{"id":17057,"date":"2022-06-16T19:00:52","date_gmt":"2022-06-16T17:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1654059"},"modified":"2022-06-16T19:28:18","modified_gmt":"2022-06-16T17:28:18","slug":"just-watched-inception-here-are-8-movies-with-twists-and-cliffhangers-to-try-next","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/just-watched-inception-here-are-8-movies-with-twists-and-cliffhangers-to-try-next\/","title":{"rendered":"Just watched Inception? Here are 8 movies with twists and cliffhangers to try next"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Daniel Furn\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 16 June 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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It\u2019s been over a decade since Inception steamrolled into cinemas like a folding dream city, and its impact on film has been felt ever since.<\/p>\n

From blaring horns to endless parodies to the rise of \u201c-ception\u201d as a suffix, the Leonardo DiCaprio film was ubiquitous for years afterwards, and Hollywood spent much of the 2010s trying to replicate the movie\u2019s unique mix of fresh ideas, blockbuster visuals and narrative complexity.<\/p>\n

Not all films are quite able to live up to the juggernaut that is Inception, but thankfully there are plenty of smart sci-fi movies, twisty-turny thrillers and ambiguous endings out there that are well worth your time.<\/p>\n

Inception was far from the first mind-bending movie and was itself inspired by the explosion of films questioning reality in the 1990s, the most obvious and notable example being the Wachowskis\u2019 groundbreaking hit The Matrix<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Director Christopher Nolan too also has an extensive collection of cerebral films that explore time, space and memory, with several featuring impressive twists that we\u2019ll list below.<\/p>\n

So if you\u2019ve just experienced Inception for the very first time and are looking for something similar, we\u2019ve got a list of films that will blow your mind all over again.<\/p>

1. Shutter Island<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Leonardo DiCaprio stars in Shutter Island (2010)<\/span><\/figcaption> SEAC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

If after Inception you\u2019re after another 2010 thriller that sees Leonardo DiCaprio question his reality, then you\u2019re in luck \u2013 psychological horror Shutter Island was coincidentally only released a few months before the Nolan blockbuster and has a surprising amount in common. Directed by industry legend Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island sees Leonardo DiCaprio star as a U.S. Marshal who heads to a remote psychiatric facility in search of an escaped murderer.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s best you go into Shutter Island knowing as little as possible, but it\u2019s safe to say there may be a plot twist or two along the way. As you\u2019d expect from a Scorsese-DiCaprio collaboration the acting and direction are top-notch, crafting a chilling, unique and occasionally gruesome mystery that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled. In our Shutter Island review<\/a>, we stated that \u201cthe director\u2019s fevered imagination draws on the creepiness of Val Lewton\u2019s 1940s horrors, the expressionistic Cabinet of Dr Caligari, and the dark glamour of Douglas Sirk\u2019s 1950s melodramas\u201d resulting in a film that \u201cweaves an impressive and gripping spell\u201d.<\/p>\n

Be sure to return after you\u2019ve finished to see our breakdown of the Shutter Island ending<\/a> \u2013 it seems 2010 was a big year for ambiguous closing scenes\u2026<\/p>\n

Where to watch:\u00a0<\/strong>Netflix<\/a>, NOW<\/a><\/p>\n

2. The Matrix<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Keanu Reeves (Warner Brothers)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Before Inception came along, The Matrix was the influential sci-fi action film of choice. Nolan is on record telling The Los Angeles Times<\/a> that the seminal 1999 film was an influence, and it\u2019s easy to see how as both take place in realities that aren\u2019t necessarily real \u2013 Inception in dreams, The Matrix in a computer simulation. But scratch below the surface and the two have much more in common \u2013 both used their action sequences to illustrate the core concepts of their world rather than distract from them, both used their ideas to explore character, emotion and philosophy, and both would spend a decade being endlessly parodied and imitated.<\/p>\n

