Movies Like Lightships

If you liked Lightships, a science fiction and drama movie directed by John Harrigan, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
★ 6.5/10Also science fiction and drama
Thomas Jerome Newton is an alien who has come to Earth in search of water to save his home planet. Aided by lawyer Oliver Farnsworth, Thomas uses his knowledge of advanced technology to create profitable inventions…
2
Disclosure Day (2026)
★ 7.4/10Also science fiction
A cybersecurity expert becomes a whistleblower after uncovering secrets about aliens, putting him on the run from a corporation. Meanwhile, a meteorologist experiencing strange phenomena joins forces with him to prove…
3
Enemy Mine (1985)
★ 7/10Also drama and science fiction
A soldier from Earth crashlands on an alien world after sustaining battle damage. Eventually he encounters another survivor, but from the enemy species he was fighting; they band together to survive on this hostile…
4
K-PAX (2001)
★ 7.2/10Also science fiction and drama
Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations.
5
Solaris (2002)
★ 6/10Also drama and science fiction
A troubled psychologist is sent to investigate the crew of an isolated research station orbiting a bizarre planet.
6
Swan Song (2021)
★ 7.1/10Also drama and science fiction
In the near future, Cameron Turner is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Presented with an experimental solution to shield his wife and son from grief, he grapples with altering their fate in this thought-provoking…
7
The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008)
★ 5.9/10Also science fiction
Mulder and Scully are called back to duty by the FBI when a former priest claims to be receiving psychic visions pertaining to a kidnapped agent.
8
Parallel (2024)
★ 6.3/10Also science fiction and drama
Grief-stricken after the loss of her child, Vanessa takes refuge at a lake house only to be met with an aberration of herself from a parallel universe and realizes the multiverse gates hold the key to releasing her…
9
Arrival (2016)
★ 7.6/10Also drama and science fiction
Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.
10
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
★ 7.5/10Also science fiction
An alien is left behind on Earth and saved by the 10-year-old Elliott who decides to keep him hidden in his home. While a task force hunts for the extra-terrestrial, Elliott, his brother, and his little sister Gertie…
11
Stay (2005)
★ 6.6/10Also drama
Psychiatrist Sam Foster has a new patient, Henry Letham, who claims to be suicidal. In trying to diagnose him, Sam visits Henry's prior therapist and also finds Henry's mother -- even though Henry has said that he…
12
Self/less (2015)
★ 6.4/10Also science fiction
An extremely wealthy elderly man dying from cancer undergoes a radical medical procedure that transfers his consciousness to the body of a healthy young man but everything may not be as good as it seems when he starts…
13
Special (2006)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and science fiction
A lonely metermaid has a psychotic reaction to his medication and becomes convinced he's a superhero. A very select group of people in life are truly gifted. Special is a movie about everyone else.
14
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
★ 7.6/10Also science fiction
Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, learn the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles…
15
Pitch Black (2000)
★ 6.9/10Also science fiction
When their ship crash-lands on a remote planet, the marooned passengers soon learn that escaped convict Riddick isn't the only thing they have to fear. Deadly creatures lurk in the shadows, waiting to attack in the…
16
Serenity (2005)
★ 7.4/10Also science fiction
A group of rebels travel the outskirts of space evading the sinister Alliance regime. Their lives of smuggling and cargo-running are interrupted by a psychic passenger who harbours a dangerous secret. Soon, the crew…
17
The Fourth Kind (2009)
★ 6.4/10Also science fiction
Since the 1960s, a disproportionate number of the population in and around Nome, Alaska, have gone missing. Despite FBI investigations, the disappearances remain a mystery. Dr. Abigail Tyler, a psychologist, may be on…
18
The Mandela Effect (2019)
★ 6.3/10Also science fiction and drama
A man becomes obsessed with facts and events that have been collectively misremembered by thousands of people. Believing the phenomena to be the symptom of something larger, his obsession eventually leads him to…
19
Frequency (2000)
★ 7.3/10Also science fiction
When a rare phenomenon gives police officer John Sullivan the chance to speak to his father, 30 years in the past, he takes the opportunity to prevent his dad's tragic death. After his actions inadvertently give rise…
20
Moon (2009)
★ 7.6/10Also science fiction and drama
With only three weeks left in his three-year contract, Sam Bell is eager to return to Earth. Stationed alone at a Moon-based facility with his computer assistant GERTY, an unexpected accident sets off a series of…