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Maybell Hughs
New Delhi: On this list of mind-bending Netflix movies, we embark upon a journey, covering all grounds: from the horrors of artificial intelligence, where lines blur between reality and the unknown, to time travel and serial killers. So, grab some popcorn and check out the following films for an experience of a lifetime.
Now, delving into a dystopian sci-fi pipeline, the next movie is set in a future where overpopulation and food shortages have led to a very strict one-child policy. The film follows seven identical sisters, all named after the days of the week, each sister is allowed to leave their apartment only on the day of the week that corresponds to their name. When Monday goes missing, the sisters work together to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of their sister while avoiding detection by the authorities.
Even though I have watched many sci-fi shows since Netflix's Dark, I don't think any of them, except for a new Apple TV+ show, have come remotely close to being as twisted and mind-boggling as the German show. Co-created by the couple Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, Dark premiered on Netflix in December 2017 as the streaming platform's first German-language original show. Although it took its time to find its audience and did not instantly garner mainstream attention like Stranger Things, it gradually rose in the ranks as one of the best sci-fi shows on the streaming platform.
Owing to the ambitiousness and complexity of its overarching narrative, Dark kept me hooked throughout its runtime, leaving me asking for more after every season. Unfortunately, it eventually ended its run with three seasons, leaving a bittersweet void for viewers like me who constantly crave complex sci-fi shows that do not shy away from adopting convoluted but compelling narratives. Not a lot of sci-fi shows since Dark have made me sit and think about their stories long after their credits roll, but Apple TV+'s new series is starting to have a similar impact.
Even though Apple TV+'s Dark Matter and Netflix's Dark riff on some similar scientific concepts, the two shows are significantly different when it comes to their story and character beats. However, both initially take time to set the foundation for their sci-fi ideas and then go all out with their exploration of confusing alternate timelines, parallel realities, and paradoxes. Like every sci-fi show and movie, both take many scientific leeways and are not bereft of plot holes. But the fact that they even attempt to execute something that is so conceptually mind-bending elevates them above other sci-fi series.
Although many aspects of Dark's overarching story are puzzling, what primarily makes it mind-bendingly suspenseful and thrilling is its complex portrayal of timelines and the distorted family trees they end up creating. Even from a thematic standpoint, Dark is no less intricate. It portrays how its characters travel through time to end their repetitive cycles of death and destruction only to learn they were perpetuating it in the first place. Using a box that allows one to travel to parallel worlds as a narrative device, Dark Matter, too, walks through many "roads not taken" by its characters.
As it progresses, it becomes more and more puzzling when alternate versions of the same character emerge and start wreaking havoc in each other's lives. Like Dark keeps going back and forth between multiple timelines, Dark Matter keeps shifting between myriad parallel universes. With these complex ideas surrounding parallel universes and time travel, both shows often gave me a headache but also made me think about philosophical questions surrounding free will, determination, and the long-term rippling impact of even the most trivial decisions I make.
Dark had an incredible run on Netflix and still boasts an impressive average Rotten Tomatoes score of 95% across all seasons. Its second season even has a perfect critics' rating of 100%, which it rightfully earned. Dark Matter's score of 81% is relatively less. However, it still ranks among the best sci-fi shows of 2024. Given how both shows are incredible in their own right, it would be unfair to compare them based on their critics' ratings. However, Dark's audience and critics' scores on RT clearly suggest that it was one of a kind and hardly any sci-fi shows will come close to matching its quality.
Even for me, Dark Matter, at least after season 1, is still far from being the perfect Dark replacement. However, I cannot help but appreciate how, like Dark, Dark Matter is bringing pure sci-fi back by entrancing viewers with its imagination and daring to explore some complicated scientific concepts like quantum superposition and entanglement. Hopefully, like Netflix's Dark, Apple TV+'s Dark Matter will get to expand its ideas and last for at least two more seasons despite being limited by its source material.
Given how Netflix's Dark redefined how time travel could be used as a narrative device in science fiction, it would be unfair to call Dark Matter its replacement. Apple TV+'s Dark Matter has many creative tricks up its sleeve that allow it to etch its own distinct identity among the slew of multiversal movies and shows that have come out in recent years. However, it is still not in the same league as Netflix's Dark in terms of intricate storytelling, attention to detail, and philosophical depth.