However, regardless of its similarities to Inception, The Matrix is a film everyone should watch at least once. Its reputation may have been tarnished slightly by the underwhelming sequels<\/a>, but the original stands up as one of the best science fiction films of all time thanks to a fresh concept, influential action choreography and iconic visuals. Alan Jones has nothing but praise for the iconic cyberpunk flick in our five-star The Matrix review<\/a>, lauding the film as \u201can adrenaline-pumping rollercoaster ride of extraordinary vision and astounding power\u201d that \u201cpushed the boundaries of imagination and digital-effects technology further than ever before\u201d.<\/p>\n

Where to watch:<\/strong> NOW<\/a><\/p>\n

3. The Truman Show<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Jimmy Carrey Truman Show<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Jim Carrey\u2019s zany style of comedy may seem the polar opposite of Christopher Nolan\u2019s serious directorial style, but it seems that both have had a shared interest in exploring realities that just might not be real. For those unaware, The Truman Show\u2019s highly prophetic plot follows an insurance salesman who slowly realises his entire life is a reality TV show with actors posing as his family, and decides to escape.<\/p>\n

Inception and The Truman Show are those rare breeds of film that are both smash-hit summer blockbusters but also endlessly thought-provoking, with both blurring the lines of what is and is not real and following characters who become aware that their world around them is not what it seems. Both films use this for different reasons of course \u2013 The Truman Show uses this false reality to explore celebrity culture, reality television and surveillance, whereas Nolan is more interested in the human mind \u2013 however, if you\u2019ve just watched Inception and are questioning whether you\u2019re in a dream or not, The Truman Show is a perfect follow-up as you\u2019ll be wondering whether you\u2019re secretly on TV also.<\/p>\n

We were suitably impressed, writing in our five-star review<\/a> that \u201cthis ingenious satirical comedy drama about media omnipotence is both dazzling and sophisticated from audacious start to poignant finale\u201d.<\/p>\n

Where to watch: <\/strong>Buy or rent on Amazon<\/a>, iTunes<\/a> and Sky Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n

4. Memento<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Memento \u00a9 Twentieth Century Fox.<\/span><\/figcaption> SEAC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Inception may have cemented Christopher Nolan\u2019s status as the master of complex twisty-turny thrillers, but Memento was the auteur\u2019s first attempt at labyrinthine stories that play about with time (and the audience\u2019s heads). Nolan\u2019s breakout film, Memento follows an insurance investigator with short-term memory loss who uses polaroid pictures and tattoos to track down his wife\u2019s murderer.<\/p>\n

As shown in Inception \u2013 and even more so in Tenet<\/a> \u2013 Nolan has long been a fan of experimenting with time and non-linear narratives, and is shown clearly here as the main conceit of Memento. Here the movie is not shown in order \u2013 while black and white sequences are shown chronologically, colour sequences are shown in reverse to simulate the protagonist\u2019s experience. As with Inception, it requires the viewer to become an active participant in keeping track of the story \u2013 and rewards audiences with an utterly original and complex tale that will keep you guessing until the very end, with all sorts of charts and diagrams created to explain the film\u2019s unique structure.<\/p>\n

David McGillivray points out how Memento, like Inception, is concerned about our perception of reality, writing in our five-star review<\/a> that: \u201cthe ingenious structure makes the point that memory, although unreliable, is what we depend upon for our sense of reality\u201d.<\/p>\n

Where to watch:\u00a0<\/strong>Buy or rent on Amazon<\/a>, iTunes<\/a> or Sky Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n

5. Being John Malkovich<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Being John Malkovich<\/span><\/figcaption> SEAC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Inception takes a neat original concept \u2013 a thief steals corporate secrets from people\u2019s dreams \u2013 and pushes it to its extreme, exploring a dream within a dream within a dream\u00a0<\/em>and adding a limbo layer on top for good measure. Being John Malkovich takes a similar approach, taking a unique and largely succinct premise \u2013 a puppeteer discovers a portal into the head of actor John Malkovich \u2013 but twists and turns then take the story in wild directions that no one saw coming.<\/p>\n

