Movies Like A Scanner Darkly (2006)

A Scanner Darkly is a 2006 animation, science fiction, thriller film from Richard Linklater with a MovieMagicScore of 6.8/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Nancy Drew and Cyborg 2.

Animation Science Fiction Thriller

Nancy Drew

2007

Intrepid teenage private eye Nancy Drew heads to Tinseltown with her father to investigate the unsolved murder of a movie star in this old-fashioned whodunit based on Carolyn Keene's popular series of books for young adults. But can the small-town girl cut through the Hollywood hype to solve the case?

6.1

MagicScore

Cyborg 2

1993

In the year 2074, the cybernetics market is dominated by two rival companies: USA's Pinwheel Robotics and Japan's Kobayashi Electronics. Cyborgs are commonplace, used for anything from soldiers to prostitutes. Casella Reese is a prototype cyborg developed for corporate espionage and assassination. She is filled with a liquid explosive called Glass Shadow. Pinwheel plans to eliminate the entire Kobayashi board of directors by using Casella

4.3

MagicScore

Rock & Rule

1983

A malevolent rock star kidnaps a female singer to force her to participate in the summoning of a demon and her band must help her stop him.

5.9

MagicScore

The Matrix Reloaded

2003

The Resistance builds in numbers as humans are freed from the Matrix and brought to the city of Zion. Neo discovers his superpowers, including the ability to see the code inside the Matrix. With machine sentinels digging to Zion in 72 hours, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity must find the Keymaker to ultimately reach the Source.

7.1

MagicScore

Strange Days

1995

Former policeman Lenny Nero has moved into a more lucrative trade: the illegal sale of virtual reality-like recordings that allow users to experience the emotions and past experiences of others. While they typically contain tawdry incidents, Nero is shocked when he receives one showing a murder.

7.0

MagicScore

The Matrix Revolutions

2003

The human city of Zion defends itself against the massive invasion of the machines as Neo fights to end the war at another front while also opposing the rogue Agent Smith.

6.7

MagicScore

Inherent Vice

2014

In Los Angeles at the turn of the 1970s, drug-fueled detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of an ex-girlfriend.

6.5

MagicScore

Class of 1999

1990

The time is in the future and the youth gang violence is so high that the areas around some schools have become "free-fire zones", into which not even the police will venture. When Miles Langford, the head of Kennedy High School, decides to take his school back from the gangs, robotics specialist Dr. Robert Forrest provides "tactical education units". These are amazingly human-like androids that have been programmed to teach and are supplied with devastatingly effective solutions to discipline problems. So when the violent, out-of-control students of Kennedy High report for class tomorrow, they're going to get a real education... in staying alive!

6.1

MagicScore

True Romance

1993

Clarence marries hooker Alabama, steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it.

7.5

MagicScore

#10

Rush

1991

Undercover cop Jim Raynor is a seasoned veteran. His partner, Kristen Cates, is lacking in experience, but he thinks she's tough enough to work his next case with him: a deep cover assignment to bring down the notoriously hard-to-capture drug lord Gaines. While their relationship turns romantic during the assignment, they also turn into junkies, and will have to battle their own addictions if they want to bring down Gaines once and for all.

6.6

MagicScore

#11

Blade Runner

1982

In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.

7.9

MagicScore

#12

New Rose Hotel

1999

A corporate raider and his henchman use a chanteuse to lure a scientific genius away from his employer and family.

5.2

MagicScore

#13

Carlito's Way

1993

Free after years in prison, Carlito Brigante intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld. Reconnecting with his dancer girlfriend, Carlito gets entangled in the shady dealings of his friend Dave Kleinfeld, who also serves as his lawyer. An encounter with shifty gangster Benny Blanco sets the duo on a dangerous path.

7.8

MagicScore

#14

The Stone Killer

1973

A Los Angeles detective is sent to New York where he must solve a case involving an old Sicilian Mafia family feud.

6.1

MagicScore

#15

Loom

2012

Tommy, a dogged lab tech of industrial food who, though once known in the business as "The Apostate", seems to have rededicated himself to producing scientifically engineered meat. A film about a dystopian future rife with genetic engineering, corporate corruption of government and rampant infection, is really about Tommy’s loneliness and the at-home experiment he conducts.

5.5

MagicScore

#16

Renaissance

2006

To find Ilona and unlock the secrets of her disappearance, Karas must plunge deep into the parallel worlds of corporate espionage, organized crime and genetic research - where the truth imprisons whoever finds it first and miracles can be bought but at a great price.

6.5

MagicScore

#17

The Lawnmower Man

1992

A simple man is turned into a genius through the application of computer science.

5.6

MagicScore

#18

Hardware

1990

Mark 13 is a government-built killing machine programmed with artificial intelligence, able to repair and recharge itself from any energy source. Through a series of coincidences, the cyborg's head ends up in the home of a sculptress as a bizarre Christmas present from her boyfriend. Once inside its new home, the cyborg promptly reconstructs the rest of its body using a variety of household utensils and proceeds to go on a murderous rampage.

5.9

MagicScore

#19

24 Hours with Gaspar

2023

With only 24 hours left to live, a private investigator follows a trail of confounding clues to uncover the disappearance of his childhood friend.

6.6

MagicScore

#20

Filth

2013

A bigoted junkie cop suffering from borderline personality disorder and drug addiction manipulates and hallucinates his way in a bid to secure promotion.

6.8

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like A Scanner Darkly?

The top films similar to A Scanner Darkly by MovieMagicScore are Nancy Drew (6.1), Cyborg 2 (4.3), Rock & Rule (5.9). Each shares animation/science fiction/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is A Scanner Darkly worth watching?

A Scanner Darkly holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.8/10 from 1,852 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is A Scanner Darkly?

A Scanner Darkly (2006) is a animation, science fiction, thriller film directed by Richard Linklater, starring Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson.

Where can I find more recommendations like A Scanner Darkly?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more animation recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Nancy Drew Movies like Cyborg 2 Movies like Rock & Rule Movies like The Matrix Reloaded Movies like Strange Days Movies like The Matrix Revolutions

About movies like A Scanner Darkly

This ranked list pairs A Scanner Darkly (2006), a animation and science fiction and thriller film from Richard Linklater, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Keanu Reeves take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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