Like every epic sci-fi show or movie, Netflix's Dark has a fair share of plot holes and narrative imperfections, making it nearly impossible to piece together some elements of its labyrinthine story. However, these minor pitfalls are overshadowed by the brilliance with which it handles its ambitious ideas and complex timelines. Dark Matter, in contrast, struggles to hide its plot contrivances in season 1 despite having enough plot twists and turns to distract audiences. If it returns for more seasons, Dark Matter might fix these flaws, but it will have to significantly elevate itself to match Dark's genre-defining excellence.
Dark Matter has been performing well on Apple TV+, which improves its chances of returning with more installments. However, the Apple TV+ show is based on Blake Crouch's book of the same name, and its story developments seem to align with the book's pace. Owing to this, Dark Matter might run out of source material content by the end of season 1. Fortunately, Blake Crouch is also the creator of the Apple TV+ show, allowing him to expand his book and show's lore and world-building if the streamer renews Dark Matter for more seasons.
As the book changes in Dark Matter season 1 suggest, Blake Crouch has already given minor characters like Amanda and Ryan more significance in the show. This allows him to continue the show for at least one more season if everything else falls into place. However, Dark Matter's future will ultimately depend on whether Apple TV+ believes it is profitable enough to warrant additional seasons. Hopefully, like Netflix Dark, the Apple TV+ show will also get the opportunity to explore the entire scope of its fascinating sci-fi ideas.
Some people like to unwind by watching relaxing cooking shows, others like to turn on something that will check you out of reality altogether. If you're part of the latter camp, you're in luck: there's a whole treasure trove of mind-bending movies on Netflix that will not only absorb your attention for a few hours, but keep you analyzing for weeks to come.
Some, like the indie psychological thriller The One I Love, are filled with unexpected plot twists, while others, like the 2016 Netflix documentary Amanda Knox, don't offer a straightforward conclusion even after all evidence is presented. Following the plot of Jupiter Ascending will require a good deal of mental gymnastics, and movies like Snowpiercer, The Discovery, and Nocturnal Animals will leave you to interrogate your own belief systems long after the credits roll.
Whether you like horror, action, fantasy, or a little bit of everything, here are 20 mind-blowing movies on Netflix that just might melt your brain. Pro tip: you may want to use Netflix Party to watch with a friend or two, because you'll definitely need someone to discuss with afterward...or at least to help make sense of what's going on. Some films are best as a group activity.
Sophie (Elisabeth Moss) and Ethan (Mark Duplass) are in couples therapy when their therapist (Ted Danson) suggests they go away to a cabin for the weekend to work on their issues. But the way they handle their issues on vacation is... stranger than you might suspect.
The rules for staying alive in Bird Box are simple: if you see the monster, you die. This leaves Malorie Hayes with little choice but to try to escape and find safety with her children. To protect themselves from an invisible force that takes on your worst fears, they must take the journey blindfolded.
On Christmas night in 1996, 6-year-old pageant queen JonBent Ramsey was found murdered in her family's home. Her story has been fixated on and sensationalized for years, but director Kitty Green wanted to do something different, so she put out a series of calls asking people to audition for the role of JonBent and her family members. The result is a fascinating dive into the way we as a society treat these stories that will take you by surprise and force you to investigate your own problematic views on true crime.
Like slapping an Instagram filter over a John Waters movie, this melodramatic soap opera follows the lives of people with deformities and odd dreams navigating a world that doesn't accept them. One seemingly healthy young man dreams of chopping his legs off to become a mermaid, while another woman has an "inverted digestive system" in which her mouth and anus are swapped.
This movie is a slow burn (no pun intended). Jong-soo reunites with a childhood friend by chance and develops a crush. When she leaves for a long trip, he's tasked with caring for her cat until she returns, and to his chagrin, she comes back with a wealthy man named Ben by her side. When Jong-soo discovers Ben's unnerving hobby, tensions rise.
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