tau (2018)
In the movie Tau, a woman named Julia is abducted by a wacky scientist named Alex, who has completely tricked out his house to operate as a “smart house.” After a series of events, Julia hopes to communicate with the A.I. system in the home to let her out of this sociopath’s home.
Julia isn’t prepared to realize that Alex has sinister plans for her that involves experimenting with her mind and body; but once Julia introduces TAU to other existences outside of the padded walls, things ultimately change.
Interstellar (2014)
For fans of space travel and time-bending, Interstellar should be on the watchlist. Starring Matthew McConaughey, John Lithgow, and Anne Hathaway, when a group of explorers travel through a wormhole in space to attempt to save humanity from famine, disasters, and droughts, plans are botched and making it back in time for supper or even their children’s younger years may not be possible.
The team goes where no others have gone before, deep into the solar system, to seek and find a possible planet to move future generations to live and prosper.
Cube (1997)
When six strangers with completely different personalities are placed in an endless maze, complete with deadly traps, viewers know it’s going to be a thrilling experience.
Cube was ahead of its time for literal out-of-the-box thinking and great acting. Each person has a specific skill that can help them maneuver through the hundreds of rooms that are presented to them, but they need to work together to achieve this.
The Purge (2013)
The Purge might be a surprising film to include on this list, but there’s a ton of Black Mirror-like potential through the film. In a world where Americans get one day out of the year to “purge,” it becomes a terrifying feat to keep family safe and avoid the Purgers at all costs.
When home security big-wig James Sandin, played by Ethan Hawke, uses his latest gadgets on his own home and assures his family they’re safe, a young group of Purgers come to find a man that ran to seek solace in their home. While Sandin doesn’t want to send him to his death, his family’s fate lies in his decision.
Ex Machina (2014)
Ex Machina seems like it was a hand-picked as an episode for Black Mirror and then at the last minute, they switched it out as a full-blown film. Everything from the progressive technology to the atmosphere in most of the film is highly advanced and that isn’t even mentioning the humanoid A.I.
When a young programmer is selected to go to the CEOs of his workplace’s home for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, he’s in for a wild ride. He soon realizes that not all is what it seems and there’s a hidden agenda to it all. What viewers are reminded of time and time again is that even though characters can be fighting robots, they can and have just as many feelings as a person can have.
In Time (2011)
Sometimes, when musicians trek over to Hollywood to test their acting chops, it can be a disaster; fortunately for Justin Timberlake, it worked. Timberlake plays Will Salas, who lives in a future where people stop aging at 25 and are engineered to live one year beyond that. When the wealthy can buy their way to eternal youth, people like Salas and his mother, played by Olivia Wilde, cannot.
Salas finds himself accused of murder and on the run with a wealthy female hostage, who eventually sees the corruption within her community.
Total Recall (1990)
When the reboot of Total Recall came out in 2012, fans were probably excited to see how it would play out, but unfortunately, it couldn’t touch the original. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone, when Quaid (Schwarzenegger) goes on a virtual vacation to the planet Mars, his trip is much more than he was planning for.
A series of events push him into a situation of not knowing what is real or fake and he must battle bad guys and find his way through this world to survive.
Her (2013)
In a not-so-distant future, a lonely writer named Theodore, played by Joaquin Phoenix, develops an unconventional relationship with an operating system named Samantha. Samantha was designed to meet the needs of the owner of the software and with that, Theo starts to gain real feelings for this computer system, while also trying to maintain a real life with real experiences and people.
Directed by Spike Jonze, it sheds light on how detrimental it is to rely on technology and the isolation of oneself because it will bring out the worst of people. What Theodore finds out, in the end, is heart-breaking for him and for viewers.
Get Out (2017)
Directed and written by Jordan Peele, Get Out stars Daniel Kaluuya, who was also in the Black Mirror episode, “Fifteen Million Merits.” Kaluuya plays a young African-American man named Chris Washington who visits his Caucasian girlfriend’s parents home for the first time. What seemed like a harmless weekend of meeting the parents, Washington quickly notices that things are a bit off and eventually, a simmering uneasiness reaches its boiling point.
While the weekend progresses, a series of disturbing discoveries are found by Washington and leads him to the truth he could have never imagined.
