Movies like Inception that make your brain hurt — in the best way

There is a different kind of 'kick' in watching movies that mess with your head. For instance, movies like Inception rewire your brain every time you think about the ending. The only feeling that hurts more than a break-up is sitting after the credits roll and thinking, "Wait...what just happened?" and frantically searching the internet for answers.

Christopher Nolan's Inception is a prime example of this kind of movie. Before looking for a closure with your ex, instead, look for one with Nolan for making you sit through the ending of Inception. Movies like Inception are for all the V.I.K.Is and RoboCops, people with no emotions who recover from adversities within seconds.

If you are one of those bravehearts who love watching movies that crush souls and bend brains like Beckham, then here are 10 movies like Inception that will give you full entertainment while making you question your reality.

10 movies like Inception that will make your brain hurt

The world of cinema is full of movies with brain-bending plots and logic-twisting endings. If you are a fan of movies that turn storytelling into puzzles, then here is a list of movies like Inception for you that will make you lose sleep.

10) Fight Club (1999)

Fight Club is an amazing journey of an average Joe, from being a corporate slave to a Fight Club owner. Things change for him when he meets the charismatic Tyler Durden, and they both start the club for people like him who are tired of living empty 'modern' lives and just want to express their frustration with bare-knuckle violence.

Things take a turn for the worse when Tyler decides to take their operations to new heights, and the protagonist starts to lose control over their club, life, and reality. The first rule of this mind-bending thriller is that you watch it ASAP, and the second rule is, well, you already know it. When you talk about movies like Inception, this one comes to mind immediately.

9) Tenet (2020)

If you loved Inception and want to see more movies from Christopher Nolan, then you should check out Tenet. It stars Denzel Washington's son John David Washington in the lead role along with Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh, and Nolan's lucky mascot, Michael Caine.

The film tells a story of a nameless protagonist who attempts to save the world from annihilation by reversing the world's entropy. Besides Pattinson and Washington, the things that will keep you engaged are seeing bullets flying backwards, reverse car chases, and mesmerizing time folds. By the end of it all, your jaw will be on the floor.

8) Planet of the Apes (1968)

Imagine, while travelling through space, you end up crashing on an unknown planet inhabited by apes. On that planet, apes are superior, intelligent beings, whereas humans are inferior creatures dependent on the apes. Planet of the Apes is a sci-fi film where astronaut George Taylor crashes on a strange planet where apes rule.

With help from two scientists, Cornelius and Zira, George tries to escape and return to Earth, only to come face to face with a horrible revelation. If you survived the ending of Inception, then this movie will be an easy watch compared to the rest of the movies like Inception on this list.

7) Contact (1997)

Contact is another great entry on the list of movies like Inception. It is a gripping thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. It follows Dr. Ellie Arroway, an astronomer, who decodes a signal from space and is chosen to make first contact with the extraterrestrial.

During the process, questions are raised about whether the aliens want peace or whether it is a ploy that can lead to the Earth's destruction. As Ellie begins her journey, she encounters something more than just an extraterrestrial that cannot be explained to her peers on Earth. Watch the movie to find out what it is about.

6) Being John Malkovich (1999)

Being John Malkovich is the most bizarre film on the list of movies like Inception because of its unique storyline. A struggling puppeteer (John Cusack) discovers a portal to actor John Malkovich's head. He finds out that he can enter his mind through the portal and control it as he likes. The more the puppeteer exploits the portal, the more viewers see the reality of desire and manipulation.

5) Another Earth (2011)

One more epic thriller on the list of movies like Inception is Another Earth, and as the title suggests, it is about Earthlings suddenly discovering a mirror Earth in the sky. It is a planet with the same people living on Earth, but they are living an alternate version of their current lives.

Rhoda, a brilliant student, whose life takes a drastic turn for the worse when she is involved in a car accident that kills a mother and a daughter. To seek redemption, she tries to go to the twin planet to start over and meets the man whose wife and daughter died in the accident. It is a perfect blend of guilt, redemption, and unlimited cosmic possibilities.

4) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

If you think Jim Carrey is only good at making painfully funny faces and screaming at the top of his lungs, then watching this movie will change your perception. At first glance, this movie won't look like it belongs on the list of movies like Inception, but once you watch it, you learn how a drama movie becomes a thriller after a touch of sci-fi.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind tells a story about Joel, who undergoes a memory erasing procedure to erase his ex-girlfriend from his mind after he learns that she did the same. But he ends up reliving those moments, losing a grip on reality and his memory in the process.

3) Get Out (2017)

If you want to enjoy movies like Inception but with a social message that is wrapped in a gripping story and blockbuster entertainment, then Get Out should be on your 'watch next' list. The movie marks the directorial debut of actor and comedian Jordan Peele, and stars Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, and Catherine Keener.

It follows Chris (Kaluuya), a young black man, who visits his white girlfriend's family on their estate and uncovers something disturbing. Although the family and their white friends seem to be welcoming of Chris, he soon discovers the ugly truth behind their smiles.

2) Memento (2000)

If you love movies like Inception, then you need to start at the beginning. Memento was the first among the long list of Christopher Nolan classics that have graced the silver screen. It was the movie that gave him the much-deserved recognition and marked the beginning of the Christopher Nolan era. The film stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a guy set to avenge the rape and murder of his wife.

The twist is that he suffers from short-term memory loss. His wife's murder is the last thing he remembers, and he has been preserving that memory and his motive via photos and tattoos. The film will leave you with a rush of emotions, and you will never be the same again.

1) Shutter Island (2010)

Leonardo DiCaprio gave his fans two of the greatest films of his career in 2010, Inception and Shutter Island. Both of them were thrillers, where DiCaprio faced life-or-death situations while dealing with a huge personal tragedy. DiCaprio plays U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels, who, along with his partner, Chuck, comes to Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of a patient at Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

As he digs deeper, he uncovers horrific secrets and comes to terms with heartbreaking realities, ending the movie with a note that can break anyone's mind and spirits alike.

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That was all on the list of 10 movies like Inception that will make your brain hurt. Check them out to see how many of them you like.