5 Movies That Feel Like Black Mirror Episodes

Black Mirror is truly an unrivaled show when it comes to combining sci-fi concepts with psychological suspense and philosophical themes. Even though it's a TV show, many films tap into similar dystopian ideas, questioning the boundaries between man and machine, identity and surveillance, free will and control.

So if you're hungry for stories that feel like they belong in the Black Mirror universe, here are 5 movies that, in an alternate universe, could make for a solid Season 8 for the show.

1. Ex Machina (2014)

“Let's be real, if it turned out that Charlie Brooker secretly wrote this I don't think anyone would be surprised,” one Redditor said.

In Ex Machina, a young programmer is invited to perform a Turing test on an intelligent humanoid robot named Ava, created by a reclusive tech CEO. But what begins as a philosophical experiment soon devolves into a tense power play between man and machine, just like it happens Black Mirror.

The film challenges our assumptions about sentience, gender dynamics, and the ethical implications of creating lifelike AI. Its minimalist setting and mounting psychological tension mirror the claustrophobic dread of the show's best episodes.

2. Her (2013)

This movie could have easily been number one in this list, because of its premise. Spike Jonze’s Her is a melancholic love story between a lonely man and his AI operating system, Samantha.

Unlike Black Mirror’s darker approach, Her takes a more poetic route, still leaving the core themes the same: the digitization of love, the blurring line between emotional authenticity and artificial intelligence, and the way technology fills (or exploits) emotional voids.

“Be Right Back episode is extremely similar to "Her". I had a feeling of deja vu the whole time I was watching the movie,” Redditor BenjaminShapiro said.

3. Upgrade (2018)

Upgrade centers on a man paralyzed in an assault and implanted with an AI chip called STEM, which gives him superhuman control over his body. Initially a story of revenge, the film evolves into a chilling examination of autonomy and control as the AI becomes more dominant.

The twist ending, with its unsettling implications about consciousness and agency, lands firmly in Black Mirror territory, particularly in the Metalhead or Black Museum episodes where high-tech upgrades come at the expense of humanity.

4. The Truman Show (1998)

While not a sci-fi movie in the traditional sense, The Truman Show still feels eerily prophetic in the age of reality TV, social media, and surveillance culture. Truman Burbank's entire life is a television show, broadcast to the world without his knowledge.

This manipulation of reality, combined with themes of voyeurism and media ethics, is at the heart of Black Mirror episodes like Fifteen Million Merits or The Entire History of You. The film's existential questions about authenticity and free will still resonate today.

5. The Circle (2017)

Based on the novel by Dave Eggers, The Circle follows a young woman who joins a powerful tech company that promotes radical transparency, literally encouraging people to livestream their entire lives. But the idea quickly turns into a nightmare of invasive surveillance and social conformity.

This echoes Black Mirror episodes like Nosedive and Hated in the Nation, which critique our obsession with public image and overall data sharing.