Coming from the team of writer Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze, it\u2019s no surprise that Being John Malkovich is highly meta and surreal,\u00a0with Malkovich starring as a fictitious version of himself who is controlled by several other characters during the film. However it\u2019s hard to stop watching \u2013 if you\u2019re looking to have your mind blown in a rather different way to Inception, then Being John Malkovich will have you wondering if you\u2019re stuck in a fever dream instead.<\/p>\n

Alan Jones was particularly impressed with the film\u2019s many twists in his five-star review<\/a>, writing: \u201cJonze\u2019s Kafkaesque mind trip is so far-out in conservative Hollywood terms, it\u2019s a real shock to the system. The fact that it manages to carry its open-mouthed audience through every awesomely enigmatic turn is its greatest accomplishment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where to watch:\u00a0<\/strong>Rent or buy on Amazon<\/a>, iTunes<\/a> or Sky Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n

6. The Prestige<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Christian Bale in The Prestige<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

As one of the masters of cinematic twists and turns, it\u2019s no surprise that Christopher Nolan turned to magic tricks and illusions for one of his films. Set in Edwardian London, The Prestige follows two magicians who become enemies after a tragic accident, resulting in a bitter rivalry of stage one-upmanship that will cost them everything.<\/p>\n

The Prestige is a tad more grounded than Inception, but like a good magician the film has plenty hidden up its sleeve and it is not just the on-screen audience who will witness a few tricks. The Prestige may be one of Nolan\u2019s more underrated films and is somewhat overshadowed by the gargantuan success of Inception, but the two share a lot of common \u2013 including both benefitting from rewatches to understand the complex plot.<\/p>\n

It impressed Brian Pendreigh in our The Prestige review<\/a>, who described the film as \u201ca fascinating tale that twists and turns at every opportunity\u201d but is \u201cgrounded by the seriousness with which [Nolan] treats his material and by fine performances all round.\u201d One of these fine performances includes that of Hugh Jackman \u2013 who is playing a far darker 1800s stage performer than he is in The Greatest Showman<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n

Where to watch: <\/strong>Rent or buy on Amazon<\/a>, iTunes<\/a> or Sky Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n

7. After<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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After We Collided<\/span><\/figcaption> Voltage Pictures <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Teen drama can also get the plot twist treatment \u2013 and the one in After<\/a> is particularly brutal. Based on Anna Todd\u2019s novel of the same name<\/a>, After follows a new university student whose world opens up when she begins a rocky relationship with a mysterious stranger harbouring a dark secret.<\/p>\n

Plot twists are usually reserved for psychological thrillers and science fiction, but here it is the romance genre that messes with our heads as it is a relationship that is full of twists and turns rather than the storyline. Perhaps what is most surprising however is how After came about \u2013 it began as fan fiction on the website Wattpad featuring members of the band One Direction, before being turned into a book after receiving one billion views. After has a surprising amount in common with Inception, however \u2013 right down to a cryptic and ambiguous ending\u2026<\/p>\n

Where to watch: <\/strong>Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n

8. Us<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Jordan Peele was previously best known for his comedy work as half of Key & Peele, but has recently become better known for directing twisty-turny horrors including Get Out, Nope<\/a> and of course Us. The creepy film sees a family\u2019s beach holiday interrupted by doppelg\u00e4ngers of themselves dressed in red \u2013 who soon start terrorising them.<\/p>\n

As a full-on horror movie, Us does of course has its differences from Inception \u2013 but shares just as many twists and turns, as you\u2019d expect from a film about doubles. The two were also both huge critical successes as Us was heaped with praise after its SXSW screening<\/a>, and lead actress Lupita Nyong\u2019o was heaped with acclaim and nominations for her powerhouse dual performance. Just like Inception, this is a film you\u2019ll want to watch for a second time once you know the ending\u2026<\/p>\n

Where to watch: <\/strong>Rent or buy on Amazon<\/a>, iTunes<\/a> or Sky Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Check out more of our\u00a0Film<\/a>\u00a0coverage or visit our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0to see what\u2019s on tonight.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>\u00a0and get the next 12 issues for only \u00a31. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the\u00a0Radio Times podcast<\/a>\u00a0with Jane Garvey.<\/b><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n

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